Upgrade nightmare!!!

fraggle101

fraggle101

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Guys, Iv been looking around at various lenses and even camera upgrades.. i cant make my mind up!!

On one hand i say get a good lens.. iv looked at the Canon 17-55 IS but if i get it it'll only work ona cropped camera, ( i want to upgrade to the 5D eventualy) or the Canon 17-40L, ant lastly the 24-105L (but lose the wide end!!)

Or, upgrade to a kit of the 5D and 24-105L and sell the 400D..

:bonk: :bonk: :bonk:

Will the 17-55IS give such a big improvement on my 400d that the difference between the two wouldnt be so marked??

HHHEEEELLLPPPPP!!!!

I realy need to upgrade something!! i feel my glass or my camera are holding me back a little.. which one do i change?? for the long run or short term but it needs to be cost effective.. or at least the sensible choice..

Im put off the 17-55IS as its not L grade, and id like to be able to not worry too much about it getting a little damp on the odd occation.. but my 400 isnt exactly water proof so it wouldnt matter anyway..

AAAaaahhhhhh!!!! :bang: :bang: :bang:
 
Difficult isn't it? I'd personally decide first,if I needed full frame or would be happy to stay with cropped.

Once you have made that decision, the choice of glass is next: do you shoot mostly wide, or only occasionally? If you regularly shoot wider than 24mm (check your exifs if necessary), then go for a good wide angle piece of glass and suppliment it with a good quality longerer lens. Don't try to get once lens covbers all ranges....quality generally sucks. However, if most of your shots are between 24 and 100....well there's your answer and then get a cheaper wide one for the odd occasion outside this range.

Happy hunting!
 
Fraggle, what do you want to do mate?

Some thoughts: The 17-55 is a fantasitic piece of glass: Not all L glass is weather sealed: It doesn't matter of your lens is sealed if your camera isn't: the 5d isn't: better glass is better than better camera until you sepnd serious money, but then remember that a better camera HAS to use better glass.

Now get out and blow some cash before you blow a gasket ;) :lol:
 
To be honest, good glass is good glass, but bodies come and go. Should you choose to sell a lens, they hold their value better than bodies as well.

How are you being held back by your current kit? What do you have with your 400D? Just because the 17-55 doesn't have the L band, doesn't mean it's not an amazing piece of glass. It's not an L for a couple of reasons - 1st, it's just not got the build quality of an L lens, and secondly, it's an EF-S mount lens, and I can't see Canon making L lenses that can't be used on their pro bodies.

But, having said that, its optics are superb - certainly matching those of a number of L lenses. There are a number of L quality lenses that aren't L - the 85mm f/1.8, EF-s 60mm macro, and EF-s 17-55 being just three of them. If you look after your equipment, then the inferior build quality isn't an issue - the 17-55 is still a well built lens.

But, how are you being held back by your equipment - do you want tighter depths of field? Are you being let down in low light situations? Is your lens simply not focussing fast enough?
 
Thx Jonny, a gasket is what im going to blow i think!!
Im very tempted to get the 17-55IS for the 400d as it would be the cheapest way to go for now, and iv heard that the second hand market is quite good for these lenses, Well, iv seen first hand how good they go as iv been looking for one..

But, i like the idea of the full frame, im GOING to get one eventualy, maybe sooner rather that much later.. i like a wide angle as i do go walkies in the mountains, and i love the wide look and even distortion to some extent, but with the EF-S you need to go that much further to obtain WIDE.. and that adds another lens to the allready heavy bag!!..

So, i think im going to be getting the 17-55IS, its not like me to be sensible but i'll give it a go.. Id go for a used one myself but they go for almost the new price from Hong Kong..

Unless... i find a REALY good deal on the 5D before i get it.. lol.. there was this website for a shop in the US doing it fairly cheap, iv emailed them to see if they ship here and if they post as 'Gift of no value' ;) but iv not heard back from them.. im very suspicious of the net so i wont be going there!!
This is the like to them, it all looks quite kosher but im dubious.. im tempted to ring them as there is a number..

http://www.regalcamera.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=3160566

Anyway, nice chatting to you all and many thanks for the input..
 
I just thought, what about the 17-40 F4 L? that would work for me as a standard with my 400d and a nice wide when i get the 5D..

Oh dear.. im back to square one.. lol.. [Jokes]..
 
check www.camerapricebuster.com, www.onestop-digital.co.uk, and PM Kerso - between them, you'll get the best possible price.

The 17-40 is a very capable lens, but you'd lose one stop, plus a further 3 stops of IS. If you like being creative with depth of field, with an f/4 lens, it's much more difficult. To be honest, Canon seem to be investing in the EF-S format, so the 17-55 should continue to have good resale value for some years yet. If you like wide, then go with the 17-55, or. . . . if you only want wide angle for outdoors, pick up a 24-105, and keep the kit lens for the odd occasion when you want to go wide, and stop down to around f/8 by which point the kit lens is actually pretty good.
 
Thx Goatee, iv pm'd Kerso and i'll be interested in how good his prices are, he seems very well connected..

Dod, thats a good find! i WAS very sus about them and wasnt going to use them but liked the prices!! as the old saying goes, 'if it seems too good to be true.. ect..ect..'
It made some interesting reading.. a pushy lot eh!!

Cheers..
 
I'd go with Ian (kerso) every time.- and I love the 24-105 L ! I use it with a 1Ds and a 400d, and the results are excellent
 
Yeah, but the only thing im not sure about is the F4, it would be great id they made this lens with a 2.8 option.. But i suppose you cant have it all eh! i was playing with one last week at my boys sports day, it was lovely..
 
If you want a 2.6 that starts at 24mm and has a red band around it, you're limited to the 24-70. Cracking lens, but 35mm is a lot to lose at the narrow end and there's no IS (arguably not required on a 24-70 focal range) Not, imo, worth an F stop
 
Jonnyreb, I agree it took a lot of hand wringing and a thread on this forum before I decided, and I'm still not sure if I made the correct choice, I do know that I'm delighted with the 24-105, so I suppose that is all that matters, but in answer to fraggle's point, if they did make an f2 24-105, boy would it be a big and heavy beast!!
 
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