Upgrading sensor/camera vs upgrading lens

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 find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm. I mainly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving alot)

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

Thinh28 wrote:

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 find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm. I mainly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving alot)

My son is 7 months old and is always on the go. I use an old 35mm f2 non IS and a 50mm f1.8 stm all the time now.

For me, the most useful-bang for your buck- thing was getting a flash for indoor shots. I use it on my 80D and ancient 1100D (t3). I can keep the Iso low now and get good iq.

Thinh28 wrote:

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 find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm. I mainly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving alot)

Those are both very nice lenses. They have been upgraded with STM, which mostly matters for video. For stills, they're fine.

The cameras have improved significantly.

So, I'd get a new camera. If you care about video, get the kit with the 18-55 STM.

FooHead wrote:

Thinh28 wrote:

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 find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm. I mainly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving alot)

My son is 7 months old and is always on the go. I use an old 35mm f2 non IS and a 50mm f1.8 stm all the time now.

For me, the most useful-bang for your buck- thing was getting a flash for indoor shots. I use it on my 80D and ancient 1100D (t3). I can keep the Iso low now and get good iq.

I have been thinking about getting a flash for a while now, but wasn't sure what to go with. What kind of flash would you guys recommend?

Thank you everyone for the replies, and thank you for the warm welcome.

Yeah I will probably just wait for another sale on the T7i. Really sad I missed the bundled deal with the printer for $500 for black friday. I suppose there won't be another until...next black friday lol.

I had not thought about getting the SL2 until someone mentioned it. Doing a quick search, looks like its very similar but smaller and ligheter version of the T7i. Aside from the significantly less AF, is there anything else that would be a game changer? If not, maybe I should focus on finding a good SL2 deal and spending the $200 difference on a better lens or flash.

Thinh28 wrote:

FooHead wrote:

Thinh28 wrote:

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 find myself almost exclusively using the nifty fifty, feels like the quality of the prime lense is superior to the 18-135mm. I mainly shoot portraits of my family (may need to do some good motion ones soon since he is 5 months and will soon be moving alot)

My son is 7 months old and is always on the go. I use an old 35mm f2 non IS and a 50mm f1.8 stm all the time now.

For me, the most useful-bang for your buck- thing was getting a flash for indoor shots. I use it on my 80D and ancient 1100D (t3). I can keep the Iso low now and get good iq.

I have been thinking about getting a flash for a while now, but wasn't sure what to go with. What kind of flash would you guys recommend?

Canon 320EX or 430EX

Thinh28 wrote:

Thank you everyone for the replies, and thank you for the warm welcome.

Yeah I will probably just wait for another sale on the T7i. Really sad I missed the bundled deal with the printer for $500 for black friday. I suppose there won't be another until...next black friday lol.

I had not thought about getting the SL2 until someone mentioned it. Doing a quick search, looks like its very similar but smaller and ligheter version of the T7i. Aside from the significantly less AF, is there anything else that would be a game changer? If not, maybe I should focus on finding a good SL2 deal and spending the $200 difference on a better lens or flash.

SL2 and a flash would be a great rig.

My wife hates my 80D cuz its big and heavy for her and takes up too much space on the coffee table... She doesn't mind the 1100D though.

Oh, and also bought the 430EX III-RT. I may have splurged a bit too much, too excited about the little booger and wanting good pics of him

Thinh28 wrote:

Oh, and also bought the 430EX III-RT. I may have splurged a bit too much, too excited about the little booger and wanting good pics of him

I bought the same one for my lil booger 7months ago. I've been bouncing off the ceiling and getting good results.

I have no experiences with an external flash (just the one built in on my T2i lol), but would bouncing off the ceilings be achiveable in a high rise ceiling? I believe its around 15-20 feet.

Canon is shipping my entire new kit:

(Refurb) Canon 80D 18-135mm IS USM Lens + New 10-18mm IS STM &70-300mm IS USM II Lenses and Speedflash 430EX III-RT

I am pretty excited

Thinh28 wrote:

Oh, and also bought the 430EX III-RT. I may have splurged a bit too much, too excited about the little booger and wanting good pics of him

That's a nice flash.   There are all kinds of diffusers/bouncers (ala Fong) that'll help soften the light when the flash is on-camera or on a flash bracket.

Also consider a radio flash trigger so that you can get the flash off-camera to provide a more natural light.  Yongnuo (and others) make some less expensive alternatives to the Canons.  Shooting into an umbrella or even a corner can help immensely.

Speaking of natural light (which BTW is my fave type of light for informal/candid portraits), change out any incandescent bulbs in the house for 5000K LEDs or CFLs.  They will (color) balance perfectly with both flash and daylight.  No more ugly mix of yellows and blues.  The 430 does come with a filter, but that'll only work with incan bulbs, and not with daylight streaming in through windows.

Have fun with all the new stuff (incl the booger )

R2

Thinh28 wrote:

Canon is shipping my entire new kit:

(Refurb) Canon 80D 18-135mm IS USM Lens + New 10-18mm IS STM &70-300mm IS USM II Lenses and Speedflash 430EX III-RT

Heck of a kit you've got coming.  Merry Christmas! 

I have no experiences with an external flash (just the one built in on my T2i lol), but would bouncing off the ceilings be achiveable in a high rise ceiling? I believe its around 15-20 feet.

Shoot in Manual exposure mode.  Use a fairly large aperture (if you're bouncing).

Increase ISO if you need more flash power (can happen if you're bouncing off a high or dark ceiling).  Use the "catch light" card to throw some light below the eyebrows (if you're not getting enough direct light onto the face).

Shutter speed will determine how much ambient light will be included in your picture.  The higher the shutter speed, the less ambient light will be included (backgrounds will go dark).

Keep in mind that flash is annoying (one reason I like ambient light).  Kids'll let you know when they need a break.  Keep their attention by showing them their own pictures (on the LCD).  They LOVE it, even the little tykes.

Have fun!

R2