Is It Worth It?

mattchewone

mattchewone

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I currently have a 400D, was really in to taking some great snaps when i got it and was trying out all different area's of photography. But over christmas and been moving house, ive put it all at the back of the cupboard.

Is it worth upgrading to the 40D? I have the oppurtunity to trade mine in for the 40D+17-85IS. Plus the extra £300-£400.

Would it be worth it?

Matt
 
Or would upgrading the lenses on my current 400D be a better idea?
 
OK a few questions to ponder.

What do you feel is holding you back? Glass or the camera? Do you think that if you upgraded to a 40d your pics would be better? DO you think your pics would improve with quality glass?

Answer these and this will go some way towards your dilemma.
 
Well i feel that the lenses i have for my 400D arent great and am getting only mediocre results from them. I know they are not top quality items.

I feel that if i have the 40D i'll have a better place to start from as it where. So i could use the 40D with the kit lens and maybe the lenses i have currently and then in the future invest in better lenses.

Many people have said do the other way round, invest in glass and then upgrade camera later on. I just have this horrible image in my head that i'll upgrade glass, then my pics still wont be as great as i'd hope or something and ill be wishing i had upgrading the camera first.
 
hey its don matt.

get the glasssssssssssss
 
saxk said:
hey its don matt.

get the glasssssssssssss
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Hi, strange how you knew it was me lol.

I'll more than likely just wait to get glass then.
 
Upgrade your glass first... Your 400D will be good enough to display a marked improvement in IQ on an L lens as apposed to the budget's your currently using.
 
When going from 350D to 40D the most noticable improvement to me was in the user interface and ergonomics. The A/F is noticably better but I think that of the 400D and 40D are comparable.

If you're having issues with optical quality a new lens would be the better choice; some decent cheapish primes (35/2, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8) will blow holes in the kit lens, or if you can afford it the 17-55 is cracking glass. That said it's a big old lump to hang off the 400D - which brings you back to the ergonomics issue...
 
tbm said:
When going from 350D to 40D the most noticable improvement to me was in the user interface and ergonomics. The A/F is noticably better but I think that of the 400D and 40D are comparable.

If you're having issues with optical quality a new lens would be the better choice; some decent cheapish primes (35/2, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8) will blow holes in the kit lens, or if you can afford it the 17-55 is cracking glass. That said it's a big old lump to hang off the 400D - which brings you back to the ergonomics issue...
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Thank you. Can i ask why you upgraded the body?

I currently have the nifty fifty and i must have a dodgy one as the AF plays up sometimes!
 
mattchewone said:
Thank you. Can i ask why you upgraded the body?

I currently have the nifty fifty and i must have a dodgy one as the AF plays up sometimes!
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:)

My main justification was the better autofocus when using fast primes wide open (the 350D was a bit hit and miss) also the ergonomics with larger lenses was a concern. There were some other sweeteners, such as the ISO being displayed in the viewfinder, custom settings on the mode dial and 14 bit processing.

The improved user interface was also on the list and I was still very impressed once I got used to it, also the build quality is far better.

While the 50/1.8 offers a fantastic price / performance ratio, it is build down to a budget so you might want to look at a 50/1.4 as a replacement. That said I've had few problems with the focussing ability of my (Mk1) 50/1.8.

IMO is if you only want to use short and light glass and are happy with the ergonomics and user interface of the 400D, spend your money on glass. If not, upgrade to a 40D. It's also worth remembering that the 40D is relatively cheap at the moment, although as with all bodies it'll depreciate far faster than glass.
 
mattchewone said:
I just have this horrible image in my head that i'll upgrade glass, then my pics still wont be as great as i'd hope or something
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Don't forget that upgrading equipment won't suddenly mean you'll take a great pic or develop the photographers eye. I would be concerned from your above comment that you may be being unrealistic with regards to how your photography will change - Does that make sense?

I took crap pics with my 450d and I still take crap pics with my 50d. Changing lens and camera didn't make me a better photographer:)

I'm not saying don't do it, but just think about what you will realistically gain and decide whether the price of either glass or body is worth it. I just like shiny new things, so that is always my justification!!
 
What Swag says about the glas is very true. It takes time with almost any lens to be able to use it effectively. I recently changed my telephoto lens and currently the results I am getting are not as good as my older lens, even though my new lens is a much better model. I know this is down to my technique and handling so over the coming weeks I expect my results to improve dramatically as ai learn the lens.
 
I've decided that i am just going to keep the ole 400D and upgrade my lenses!
 
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