My trusty Canon Rebel XTi with my Canon 50mm 1.8 lens have been very good to me. The camera is among the best of the starter DSLRs and the lens is a fantastic first prime lens. I’ve loved them both and been happy with the images I’ve shot with them, but lately I’ve really felt that my skills have progressed far beyond the capabilities of my equipment.

The images are just not quite to the quality that I want them to be. There is a flatness to them that I’m not thrilled about. The images that I see in my mind are not quite the ones being captured by my camera. I hate to say it, but my XTi has been holding me back.

So, we decided that with the official launch of my photography business, and as an anniversary gift to me,  it was time for an upgrade. Enter the 50D:

And the 50mm 1.4:

The 50D is the first in Canon’s line of professional quality DSLRs and the 50mm 1.4 is a big step up from my 1.8. I am beyond excited about this upgrade! I’m shooting all of our vacation excursions this week with it and I can’t wait to show you all what it can do. Although, I have to say, the controls are a lot different from my XTi so I’m using this week to get used to them and I’m not as quick at getting my settings right. You have to be quick when you’re shooting Eleanor. But more on that soon!

Aside from improving my own photo quality, I’m really excited about the upgrade because Josh now has my old stuff to learn on. He’s been wanting to learn, but I’m ALWAYS using my camera. So now he can grab the XTi when I have my 50D! Fun for the whole family!