Planning the next upgrade
It's that time.... look forward to hearing opinions (and for you wonderful folks to fill in the gaps I've missed.....)
So, I'm trying to figure out what to do. There is no screaming urgency to this, but I need to wrap my head around it and figure out how much more money I need to save
Option 1
Wait until after Christmas and get a 7d.
Option 2
Pick up a well-priced 50d
Option 3
Go with a T1i
Option 4
Abandon the 2-body idea, sell the xsi and try for a 5dII.
Option 5
Hope for a 60d early next year that has everything I want but is a few hundred less than the 7d
- Backstory: upgraded an XT to an Xsi last year, knowing that I would ultimately want a 2nd body. FWIW, I absolutely LOVE my xsi, and have only felt (slightly) limited by its high ISO performance (read: I'd like extended values, and wish they were all less noisy); faster autofocus is always a bonus, but I don't shoot sports so it's not a *need*.
- Shooting: family & kids (my own and others'), theatrical headshots, live performances, and fun stuff for myself. Increasingly getting more requests to do portraits/headshots as paid shoots, although I don't (yet) consider myself "pro".
- Existing kit: Xsi, Tamron 17-50 2.8, 50 1.8 (to be sold and upgraded to 1.4 at some point), 100 f2, 200L f2.8, 4220ex, 430ex flashes, ste2 trigger.
- Lenses: While I'm happy with my current lenses, I lust after a 135 2 and at some point need to do something about the 50-100 gap; less money spent on a body might let me address those points sooner rather than later.
- Budget: saving up like a crazy thing, but there is NO WAY ON EARTH I can afford/justify $2500 for a 5dII, nice though that would be. The $1600 of the 7D is as far as I'll be able to push it and live with myself, and even that makes me feel slightly queasy.
So, I'm trying to figure out what to do. There is no screaming urgency to this, but I need to wrap my head around it and figure out how much more money I need to save
Option 1
Wait until after Christmas and get a 7d.
- Pros - sounds like it's going to be a great camera, has the built-in flash commander (useful although not essential since I have an ste2), and expected ISO performance looks good
- Cons - still not "cheap", accessories will probably take another bite out of things (eg back to CF cards, different batteries etc), and I don't really need the *speed* it seems to be emphasizing.
Option 2
Pick up a well-priced 50d
- Pros - still a decent camera (despite the grumblings around),anticipating loads of them to be available at great prices both new and used, has AF microadjust, thumb wheel and a few other goodies I'm missing in the xsi
- Cons - high ISO performance not noticeably better than the xsi (in some comparisons, it looks to me like it's worse), I still don't like the feel/balance of it despite having been shooting the xsi with a grip (although I'm sure I would adapt to that in time)
Option 3
Go with a T1i
- Pros - uses same battery/accessories as the xsi, similar body design, uses SD cards. High ISO appears slightly better than the xsi in the samples I"ve seen and it has extended ranges
- Cons - still no thumbwheel, doesn't afaik have AF microadjust, and may not be the best investment as I take this photography thing further.
Option 4
Abandon the 2-body idea, sell the xsi and try for a 5dII.
- Pros - the 5dii rocks - 'nuff said! (and, strangely, I find the balance on it much better than the xxd series - the weight doesn't bother me at all)
- Cons - I still won't have a 2nd body, the xsi won't bring all that much cash to contribute, I'd be forced to swap out my beloved 17-50 for another lens, and I'd have a lot of trouble justifying the cost when I'm not using a camera as my livelihood.
Option 5
Hope for a 60d early next year that has everything I want but is a few hundred less than the 7d
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Wait for the 5DIII that has it all.
I am wrestling with the same thoughts Diva. Maybe you can buy my 50D, and I'll buy the 7D
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I would wait until I could get my hands on the 7D to check it out for real. If you don't like the feel of a 50D, I have a hunch you won't like the 7D either. (I upgraded from an XTi to a 50D and love the feel of it, but it's all taste.) And it will be good to find out for real if the high-ISO noise of the 7D is appreciably better. Given the increased pixel density, it is not obvious. I think the noise issue with the 50D is overblown--it is not much different from the 40D, and few people complain about that as a noisy camera--but I would prefer lower noise at high ISO than my 50D gives me. Other than that, I have no complaints.
Example: in manual mode, you use the roller near the shutter button for shutter speed, while the wheel on the back is used or aperture. So with a finger on one and thumb on the other, it is very close to old manual 35mm days!
Example 40D/50D have a 'joystick' that can be set to move your focal pt very easily, similar, but far better to the XTi using the four directional buttons.
Lots of other reasons, but to me, these simple things make the 40D/50D a huge upgrade. Of course, the 7D will be even better, but that is some serious extra savings. For what a 40D costs used now, you could trade up your older camera, and in a few years, get a nice used 7D to replace your XSi.
Oh, absolutely! Until the 7d is out there for real, that option is pretty much speculation in the dark (and why I wouldn't consider one before it's been around for a few months and the kinks are worked out
That said, the specs suggest it's more of the "square" shape of the gripped xsi which I'm used to and I like. wish I knew what makes the difference between the 50d and the 5dII - the former feels like a brick to me, but the 5dII feels nicely balanced. Battery placement/differences, perhaps?
I loved the thumbwheel on my ElanIIe, so certainly would like to get back to that - the ergonomics and SPEED of access (in my case, I could anticipate using it for focus points) would be awesome. The 40d is a thought, but its innards are virtually the same as the xsi, and I admit I've become used to the extra cropping leeway offered by the higher pixel density, so I'd be reluctant to give that up, I think.
