New body or New lens?

Hi.

Your decision is a hard one, and the lens recommendations are fine ones thus far.
But look at the reasoning behind the new body purchase, and the pros and cons of the two lines of cameras between the Rebel series, and the XXD series.

I had my Rebel XS for just under a year.. i was an idiot and paid Best Buy a good chunk of change for it and a kit lens. With in a year i found it to be hindering in use to what i was used to in my old film body's.

While its more than true that the lens is the cruical part of any camera setup, people often forget about how integral it is to have a body thats both comfortable to use, and its well laid out controls.

The Rebel line of cameras are Menu oriented, with one dial to adjust everything from AF points, to shutter speed. You are constantly having to take it away from your face, to make some sort of adjustment, especially when shooting in M mode.

The xxD line however, with the rear and top control dials, you rarely have to take your camera more than an inch from your face.. if at all; to change shutter, aperture, and AF points.
Find a local camera store/pawn shop with an xxD line camera, and play with it for about 15mins or so.. see how fast you want that body.

so i sold my XS and got me a 20D... i LOVED that camera. even with a "kit" lens it produced stellar results compared to my XS, faster burst speed, AF seemed a bit better, and film speed performance was very good indeed on the 20D over my XS..

now barely a year later, and I've managed to land a sweet deal on my 40D.. and just when i thought it couldn't get better.. it did.

so, if your in the air about either.. if i where you, i'd go for a 30D, and a nice piece of glass for it... the 40D and 50 f1.8 until you save up for a zoom lens for it.
Deals can be had, just keep an eye out on the forums here, and check Adorama and KEH.com regularly.. patience may win out.. and then sometime next year.. buy a flash! you will love the results just from that one addition no matter what body you have.

buy a nice prime like the 50mm 1.4. the xt can still do wonders and if you're just using it mainly or parties and casual shooting then it should perform a okay. i'm saying this from personal experience btw, the rebel xt w/ 24/50/85 primes were all i needed.

would the len's i have now still work on the 40D or D series bodies?

Gurry wrote in post #11286537
would the len's i have now still work on the 40D or D series bodies?

They should work just fine, the 40D is a crop sensor just like any Rebel body out there. The only difference you'll see in IQ would be if you jumped to the newer 18MP sensor bodies such as the 550D, the 60D and the 7D. These newer cameras perform much better in low light than previous models and also in overall IQ. I noticed that myself, I didn't think there would be much of a difference but there sure is. This comparison I've made using the same Tamron 28-75mm lens I have. You won't see much of a difference in IQ in any of the other models prior to these new models, that includes the 40D. The difference will be mostly in other features such as faster frame rates, bigger body which for some is not a plus and better construction as you would expect from a more expensive body.

I don't think you mention what type of zoom lens you have now but if you're looking for a lens, buy the best your money can buy, look into 3rd party such as Sigma and Tamron, they both make excellent alternatives to the more expensive Canon models.

New lens trumps new body. I would suggest buying a better quality lens--several good suggestions above. Have fun.

yea, if there isnt going to be much of a difference from the xt to like a 40D then it wont be worth the extra $300-400 to spend after selling mine. So you guys suggest to just spend that money on a lens.

I lent my brother my 100mm f/2.8 macro for his XT and the pictures came out real sharp, he was impressed. It's great lens for that camera for macros and portraits. Get the glass and save for a better body later.

On your budget, the decision is easy (if I were in your shoes). Buy a new lens. I have a tamron 17-50 f2.8 which can be had for about $400 new or cheaper used. It good for indoors, and focus close (about a foot). BTW, I don't think you really want a "macro" lens. These lens are for photographing things within a few inches of the subject (such as bugs, flowers).

yea i dont really want a true macro, i just see on some websites under the macro section lens's up to 50mm. But i am really looking for a 17-50 decent lens, and after thinking about it hard, i think the lens is the better choice for right now, then maybe when the better bodies come down in price due to newer ones coming out, i will be able to buy one. Im just not that hardcore into it to spluge big money on a body right now. i did that with my XT and paid double what its worth now. But that happens with electronics.

Gurry wrote in post #11290628
yea i dont really want a true macro, i just see on some websites under the macro section lens's up to 50mm. But i am really looking for a 17-50 decent lens, and after thinking about it hard, i think the lens is the better choice for right now, then maybe when the better bodies come down in price due to newer ones coming out, i will be able to buy one. Im just not that hardcore into it to spluge big money on a body right now. i did that with my XT and paid double what its worth now. But that happens with electronics.

Look into the Sigma:

http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1289871​163&sr=8-1

or Tamron:

http://www.amazon.com …TF8&qid=1289871​282&sr=1-1

Gurry wrote in post #11290628
yea i dont really want a true macro, i just see on some websites under the macro section lens's up to 50mm. But i am really looking for a 17-50 decent lens, and after thinking about it hard, i think the lens is the better choice for right now, then maybe when the better bodies come down in price due to newer ones coming out, i will be able to buy one. Im just not that hardcore into it to spluge big money on a body right now. i did that with my XT and paid double what its worth now. But that happens with electronics.

You'll discover that the cost of a body goes down dramatically over time. Lenses tend to hold their value pretty well--maybe not as well as a savings account, but almost all my lenses are worth more now than when I bought them!

Then go for the nifty fifty and get a set of kenko extention tubes for macros. If you can afford a little more then the 50 1.4 is a great choice.

found a used sigma 17-70 f2.8 lens for $275 cdn, reg $449 picking it up this saturday, any thing i should look for on the lens for damage or to check for?