Upgrading from Rebel XT

[fosterscape]

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my camera gear in the next month or so and want to know your thoughts on my upgrade plan.

I started years ago with a film Rebel with a 28-80 EF kit lens and a 70-300 EF (no image stabilization on either one) and upgraded to a Digital Rebel XT body in 2005.

This camera has served me well, and I have abused it well. I've had it to the beach many times (blowing sand/salt water splashes), waterfall shots (water splashing again), hiking in the rain/snow, no weather protection during these trips. Fell in a river once with it, completely drenched it. the coating has mostly warn off the hand grip due to using sunscreen on my hands for most of my hikes. And it's taken it all in stride, but I always felt that I couldn't get wide enough with my shots.

I do a lot of hiking and really felt I wasn't able to capture the landscapes/vista the way I wanted to. We had our first child in 2006 and our second in 2009 so there was no money for any kind of lens purchase for awhile. The 28-80 EF lens finally died last fall (grinding noise while focusing) and I picked up a 18-55 EF-S lens (got it for $90 on a local classifieds site).

So now the crop factor problem is lessened, but still not enough, I want wider and I've come to want extra features that my XT can't do, like liveview, video, more and better focus points, some weather sealing, rugged etc...

I've been reading and searching through the forums for a few months now and avidly reading the rumors on any new bodies that are supposedly coming (7DMII) and have already come (6D).

As many have said before: I would love a 5d mark III, but that's completely out of my budget. The 6D is also nice, I would use the GPS feature for my hiking trips and the Full Frame is something I really want. But, I also have 2 kids (age 7 and 3) and I want something that will be as useful with the landscape shots as it will with kids running and playing. Also I would probably have to wait till the end of the year to save enough to buy a 6D/lens kit. And I want something before my spring/summer hiking trips start. This is also a problem with waiting for a 7DMII that is not here yet, also the fact the price is probably going to be more then my budget will allow.

So, I've settled for now on buying a used Canon 7D ($850) and a used Canon 10-22 EF-S ($600) to go with my 18-55 EF-S and 70-300 EF. With Tax that will max out my current camera savings (and I may have to throw a bit on top to make it actually fit the budget).

I'm hoping this will put me on a good path to enhance my photos and also give me the opportunity to improve my photography skills over he next few years, until I can afford a used 5D Mark III and some lenses at some point.

So what do you think? Will it fit my needs, will it be a good upgrade for the cost? or should I hold off and see what happens to the price of the 7D, if a 7DMII is announced in the next couple of months?

Thanks, here's a small sample of some of the photos I take if that helps.

[DArora]

7D will be a huge update from Rebel XT. You will not be disappointed. AF is fast and much advanced. You will be able to shoot sports/action.

10-22 lens will serve well when shooting landscape. After saving a while, you can upgrade your other lenses as well i.e. 18-55 to 17-55 f/2.8 or 24-70 f/2.8.

Also, keep in mind that if 7D2 ever comes, it will priced at same price as $6D, may be even more.

[CanNotYet]

It sounds like an excellent plan. If AF speed is not main prio, a used 5D2 and used 17-40L might be an option too. Either way will be a huge upgrade.

[Don Haines]

You will find a world of difference by going to the 7D.... I was using a friend's Rebel XT on the weekend and the AF and shutter lag seemed so slow compared to the 7D.. It will be like going from a toyota to a sports car. Bets are the prices will continue to drop slowly and then drop more when the 7D2 comes out.

The 10-22 is a wonderful lens. If you can't find one used, Sigma has a 10-20mm lens that is about the same optical quality and slightly slower ( I think a half stop) than the Canon lens. Both are great for taking wide angle shots. For landscapes, you can take multiple shots with a longer lens and stitch them together on the computer to get the same effect, but just taking one shot is a whole lot easier and you don't have to deal with people moving between shots.

[RS2021]

Having waited from 2005, don't saddle yourself with a camera that is several years old now.

7d2, whenever it arrives, will be t a premium for at least six months from the release date,  so may not be an option. But 6D already in the market and will come down in price a bit in a few months. Might be well worth the wait.

Rent for your upcoming trips in the interim as you save for a few months and as prices drop.  May also be a good way to try these bodies out without committing. Cheers.

[bseitz234]

I'm going to cast a vote in favor of upgrading to a 7d now, rather than waiting. You seem to have a well thought out plan, and a good range of lenses to cover what you want to do. The 7d's AF will not disappoint for capturing birds in flight (Love the eagle shot you shared) or for young children at play. When I bought my 7D recently, the rumors of a 7d2 were already going strong, and the question I finally posed myself was "what am I going to gain by waiting, and what am I going to miss out on?" I realized that waiting would have cost me pictures of the holidays with my family, my girlfriend's season of XC ski racing, and who knows what other memories. will the 7d2 be a "better" camera? Sure. Is the 7d more than adequate for my needs, and making me very happy? Absolutely. I don't feel like I "saddled myself with a camera that is several years old", I feel like I got a good deal on what many people still call the best APS-C camera available.

[ddl]

Go with the 7D now to start enjoying it ASAP!

