Options for 60D upgrade/replacement?

[Act444]

I was actually quite amazed w/60D's AF performance at the last show, especially given the crappy show lighting the AF system had to deal with, with skaters constantly out of spotlight and all. My thinking is, if the 60D's basic 9-point system could handle that, I can only imagine what the advanced 5D/1DX focus system is capable of...implement this in a 7D2 and we'll be all set!

But I think for now the 60D does what I want it to do in terms of this type of use. I don't do it often, and I don't get paid so it's not a travesty if I miss a few shots. For events/general photography I would welcome the better IQ/high ISO performance of a FF camera. It would be nice to keep the 60D as well

[Act444]

Pulled the trigger on that 5D3 + 24-105 combo that was posted earlier. Hopefully all goes well and I'll have the new camera next week! Thanks for your comments. I can sell my copy of the lens and make up the difference.  I also want the 24-70 (new one)...17-55 is on ebay, and the 35 might have to go too...we'll see.

Unfortunately the 24-70 they had at the store seemed to be meh compared to the one I played around with a couple of days ago, which was a WOW... so I'll wait for new ones.  (QC issues for a $2K lens? Seriously??)

[jdramirez]

I'm basically in the same boat.  I started with an XS and upgraded to a 60D (which I love).  I then upgrade the glass (50mm f/1.8 to a 50mm f/1.4; 18-55mm to a 24-105mm f/4L; 75-300mm to a 55-250mm to a 70-300mm to a 70-200mm f/4L USM to a 70-200mm f/2.8L USM) and throw in a macro 100mm f/2.8L in for good measure. 

And my 60D... it has a few more good years left in it (at the very least it is warrantied for another 1.5 years).  So it definitely isn't an emergency to get something new, but I have $500 give or take in funds, and if I elected to sell my 60D I could probably get $600 or so for it.  Or if I accidentally destroy it, I will get a credit of $900 or so to a retail store.  Either way, it would mean that I could probably get a 70D at a decent price.  But I'm not 100% sold that the 70D is going to be a sufficient upgrade to warrant getting a new body. 

I was waiting for news of the 6D... and I really not interested in that.  If I wait long enough, maybe Canon will offer a 5D mkii for 1400 or so again (20% discount).  Maybe they will discount the 6D refurb after a while to around $1000 (which I would jump on).  Or Maybe the 5D mk iii will be discounted for a refurb (after another 6 months or so) for around $1800 which I would also be willing to jump on. 

Then I think, maybe it would be worth buying an older model Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II 16.7MP used from Amazon for around $1300 or so.  Alternatively, the 1Ds mk iii is probably a bit more consistent with today's technology.  Considering it both sold for around $6500 when it was launched, buying it at an 80% discount is pretty awesome. 

Seriously, how much could technology have advanced in 3 years.  The 60D is about 2 years old, and the 1Ds is PRO gear. 

So like I said... I'm in the same boat.  I know I don't want a 7D and I don't think I want the 70D.  And I would only consider the 6D, 5D mkii and mkiii at very specific price points.  So I'm not completely lost. 

[jdramirez]

Also, with bodies, the resale value drops precipitously as evidenced by the 1DS.  When I bought my 60D, the normal going rate was around $1200 or so.  I picked it up at around $1000 and sold the 18-135 for around $300 so I paid around $700 or so.  With my expectations of being able to sell it for around $600 (maybe), I basically used the camera body for 1 to 2 years for about $100.  But I don't want to get a 5D mkiii for $2000 (if I'm lucky with the Canon loyalty program) and then only be able to sell it for $1500 after 2 to 3 years or so. 

It is actually easier to sell entry level bodies used than higher end gear. 

[Act444]

My 5D showed up today. First impressions are very positive but still need to put it through the paces, dial in settings, learn the camera, etc.

ETA: This thing completely owns at high ISO...Wow.

[sagittariansrock]

Congrats on your new toy

Based on personal experience not necessarily to do with photography:

If you hold back on buying the best out there, the regret of what you could have had will haunt you. The 6D might have been a great camera and I am sure amazing pictures will be taken with it, but the fact that you had considered it a step back from the 60D in some ways would always have been at the back of your mind.
On the other hand, I am sure somehow or the other, some day the additional capabilities of the 5DIII will come handy and you'll pat yourself on the back.

[Act444]

Agreed...

I'm already enjoying the beefed-up AF, but that's coming from the 9-pt 60D (which has served me well more or less, mind you). The multiple focus points will allow much more freedom of composition rather than using the center point and cropping later like I've had to do with the T2i/60D (and what I probably would have had to keep doing with the 6D!).

I guess the only negative so far - while the 24-105 has become a much more versatile lens (24mm is actually wide! This is a huge difference over 1.6x!), the FF sensor exposes a big weakness in the lens that wasn't apparent before...it seems that corner sharpness is lacking a bit. Especially when using outer AF points, I could never get the area of focus truly sharp, even w/fast shutter speeds.

[sagittariansrock]

Agreed...

I'm already enjoying the beefed-up AF, but that's coming from the 9-pt 60D (which has served me well more or less, mind you). The multiple focus points will allow much more freedom of composition rather than using the center point and cropping later like I've had to do with the T2i/60D (and what I probably would have had to keep doing with the 6D!).

I guess the only negative so far - while the 24-105 has become a much more versatile lens (24mm is actually wide! This is a huge difference over 1.6x!), the FF sensor exposes a big weakness in the lens that wasn't apparent before...it seems that corner sharpness is lacking a bit. Especially when using outer AF points, I could never get the area of focus truly sharp, even w/fast shutter speeds.

