What is good choice of upgrade from Canon Rebel XT?

<p>I am looking to upgrade from my XT DSLR, but I want something reasonably priced with at least 3200 ISO or maybe 6400. I use 2.8 lenses and I need faster ISO to help with soft focus and bad lighting. Any suggestions?</p>

<p>What is your budget and expectations? getting good ISO 3200 and 6400 is 5d2 territory and even on a 5d2 6400 is barely useable. 2.8 zooms are also very expensive. The T1i will give you 3200 as will a 40D and other newer bodies but the results will be decent at best. What lenses do you own? you may want to consider a fast prime like the 50 1.4 or 35 2.0 to help with the noise assuming your budget is not in the thousands.</p>

<p>7D is your answer, 5dii does better from 1600 and up, but with post processing(lower color noise easily with almost zero lost in detail due to the 18mp high resolution sensor) you can get acceptable 3200 and 6400 from the 7D, I love how the high luminance noise makes the 7D pictures have a high grain quality combined with the excellent resolution, its better than film. The 5Dii also gives very pleasing images, but its $1k usd more than the 7D.</p>

<p>I own both 5Dii, 7D and recently sold 5d1, 30D and 40D. My ISO limit(with my f1.2 primes) for the 30D and 40D was 800, for the 7D I feel comfortable up to 3200 for straight out of the camera Jpegs.</p>

You could try à T1i, you might like it and it's reasonably affordable. However if you're serious you'll probably end with (in

order of price) 50D, 7D or 5D-ii.

 

Note that the 50D only adds build quality and handling improvements but no IQ improvement vs the T1i. Plus it lacks

video.

 

All camera's mentioned are a significant step better than an XT.

 

Have fun, Matthijs.

<p>If you don't already have one, I think you should pick up an external flash such as the Canon 430ex or 580ex. That will solve your lighting problem and allow you to shoot at smaller apertures for more DOF. </p>

<p>I know anything is a step up from the XT. My budget is probably 800-1000 bucks. Lower if I found something like I need. <br>

I have a 70-200mm 2.8 sigma, and I have ordered a 28-70mm 2.8 sigma and also a canon 50mm 1.8 normal lens, which hopefully the prime will help with my lighting situations.<br>

I mainly photograph sports (basketball and softball), but will use it for just about anything. This is why I need the higher ISO and resolution.<br>

Also, where is a good place to buy?</p>

<p>The prime will help but its not really a normal lens on your camera, its more like 80mm but it should help you in low light. I too think a flash would be a good investment.<br>

<br /> You can read some in depth reviews of camera bodies here and see what is right for you.<br /> http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/</p>

<p>I would look at places like B&H or adorama to buy from. I sometimes buy off Amazon too. Not really knowing much of what you do I would think a T1i would make a nice upgrade giving you video as well as a jump in ISO performance but keep in mind no camera body is going to make a dark setting light without some noise. Sometimes you need a flash and the pop up is pretty bad.</p>

<p>Hey, there's not a thing wrong with the XT, and since it's not worth a lot, if you can, just keep it for a backup. Sure, newer cameras are "better" in a number of ways, but most of these improvements (not including video) are evolutionary rather than revolutionary.<br>

I personally like the "operating system"--the style of controls-- on the 50D, 7D, and 5D better, but that can be a matter of personal preference. You are used to the XT, so wouldn't have any problem in staying with something like the T1i.</p>

<p>In short, you're in the enviable position of really having lots of good choices, so you can chose on the features, cost, and so on that are in your budget and taste.</p>

<p>I do have a Quantaray QDC 900WA external flash that I got a really good deal on, but I do not ever use it because of the extra weight it adds on top of the already heavy 70-200mm I use.<br>

I read where the T1i uses the sd card instead of the CF. I invested in an 8GB Extreme last year which set me back $150 bucks, so I would like to have a camera that I could continue using CF cards with, since I have several of them. Thanks for all your advice!</p>

<p>I will just put another alternative in the basket that could be worth a thought. A used 1D MKII. It will perform much better at high ISO, better autofocus, fast framerates. It doesnt have more pixels than your XT, but picture quality will be higher anyhow. Small details will be rendered with substantial higher contrast.</p>

<p>The downsides are much higher weight and bulk. You will also lose a little reach with your lenses. On the other hand you will gain a little more wideangle with your 28-70, which could be an advantage.</p>