[Closed] Canon 7D DSLR camera and Digital Rev

7d is a nice enough camera.
Digi Rev are perfectly fine, I bought a 17-40L from them without problems.

I'd just like to point out that you don't need to spend anywhere near £1500 to get a camera that will be plenty for any hobbyist.

I would suggest a £600 camera and £900 worth of other lenses and kit. Lenses are what let you compose your shots - a diverse range of lenses offers far more options than a nicer body imo.

I'm also looking at cheaper options too 600D and 60D but just wanted to see what people thought of the 7D.

I have a 7D and am very happy with it. Put some good glass in front of it and go take some pictures.
Digital Rev are very efficient and quick, last order from them arrived less than 24 hours after being placed

I have a 7D which I use with 17-55 f2.8 and 70-200L f4. I upgraded from a 550D. There is no difference in image quality, but once you move up from the kit lens, it feels much better to hold (IMHO) and the AF is really good. The user interface is better, which helps. I'm pleased with the upgrade, but if your sticking with the kit lens, personally, I wouldn't bother over a 550D/600D. Micro focus adjust has also been worthwhile.

I'm not sure i'd partner it with the 18-135mm, but each to their own. Digital Rev have a decent rep, but I used HDEW and they were cheaper at the time and had good service.

thanks lodious, I'm not sure yet weather to buy with a kit lens to start off with or just get the body and buy seperate lenses. I am planning to buy additional lenses as and when I develop and improve though.

Prices on HDEW looks good too (and cheaper in some cases) so thanks for that recommendation.

The Canon basic kit lens is pretty good, and it's so cheap, you can learn quite a lot from it. Lenses hold their value well, so if you buy at the right price, you can own them for a few years and move them on without loosing too much money. Camera bodys generally depreciate like stones 🙁

Dunno if you have checked out talkphoto forum? Lots of good (and bad) advice there.

One thing holding me back from going for the 7D is that it's been out a while and there are rumors of a 7D mark II so im wondering weather to wait and get the 7D at a cheaper price when a newer model is out but I don't know how long I'll end up waiting for.

I have a 7D having moved onto it from a 40D, very pleased and only thing I would like is a max setting on the auto ISO same as the 600D and 60D

Auto focus settings take a bit of getting used to and would suggest buying one of the expanded manual type books

Don't think you would be disappointed, even if a mark II did come out can't see me changing

have you guys got examples of your work online?

I have a 7D, upgraded from a 30D. I'm sure people will say it's too much camera, but I love it. Nice and robust (just stick it in my camelbak) with fast autofocus and decent low light performance - what you want for mtb photography really.

Some pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewanpanter/sets/

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6816637658_5da62099bd_b.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6816637658_5da62099bd_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= [/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/ewanpanter/ ]Ewan Panter[/url], on Flickr

I'd go for a cheaper camera and better glass to be honest, if that's what you want to spend. the 18-135 lens is capable but not the best, the 15-85 gets better reviews, and the 17-55 is raved over. If you can get "L" glass, even better

Buy a 2nd hand 500, the lens you've suggested and a 50mm 1.8 and trade up the body if and when you feel it's limiting your shots. I'll wager you never will, but I'd you do, you'll lose very little on the sale. (bought a 350d years ago with similar intentions - see no need to upgrade now other than HD video)

Although I am very happy with my 7D think if I were buying a quality camera tomorrow it would be the Pentax K-5 especially with the £50 cashback or £80 if bought with the kit lens

Yeah +1 for decent lenses. 70-200mm F4L and 17-55 F2.8 here - 17-55 is perfect for biking shots.

Yeah +1 for decent lenses. 70-200mm F4L and 17-55 F2.8 here - 17-55 is perfect for biking shots.

I agree got both of those too, went for the IS version of the 70-200 f/4 and also have the 10-22mm along with a 1.4 TC

Apart from extreme long range got most eventualities covered with that selection

cheers for all the input guys.

I'd go for a cheaper camera and [s]better[/s] MORE glass to be honest

I thought Digital Rev sold imports (thats why they are cheap), therefore you don't have a valid warranty as its not a UK item?

thanks to Lodious i might get whatever I buy from HDEW but will also shop around before committing as im not in any rush. Digital Rev did send me some info on the warranty but I haven't got round to reading it yet.

