Help with Upgrade

[danchern]

Hi,

I currently own a Canon T2i, Canon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, Canon 50mm f/1.8, and Canon 24mm f/2.8. I'm seriously considering upgrading my equipment sometime this summer and I was wondering if someone with more knowledge could help me decide which is a better option? I currently shoot landscapes, street life, studio, dance events, and portraits.

I've been doing research and so far here are the two options I've considered:

1. Canon 7D w/ Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L OR Canon 24-105mm f/4L OR Canon 17-55mm f/2.8
2. Keep the Canon T2i and buy 24-105mm f/2.8L and Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6

I've also thought about getting a prime lens instead of the general purpose lenses that were listed above. A prime lens I've been eyeing is the Canon 35mm f/1.4L.

Basically my options (and limited by budget) are to either upgrade my body and buy one lens that isn't over the top or to keep my current body and purchase two much higher quality lenses.

I'm really not sure which lens combination is best and something is telling me to just keep the T2i and upgrade just the glass. It's also harder because I'm currently exploring different realms of photography so there isn't really one specific setting that shoot in more or less. In both cases, I would be selling the old lenses.

Any input would be really helpful!

Dan

[Sean Setters]

If you don't plan on moving to a full-frame camera in the near future, I'd recommend getting the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. It's the best general purpose lens for an APS-C camera. It would be good for landscapes, street life, studio, and portraits (at least on the long end). For dance events specifically, you'll likely want something longer like the 135mm f/2. The 135mm f/2 would also make a good portrait lens, too.

[jrw]

Was there some feature in the 7D that the T2i lacks that you specifically needed/wanted? Better build, sealing, flash control, custom functions maybe? From an image capture point of view I thought they were quite similar. Unless there is some reason you didn't mention that is important to you, I'd focus on glass to make the most of the body you have.

17-55 f2.8 seems to be one to recommend. With the items you mention shooting, the wider aperture compared to 24-105 f4 will be helpful for capturing action indoors. As a possible alternative to the 135, a 100 mm L macro might be worthy of consideration. A little shorter reach, f2.8 instead of f2, has IS and of course it is a macro lens which may also be of interest to you. Just a thought.