I went from an XT to 7D several years ago and noted many useful advantages:
- more and faster AF points (check the web to see articles where 7D focus sensor is MUCH larger than the red box onscreen which can cause focus not to be exactly where you think it is)
- faster frame rate allows a better chance of actually capturing the action you want
- more solid rugged body feels better in hand with better control layout
- more pixels allowing creative cropping to get the framing you want while maintaining detail
- much larger ISO range (including AUTO) which allowed me to take better high ISO shots in varying low light while setting the aperature and shutter speed I want.
- top screen which allows a rapid check of camera settings
- larger brighter viewfinder (100%) which allows you to see exactly what is going to end up in the picture and not guess about the edges
- larger brighter back LCD screen

[silversurfer96]

I also upgraded from Rebel XT to 7D and the difference is night and day.  Didn't know what I was missing out until I got hold of one... I bought it, thinking that since it was so expensive at the time when it first came out, I would return it right before the 90 days period end.  After the first day of shooting my two kids, I said, forget it--I am keeping it.  But I paid full at retail price... the price of being an early adopter.   You are correct that even if 7D2 comes out, the price, it is going to be really high.  The 7D paired with 10-22mm will serve you well for landscape.

[gigabellone]

I think the 7D is a solid choice. You should seriously consider the Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6: it offers good IQ at a price much lower than the Canon 10-22.

[tedh]

I upgraded from an XTi to a 7D and initially I was disappointed.  I totally lost the ability to take a sharp photo.
I have an EF 100 2.8 Macro which has given me good service and immediatly I noticed that pictures weren't as sharp and when I mentioned to the rep at Precision in Austin that the 7D  has never given as sharp of photos as the XTi they just dismissed it as user error and recomended to stop down.  I also have an EF 55 to 250 which gave good results on th XTi but didn't seem as good on the 7D.  Once again the reps dismissed it as user error and also stated that the lens wasn't good enough for the 7D.  So I bought a 70-300 L for the 7D and right off the bat it looked soft.  The first time I used it light was poor and the subject was back lite so I just figured it was a low light issue but after going back out 2 more times I started to wonder if I had gotten a skunky lens.  Until I tested the lens in the Rebel.  It wasn't the lens it was the camera.
Now some guys say you shouldn't look at your pictures using 100% magnification.  But I am one of those guys who can never get close enough to the subject.  So I crop the hell out of my pictures.  One reason I upgraded was to have a higher resolution photo I could crop down more if needed.   Some guys say they never crop down and that croping is just a cover up for bad photography but I am not going to throw away a great picture just because I couldn't get in close.  I am going to crop it down and sell it or frame it.  If some one buys my picture on Micro Stock then they may want to blow it up and it needs to be sharp.
Long story short the issue was in the Micro Focus adjustment.  After being blown off at the shop I researched the internet and found a lot of other folks with the same issue with the 7D.  The issue seems endemic to the 7D.  Or at least to certain batches of 7Ds.  The good news is, you can easily fix it using the Micro Focus adjustment feature built into the camera.  So just be prepaired to go to work in your house or your back yard to get the camera sharp.  I have 3 lenses and they all needed around +10 to +15 adjustment.  I bought my 7D as a refurb and I can see why the first guy who bought it kicked it back..

[fosterscape]

Thanks for all the comments. I hadn't thought about the SIGMA lens... been doing some research on that now, looks like that's an even better fit for my budget. Thanks Don Haines and gigabellone. for the suggestion.

[Schruminator]

I upgraded from the XTi to the 7D a few years ago. With how much you use and abuse your camera, the build and better sealing on the 7D should be great for you. Yeah, it would be awesome to eventually go full-frame, but if that's not in your budget, I can't see a good reason for waiting around for another year on cameras that may or may not surface.

What if the next greatest thing comes out in 6 months? Sell the 7D, lose a few hundred dollars, and then buy the latest and greatest. In short, worst case scenario, you'll be paying a few hundred dollars to "rent" a 7D for 6+ months. That still seems like a pretty good deal to me.

[fosterscape]

Still thinking 7d, but I've also started looking at used 5D Mark II more expensive, but if I wait a bit and save for an extra month or two that may bring it more in my range.

Would it be worth it to wait? I know the 7D is newer but I do wish I could get a full frame...So this may be a good starting point.

[fosterscape]

I'm done waiting... I held out for a possible 70D announcement this past week, but when that came and went with no sign of such a camera I pulled the trigger on an used 7D today got it for $850 +$40 shipping. Just under 8K on the shutter.

Now to start saving for a good EF-S lens to match.

Thanks for everyones input.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I'm done waiting... I held out for a possible 70D announcement this past week, but when that came and went with no sign of such a camera I pulled the trigger on an used 7D today got it for $850 +$40 shipping. Just under 8K on the shutter.

Now to start saving for a good EF-S lens to match.

Thanks for everyones input.

Be sure to check the shutter actuations,  unfortunately some sellers just throw out a guess.  Where are you getting it from that cost $40 to ship?  Or is it being overnighted.
 
 
It should be a good camera for a long time to come.
 
The 15-85mm EF-s is about $500 right now at canon direct (refurb).  Its a nice lens.  I sold my 7D but kept my lens for now, I may decide to get another crop camera for a 2nd body depending on what appears.