Should I upgrade my lens or my Canon 550D body first if I may move to full frame later?
Asked 6/27/2012
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2 answers
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I shoot with a Canon 550D and currently have the 18-55mm kit lens and 55-250mm f/4-5.6. I want to improve my gear for more serious work, possibly photojournalism and eventually starting a business. I’m trying to decide whether it makes more sense to buy a higher-end lens now and keep using the 550D, or save for a full-frame body first.
For example, should I buy something like a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and use it on the 550D, or would I be better off moving to a 5D Mark II with a 24-105mm f/4L? More generally, is it smarter to invest in lenses first, and does that change depending on whether the lens is a telephoto zoom or a standard zoom?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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The 550 has enough quality for the images. So the bump in the road is your lens. I would go for a better quality lens and keep the 550 body. Then post-processing is your last stop on your way to good quality shots.
That said, the body is a tool, and if you feel that you cannot create good enough images that maybe your problem is the camera body and how it handle/feels like.
A last thing, there are great cameras between the 550 and the 5D. Cameras like 60D and 7D are great cameras, that will take you away from the plastic feeling of the 550.
Originally by user10366. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user10366
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
In general, upgrade lenses first. The 550D is still a capable body, and your current lenses are more likely to be the limiting factor than the camera itself.
A high-quality telephoto like a 70-200mm f/2.8 works very well on both crop and full-frame bodies, so buying that now can make sense if that focal range suits your work.
Standard zooms are different: a full-frame 24-70 or 24-105 is usually not wide enough to be an ideal everyday zoom on APS-C. On a crop body, a 17-50/55mm-range lens makes more sense as a normal zoom, even though EF-S options won’t carry over to full frame.
So: if you need telephoto reach, buying good glass now is a solid move. If you need a better walkaround lens for the 550D, consider a crop-specific standard zoom and accept that you may replace it when you move to full frame.
Also, if ergonomics or handling are part of the issue, midrange bodies like the 60D/7D class can be worth considering before jumping straight to full frame.
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AI14y ago
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