Well, I bet I win the most patient award here. I'm still working on wearing out my first "real" digital camera, the Rebel XT. It's been a great learning machine and I have certainly cultivated my interest and my skill since I bought it several years ago, along with the 28-135 lens, which I have loved for it's versatility. I wanted to get more wide angle shots and picked up the 10-22mm, which is pretty great for the crop sensor. Oh, and I jumped on the 580EX II Flash when that came out. Wow, has THAT made a difference when taking photos around the poorly lit house here in Oregon!
I'm not a Pro, not making money at it, and not interested in any one particular kind of shoot. I like the best shot I can get, but not at the expense of having the versatility of the zoom. I like to shoot while hiking or going downtown or taking pictures of my family. I have no plans to sell my photos. I just want to have fun taking them and sharing them. If I can afford better tools, I'll get the best ones I can afford because I know in any discipline, the right tool for the job is always going to make doing the job more fun.
So, I've listened carefully to the advice here talking about investing in Lenses first, but last year I had a dilemma. With $2,000 cash in hand to spend on my hobby, should I get the 7D or the brand spankin' new 70-200mm f2.8L IS II that had just come out. Knowing that Camera bodies get updated much faster than Lenses, I opted to just keep on using my old Rebel XT and bought that insanely awesome lens. I could only manage to do that with the intention of upgrading to the best Camera Body I could afford when the time was right.
I guess, luckily for me, the time still isn't right. Maybe by next Spring I will be ready to make the move up, assuming my XT holds together for that long. That huge lens, even though I am careful about holding the lens and not relying on the camera, makes the plastic body creak under it's weight sometimes. I get great shots with that lens that I could never have gotten with my 28-135, but I know it will only be that much more amazing when I can affix that cannon of a Canon Lens to my next Canon Camera.
So, I am holding on, watching and waiting to see what comes out next. Anything would be an upgrade for me at this point, but I prefer to invest at the top of the prosumer range. So, I'll be looking for whatever the next top of the line crop sensor camera, which I can still use my wide angle lens with, that will be sturdy and allow me to get a good 6-8 years use from it.
My next goal, hopefully by Xmas 2013, after I get my next camera in the Spring, is to add the 100mm f2.8L IS Macro (plus a yet to be determined macro flash). I would replace my 28-135 with a 24-70 II, but I'd rather be able to take great Macro shots and try to get by using primarily my incredible 70-200, so I think I can wait on upgrading that "range" until I can swing it.
Once I have that, all that's left is a really long range lens. By then, probably three or four years from now, I'll be able to score one of those 200-400mm lenses (and forego a trip to Europe).
Oh, yes....after that, then I will be saving up for the next/next Camera Body upgrade......and that will probably be full frame....and then I will have to replace my wide angle lens with a higher quality and ff compatible lens.
I suppose after that I'll have to start working on putting together the new Holographic camera outfit or my kids will be laughing at my old timer flat photos!
Good thing I am patient. And persistent too. This hobby is damn expensive. But fun! LOL
