Canon 7D: 'I need a Must Have's List'

[RickSpringfield]

So, about 20months ago I bought a Canon 60D.  I used this to do some video, some stills etc.  I bought the camera at Best Buy (I had $400.00 worth of Replacement Plan credit) so it was a compelling price.  I got the kit lens and bought a decent SD card.

... Time goes by ...

And what I find is that everytime I go into Best Buy I pick up the Canon 7D.  For whatever reason I like the 'fit' of it better (as weird as that may sound).  I mentioned this once or twice and in October landed a 7D for my birthday.

So here I am thinking to myself, there is a 6D out there, a 5D Mark III, etc etc. and now I have the 7D, what should I do.  But I make piece with that and start hunting for a list of must have gear if you own a 7D and surprisingly, there just aren't things like that out there.

I have a family, I take pics of them.  We go places, I take pictures when I go places.  So from a stills perspective, The only thing I have right now is a 60D kit lens and a 7D body and a battery.  Looking for a little 'christmas wish list' advice from some 7D owners.

[RLPhoto]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

You should consider getting a 17-55mm lens, it will really make a difference over the Kit lens.  You did not mention which kit lens you bought, so its a bit hard to make specific recommendations, but the 10-22mm ef-s, 17-55mm ef-s and a 70-300mmL shouuld be at the top of your list.

[azezal]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

+1 million

[Trovador]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

Not true! different cameras for different things, I have a 7D and will buy a 6D as a second body.  Great combo.  Now, if he's selling the 7D to buy a 6D and shoots a lot of sport pics and moving subjects then that's a different thing (even though many pros got by pretty well with the 5D markII for years!).

[shutterwideshut]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

+1000. 

[Pieces Of E]

Plus read the owners manual carefully, especially the parts about the AF systems and the Custom Functions. Out of the box, the camera is great. Properly tuned, the camera is awesome. Then practice with it. Practice switching between AF modes while still looking through the viewfinder, practice shooting moving objects to see if your AF speed is correct, practice, practice, practice. I mean it. The camera can do amazing things, that's why it's been a good seller. Make sure you have the firmware up to 2.0.3 also. The lenses Mt.Spokane mentioned are perfect combos for the camera. The battery grip is also nice to have too. Enjoy!   

[shutterwideshut]

If you love to shoot landscapes then you should consider the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens to pair with your 7D. For a daily walk around lens, you may as well consider the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens.

[Trovador]

If you love to shoot landscapes then you should consider the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens to pair with your 7D. For a daily walk around lens, you may as well consider the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens.

Agreed. 10-22 is without a doubt my preferred lens for the 7D (also check the Tokina 11-16).  A good flash is also a must, the 430 exII will do.  With the 7D you can use it as a wireless slave, great for portraits and everything else.

[Zv]

17-55, unless you have the 18-135 stm? heard good things about 15-85 too.

40mm f/2.8 pancake - great IQ in a small package. Discreet and carry anywhere. Or 50 f/1.8 if you like to play with dof.

10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 an ef-s lens but the best wide angle for crop IMO.

70-200 f/4 IS - half the price of the bigger f/2.8 version, stunning IQ. Aternatively 100 f/2.8L macro is razor sharp, does portrait, macro and on a 7D should be telephoto enough for some indoor sports.

100 f/2 non L is a bargain too.  I have the 85 but to be honest I hate the purple fringing at wide apertures.

Sigma 35 f/1.4 - believe the hype.

[RickSpringfield]

Great advice all.  I looked while I was upstairs ... its an 18-135mm EFS lens.  That is what came with the 60D.  Honestly, when I read some of the other forums it seemed like everyone was steering people toward the 24-105 lens but those were things people were posting for non-7D's.

Do I need a flash?  It has a flash ... wasn't sure whether or not I should put flashes on the christmas list.

[Pieces Of E]

10-22 is without a doubt my preferred lens for the 7D.

After I bought my 10-22, it became my favorite lens. It just captures light and images better than my other lenses.

[Pieces Of E]

Flashes are a good choice. I cannot speak to the brand new models, I have an original 430 and it works perfectly for my needs. Just one thing if you do buy an external flash. Buy a Sto-Fen diffuser or similar for it. Indoors, a diffuser is a must-have, IMO.

[RLPhoto]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

Not true! different cameras for different things, I have a 7D and will buy a 6D as a second body.  Great combo.  Now, if he's selling the 7D to buy a 6D and shoots a lot of sport pics and moving subjects then that's a different thing (even though many pros got by pretty well with the 5D markII for years!).

Why not just buy a Mk2 and save 600$? Afterall, he's not going to shoot sports with either the 6D or 5D2.

[K-amps]

If you love your 7D, You will hate the 6D. After owning the 7D, I wouldn't want anything less than its AF and the 5D3 is that camera for me IMO. You will have to ditch the Kit lens from the 60D with either camera.

+1 million

+1 million if you are into tracking fast moving objects subjects mostly.

But if you AF and recompose like I do... the 6D AF might even be better.

It will boil down to what you value more... The 6D will give you less noisy images across the ISO spectrum, and probably better IQ overall. Nice interface with a Tablet.

The 7D is noisier, but better AF points across the frame, it has faster burst.

Consumers/enthusiasts might prefer the improvement of images with the 6D, but pros might give a higher rating to getting a high % of keepers and fast action... might prefer the 7D.

If you DO end up keeping the 7D, then Mt. Spokane's lens list is a very good one. For me the 6D seems very enticing for non-pros, especially with the -3EV center AF point and high ISO performance that not only matches the 5diii, but sneaks past it.