Upgrade Camera or Buy new lens?

[Ramella2]

Hello all,
Last year I purchased a canon XS, and am interested in upgrading my camera. I'm a hobbyist with a limited budget, between $400-$600, and photograph my children. In researching cameras and lenses, many photographers suggest good quality lens is as, if not more important than having a particular camera body. I'm looking for suggestions on how to step up my equipment. Thanks for your time & help!

[Ramella2]

I have the Canon EF-S 18-55mm kit lens and
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

[RichardTaylor]

Do you find your existing equipment limiting your ability to capture some images?.
If so, why and what sort of images?

[Nicole]

What is it that you want to do that your current equipment isn't letting you do? That will provide people with a lot more help in trying to recommend something to you.

[inkista]

1) Make sure it's your lenses getting in the way, and not your technique before you look for a new lens.

2) Make sure it's a lens you need, and not something else, like a tripod, a flash, or good post-processing software. Maybe something as simple as taking a class or workshop, or reading a book can help you more than a new piece of gear.

3) Thanks for giving us a budget range. You'd be surprised how many people forget to do that. But we do also need to know what it is you want to "step up." Getting any SLR gear is about finding the best fit for you. For that, we need to know what/how you envision using this cool new lens.

[Ramella2]

Thanks for the replies!! It's very helpful, and I think I'm going to invest in some classes, get some formal training, and then get a more experienced, educated idea of which direction to go. I see all the awesome cameras and lenses, etc. out there and get camera/lens envy... your input has helped me realize I just need more training & experience. Thanks Again!

[karen_s]

If you can turn your cameral/lens envy into image envy, it will save your pocket book. You just might be surprised at what you can do with what you already have. A little time with some study sounds like a great idea.

And when you do get to that point of adding or upgrading equipment, good glass does tend to be the best route. Just take your time, get to know what you have, and like the others have said, wait to find the limitations of your current equipment before trying to keep up with the Jones's, who probably take crappy pictures with their 1D with the big white lens.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Ramella2

Thanks for the replies!! It's very helpful, and I think I'm going to invest in some classes, get some formal training, and then get a more experienced, educated idea of which direction to go. I see all the awesome cameras and lenses, etc. out there and get camera/lens envy... your input has helped me realize I just need more training & experience. Thanks Again!

Cool. Technique is a lot easier (and cheaper) to develop than a gear collection. My two recommendations, if you learn well from books and feel you're at a beginning level, would be Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure and Learning to See Creatively. The first one is for all the mechanics of the exposure triangle, and how use of iso, aperture, and shutter speed affect your images. The second book is about basics of composition.

If you have Lightroom, I'd also recommend going through the Adobe TV Lightroom tutorials by Julieanne Kost. They really helped me get a handle on what was possible with LR3.