As a canon shooter I would recommend
[url= http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/78158/Show.html?tduid=4282c400a42c883a9f45c6b649ba8cea&url=http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/78158/Show.html ]linky[/url]

You doent mentipn what you will be shooting
Rember glass is king, and holds its money
Camera bodys 10 a penny newest is best unless your top end 3000 grand upwards

HDEW +1 and +1 for decent lenses. Might as well get a 50mm 1.8 as well.

Might as well get a 50mm 1.8 as well.

Yeah the construction is pretty shoddy but if you look after it it will last ages and the price/IQ/usability ratio is pretty damn high IMO. Real men use primes.

Actually maybe he should not bother with a body and just buy one of these:

[img] [/img]

Cheers grum, I bought one based on the advice from here. Sold it soon after because it was slow at focusing and shoddy. Thought the OP might want to know, but hey...

They just did a video on it today.

Summary of it. It is built like a tank.

Canon eBay outlet had a 7d with 15-85 lens for £1200 earlier this week

Do not buy one from somewhere that imports them, you will not have a full Canon warranty as it is only valid in the country its from.

I'd just like to point out that you don't need to spend anywhere near £1500 to get a camera that will be plenty for any hobbyist.

This is true, but if the hobbyist takes to their hobby, then sells the cheap camera at a great loss for the one they wanted all along, it's hardly saved them money.

I (re)started with a 450D, and 8 months later had the 5DII I still use three years on, having sold the 450D for a fraction of what I paid for it. About the only camera that's interested me since is the Olympus OM-D as a second camera to just carry about with a 17mm pancake lens on it. The best camera in the world is the one you have with you, and all that...

Well I can't imagine spending a ton of money just for a little extra definition, but that's just me by the sound of it 🙂

It's not just definition, it's usability too. Most other cameras just feel like cheap toys by comparison to the XD series.

Oh.. I buy cameras for what they do, not how they feel. It's not a mattress 🙂

Shall I stop trolling now, or is anyone still having fun?

Oh.. I buy cameras for what they do, not how they feel.

If you can't work the camera rtfm. I didn't think that's what zokes was talking about though. Weightiness and quality feel don't mean much to me, as long as it doesn't break.

I'm talking ergonomics. The bigger bodied Canons are more inutitive than the farty toy Canons. Nothing to do with my fat fingers either. 😀

I used to have a 350D, the 7D is soooo much nicer to use ergonomically. More controls under the fingers too. I guess my large man hands couldn't handle the little girly sized lady cameras 😉

Having direct access function controls is so much nicer and easier than having to scroll through menus

Joystick control of the focus point on the 7D is very handy, surprised they discarded that on the 60D

I went from a 400D to a 7D at the end of last year. In general, I love it:

Pros:
- Much better at high ISO
- Much more ergonomic
- Built like a tank
- 8 FPS is nice!
- Nice screen

Cons:
- Heavy, especially if carrying on a bike
- Bulky (good thing too)
- Same sensor as on a 550D, so same image quality
- Weather sealed

As mentioned, make sure you get some good lenses for it. Why not get a 60D with a EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM? That's what I would do if starting from scratch.

[url= http://www.flickr.com/jondouglas ]Some of my stuff[/url]

- Same sensor as on a 550D, so same image quality
- Weather sealed

Why are those cons? Image quality on the 550d is quite good (as is the 7d), and the weathersealed is a plus no?

Oops.wearher sealed is definitely a pro!

Never said 550d was poor did I? Just saying the same image quality can be had for half the price.

Never said 550d was poor did I? Just saying the same image quality can be had for half the price.

Ah fair point - was listed under cons tho...

No good having all the bells and whistles if you can't get them to work, is it?

those pics of sunsets and bikes hanging in trees(with the background made black and white) are totally achievable in manual mode.
just sayin like.

I have a Canon 7d and a 5d (mark 1 aka 5Dc on forums). The first is a crop camera, the second a full frame.

I think it would help you to have some idea of what you want to take photos of.

If its slower moving, daylight stuff such as fine art, landscapes, close ups of flowers - getting a cheaper camera and a better range of glass/lenses is your best bet.