CF cards is something I'm just going to have to live with. When I got the xsi I was surprised to find how much I prefer using SD cards (the XT was CF). Not only cheaper, but just easier all round.
My reasoning is that the noise footprint for the 40D and the 50D is similar if based on a printed output, the AF section is also similar in terms of sensitivity and accuracy in low light, and there is some new software being promised that allows extending the usable ISO-sensitivity in post.
The net result is that the 40D can have much of what you need at, potentially, lower cost. It will still lack the micro-focus of the 50D and the convenience of the 50D extended ISOs built-in and the higher resolution of the 50D.
The reason that the AF would be similar in low light is that you would generally need a large aperture lens for low light and the center focus dot is your best bet for accuracy in either camera.
The new software is called FlexNR and it has already been produced for the Canon 1D MKIII and seems to deliver nicely. It does require a supported RAW processor and Neat Image noise reduction software for best results. The software developer is promising a version for the 40D and he has been testing on his own copy of that camera.
I have a discussion here:
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=141192
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Two bodies, preferably compatible by batteries, chargers etc.
At a time it was 2 x 30D, then 2 x 40D, then 40D + 50D, then 50D + 5D2. At this point tho bodies became out of sync, so I was very glad to hear that 7D is getting new batteries compatible with 5D2.
My reasoning: you can't have one body if you doing a pro level work, even if you are not making a living out of it. It's simply a level of responsibility. While I didn't have many body failures, they do happen. Having one body on a shoot means you're done. It may also mean you'll be out of shooting for whatver amount of time it would take you to get it fixed/replaced. I have a Gold Canon Service, but it still would take a week or so to get a roundtrip. Which means, no only I blew the current shoot, but I'd have to cancel the new few, too. Can you hear "Bad Rep"?
I also like the combination of FF (EF only) and APS-C (EF + EF-S) bodies, since
a) it gives me an access to a less expensive (but still high quality) EF-S glass (my current EF-S collection is 17-55/2.8 and 10-22)
b) due to the 1.6 crop factor it gives me an extra "reach" if/when I need it. I know it's not the real reach, but again, it's a better usage of space if you will. So when I mount my longest lens on the copr body, I'm getting a longer lens - while not paying an extra premium for a more expensive FF body and also more expensive longer glass
c) since the new FF and APS-C bodies are rearely released at the same time, you have an option to perform a preemtive/rollover upgrade, without waiting for the time when both your bodies become obsolete overnight.
The last reason for having two bodies: you don't have to change the lenses that often, hence less dust issues.
HTH
Thanks, Nik - I completely agree with you. To clarify, I'm planning on keeping the xsi as the 2nd body. Not only do I want a 2nd for all the reasons you list - especially since I'm shooting primes at the longer end - but the xsi sans grip makes a fantastic lightweight travel camera, and I'm in no hurry to give that up (without the grip I can fit it and my walkaround zoom in a leather backpack-styled purse I have - makes a great lightweight "tourist" setup for those not-so-serious photography days
I would love the combo of (for instance) a 5d2+xsi, rolling the xsi later up to a 7d (or whatever is the crop camera of choice at that time, or possibly even another lightweight backup), but it's not gonna happen for me in the forseeable future unless I suddenly get a seriously awesome gig out of nowhere, win the lottery, or get a lot of paid shoots to subsidize the cost
Wow - missed that in finishing school - thanks for the link! That is indeed an interesting development. I'm a little reluctant to lose the extra 2mp I have in the xsi simply because I have appreciated that cropping ability more often than I would have expected (eg, theatrical situations when shooting primes and without much zooming opportunity), but it is certainly something to consider, and I will ponder that as an additional idea. A refurb 40d might leave me enough to consider that 135L...
I am in the same spot as you.......
If it helps any, I sold my 50D and bought another 40D. In my opinion the 40D just takes sharper images. I now have (2) 40D's
My problem is that I want something a bit more Pro and I have found a few great deals on the MKII's at 8.2 MP for around $1300 with very low actuations.....
I think the MKII's will still record better images at 8.2 MP then the 7D?
The Canon 7D is still a relative unknown but the extra resolution of the 7D should capture more detail at base sensitivity (ISO 100) than the Canon 1D MKII/MKIIN/MKIII assuming lenses of similar capability and if the focus is accurately acquired.
The 7D is also likely to have more dynamic range than the 1D MK(x) cameras at similar ISOs.
Using DXOMark to gauge the 1D MKII against the 50D (the closest tested camera to the likely attributes of the 7D), you can see how the newer technology imagers and image processors have affected print image quality (make sure to select the "Print" tab to compare relative printed image quality as the tests default to per-pixel image quality):
http://tiny.cc/jYwtv
The 1D MKII will excel at low light level AF speed and accuracy.
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If I understand right, the MKII would have much better performance at low light ISO, is faster (good for me) and the auto focus is much better then a 40D? ( i know you tested a 50D)
because if it is not a significant difference from a 40D then that would be great for me.
The impact of noise to the image is more similar than different between the 50D and the 1D MKII. (The 7D is unknown,) The visual difference in a print should be negligible. The responsiveness of the 1D MKII is faster than the 50D except at low light and then the 1D MKII is much faster. The frame rate of the 7D should be similar between the 1D MKII and 7D but it may differentiate under different circumstances.
The AF section of the 1D/1Ds series cameras is demonstrably faster than any other Canon camera. The 7D AF speed is unknown but early tests seem to indicate that it is improved in good light over the 50D. How much of an improvement is difficult to measure so I would depend on the professional reviews.
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