Upgrading from the Canon EOS 400d, but to what?

[Scatterbrain]

I'm happy with the camera, but am getting to the stage of wondering whether I should upgrade to a newer body. But what? I plan to stick with Canon as I'm , but there seem to be so many options out there...

I guess budget is one factor. The profit from my little start up business last year was £1500, so I can spend around that much (maybe a little more if needed)

I photograph children, mainly portrait & lifestyle shots. Mostly outdoors, but some studio shots too. Oh & I have some weddings booked for the summer (my main reason for upgrading I think)

More & more of my clients want 20"x16" or larger prints. This is about the maximum my camera's resolution can stretch to comfortably.

I'm not a pro. I'm still learning (& doing a distance learning degree), but am very comfortable with the manual controls on my current camera. My business has been going for a couple of years & people seem to like the portraits I take.

So, what are the options for Canon Camera's under £2000? \what are the pro's & cons if each? Or is there a thread/review already here that might help?

S

[Doug Pardee]

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

I'm happy with the camera, but am getting to the stage of wondering whether I should upgrade to a newer body.

If you're happy with the camera, the answer is, "No, you shouldn't upgrade to a newer camera."

Send your excess money to Haiti relief agencies or something. Why waste it on replacing a camera that's working just fine for you?

[Saralonde]

If you are considering full frame, there are some deals going on now for the 5D Mark II. Other than that, try looking at the new 7D or for a deal on the 50D.

[Saralonde]

Another thought. If the body seems to be okay for you, maybe a new lens would be in order. Perhaps something that would help with wedding photography.

[Samanax]

I agree with the lens suggestion. The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM or EF 24-105mm f/4.0 IS USM would be a nice addition.

[BCampbell]

There's nothing wrong with better lenses, but if you are unsure of your body upgrade path, definitely nail that down before buying new lenses. I say this because if you plan on going full frame, you don't want to invest in EF-S lenses.

The way I see it, you have two main options here: do you want to move into video, or do you want to go full frame? I wouldn't bother trying to do both (i.e., the 5DMkII).

If you want video, you should stick to the APS-C sensor models, which puts you at a T1i or a 7D. The 7D is spanking new, and the hot thing on teh market, so if you do go that route it should last you a while. It is near the forefront of Canon's technology.

If you want to go full frame, the original 5D (not the MkII) has held a very stable price on the used market. If you are looking primarily for image quality and to make larger prints, this is definitely the way to go; the resolution and APS sensor are easily high enough to print in larger formats, and it's a great camera, able to take advantage of quality glass. The caveat is that you won't be able to use any EF-S lenses you have now, but almost all of the best Canon lenses are EF anyway.

You should be able to afford the 5D along with one or two good lenses for portrait work; 100mm f/2, 70-200mm f/4L, possibly the 24-105 f/4L. Other good choices are the 50mm f/1.4, 24-70 f/2.8L (awesome awesome walkabout lens), 85mm f/1.8 (personal choice between that and the 100mm f/2.0).

The 5D and 24-70 f/2.8L is a very very solid kit, and will suffice for portraits at the longer end of the lens (that is very close to the range you get with the APS-C sensor and the kit 18-55mm lenses). You could then augment that with the 70-200mm f/4L or ideally f/2.8L, and you probably wouldn't need any more glass for a while. f/4 on either of those lenses will be fine for outdoor and studio work; the 2.8 lenses are obviously better but you'll notice that more in lower light conditions. If those are outside your budget, you can get excellent results with either the 100 f/2 or the 85 f/1.8 until you can save up, those are very popular portrait lengths.

I would personally recommend this path. if you want high quality files you can make large prints from, you will eventually want to go full frame. Why not buy in as economically as possible now and start building up your glass, and later you can upgrade to newer generation 5D if you feel the need. But I'm pretty sure the original 5D will tide you over for a long, long time.

[JeffSmith]

Hi Scatterbrain, some good advice for you on his thread, but you haven't said why you want to change?

Do you desire higher quality pics or have you just got a bad case of gadetitis and some money burning a whole in your pocket?

My advice is definitely L series lenses, they're all good so you just choose your focal length to suit your interest.

Invest in L series lenses because they'll last you forever, you can then upgrade your camera body anytime you wish.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by Scatterbrain

More & more of my clients want 20"x16" or larger prints. This is about the maximum my camera's resolution can stretch to comfortably.

I think this is why the OP wants to upgrade the body, and it's a genuine concern. Trying to upgrade a body to get your 500x333 pixel photos on flickr looking better is a losing proposition, but if you're trying to print to large sizes, even a high-MP cropped sensor is going to suffer compared to the detail you can get with a full-frame.

I think, for this purpose, she will see similar results from the 12MP 5D even compared to the 18MP 7D. In any case, if she is pursuing ultimate clarity at large print sizes, she will eventually want a high-MP full frame camera, so I see no problem upgrading to the 5D with one or two good lenses now, stocking up on good EF glass, and then later moving to a newer 5D if she wants more pixels.

Since she is most interested in doing portraits with lots of light, there are plenty of affordable lenses to choose from that will carry her until she can get the really good stuff. Getting L-series lenses now is certainly an option, but why pair them with an entry-level camera when you can invest in a much higher quality body that can really take advantage?

Scatterbrain, I don't know why I'm assuming you're female, no offense intended if that's wrong.

[RichardTaylor]

Quote
"I photograph children, mainly portrait & lifestyle shots. Mostly outdoors, but some studio shots too. Oh & I have some weddings booked for the summer (my main reason for upgrading I think)"

Shooting weddings means you do need a second body for piece of mind just in case something happens to the first body/lens and also it may mean you don't miss shots whilst you are changing lenses.

BCampbell's post makes a lot of sense to me.
.

[Scatterbrain]

Wow, thank you for all the great advice! This is all so very useful, I appreciate the time you have spent replying to my question. No, it's not a case of me upgrading for the sake of it or using money just because it's there. While I'm building up this hobby/business my policy is that I only spend money I've already earnt. This is where the budget came from.

So why do I want to upgrade? Experience has already taught me that I need a second camera, especially for something as important as weddings where you can't just come back another day. So, do I buy another entry level camera or upgrade? Ultimately it's nice clear large prints that I need as this is one area where I'm stretched a bit at the moment. I really don't need/want video at the moment.

Lenses: At the moment my camera has my 50mm 1.8 almost perminently attached, although I do confess to having a lovely L class (70-200 1.4l ) that I often use for outdoor shoots. My only Ef-s lens is my macro (60mm 1:2.8), which I rarely use but like to experiment with.

It sounds like the Canon 5d is well worth me looking at and I'll check it against the specifications of the others mentioned too.

Yes I'm female .

S