One of my (many) obstacles in moving to FF. I really like my 17-55 on the 7D, and wasn't excited by the 24-105 on FF or APS-C. The 24-70II is be nice I am sure, but...

[Act444]

I loved the 24-105 on APS-C as an outdoor walkaround though. However, its usefulness indoors was decreased due to a) the slow aperture and b) 24mm not being wide enough in small to medium size rooms. FF definitely takes care of b) and even to a lesser extent, a) due to cleaner high ISO shots, while introducing c) soft towards the edge of the frame. Then again, even on APS-C softness was sometimes apparent (especially when compared to the 100 macro, 35 1.4, etc.)

But...still have to test it out in the "real world". My testing has been so far limited to my dimly-lit apartment, so can't speak for much other than the high ISO performance 

I'm going to try to get my hands on that 24-70. My 17-55 is about to be sold quite soon...that's a tough lens to part with, but in the end, it's all in the aid of cleaner indoor/event shots.

[christianronnel]

I loved the 24-105 on APS-C as an outdoor walkaround though. However, its usefulness indoors was decreased due to a) the slow aperture and b) 24mm not being wide enough in small to medium size rooms. FF definitely takes care of b) and even to a lesser extent, a) due to cleaner high ISO shots, while introducing c) soft towards the edge of the frame. Then again, even on APS-C softness was sometimes apparent (especially when compared to the 100 macro, 35 1.4, etc.)

But...still have to test it out in the "real world". My testing has been so far limited to my dimly-lit apartment, so can't speak for much other than the high ISO performance 

I'm going to try to get my hands on that 24-70. My 17-55 is about to be sold quite soon...that's a tough lens to part with, but in the end, it's all in the aid of cleaner indoor/event shots.

Congrats on acquiring the 5D3!  Have you tried your 35/1.4 on it yet?

I was in the same situation as you when trying to find a FF zoom lens as sharp as my Sigma 17-50.  I had both the 24-70 mk1 and 24-105.  With the copies I tested, the 24-70 is sharper at f4 at all focal lengths so I ended up keeping it.  One negative is that it is much larger and heavier than the 24-105.  My suggestion, while you still have the 60D is to keep the 17-55 and for your 5D3, pick-up a 16-35 or another wide angle lens like 14L or 24L II first and supplement it with a 50/1.4 or 40mm (or your awesome 35L).  The 16-35 will open up new creative outlets that you couldn't get before with the 60D and 24-105 or 17-55.

Btw, with the 24-70mk1, the 5d3's focusing points' usefulness really become apparent because you can't re-frame with that lens after focusing.

[Act444]

Congrats on acquiring the 5D3!  Have you tried your 35/1.4 on it yet?

Not on MY unit, but I was able to put it on a store demo unit about a week ago. To be quite honest I didn't really like the field of view on FF as much as I did on APS-C where I felt it was perfect (why I bought the lens in the first place). On FF it's a bit wide for me, prefer the FOV of 50mm. Problem is, I tried the 50 1.2 and it seemed to exhibit some backfocus at around 2.8 which I couldn't really seem to get rid of even after dialing in some AF correction quickly (and it screws up the other settings on top of that)...other than that I would certainly make the swap. I tried a used Sigma 50 1.4 which seemed great (apart from softness at 1.4), but I don't really wish to go 3rd party again and I would prefer a weather-sealed lens.

I was in the same situation as you when trying to find a FF zoom lens as sharp as my Sigma 17-50.  I had both the 24-70 mk1 and 24-105.  With the copies I tested, the 24-70 is sharper at f4 at all focal lengths so I ended up keeping it.  One negative is that it is much larger and heavier than the 24-105.  My suggestion, while you still have the 60D is to keep the 17-55 and for your 5D3, pick-up a 16-35 or another wide angle lens like 14L or 24L II first and supplement it with a 50/1.4 or 40mm (or your awesome 35L).  The 16-35 will open up new creative outlets that you couldn't get before with the 60D and 24-105 or 17-55.

I guess I could do that but it's really too late on the 17-55. It's in auction on ebay (and there have been bids) so it's going to end up going to the highest bidder. I intend on getting the new 24-70 II as a replacement for use on the 5D3, as soon as my local store gets some good copies in.

I would be interested in seeing how wide 16 or 17mm is on FF...not much of a wide-angle shooter here, not really my style, but might be interesting to play around. After the 5D purchase and the 24-70 that's about it for my current funds though...so wouldn't be able to afford 16-35 or 14 (at least not right away)...perhaps a used 17-40 might be an option though- but I've heard it's not that good?

Basically, I'm only keeping the 60D for two main reasons: a) getting maximum reach out of my 70-200 2.8 and 70-300L for sports & events that call for it and b) for use with the 40mm 2.8 as a backup camera/2nd body. When I get more $ again I'll think about possibly trading in for a used 7D (much closer to the 5D3 in terms of operation it seems). The 5D3 will become my main camera with various lenses like the 24-105, 24-70 (when I get it), 70-200 and 70-300. I might trade in the 35 for a 50. that'll likely do it in terms of lenses unless I can find good deals on perhaps a 17-40 or something.

Btw, with the 24-70mk1, the 5d3's focusing points' usefulness really become apparent because you can't re-frame with that lens after focusing.

Why? Limited DOF?