canon 50d???

Gumbo

I have a few dollars, and not sure which way to go. I would appreciate your input. I own a canon xsi. I am thinking of one of two ways to go..... purchase a canon 17-55 for my xsi, OR purchase a canon 50d with kit lens. Help.... I really would like some thoughts from someone.:dunnoThanks for your responses.

GadgetRick

Well, it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I love my 50D but not sure if you need one. What kind of shooting do you do, etc.?

borrowlenses.com

The general response is always glass before bodies, but sometimes it can be beneficial to move from a smaller body to a more standard one. It all depends which direction you think will benefit your shooting the most really. How do you see your options here?

Gumbo

50d or 17-55

GadgetRick wrote: »

Well, it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I love my 50D but not sure if you need one. What kind of shooting do you do, etc.?

I take lots of pictures of children!!! I do also take lots of general pics of animals, landscapes, etc....just normal everyday shooting. I like the idea that the 50d can calibrate lens..... is it a good feature that works well. MMMM.. DECISIONS!!! Thanks for taking time to respond.

GadgetRick

I wouldn't buy a 50D just for the lens calibration. Personally, I've never used it but I'm sure it's useful. Just not useful enough to justify spending that much extra money on a body. Many other reasons the 50D is a great camera.

For your situation, I'm not sure if you need a 50D. I'm not familiar enough with an Xsi to know what limitations (if any) you'll have. Are you running into limitations with it now?

divamum

I have an xsi (I kept it as my backup camera) and used a 50d before getting a 7d. I wrote about the differences between the xsi and 50d in this thread.

HTH!

Scott_Quier

My stock answer to such a question is, "What is it about your current camera body that is limiiting you in your creative pursuits?" If your camera is not limiting you and your images are good (within the limits of your glass), that's the time to think about what glass might extend your range. However, if your camera isn't up to the task ... like FPS isn't keeping up with the kids running around .... that might be a good time to consider the camera before the new glass.

As to the AF Microadjustment - on the 50D and, now, on my 5DII I've found it to be the difference between a very good lens or making that same glass perform in a truely stellar fashion (or at least as good as it can in my hands ). For me, the AFM was worth the price of admission. It might not be for others.

I migrated from a 30D to the 50D and still didn't find much use for the Live Vew (yes, I know the XSi has live view) - thinking it was only a gimic. Since I started doing more landscape photography I've found a very good use for it. Focusing a lens manually - Live View is like looking at the back of a view camera to get the focus you want. And the ability to magnify the image on the LCD is a real boon that way.

Anyway, that's just my $0.02 - FWIW

GadgetRick

Scott_Quier wrote: »

As to the AF Microadjustment - on the 50D and, now, on my 5DII I've found it to be the difference between a very good lens or making that same glass perform in a truely stellar fashion (or at least as good as it can in my hands ). For me, the AFM was worth the price of admission. It might not be for others.

I'm gonna have to go back and revisit this with my lenses. Thanks for this info.

WillCAD

I recently upgraded from an original Digital Rebel (the 300D) to a 50D. The difference in my case was substantial, but since your XTi is a much newer body, it may not be so dramatic a shift for you. I find that the larger LCD, the quicker auto focus, and especially the much improved low light performance and higher ISO are leaps and bounds above my old camera. I can get shots now that I simply couldn't get with my D-Reb.

As the others have said, look at what you want to shoot, and evaluate how well your XTi is accomplishing that. Do you routinely run into situations where the camera is simply not adequate? Or do you more often run into situations where the lens is not adequate? You should carefully look at which part of your camera system is falling furthest short of meeting your needs, and replace that component first.

Another issue to consider - the 50D uses BP-511 series batts; while the XTi uses NB-2LH batts. Any after-market replacement batts you may have for the XTi will not work in the 50D, nor will your chargers. Just something to be aware of if and when you upgrade bodies.

Scott_Quier wrote: »

I migrated from a 30D to the 50D and still didn't find much use for the Live Vew (yes, I know the XSi has live view) - thinking it was only a gimic. Since I started doing more landscape photography I've found a very good use for it. Focusing a lens manually - Live View is like looking at the back of a view camera to get the focus you want. And the ability to magnify the image on the LCD is a real boon that way.

Anyway, that's just my $0.02 - FWIW

I ran into this phenomenon myself, just last night.

I needed to take a few shots of a crafts project I was working on, and I wanted a view that looked down on the workbench. To do this, I put the camera on a tripod and extended it as high as it would go - but that made it too high for me to look through the viewfinder (and I'm 6'-4" tall!)

Solution: Live View. I turned it on and used it to compose the shots and manually focus, and got pretty much the shots I needed.

Gumbo

50d or 17-55 for xsi
Thank-you so much for all of your answers to my question...... it has given me a lot to consider when making my decision. I really appreciate this forum. Thanks for taking the time!!! Now to make my decision.