# T1i Upgrade



## 00ducky (Aug 27, 2011)

I have been shooting with the T1i for about 2 or 3 years now. I am getting some concert gigs, and thinking its time for a upgrade.
But I am not sure if I should go for the 60D or save some money and get the 50D?


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## KyleSTL (Aug 27, 2011)

The 50D has the exact same sensor as your current camera, but in a tougher magnesium body. I would not consider that much of an upgrade. In the US, the 50D can typically be picked up on the used market for $700-800 and the 60D is $1000 brand new. I'm not sure what the pricing where you are is like (although the camera you have is only called T1i in the western hemisphere). I would say a 60D or 7D is the best route to go (the 7D would be better only if you shoot very fast-paced subjects or shoot in very harsh conditions). The image quality of the two cameras (7D and 60D) is the same, and IMO is much better than the 15MP sensor in the T1i and 50D especially at higher ISOs. What do you shoot? Do you get paid for your photographs or is it just a fun hobby?


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 27, 2011)

Why upgrade? What aspects of the T1i's performance do you want improved? The 50D has the same sensor as the T1i, and the 60D's sensor is not significantly better. 50D has no video capability. AF on both is the same, and a step up from the Rebel. 50D has AF microadjust, 60D doesn't. 60D has an articulating screen. 

What lenses do you have? The usual rule is to upgrade lenses before body, as that generally has a much bigger impact on IQ and on the types of pictures you can make. 

For concert shooting, fast primes on a T1i will do much better than a kit lens on a 60D.


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## Dave (Aug 27, 2011)

Depends what kind of "glasses" you have... If you are well equiped you could consider an upgrade. But I would go to the 7D since (as said before) the 50D would be not so much of an upgrade. 

Otherwise I would invest the money in new lenses, that will improve your photos significantly (espacially in low-light-situations).

regards, Dave


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## 00ducky (Aug 28, 2011)

Ok thanks for your help. I think I will invest in some more lens, and think about a new body later. 

@KyleSTL
I get paid for some of my photographs.


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## UncleFester (Aug 28, 2011)

The 7D also has wireless Speedlite EX control.


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## Edwin Herdman (Aug 28, 2011)

The 50D's main advantage over the T1i is its much faster shooting speed - 6.3 frames/second is one frame per second faster than even the 60D and almost double that of the T1i. Its 9 AF sensors are all cross-type, as opposed to the T1i whose only cross-type sensor is the middle one. But at the price the 50D sells for ($1000), you'd generally be much better off with the 60D which betters it in other respects, many of which are probably more important: 19 cross-type sensors versus the 50D's 9 is certainly a numeric improvement.

The 60D or 7D seems like a good upgrade - I'd be hesitant to try to shoot any pro gig with the T1i but it's certainly been done. The interesting feature the 60D provides over the 7D is the tilting screen, which you could use to take shots over your head (or at ground level without lying flat) with Live View. The 7D makes this harder to accomplish.

Personally, working strictly as an amateur, I think it's a bit early to upgrade the T1i simply because I still get perfectly good results from it. There's essentially no resolution bump to be had from the 15 to 18 megapixel bump; the ISOs seem improved but I think it's better to skip a sensor (and possibly DIGIC processor) generation entirely. With any luck we're not too far off from a new generation of cameras, and at the very least there may well be a T4i coming out on schedule next year - I don't see it being yet another 18 megapixel camera but I'd still wait and see.

When you say "concert gigs," do you mean in low light or outdoors? I would think that clean higher ISOs (above 800) and autofocus accuracy are your biggest concerns there - that might prompt you to go for something better than the T1i ahead of schedule. If possible I would try to shoot some test scenes and see how it works out just to get prepared.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 28, 2011)

Edwin Herdman said:


> But at the price the 50D sells for ($1000), you'd generally be much better off with the 60D which betters it in other respects, many of which are probably more important: 19 cross-type sensors versus the 50D's 9 is certainly a numeric improvement.



I think you mean the 7D. The 60D has the exact same AF sensor as the 50D (and the 40D) - 9 cross-type AF points.


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