If you want to take photos of running kids, fast moving animals, sports or stuff in lower light the 7d will be more helpful. It has a better and faster focusing system than the camera bodies at a lower price. It also has a more robust shutter mechanism based on a miniature version of the more expensive full frame camera mechanisms. This gives it a high continuous shutter speed that will not trash the camera.

I have had many cameras over many years - film, digital, compact, SLR. I had to carry the manual around for the 7d for quite a bit as it has lots of options and its quite hard to memorise some of them. Dont let this put you off - it can be simplified and as you say you can grow into it. I am mainly mentioning this as I felt a bit overwhelmed by the camera to start despite being experienced - but it turned out lots of people have felt the same - so don't let it intimidate you. You can always stick with 'program mode' or auto to start with.

I would have a word with your relative about advice on [b]lenses - [/b][b]they are more important than camera bodies[/b]. I have several Canon EOS lenses over 15 years old, the oldest is I think 25 if I have read the date code correctly. I also have recent lenses but use them less as they are zooms and the sharpness of fixed focal length is better. If you buy good lenses they will follow your hobby over years as you wear out, upgrade or dump camera bodies along the way. Digital camera bodies are essentially disposable, lenses are for keeps so are worth the bigger financial investment.

Its too hard here to go into the advantages and reasons for lens selection. If you want to get serious about this I would say get a cheap 'kit lens' if you want a zoom, but for better learning I would say get a body on its own and the cheap 50mm 1.8. Its a good lens, it will teach you lots about depth of field, low light and will show you what a sharp lens can produce. Once you have seen sharp, you will not want to compromise. Once you know more, then splash out on nice glass. Its easy to be disappointed in cheap glass and blame yourself or the camera.

If you think there is any chance of ever moving to a full frame camera, steer clear of the EF-S lenses where possible and go for the EF mount as it will save you a lot of money and inconvenience later on.

Also check out Nikon, they have some very nice cameras just released in the last couple of weeks at very good prices.

Sorry, this is a bit of a random batch of advice. I would check out these web sites for more info - they all do forums and kit reviews.

[url= http://photo.net/community/ ]http://photo.net/community/[/url]
[url= http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php?s=70254290452777cb93762ead638e9e99 ]http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php?s=70254290452777cb93762ead638e9e99[/url]
[url= http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/ ]http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/[/url]
[url= http://www.dpreview.com/ ]http://www.dpreview.com/[/url]

And this is free to post on (you can join later if you wish)once you have your camera. Its based in Edinburgh I think but is multinational so you get photos from all over the world.
[url= http://blipfoto.com/ ]http://blipfoto.com/[/url]

thanks for the advice midnighthour, all makes sense and is roughly what im thinking about at the moment.

I probably wont be changing to full frame in the near future as I cant really justify the extra cost. Things may change though and I will bear that in mind.

Info on 7d and photo samples can be found at the address below. Use the 'search forum' to find threads and picture examples of other canon cameras - they have a separate thread for almost everything! They also post real world images from loads of specific lenses so you can compare them.

[url= http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1154313&highlight=7d ]http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1154313&highlight=7d[/url]

The full frame I have is a nice camera and they are going at about £550 second hand now. Its a lovely friendly camera to use (that has nothing to do with the frame size, just as a nice design of object).

Maybe 2nd hand (any camera) is worth considering for a test run, then buy different later.

I have just replaced the shutter in my 5d - its the third shutter as it was a pro wedding camera in the past, then owned by a friend. It takes a lot of hammering and has been very very reliable. The shutters are designed to be replaced at around 100,000 shots though many go on beyond that. I have put about 10,000 images through it myself since purchase. It was £200 to replace the shutter but is worth it to me despite the age of the camera. The shutter did not fail but I knew it was beginning to wear so I sorted it.

If you look at older cameras at all, don't be too put off by snobbery or comments about being old fashioned, old technology or rubbish back screens. As long as your histogram can be seen, you don't really need much more detail. Its getting the exposure right and the overall framing, unless you do macro which is fiddly to focus. The 7d was bought new, but I often take the 5d instead just because its such a nice physical object and more relaxing to use than the 7. They both have their advantages. A lot of my lenses were 2nd hand, the oldest being as said, I believe about 25 and they have been great and reliable. Lots of web sites have good useful info but always be aware of gear snobs and those who have to have the latest. Good photos are in the glass and in the photographers head, not in the chequebook.
Good luck with your photos, its fun!

