Compensation: Big appature lens or Full-frame camera?

[Kevmeister!]

All righty than,
So my friend recently acquired a full frame camera and he loves how he can bump the ISO higher than on his cropped sensor camera and have little noise (Nikon D800).

Of course I know that bumping the ISO higher on a full frame is not always the way to get better photos, but it compensates for a big f.
I am now using a Rebel T1i, however I have saved almost 80% for a 24-70 f2.8L II lens. I have a f4 24-105L but sometimes shooting indoor sports is a pain ( recreational sports).
So what would you guys do? buy the f2.8 or buy the full frame and bump the ISO (5D MKII)?
what would give you better pictures?

Thanks,

 

[wickidwombat]

5D mk2
the 24-70 only gains 1 stop on the 24-105 and the 24-105 still has IS which will still give you benefits to stoping camera shake on your end I think you will gain well over 1 stop in iso over the rebel more like 2 maybe 3

still the 24-70 II looks like it will be pretty sweet but no one knows yet since its still not out

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I would not use one on a crop. The 17-55mm EF-s will be as good, and has IS. I'd get a refurb 5D MK II. Then, when you can afford it, start looking at wide aperture lenses. In low light, f/2.8 is still limiting you, even on a D800 or 5D MK III, so for low light, the best bet is a 5D MK II and a prime lens.

Here is a 5D MK II ISO 6400 raw image cropped to 100% with no sharpening or NR. Obviously, sharpening and NR will greatly improve it. 135mmL @f/4

Here is a D800 image taken with my 24-70mm f/2.8G, a more expensive lens at ISO 6400.
Its very noisey at 1:1, but NR and sharpening will clean it up somewhat. You have to downsize it though to get it equal to the 5D MK II.

 

[Kevmeister!]

do you have a photo where you didn't cropped it so i can compare? doesn't sharpening give you more noise? and what is NR?

 

[wickidwombat]

NR = Noise reduction
have a look at topaz de-noise
http://www.topazlabs.com/

its pretty good you can download a trial to play with
if you end up buying it several sites give out discount codes to get a 20% discount
when i bought mine i used stuckincustoms not sure if its still the same
you can check out www.stuckincustoms.com to see if trey has updated the code

 

[Tcapp]

I agree. Go with the 5d and love it.

 

[preppyak]

I am now using a Rebel T1i, however I have saved almost 80% for a 24-70 f2.8L II lens. I have a f4 24-105L but sometimes shooting indoor sports is a pain ( recreational sports).
So what would you guys do? buy the f2.8 or buy the full frame and bump the ISO (5D MKII)?
what would give you better pictures?

Well, a 5dII would basically have the same focusing ability as your T1i, so while you'll gain some lower-light abilities, you won't gain anything in focus.

I know zooms are convenient, but, if you're looking for a solution for indoor sports (where the light always sucks), you might need to go the prime route. I know the 135mm F/2L is a popular one on full-frame; I'd imagine the 85mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 would probably suit your crop camera better...and they'd give you more light than just switching to a 5DII.

Depending on what else you shoot, the switch to full-frame might be worth it...but just for shooting indoor sports, it doesn't seem the right path. And I don't think the 24-70 f/2.8 will get you enough extra light to help much indoors.

the 24-105 still has IS which will still give you benefits to stoping camera shake on your end I think you will gain well over 1 stop in iso over the rebel more like 2 maybe 3

While true of subjects standing still, it will give him no gain for moving subjects, which I imagine is most of what he'd shoot in indoor sports. IS won't help there, only faster lenses. The ability to shoot hand-held at 1/10th or 1/15th of a second is only good when people are standing perfectly still

 

[Kevmeister!]

Not just shooting indoor sports, but just beneficial for all around. I know prime lenses are the better way to go but I love to zoom in and out depending on what or whom I need to shoot. So bumping the ISO might be better than a single f-stop. I might consider getting the 5DMKII.

 

[Axilrod]

Man there is a tremendous difference between the T1i and a 5DII, I mean it'll be a brand new world for you. Your 24-105 will suddenly feel very wide and you'll be able to shoot at much higher ISO's, get much more shallow DOF, etc. Plus the build quality is night and day different, it's the difference between prosumer and professional. Get the 5DII, there are so many more benefits on top of the problem you wanted to solve in the first place.