Okay, which Canon body?

[Limbwalker]

Guys, I lucked into some funds and am seriously thinking of upgrading from my 50D.

Now, I'm trying to figure out which body to go with. My budget will be about $2k but of course I'm not interested in spending money for the sake of spending money either.

Been looking at used 7D's or 70D's or 1D Mk 3's. I know there is a new 7D Mk 2 coming out too.

I've also thought of going full-frame, but realize there may be advantages to the 1.6 crop with my big Tamron lens too.

I clearly need to upgrade my computer and editing software too.

Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks!

John

[LiftAndShoot]

I can't help with this, but it's a question I'm interested in the answer to as well. So, bump, and following.

[Limbwalker]

Looking at the spec's between the 50D I have now and the 7D, I'm not seeing all that much difference. Please correct me if I'm wrong about that though.

I'm leaning toward picking up a clean used 7D. They are being had for about $750-800, which I think is a reasonable price for a body considering I'm not a pro.

[Bill M]

Tough decision. I would think you need to decide on crop or full frame first. I bought the 70D a month after buying a 60D when I switched brands this year. Wish I had bought it in the first place but I like having two bodies on hand anyway. I might look at comparing the new 7D to the 70D at some point though I definitely won't be ready when it comes out. Love the touch screen on the 70D, the wifi function, ISO performance is pretty decent too. Though I don't use it, the video on the 70D is suppose to be pretty good over other versions. Isn't the frame rate of the 7D better though? Not sure enough to sway me. Good luck deciding.

[Brian10]

I agree on deciding on the big questions first. Crop or full frame, but sounds like you're good to go with crop. The other question to ask is if dslr video is important to you. If yes, consider saving up for the 7d2. If no, I think the 7d is a good choice. You can buy used, but new I think they are going for around $900 or a little more.

[Limbwalker]

I think I'm okay with crop so long as the IQ and high ISO performance is good. I don't do as much landscape photography as I used to, and from what I've seen with my 50D and 17-40L lens, I'm pretty happy with the results.

My main use would be with the 150-600 Tamron lens.

I have no interest in video. I can barely manage the still photos I have. ha, ha.

[Casey]

I went 50D, 7D (for a year), then 5DMkIII. I would suggest you look at the 5DMkiii. It is an amazing camera with a phenomenal sensor. With that Tamron, you'll benefit from extra low-light capabilities.

Here is a shot straight from the camera at 6400ISO. I've gotten usable images to ISO 12800.

[Limbwalker]

Casey, thanks! That's a fantastic image for that ISO!

Yea, I've been schooled a bit about high ISO capability, and I full well know the advantages - esp. when mated with a 600mm 6.3 lens.

In your opinion, is a cropped image from that 5D Mk III be the equal of a normal image from the 7D? Better?

[Casey]

That's open for debate. All things considered, I want what the full frame, 5DIII sensor offers in tonal range and high ISO capabilities. I really thought I'd miss the "reach" associated with a crop frame, but I don't. I love the improved image quality from the full frame. It has better color, lower noise, increased dynamic range.

I still have the 50D and the 7D. You might look at the 7D Mark II if you want to stay crop. I understand it's **** good.

Oh, here is an ISO 12800 image from my 5D.

[atchunter]

Casey, what size did you compress that soccer picture to post?

[Casey]

The soccer pic?

It is not a heavy crop. Most of the image height is there, I just pulled the width down. It was exported to 1200 pixels in width, 96 pixels per inch.

Here is the same image, same adjustments, no crop.

[Casey]

Just realized your budget number. I got a very lightly used 5D MkIII for a bit more than your budget. You can find one for 2k, but it's going to have a few clicks on it.

[Kevin]

Maybe look at the 6D I stead of the 5d MKIII for your budget. Once you go full frame, you never go back.

[atchunter]

The soccer pic?

It is not a heavy crop. Most of the image height is there, I just pulled the width down. It was exported to 1200 pixels in width, 96 pixels per inch.

Here is the same image, same adjustments, no crop.
[ATTACH]662352[/ATTACH]

Thanks. I'll try it next time I post a pic. Sorry, didn't mean to steal the thread!!

[Casey]

I usually do 800 as max dimension here on tbh. As a matter of fact most users may be limited to that.