Another thought is that, given the sudden surprise of the new Nikons (mmm, Canon must be worried - better specs, lower prices than Canon equivalents) there is always the possibility Canon may need to re-evaluate their body pricing soon anyway.

Nikon could have them on the run unless Canon has a surprise of their own they can bring forward pdq.

thanks midnighthour! I'm not in any rush to buy as stuck working abroad until end of the month. I have an end of contract bonus which I will use on camera and lenses as its somethimg I've wanted to get into for years but never got round to it. Can you recommend any decent websites for 2nd hand gear other than e-bay?
Currently looking at 70-200mm lenses. As a novice and amateur would I see any benefit from going for the higher end ones with the 'IS' or 'IS II'? If I could find one of them 2nd i might go for one? New ones here: http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/telephoto-lens-49-c.asp

I havent really considered any other brands yet due to recommendations of friends who already have Canaons. I know there might be an element of bias there so might be worth looking into Nikon.
Im also aware the 7D has been out for a while and there are rumors of a 7D mark II which might drop the price of the 7D.
Which Nikon would be comparable to the 7D?
Things is I have a week in cornwall next month which would give me time to play and experiemnt with the camera whilst shhooting some nice scenery (plus the father in law will be there to give pointers- ex-pro photographer)

Hang on, will get a copy of a magazine to see re 2nd hand. Will post again soon.

ok cheers. ill pick up your message in the morning its bed time where im at

I have personally used
http://www.acecameras.co.uk/
http://www.bathphotooptics.co.uk/
and found them both to be very helpful.

In the back of Amateur Photographer [url= http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/ ]http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/[/url]

They list

[url= http://lcegroup.co.uk ]http://lcegroup.co.uk[/url]
[url= http://mifsuds.com ]http://mifsuds.com[/url]
[url= http://www.ffords.com/ ]http://www.ffords.com/[/url]

All those above have been advertising for years. LCE has shops all over the place too.

I cant recall the ones below, but that only means I don't look at the back of the mag very often and cannot remember for how long they have advertised.

Ask on forums for the reliability of suppliers - people are usually happy to comment.

[url= http://www.camtechuk.com ]http://www.camtechuk.com[/url]
[url= http://cameraworld.co.uk ]http://cameraworld.co.uk[/url]

nice one cheers

Currently looking at 70-200mm lenses. As a novice and amateur would I see any benefit from going for the higher end ones with the 'IS' or 'IS II'

It depends 🙂

If you're taking photos of bikes doing stuff then both are fairly pointless (well not entirely, but more often than not). The IS stands for image stabilsation (The II for version 2), this lets you use the lens at a slower shutter speed than you otherwise could (rule of thumb is 1/focal length if you want a good chance of a sharp image). What it doesn't do is freeze the action - so if you want to do that (e.g. bike photos from relatively close up) then it's a bit pointless. If you want to freeze the action get a faster lens (e.g. F2.8) or a camera that provides good photos at high ISO speeds. Both of those will let you use a higher shutter speed.

I have a 70-200 F4L without IS cause I only really use it for action shots.

"Currently looking at 70-200mm lenses. As a novice and amateur would I see any benefit from going for the higher end ones with the 'IS' or 'IS II'?"

Canon do 4 of these lenses.
f4.0 70-200 - approx £500
f4.0 70-200 IS - approx £1000
f2.8 70-200 - approx £1000
f2.8 70-200L IS - approx (trying to recall..) £1800 (?) I think this last one is the one with version I and II.

I don't have one of these myself but have read around a bit as it was either one of these, a 100-400L IS or a 70-300L IS. My most recent purchase just before Christmas and a big extravagance from my redundancy money. I am hoping to make some money back with it at some point.

First off the f2.8 are both very big and very heavy. Even bigger than my 100-400. The IS version is very very popular with natural light wedding photographers and for use in churches where flash is not allowed. They are also, being fast lenses good for indoor sports and concerts etc. If neither applies to you, maybe look at the f4.0.

