Is Canon 7D a good choice for my next DSLR

[revo2seven]

hi Guys I've been reading a fair bit regarding my next camera I tend to go for the 7D. Nothing really serious just an average person who like taking pictures (primarily portrait, a bit of landscape and RC's remote control vehicles) I like the fps of the 7D compare to the 60D (my first choice). Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Also I'm planning to get just the body for now due to tight budget a good all rounder lens suggestions is also great. This is the first time i'm venturing the the Canon realm so bear with me not having much info as the pro's in the forum.

thank you

 

[neuroanatomist]

As has been stated elsewhere, depending on your total budget you would quite likely be better off with a 60D and a better lens (e.g. EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS) than a 7D and a lesser lens (e.g. EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-3.6 IS).

 

[jcns]

there is photography and art based photography.

Any amount of altering the image (except for cropping), in my opinion, will qualify it as art.

Trying to pass art as a photo, is just wrong on every possible level.

 

[awinphoto]

The 7d is a very fine camera but I may warn you that it's a LOT of camera especially if you're just starting up. In most situations I would whole heartedly recommend the camera without batting an eye, but in this case I'd recommend the 60D and get the 24-105L or the 17-55 IS as a good all around lens... The 17-55 is wider and will have a more "natural" feel with the camera, but the 24-105 may last you longer with more bodies and more body types, but thats another topic for another time and place and is not nearly as wide but has one heck of a zoom. Once you got the 60D mastered and feel like you've outgrown it, then by all means get the 7d2 or 5d3.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I would recommend, like the others, that you will be better off with good lenses and a low cost body. Bodies come and go much more frequently than lenses. Get one good lens and keep it for 10 or 20 years, upgrade your bodies every 3-5 or more years.

One of the little known possibilities to stretch your dollar, is to take a old canon film SLR that has had a finger thru the shutter and trade it in using the canon customer loyalty program for a nice discount on a refurbished DSLR body.

You can find a old 35mm film rebel or broken powershot for $5.00 and turn it into $150 or more off the price of a nice DSLR. Here are some of the Canon refurb prices, call Canon to find out which are elgible for the CLP Program.
http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductListingViewAll_10051_10051_-1_29252

 

[elflord]

hi Guys I've been reading a fair bit regarding my next camera I tend to go for the 7D. Nothing really serious just an average person who like taking pictures (primarily portrait, a bit of landscape and RC's remote control vehicles) I like the fps of the 7D compare to the 60D (my first choice). Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Also I'm planning to get just the body for now due to tight budget a good all rounder lens suggestions is also great. This is the first time i'm venturing the the Canon realm so bear with me not having much info as the pro's in the forum.

thank you

Short answer, if you're on a tight budget, it's probably not a good choice because you won't have the money to buy decent lenses.

digitalrev tv made a video that addresses this issue (cheap body/pro lens vs pro body/cheap lens)

Pro DSLR + Cheapo Lens vs "Cheapo" DSLR + Pro Lens

 

[revo2seven]

thanks for your inputs guys. I'm not new to dslr I started with Olympus and got a good feel on some by all means no expert still learning. Currently I don;t have any lens or body from Canon like it was stated Its my new realm in Canon now after reading and comparing the 60d and 7d i'm still thinking about it. I tested the 7d of a friend and I really like it a lot still your all right a body without a good glass is nothing..dang lotto give me luck..

 

[wickidwombat]

haha love that guys videos

also the 600d 60d and 7d all use the same sensor so IQ will be the same

main reasons to go with the 7d would be
better weather sealing
AF micro adjust
better AF performance if you shoot sport / wildlife

if you dont need those the 600D will produce the same images at half the cost and the 60D wont give you much benefit over the 600D the 60d doesnt have AF micro adjust
have a look at the digital rev video comparing the 3 its pretty funny too
i think this is it
Canon EOS 600D (T3i) vs 60D: Which one is better? (plus bonus material)

 

[ctmike]

Two really good videos... thanks for those.

 

[Michael_pfh]

Go for the 7D - it's worth to spend a bit more since it does come with all the features (fast AF, high fps, electronic level, etc) that you may desire in the future when you improve your skills. It offers any kind of customization people are usually looking for in a very intuitive menu.

The 17-55mm f/2.8 and 24-105mm f/4L that have been mentioned before are definitely good choices.

 

[revo2seven]

inputs are really much appreciated now just to get a handful of cash to get the ball rolling..I wonder if the 7d or even the 60d will go down in price this year.. :-\

 

[Michael_pfh]

Both will go down over time particularly with their replacements on the horizon. Just check Canonpricewatch.com for the latest offers.

 

[zim]

If you do a lot of RC's remote control vehicle photography (I assume action shots!) the extra fps and AF of the 7D would tip it for me.

 

[revo2seven]

@ zim

that was my reason going to 7D the 60D is fine but the 7D is more suited for the purpose..pair it with a good glass it will be awesome i guess..

 

[awinphoto]

If you do a lot of RC's remote control vehicle photography (I assume action shots!) the extra fps and AF of the 7D would tip it for me.

Except assuming you may have some spills or accidents in an uncontrolled environment so you may be able to stomach losing a 60D or two more than you can a 7d... then again you can get even more rebels if that's a concern.

 

[editreject]

I would go with the 7D. Right now you can get the body at Adorama for $1300 (check the link on CR). The 17-55 2.8 is also a nice choice for fast glass but for me personally, I would not spend $1K for a lens that I could only use on a crop sensor body unless you never plan on going FF. A nice alternative if you are not opposed to third party glass is the Sigma 17-50 2.8 which is about $400 less than the 17-55. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[bycostello]

for your RC stuff you prob want the faster focusing of the 7D

 

[revup67]

The 17-55 2.8 is also a nice choice for fast glass but for me personally, I would not spend $1K for a lens that I could only use on a crop sensor body unless you never plan on going FF

yes, I would agree with this as well. one lens that pried me away from this theory was the 15-85 EF-S lens, well under a grand and razor sharp even compared to the 16-35 mkii (I own both). See for yourself at http://www.the-digital-picture.com Choose Tools, ISO 12233 then do a compare with the 15-85 and the 16-35mkii..note the edges about the same. It's quite possibly one of the best (if not the best) EF-S lenses canon makes. I use it as my main walk around lens and you can see from my arsenal (in sig.) I do have a decent selection to choose from. My alt. choice if I had it would be the 24-105 just too duplicitous at the moment. if I dump the 7D then the 15-85 goes with it and "hello" to the 24-105.

 

[friedmud]

I love my EFs 17-55 f/2.8. I've shot ~20,000 photos with it over the years... and it is a trusty companion. Extremely versatile with f/2.8.

For examples... see here:

http://500px.com/friedmud

If you are putting ~$1,500 into a camera you're going to have it for a while. Buy lenses that make sense with the body you have _now_... 3 years from now when that 7D is getting old you can either sell your 17-55 if it's still in good shape or just keep it with your old body and buy new glass for whatever new FF you decide to upgrade to... either way you will definitely get your money out of that lens with that body...

 

[briansquibb]

If budget is really tight then a 55-250IS (used of course) is a cracking lens that will take care of the modeling and longer distance shots. It gives a better performance than it should at this low price.