Show Thread: New Camera or New Lens?

I too would agree with the other posters that a new lens would the first thing to upgrade. I shoot Nikon but I believe the Canon 70-200 f2.8 is one of their flagship lenses as it is with Nikon. I find I use that lens about 90% of the time when doing sports either indoor or outdoor. It is a fast lens and gives you the reach you need for most sports at a reasonable price. I initially bought it when I had my D100 and find it just as useful with my D3. Good glass far outlives the camera body. However to get the most of good quality glass you will eventually need a better body. If you plan to do alot of sports then the new Canon 1 D Mark III may be worth a look but it is a bit pricey and did have some issues with the sub-mirror assembly. If you are serious about this body look for the blue dot series which has the problems with the earlier models corrected. As Phil mentioned the 5D is certainly another option or you could wait for the body that will be replacing the 5D to become available.

There are two ways to think about this issue; if you're going to shoot sports indoors, (basketball?) you're going to subject your shutter to a lot of abuse. The Digital Rebel takes great shots, but the shutter was not designed for extended rapid-fire shooting. But you are correct in planning for a new lens regardless of the body you use. The AF on the EF-S lenses is way slow and will not do your effort justice.

On the other hand, if you have $1,500 to spend on some kind of upgrade, the 5D (12meg, full-frame) can be had for around $1,800 (US) and is a quantum-leap improvement in image quality.

For sports, the 1D MKII can be had for around the same money. This is a camera specifically designed for sports and will really do your effort justice. The shutters are designed for this kind of use (200,000 actuation life as opposed to the 50,000 actuations for the D-Rebel) and the AF is quicker, etc. etc. etc.

No one can answer this for you, only offer some considerations you may not have thought of. But one thing I do agree with from the others that have responded is that with any camera, the lenses will dictate the quality of your images. Buy the best lenses you can afford.

I agree, new lens will give you a bigger advantage for indoor sports. A 2.8 lens will dramatically improve the quality.

DC

I would think the money might be best spent on the lens if you want to do indoor sports. Especially if it is faster (lower or fixed F stop) and has USM motor which will also help for quicker autofocus. I'm still shooting a 6MP camera and for 99% of the things that I do it's fine. A good canon lens will give you years of use and retains much more of it's value than a new bod; You can always upgrade the body next year

i would say lens first, your camera will take great pictures now. I think money is usually better spent on lenses personally

I am currently using EOS Digital Rebel, 6.3 Mega pixels and I am using a EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 telephoto lens. I want to buy a better lens for shooting sports indoors but wondered if I should be investing in a new camera before I drop the $1500 or so on the next lens I'm considering?