If you want low light fast action but cant afford the f2.8 IS then the non IS version would be better than the f4.0 - as it will stop action/moment in the way the f4.0 is not able to.

I would strongly suggest if you have the money, to for for an IS especially if you are going to buy a crop camera. On a crop my 100-400 is the equivalent of 600mm long. Such increase give a LOT of potential for camera shake on a 70-200 as well. These things are [b]hard[/b] to hold steady. Look up tips for snipers and suchlike for tips on being steady. No thats not a joke, it really will help you get a perfect sharp image. At these prices, sharp is what we are definitely aiming for. Blur from tremor or movement is out 🙂

Lots of people see the 70-200 as a good walk around lens. I also use my 100-400 for such things, though it is big and heavy. I get extra reach with it for picking of details of landscapes, architecture and for using its shallow depth of field for 'isolating' people, plants etc against a blurred out background. It is not just for things 'at a distance'.

When you are in the UK go to Jessops as they have revamped their shops so that you can wander in and hold all their stock and they have a good range of lenses. It caused me to choose the 7d over the 60d as I found it easier to hold and I knew it would be getting a lot of use on a daily basis. It also caused me to choose the 100-400 over the 70-200 as the extra reach was worth the extra weight. I live with the weight, but then I am fairly committed to using cameras and carrying kit.

I would not overly recommend actually buying from Jessops (sadly) as they have a long term reputation as not being very well staffed or priced. I hope this improves given the commitment they are showing to imaging at the moment with the store re-vamps.

[url= http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/05/08/Nikon-D800-D800E-review-published ]http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/05/08/Nikon-D800-D800E-review-published[/url]

[url= http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/04/24/Nikon-D3200-preview-samples-gallery ]http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/04/24/Nikon-D3200-preview-samples-gallery[/url]

These will give you a starting point for checking Nikon. They will be mentioned on the sites already given to you as well. Try the news section of DPReview as they may list more released cameras of interest.

Agree on the big and heavy thing - I got a 2.8 to start with and sent it back as i'd never had used it. The 70-200 F4 is relatively light.

Advantage of Jessops is that you can test the lens you're buying in the shop - they'll often price match as well if you ask the manager.

If your looking for a nice light sharp 70 /200 f4 non IS
Or a 135mm f2 or 300mm f4IS
After next thursday there all for sale as well as a few canon 1d2,s and probably a couple of 580ex flashes

If you know lots of people with Canon and they have interesting/quality lenses they are willing to lend you (make sure there is insurance, some of them are expensive to drop or repair) then you may find that facility causes you to go for Canon.

I chose canon as the range of lenses they made for my purposes was cheaper, broader, there was plenty of 2nd hand choice (Nikon lens mounts are more of a complexity on older lenses) and the 2 tier price system for consumer and pro lenses gave me a lot of upgrading options. Some of their consumer lenses are of high standard. My favorites in this range are

28mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4 (1.4 is a fragile lens, the focus track distorts easily, killing the motor), 50mm 2.3 macro, 85mm 1.8 and the 100mm macro 2.8. These are all EF mount so can be used on anything Canon.

I mostly carry the 28, 50 macro (slightly noisy but a very nice lens) and the 100-400 at the moment. I have 2 mid range zooms as well but use them much less.

You might also want to check out lenses from Tamron, Tokina and Sigma as much of their stuff is now excellent, comparable to and sometimes better than Nikon and Canon glass and much cheaper. This was not the case some years back or I would probably have more of their product.

If you have any other stuff I can help with I am MidnightUK on
[url= http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php?s=70254290452777cb93762ead638e9e99 ]http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php?s=70254290452777cb93762ead638e9e99[/url]
its free to join and you can message me there as I am on Singletrack less often.

Hope you have lots of fun on your hols.

Nice one Midnighthour, just when the thread looked like descending into another STW bighitter bullshit fest, you've come along with some good advice. 8)

Cornwall photos
[url= http://www.blipfoto.com/baldycarrie/about ]http://www.blipfoto.com/baldycarrie/about[/url]
Click on her first entry date, then you will get a calendar on the bottom right to choose from.
Her pics in this journal are scary good if you like landscapes 🙂

Iodious - thanks most kind. I kind of feel I have run off with this thread though, sorry folks. Feel I have to justify choices to a beginner (which is long winded) as they need to know reasons for decisions, not just be told what to do. 🙂

If you go for a 7d, try these spare batteries. The 7d is fussy, the canon orig battery is an absurd price. I have 3 of these, they have been fine both in camera and in charger.

