Body Or Glass?

Assuming, of course, that you are on a budget: invest in a quality lens. As I see it, a good lens on a camera body even several years old will result in better image quality than the latest camera with an average kit lens. We see new cameras introduced every year, they lose value relatively quickly but quality glass retains value for a long time.

both. depends what you do.

good glass on a lousy camera will only compensate for the camera. lousy glass on a good camera, won't show off that camera. depends what you do with it and how you utilize it.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

It's not only a matter of value. Good lenses will yield better acuity across the frame and in the corners better than kit lenses. The same is true of bokeh, since good lenses often have more diaphragm blades. And then, there's build quality, which means a longer-lasting lens; as well as weather-sealing, low light capability, resistance to dust penetration (in the case of internal focusing lenses). There are also other advantages, but that should be enough.

Bodies, on the other hand, become obsolete (from a value standpoint) almost as fast as they are released, and barring dramatic advances in sensors, processing engines and features, there's really no reason to spend more money on a body than you actually need.

ALWAYS glass....always.

Great glass on an original digital rebel will yield much greater quality than a kit lens on the newest DSLR body available.

Glass. (...for all the reasons listed above...)



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~ Bill
~ US Pictures .com

I was raised by a dad who always said German glass was the best.

Dave

For the owner of a DSLR from the last three years (with a CMOS sensor instead of a CCD) there is nearly no reason to buy a more expensive body than the basic one. The only reason I did think about was the sensitivity to humidity especially with Sony. But for that You have to make a big step to the top class. I had a total loss some years ago, but I had a second body with me and the new one was less the half price of the top class. So it still was cheaper all in all.

A friend of mine calls the kit lenses bottle bottoms. May be that's a bit extreme but they are only a cheap compromise. My first additions were a quality tele zoom and a 100 mm macro lens which surprised me often very pleasant (see my flower macros).

A few more words in the title would be nice.

Glass. But really personal vision is what is important. I've sold work taken with mid level micro four thirds camera and point and shoots.

The answer really depends on what you're using now. I have a four year old Canon 60D that cosmetically looks like it's on it's last breath. Casing is wearing off, a few scuffs, one break in the LCD screen, but it takes good pictures. I need glass.

Glass trumps the body any day. That said you buy a better body because you need and know how to use the additional tools and capability it gives you. Not because you *think* it will give you better photos.

Welcome Aaron!

I like what I heard Art Wolfe say the other day "I only know about 5% of what these new cameras do".

Well, I bought the 6d with a wide angle zoom kit lens and that's the only lens I've used with it. Overall, the images are much better quality than those shot with a t4i and good glass. I'm guessing the sensor in the 6d is far superior and that's why the images are so much cleaner.

There has almost never been a right answer that starts with always or never.

I would take a full frame 6D with OK glass all day every day over a crop sensor Rebel with the very best glass.

I personally feel that lenses are more important. But like others have said it depends on what you want to do with your camera (whether you need a super-fast shutter speed for example). I've been chugging by with a middle of the line Nikon D5100 and an assortment of lenses. I could've easily upgraded to a better body with the money I've put into my lenses, but to me lenses are a lot more fun than a fancy camera body. It is limiting though as I try to never put my D5100 over 400 iso or you will start seeing a lot of noise.

I want to have everything from a wide angle to at least a 300mm zoom. I attempted to get all that in one lens with my Tamron 18-300 but the quality was just not there so now I have 5 lenses that covers that range. Everything from 10mm to 300mm. LOL TBH I would love to have a 500mm lens in order to make the moon look massive but that is for sometime way down the line.