Upgrading sensor/camera vs upgrading lens

Thinh28 wrote:

Hey '28. Welcome to the forum! Not sure where everyone is. I'll give you my $.02

Just trying to figure out the best way to upgrade my current kit. Would you start by buying a new sensory since my T2i is ancient, or would you start by upgrading the lens first? Which is the most "bang for buck"?

Current gear: Canon T2i with EFS 18-135mm IS and Nifty Fifty.

I maindly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving a lot)

Indeed, a very tough call. Really depends on how you like to use your camera.

Upgrading to one of the new bodies would give you a bit better image quality, mainly in the form of improved noise handling (about a stop in improvement). Phase detect (viewfinder) autofocus is upgraded and more consistent, plus there's a higher burst rate (now 6 FPS).

But IMHO the most impactful feature is the inclusion of the Dual Pixel sensor, which in Live View mode provides very fast and sure (touchscreen!) autofocus. This also carries over to Video (hint hint). No more hunting! The camera's focus just goes wherever you touch, and locks on. It's truly a wonder to behold.

Personally, I like to use Live View (esp for youngsters) because you can hold the camera out at arm's length, thus creating more space between you and the subject. Makes a big difference with little kids. With the Dual Pixel autofocus, this becomes a piece of cake.

I find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm.

A prime certainly has some definite advantages over the zoom, esp in low light (meaning anything indoors). The 18-135 (though very versatile due to the large zoom range), is something of a middling lens in the IQ department.

But the good news is that both of these lenses have been improved upon. Greatly.

The new 18-135 STM is a bit sharper (a viable option now), and the AF is completely silent. Plus when you're using it with a camera with a Dual Pixel sensor, the video AF is as smooooth as silk. It's my standard go-to lens for walk-around.

And the new 50mm STM is also just superb. I trust it completely. I had 2 of the older "Thrifty 50's" (50mm f/1.8 II) and one was good, but the other was junk. This 50 STM trounces those old ones.

So there you have it. A tough decision indeed. The new bodies have many improved features, but they really need the STM lenses to take full advantage of all of those improvements (they're still OK with standard lenses tho).

Personally, I'd go for the new body first, mainly because I'm a huge fan of Live View (which is great for shooting candids of folks of all ages BTW). Plus the wonderful videos. Best of luck to you.

Happy shopping!

R2