[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerPlanet-3347B001AA-Camera-Battery-Digital/dp/B003P58MHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336945316&sr=8-1 ]http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerPlanet-3347B001AA-Camera-Battery-Digital/dp/B003P58MHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336945316&sr=8-1[/url]

Have used the same company for their 5d batteries as well and they too have been good replacements.

I'm sorry, will stop posting after this!

- budget for Adobe Lightroom 4 (just out) approx £100. Its industry standard and you will be shooting in RAW file format most likely, if you are fussy. Amazing what you can do with a 'software darkroom'. Canon do supply their own conversion software (DPP) free with camera but most Canon users appear to find Lightroom easier to use. You can download a test program for 30 days of use at Adobe homepage.

Ah, finished at last 🙂

Its industry standard

really? i don't know any working photographer who uses it. (capture1 and phocus user here)

really? i don't know any working photographer who uses it. (capture1 and phocus user here)

Funny - I know many who do, at least as a first pass. Depends whether or not you make your money taking poorly-cropped shots of modern chairs in a studio, or you just want a tool to parse a range of shots from your last trip out into the hills / wedding etc. Horses for courses 'n' all...

Lots of (most?) working wedding and event photographers use LR IME (including me) - very fast for narrowing down and editing lots of pictures. I imagine MrSmith looks down on them like he seems to on most people though. 😉

not really. just couldn't understand why you said 'industry standard' when it isn't standard in the industry (all kinds of photography)

loving the ad hominem critique, i'll go and have a little cry seeing as it's a bit late to phone my mum.

Broken rule Nº1 there MrSmith, never comment on another photographers personal choices, this includes both equipment and photos. 😆

Photoshop and Lightroom would both be considered an industry standard by large numbers of people I believe. Admittedly Photoshop more so, but Lightroom is a newer program, though well established and designed to work in co-operation with Photoshop when desirable for passing files between them during editing.

I guess people may instead use the RAW developer based in Photoshop itself which has a slightly different interface to Lightroom, no cataloguing facility but basically the same options for image developing - so you could well be right, many pros may just use Photoshop itself (or other alternatives) esp if they find Lightrooms catalogue functions etc inappropriate for their own style of workflow/record keeping.

I understood from numerous comments on wedding related photography forums that Lightroom is used by significant numbers of pro wedding photographers for its mass image post-processing abilities and its workflow speed at doing this - of value I guess when many of them are now assessing and processing several thousand images from a single wedding (rather them than me!).

I am not a pro myself, so happily accept I may be incorrect or that actually there are less pro photo forum users developing via Lightroom than it frequently appears. It may also be that other sectors find it less use than serious amateurs and wedding photographers.

Adobe seem to be aggressively seeking a wider general market for Lightroom 4 as they have dropped the market price - version 4 I think being about £50 cheaper as a new improved release now at around £100 (issued earlier this year) than version 3 which (may be misremembering here) sold at approx £150 through its lifetime. So Lightroom will probably become more commonly purchased I would think, even if in the non-pro field.

it will become more commonly purchased by those on a budget now they want the price of lightroom every year to rent photoshop through subscription and have only enabled last version upgrades and no version skipping for CS apps.

I have a 550D which i have used now for coming on two years and love. It came with 17-55mm and 70-300mm kit lenses which were great for getting started and playing around, but I splashed the cash and got a 24mm f1.4L prime lens as I found I always just wanted reasonably wide angles for the stuff I was doing. The image quality gain of a lens that cost more than the body and kit lenses combined was huge! I don't think the kit lenses have left the camera bag since... I would eventually maybe like a full-frame body, but that would just be an extravagance for my needs...
The long and short is, I concur about spending your money on lenses not bodies.

PS. You really must use a filter of some type also, as I recently dropped my camera (in it's case) on my tiled kitchen floor and though the filter exploded into a million pieces, it totally saved my lens. Phew!