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Need pro advice on upgrade

mstu33
Contributor

The time is now. I have the approval to make a camera/lens purchase for my department at work. I work as Director of Marketing & Communications at an independent school. I have $4,800 for both a camera and lenses. What combination would you recommend? I am excited to upgrade from the T3i I have been using. I have rented both the 80D and the 5D Mark IV. 

 

 

31 REPLIES 31

jrhoffman75
Legend
Legend

Since you rented both, which suits your needs more? You will get tons of advice here; recommendations to buy one or the other. Only you can truly know what your needs are and which camera suits them better.

 

One caveat - depending on how many and what version lens you have with the T3i - the 5D will not be able to use any EF-S lenses. But since you rented the 5D I am guessing you know that.

John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic


@mstu33 wrote:

The time is now. I have the approval to make a camera/lens purchase for my department at work. I work as Director of Marketing & Communications at an independent school. I have $4,800 for both a camera and lenses. What combination would you recommend? I am excited to upgrade from the T3i I have been using. I have rented both the 80D and the 5D Mark IV. 

 


$4800 is not enough to buy an entire full-frame rig. So unless you're lucky enough to already have an almost full complement of EF (not EF-S) lenses, I'd have to recommend against the 5D4. Either the 80D or the 7D Mark II should suit you well. I'd go with the 7D2, but it's really just a personal preference. We have some in the forum (Waddizzle, for instance) who would argue forcefully for the 80D, and I can't really say that he's wrong; the 80D is a very capable camera. (And it hasn't proven to be a lemon, as the 70D arguably has.)

 

Another benefit to staying with the APS-C format is that you'd have no compelling reason to jettison your T3i. If you have to do a lot of event photography (and in your job I suspect that you do), the advantage of carrying two cameras (and therefore not having to change lenses) can hardly be overstated.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

mstu33
Contributor
Thanks for your advice! I currently own 2 EF lenses (a 70-300 Sigma and a 50mm prime) and plan on upgrading to the 70-200 f/2.8 and the 24-70. I am considering the 6dmarkii.

EOS 6D Mk II,

EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS III USM,

EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

 

Gonna be tough to beat that outfit.  I am all in for it. Smiley Very Happy

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

It’s a bit of a tight squeeze...

 

The 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM III is $2100. (The version II is $1800... that would save $300).

The 24-70mm f/2.8 USM II is $1600

The 6D II body-only is $1600.

 

You could get a 6D II with the 24-105mm kit (instead of the 24-70 ... so you lose the f/2.8).  That becomes $2500 for the camera + lens (vs. the camera and 24-70 lens separately which would total $3200) so that saves another $700.

 

That would mean it’s $2500 for the camera + 24-105 and another $1800 for the 70-200 II or $2100 for the III.  ($4300 or $4600 respectively)

 

Do you have a flash?  The 6D II doesn’t have a built-in flash and you may really want a flash for indoor events.

 

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da

How important is f/2.8 for your uses?

 

The 70-200 f/4L II and 24-70 f/4L are both extremely high quality lenses.

John Hoffman
Conway, NH

1D X Mark III, Many lenses, Pixma PRO-100, Pixma TR8620a, LR Classic

I do a lot of low-light shooting in the theater so I felt the faster lens would be helpful for that. 

 


@mstu33 wrote:

I do a lot of low-light shooting in the theater so I felt the faster lens would be helpful for that. 

 


Then I would strongly advise a constant aperture f/2.8 zoom.  Generally speaking, the higher performance camera bodies can focus better with an f/2.8 lens, compared to an f/4.

Lots of low light shooting is good reason to want a full frame.  The 6D and 6D2 are entry level full frame bodies with very good low light performance.  The 6D is a great camera, but the 6D2 has a better AF system.  Big difference in price at the Canon Online Refurbished Store, too.  Go for a full frame.

 

If you have a full frame 50mm prime, then I recommend the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, not the version III, only because of price.  The version II is an impressive lens.  A 50 prime and 70-200 zoom are a good start.  My next lens choice would be a wide angle zoom, like the EF 16-35mm f/2.8 II USM, or the version III, zoom lens.  This later lens would work very well on a T3i, too.

--------------------------------------------------------
"The right mouse button is your friend."

Thanks for your help! I may be able to squeeze by with the faster lenses. I do have a flash, although it's not high-quality. I am not trained on flash photography so I don't use it too often (that's definitely something I need to learn though!) 

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