Time for a new camera: Upgrading Rebel T2I

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by tdott

I was in a similar place 3 years ago, I choose to upgrade to a 5D MkII, imo going full frame makes a huge difference. But you have to really be into Photography or want to spend that much cash + all the lenses.

Yup, L-class Canon lenses are really pricey.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

UPDATE:

Am going to get my hands on a few more lenses to trial before I jump to a new body.

Gonna grab an EF 24-70 and also some prime lenses if I can gain access too!

Don't do primes unless you have a specific purpose for them.

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by tdott

A 17-55 2.8 might be a good lense to invest in also.

I was in a similar place 3 years ago, I choose to upgrade to a 5D MkII, imo going full frame makes a huge difference. But you have to really be into Photography or want to spend that much cash + all the lenses.

IMO a T6i is a lateral move, marginal improvement, but still an entry level dslr.

I've shot w/ the 16-35 EF - great lens. 5D MKII is a great camera! Unfortunately out of my budget. But agree full frame is nice. Have been looking at the 6D as a full frame option.

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Yup, L-class Canon lenses are really pricey.

Yes - more then my camera body itself! I have a place locally that usually has access to rent lenses and they carry EF's so can trial before purchase.

Originally Posted by dcstep

Don't do primes unless you have a specific purpose for them.

Understood. Do Prime offer any advantage over example regular EF - other then fact they are set. Are image quality overall better?

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Understood. Do Prime offer any advantage over example regular EF - other then fact they are set. Are image quality overall better?

There are some excellent primes under $200, which is not the case with zooms. However, if you shoot in Raw and use Digital Lens Optimization in Raw conversion, you can close the gap substantially. The L-series zooms are very good at all focal lengths, particularly with DLO, but the some primes are simply incredible.

The 500/f4L has legendary image quality and the new 11-24mm f/4L looks astounding in the test images I've seen, but those are very expensive lenses. You can buy an EF 40/f2.8 STM for around $150 and get IQ that competes with the L-series. The non-Ls are not as robust, but you're not buying lenses with a bar fight in mind.

A 24/40/50mm prime is a way to get started, with good quality and low cost. With my first SLR, in the 1960s, generally, most of us started with a 50/f1.8. Zooms were not so great, in general, back then, so we mostly shot only with primes.

The IQ of zooms is now competing with the best primes, so we're free to have one lens cover many focal lengths. Shooting with a couple of high quality zooms that cover a wide range, like 24-105mm plus a 70-200mm, along with 1.4x and 2.0x covers an broad range of situations. That's what I carry, plus my ultra-wide 15mm and, when I expect the subjects that demand it, my 500mm. All L-series, except for the 15mm. I NEVER carry my 40mm and should probably sell it.

Dave

[tdott]

Try a 50mm 1.8f, if you find you don't use it much then you'll know not to get more primes.

On a crop sensor I wasn't a huge fan of the 50mm, it became more useful for my needs when I went FullFrame. Then I picked up a 1.4f and love it.

Even the 24-70mm you are planning to get, isn't very useful on a crop sensor. I'd recommend you get a EFS 17-85 or 15-85mm, but the 17-55mm 2.8 is a much better lense and close to L quality glass, probably the best you can get as an EFS lense. If you ever plan to upgrade to a full frame body, then Yes don't buy the EFS lenses get the 24-70 or 24-105.

[dcstep]

On a crop-sensor, 35 to 40mm is closer to what the eye sees than a 50mm. 50mm is for full-frame or film.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Yes - more then my camera body itself! I have a place locally that usually has access to rent lenses and they carry EF's so can trial before purchase.

Yeah, we've got a local place here that has lens rentals, too... Surprisingly, the lenses aren't that expensive to rent, but you have to guard the 'em with your life, else your credit card takes a major hit.

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by dcstep

There are some excellent primes under $200, which is not the case with zooms. However, if you shoot in Raw and use Digital Lens Optimization in Raw conversion, you can close the gap substantially. The L-series zooms are very good at all focal lengths, particularly with DLO, but the some primes are simply incredible.

