okay,
Let's say there 2 persons with the same level of skill, but different equipment.
one uses a relatively "old" Canon Xti with L lenses.
the other a new Canon 50D with EF kit lens.
Who among the two should get better images???
if your talking about noise 50D hands down, XTi's are pretty nasty above 400 ( I don't really shoot mine above 200 usually: i refuse to actually)
Yup in terms of noise control 50D is hands down winner.
Let's say outdoor shots where there is adequate lighting..
what do you think??
Outdoors with adequate lighting, the 50D in the optimal part of the 28-135's zoom range (70-100 mm) and stopped down a couple of stops will give a better quality image than an XTi with L glass. But, those are pretty restrictive conditions. On the balance, many zoom lenses are often used near the short or long end of the range, and that's where zooms with wide ranges suffer the most. So, on the balance I'd say one would be better off with better quality glass on the XTi. For example, in general terms you'll get better 'typical' image quality with an XTi and 24-105 f/4L IS lens than with the 50D and the kit 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS lens.
I don't think that it is a fair comparison. There are just too many variables. Each one is capable of producing astounding images if used properly.
It depends. Overall I'd say Xti with L lenses, but there are some cases where the 50D+28-135 will be superior, e.g. stopped down, large prints, with heavy post processing. The Xti+L will be better in most cases, such as faster f-numbers, normal print sizes, and less post processing. But again, those are just generalizations.