Advice - worth the jump 550d to 70d?

[Rienzphotoz]

Guys,
What I’m really after though is opinion on whether the two areas that I point out (AF and low light capability) are genuinely things that I will see a genuine improvement in. I don’t plan to buy just yet, I will let the price run down first but I’m curious to see if my expectations are roughly in line with reality 

Thanks.

The simple answer to your question is: Yes, the 70D provides noticeable difference in the AF and low light capability over the 550D ... plus the ergonomics are far better than the 550D.

 

[awinphoto]

My friend has a vast selection of L lenses, and in areas of repeated patterns, like roofing shingles and stuff like that, morie pops up abruptly. Also disturbingly, although the 70D is the same way, they have eliminated the double functionality of the top LCD buttons which means white balance has gone away, and you cannot reprogram that button =( So... if you want to change white balance, you have to dig through your menu and save that to your "my menu" to have that option readily available. I guess for me there are no clear winners, but since the backup camera may be seeing more video than stills, the 70D is looking better from my POV

A couple of things:

1. Maybe I'm not looking closely enough, but I don't see the moire you refer to on photos taken with my 6D unless I use a small JPEG setting (and even then it's rare, e.g. on the occasional cat's whisker), and I only use that for quick photo checking to weed out photos before processing raw files.

2. Changing the white balance on the 6D is not as complicated as you describe above. All you do is press the "Q" button to bring up the main info screen, scroll to the white balance icon and select it; that can't be more than one or two extra steps from what you're used to; and on the 70D (assuming it's a similar design"), with its touch-screen, it should be easier still.

As for #1, I didn't do any extensive shooting with his camera, but he pulled up on the computer a few shots he did with the camera and pointed out the moire. He mentioned that he was getting that a bit in his shots and he mentioned when he looked into the cause, he found through the university of google that the Aliasing filter is removed on the 6D's causing moire to come more easier (same as the nikon D800E).

And for #2, thanks for pointing that out. To be honest on my prior cameras (whether they had that Q button or another button that took you to that screen) I always found that set up to be annoying, but if this is any indication of button layouts on future cameras, I may have to learn to deal with it.

Anyways I will look more into the 6D's moire thing but after playing the AF, after being spoiled with the 7D and 5d3 AF, i may hang myself focusing and recomposing =)

 

[fragilesi]

Oh, I know, I know; you weren't supposed to take my comment seriously. I grew up in Australia and England and was forced to play it (and rugby) at school. As a cricket-hating schoolmate of mine described it, hours of boredom interrupted by moments of terror. Or as Robert Morley once described it on "Any Questions" in the mid 1970s - "an awful, boring game played by awful, boring people and watched by awful, boring people." But yes, it can't be easy to photograph....

Noooo, I didn't take it seriously as I'd hoped my first paragraph showed! I think your mate probably had it right in many ways for a lot of people, I just love the game but it's easy for me to understand why others might have a problem watching people mostly standing about for five days and then agreeing sagely that the result is a draw ;D.

The point I meant to make is that with photography I've come to the conclusion that often subjects that sound less interesting can make the best pictures. For example I was quite excited to visit a local castle recently expecting to take excellent pictures! of course I came back with some pictures that looked like everyone else's pictures of the castle! Nothing special. Simple lesson, don't expect the subject to make the picture great without the help of decent technique and the eye for a good shot. I say simple lesson and meant it but it does beg the question of why I have to re-learn it most times I go out with a camera in my hands!

 

[Niki]

why not wait and buy a Canon 35mm film camera cheap in the meantime?

 

[sdsr]

The point I meant to make is that with photography I've come to the conclusion that often subjects that sound less interesting can make the best pictures.

True. It helps if you develop the sort of photographer's eye that lets you see the world in terms of what might make a good/interesting etc. photo as opposed to what's good/interesting etc. to look at (which isn't, of course, to say that they don't overlap). That's one reason why I like lenses that allow for extreme isolation - macro lenses, long zooms/primes, fast primes; it's fun to take photos that bear little resemblance to what you actually see (and to see the puzzled looks on people's faces while you do so!).

 

[fragilesi]

With a final thanks to everyone who offered help / opinion on this thread I have jut decided to make the jump and order the 70d. Very excited!

Please, rules of this thread are now that no-one may say a bad word about this decision or suggest I should have waited / bought something else! ;D

I will be back some time later to reflect on my impulsive abuse of the credit card ;D

 

[Rienzphotoz]

With a final thanks to everyone who offered help / opinion on this thread I have jut decided to make the jump and order the 70d. Very excited!

Congratulations! May it serve you well.

 

[paul13walnut5]

With a final thanks to everyone who offered help / opinion on this thread I have jut decided to make the jump and order the 70d. Very excited!

Please, rules of this thread are now that no-one may say a bad word about this decision or suggest I should have waited / bought something else! ;D

I will be back some time later to reflect on my impulsive abuse of the credit card ;D

Awww man!, the 80D's gonna have RAW and XLR inputs. Shoulda waited.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

With a final thanks to everyone who offered help / opinion on this thread I have jut decided to make the jump and order the 70d. Very excited!

Please, rules of this thread are now that no-one may say a bad word about this decision or suggest I should have waited / bought something else! ;D

I will be back some time later to reflect on my impulsive abuse of the credit card ;D

Awww man!, the 80D's gonna have RAW and XLR inputs. Shoulda waited.

I hear the 90D will be even better ;D

 

[fragilesi]

With a final thanks to everyone who offered help / opinion on this thread I have jut decided to make the jump and order the 70d. Very excited!

Please, rules of this thread are now that no-one may say a bad word about this decision or suggest I should have waited / bought something else! ;D

I will be back some time later to reflect on my impulsive abuse of the credit card ;D

Awww man!, the 80D's gonna have RAW and XLR inputs. Shoulda waited.

I hear the 90D will be even better ;D

Darn, that'll teach me to be more patient in future