The 500/f4L has legendary image quality and the new 11-24mm f/4L looks astounding in the test images I've seen, but those are very expensive lenses. You can buy an EF 40/f2.8 STM for around $150 and get IQ that competes with the L-series. The non-Ls are not as robust, but you're not buying lenses with a bar fight in mind.

A 24/40/50mm prime is a way to get started, with good quality and low cost. With my first SLR, in the 1960s, generally, most of us started with a 50/f1.8. Zooms were not so great, in general, back then, so we mostly shot only with primes.

The IQ of zooms is now competing with the best primes, so we're free to have one lens cover many focal lengths. Shooting with a couple of high quality zooms that cover a wide range, like 24-105mm plus a 70-200mm, along with 1.4x and 2.0x covers an broad range of situations. That's what I carry, plus my ultra-wide 15mm and, when I expect the subjects that demand it, my 500mm. All L-series, except for the 15mm. I NEVER carry my 40mm and should probably sell it.

Dave

Always primarily shoot raw / and optimize for lens specific in post edits. The L-series though twice the price of my T2I are quite impressive. Am going to get my hands on one this weekend and get a feel for what I like best. You mentioned DLO? Sry can you expand on that?

Originally Posted by tdott

Try a 50mm 1.8f, if you find you don't use it much then you'll know not to get more primes.

On a crop sensor I wasn't a huge fan of the 50mm, it became more useful for my needs when I went FullFrame. Then I picked up a 1.4f and love it.

Even the 24-70mm you are planning to get, isn't very useful on a crop sensor. I'd recommend you get a EFS 17-85 or 15-85mm, but the 17-55mm 2.8 is a much better lense and close to L quality glass, probably the best you can get as an EFS lense. If you ever plan to upgrade to a full frame body, then Yes don't buy the EFS lenses get the 24-70 or 24-105.

Not planning to purchase any lenses yet - want to make that clear. Too large of an investment w/o having the experience using a variety of types. So far, i've only used the kit lens and the EF 16-35 F/2.8L.

Originally Posted by dcstep

On a crop-sensor, 35 to 40mm is closer to what the eye sees than a 50mm. 50mm is for full-frame or film.

Yes - have heard great things of a 35mm prime. Would like to get my hands on one to trial as well.

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Yeah, we've got a local place here that has lens rentals, too... Surprisingly, the lenses aren't that expensive to rent, but you have to guard the 'em with your life, else your credit card takes a major hit.

Absolutely! Great to have this as an option. Am going to see what is available this weekend - and hopefully get out for some shots!

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Always primarily shoot raw / and optimize for lens specific in post edits. The L-series though twice the price of my T2I are quite impressive. Am going to get my hands on one this weekend and get a feel for what I like best. You mentioned DLO? Sry can you expand on that?

DLO stands for Digital Lens Optimization. Canon's Raw converter, Digital Photo Professional, includes DLO for most current Canon lens/body combinations. DLO corrects for geometric distortion, chromatic aberration, vignetting, softness, etc. at every focal length and aperture combination AUTOMATICALLY. It's particularly important with zoom lenses, particularly at the wide end of zooms.

DPP is not the only Raw conversion software that includes lens optimization. DxO pioneered it several years ago, so it's part of their Optics Pro software. Lightroom added modules two or three years ago.

DPP comes with all Canon DSLRs, so that's free and give exceptionally good results. DxO offers a one-month free trial. Lightroom is the most used Raw conversion software, but I don't know if they offer a free trial.

Try it. I think you'll be very impressed with the improvements in your lenses. In fact, I don't consider a lens tested until I've run the files DLO.

Dave

[Exclusivs]

Some photos I took this morning w/ my T2I & kit lens. Post edit work in LR - Comments / feedback / critiques welcome! Thanks guys!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...4#post18459324

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Some photos I took this morning w/ my T2I & kit lens. Post edit work in LR - Comments / feedback / critiques welcome! Thanks guys!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...4#post18459324

Nice pics... Alpine White is such a clean color.

