Amateur looking to upgrade from Canon Rebel XS (1000D)

[GADS]

I've had a Canon 1000D (with 18-55 lens kit) for just over a year. I knew nothing about photography when I bought it so I wanted to start very basic. And, of course, price was a key consideration.

I now know a little more about photography and am finding that (a) the build is flimsy and (b) the sensor is slow. I would like to upgrade either the lenses, or the body itself and would like recommendations/advice.

Is it a waste of money to simply upgrade the lenses? I am thinking about 2 lenses:

1. Prime lens eg. Canon - Lens - 50 mm - f/1.4 USM
2. Versatile 'go anywhere' lens eg. Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

If I upgrade the body, what model?

I don't intend to do any professional shooting - it is just a hobby (family/friends portraits and travel), and my budget is £1000.

[ik631]

If you end up staying with Canon its not a waste of money upgrading your glass. I just upgraded one of my kit lenses and it made a world of difference. Since you can use the lenses on any body I would upgrade the lens before the body then see if you still need a new body. There is an exception EF-S lenses can only be used on APS-C sensors the EF lenses can be used on full frame or cropped sensors. I am trying to stay away from the EF-S in case I upgrade to full frame some day.

I don't know anything about either lens you are considering. I have the 50mm 1.8. It is considerably cheaper. I love it BUT it is a prime so you have to do the zooming with your feet and 50mm on a cropped sensor causes you to do a lot of backing up which can be a problem indoors and this is the reason many people get it. Try taking shots at 50mm with your kit lens to see how comfortable you are with the focal length before you decide on this lens, it will quickly show you the limitations and creativity you will need.

[inkista]

I bought three L lenses before I upgraded from an XT (350D) to a 50D.

Money you spend on glass will last longer than money you spend on bodies. Lenses don't get replaced or depreciat.e nearly as quickly as digital camera bodies do. I'm no longer using the XT, and the 50D backs up my 5D Mark II. But I still shoot with those three L lenses all the time.

If you don't have the 50mm f/1.8 II, I'd actually recommend getting that over the 50/1.4 USM, unless you're absolutely sure you want a 50mm lens. The 50/1.8 II is less than a third the price, and the optics are pretty much at the same level. Sure, it's got a cheap plastic build, but if it's only going to be a temporary-see-if-you-like-it lens... Some folks find it frames a little too tight on a crop body, and prefer going with the 35/2 or the 28/1.8 instead to get closer to a "normal" perspective for street shooting or across-the-table portraits. YMMV.

The 18-135 isn't really a huge image quality upgrade over an 18-55/55-250 twin lens kit. It's just more convenient in that you don't have to swap lenses. But I'd actually advocate looking at getting an f/2.8 zoom (if you want more speed), a telephoto zoom (if you want more reach), or an ultrawide (if you wanted to go wider). To me, the 18-135 is a lateral move. Upgrades would be the EF-S 17-55/2.8, the EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or the L walkarounds (17-40/4, 24-70/2.8, or 24-105/4).

Not sure what you mean about the sensor on your XS being slow. ISO 1600 isn't slow, and is something I would have killed for back in film days. Most of the time, noise from using high iso settings is a matter of improper technique: usually by underexposing and then pushing (making the exposure brighter) in post. Underexposing can often cause more noise than bumping up an iso level.

One thing you definitely need to do before going out and getting more gear (and especially expensive gear) is to check that your technique is not at fault. Because bad technique will follow you no matter what cool new toys you buy. Post-processing can also make all your equipment look about three times as expensive.

There's nothing wrong with upgrading for the sheer joy of playing with new toys if you can afford it. But maybe you also need to learn how to walk up and get closer to your subject, or how to stop the lens down to f/8 for sharpness.