Camera Labs

i currently have a canon rebel xsi with a kit lens (rarely used) and a 85mm 1.8 prime lens (LOVE THIS LENS). The rebel xsi says it goes up to 1600 iso, but is really grainy at this high level. So i never go above 800.
It's a great camera in the sense that it's simple, but now that i'm hooked in photography, it's time for an upgrade. Should i upgrade the BODY first (7D) or get the LENS i want (70-200 f/2.8 or 24-105f/4L)?

I tend to shoot alot of indoor sports, specifically Fencing. It's usually in an awful wharehouse type lighting situation and it's fast action. my 85mm does a great job of capturing the action.... but i really can't capture pics of fans in the stand. I miss out on fan reactions and don't want to bother with changing lenses to capture both types of shots. i am looking for a solution that will give me a more all around solution.

Question 1: I'd like to buy a better 'all around lens'. I was looking at the 24-105mm f/4L & the 70-200 f/2.8L... Which is a better ' all around' would you say?

Question 2: I only have a rebel xsi so i'm not sure if the 70-200 will be a ridiculous pairing for this little camera. can't afford to upgrade both body and lens at once. The 24-105 lens is give beautiful quality as well, but and may fit better wtih my xsi but will i ultimately regret not just biting the bullet and getting the 70-200? not sure how much of a difference there is between the two lenses.

Question 3: I'm planning on upgrade the body eventually to the 7D. Can i get away with upgrading my lens first to these beautiful professional lenses with my xsi.... or do i really need to upgrade the body of the camera first to say the 7D?

These are all great options, the 70-200, 24-105 & 7D... it comes down to the question of 'which comes first... the chicken or the egg' or in my case, 'the body or the lens upgrade'?

Thanks for your advice in advance....

You should upgrade your lenses first, they will give you a much better overall quality (and pleasure!) than a new 7D while not having the right lenses. Also, I am seeing this quite a lot, but the newer sensors of the 7D, 60D, 550D > etc. actually have better sensors than the cameras before them, but really, the differences are not as huge as you may think. I own the 50D and 350D, and while the 50D isnt as good as the newest bodies (differences are quite small in real life though), the 350D and 450D (XSi) are not the same either. Maybe it helps to say that I happily shoot at 1600 ISO with the 350D, and that the 50D's 3200 ISO isnt that much different.

To keep it short: the 450D/XSi is an excellent camera. Keep it and buy some better glass first. Maybe youll fall in love again with the 450D, which will save you some bucks!

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Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

The lens you use has a lot more effect on the image quality of your picture than the camera body.
Typically, people will use a good lens longer than they use any one body.

This is one of the reasons why I am still using a 400D/XTi is that I believed upgrading my lens selection was worth my time/money more than upgrading the camera.
Though I am now at the point where I am comfortable with my current lenses that I am looking to update the body.

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

Ooh, interesting situation.

By "can't capture pics of fans in the stand", I'm assuming that you want/need something wider than 85mm which favors the 24-105mm since the 70-200mm isn't a whole lot wider. OTOH, the low lighting conditions would go the other way since the 24-105mm is a stop slower than the 70-200mm and more than two stops slower than the 85mm. On top of which, I'm assuming the fans/stands are even more poorly lit than the competitors/piste.

Since neither option is ideal, I'll throw out some other alternatives:

Can you get closer to the action so that the 17-55mm f2.8 would work?

Can you find an old/used 24-70mm f2.8?

Can you afford the 7D and a 35mm f2? (Mount the 35mm on the XSi and the 85mm on the 7D and switch bodies.)

Just some random thoughts - Mark

such great suggestions... really appreciate your solid advice. looks like the lens is the way to go. seems like the 70 to 200 will give me a wider range of abilities in low light. I'm going to check out the alternative suggestions for lenses as well. - thanks!