Since you have Lightroom, you could boost up the contrast a bit and maybe try to recover the blown out sky in the background, if possible.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Nice pics... Alpine White is such a clean color.

Since you have Lightroom, you could boost up the contrast a bit and maybe try to recover the blown out sky in the background, if possible.

Agreed. Even if you can't "recover" the sky, pulling the highlight down a lot will balance the image better. A little more Contrast is always good.

[bmw1racer]

Canon T6i review here: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...canon-t6iA.HTM

[bmw1racer]

Canon DSLR Buyer's Guide: http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/20...-buyers-guide/

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Canon DSLR Buyer's Guide: http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/20...-buyers-guide/

Awesome! As you can tell I am a Canon fan - and for this point will be staying that way. The T2I is serving me well and am going to expend it's limits with new glass to truly see it's capabilities.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Awesome! As you can tell I am a Canon fan - and for this point will be staying that way.

Yeah, so am I, going way back to when my dad had one from the early 1950's... On the bottom plate it was stamped "Made in Occupied Japan."

The T2I is serving me well and am going to expend it's limits with new glass to truly see it's capabilities.

Good luck!

[Klassen iD Wheels]

My two cents...


I shoot with a Canon 70D and a 24-105L mainly because it's still has the L glass quality, but its pretty wide range. I really do like this set up. Having the 70D be good in low light and the 24-105 having a decent range of zoom, it lets me just "walk around" with that set up and not have to worry about carrying a large amount of equipment. I would say to always get EF lenses that way if you do go Full Frame, you don't have lenses that you cannot use. Just my opinion, good luck in your decision!

[P1]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

Some photos I took this morning w/ my T2I & kit lens. Post edit work in LR - Comments / feedback / critiques welcome! Thanks guys!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...4#post18459324

Nice photos mate! Just goes to show you can take quality photos with an entry-level DSLR...

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Yeah, so am I, going way back to when my dad had one from the early 1950's... On the bottom plate it was stamped "Made in Occupied Japan."





Good luck!

Bad ass! As of now will be staying with Canon. Have owned 2 Canon DSLR's and just comfortable with its layout / performance.

Originally Posted by Klässen iD Wheels

My two cents...


I shoot with a Canon 70D and a 24-105L mainly because it's still has the L glass quality, but its pretty wide range. I really do like this set up. Having the 70D be good in low light and the 24-105 having a decent range of zoom, it lets me just "walk around" with that set up and not have to worry about carrying a large amount of equipment. I would say to always get EF lenses that way if you do go Full Frame, you don't have lenses that you cannot use. Just my opinion, good luck in your decision!

That's the downfall of the T2I - not great in low light situations as appose to your 70D or others. L series glass is expensive, but really a smart investment. Full frame - the 6D would be where Im looking. But can't justify dropping that kind of coin right now.

Originally Posted by P1et

Nice photos mate! Just goes to show you can take quality photos with an entry-level DSLR...

Thanks for the kind words! Will be getting my hands on some more glass to shoot and play around with. As I said this was shot on my T2I and kit lens!

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Exclusivs

That's the downfall of the T2I - not great in low light situations as appose to your 70D or others. L series glass is expensive, but really a smart investment. Full frame - the 6D would be where Im looking. But can't justify dropping that kind of coin right now.

Exactly.

If you go full frame, you'll pretty much always have to buy L-series glass to get the most out of the sensor... A very pricey choice.

[cmplaya]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Don't do primes unless you have a specific purpose for them.

i shoot almost exclusively primes...much higher rate of keeper shots for me. That wide aperture/shallow depth of field from around f/1.4 to f/2 is key for giving your photos that "professional" appearance that can't be replicated with zooms.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by cmplaya

i shoot almost exclusively primes...much higher rate of keeper shots for me

Do you have any idea what's wrong with your technique?