Anyone Mind Another 70D vs 6D Question?

[Cory]

Sorry to be a novice, but I'm really torn between a 70D or 6D upgrade from my T1i. I get great results with my T1i, but feel like I'll really start blowing it out with the right body upgrade. I do a lot of indoor volleyball and a lot of everything else as well and my lenses are the Sigma 17-50, Canon 100 2.0 and Canon 200 2.8. For full frame I'd likely swap out the Sigma for a Canon 35 2.0 IS or Sigma 35 1.4.
The auto-focus on my T1i gets the job done so I imagine that the autofocus on the 6D isn't worse (so in my case maybe autofocus isn't an issue).
Thanks for any insight to include just sticking with the T1i can calming down.

8)

On a side note, my third paid shoot is today.

 

[Random Orbits]

I'd suggest switching to the 6D. The biggest gain to switching to 6D is in low light situations. You'll gain about 1-2 stops noisewise compared to the T1i. The files are cleaner, so the overall results should be significantly better.

 

[Loswr]

6D - not too different for AF, much better high ISO performance

70D - better AF, not too different high ISO performance (assuming you shoot RAW)

5DIII - much better AF, much better high ISO performance, much more expensive…

Given that the T1i Af meets your needs, I'd say the 6D is the better choice if the 5DIII is out of budget.

 

[Cory]

Thanks. I think I'm going to do the 6D and swap my Sigma 17-50 out for a Canon 35 2.0 IS (in preparation for the move). Then, I imagine that my 100 2.0 will be GREAT for portraits and that and my 200 GREAT for indoor sports.
Also, I don't care about fast continuous shooting which might further point to the 6D?

 

[bdunbar79]

Cory,

You won't be disappointed. I shoot collegiate sports and let me tell you, FF is where it is! I used to use the crop 1D Mark IV and moving to the 1Dx FF blew my 1D4 out of the water, especially in indoor sports.

For you, especially if you are doing indoor volleyball, the extra ISO performance of the 6D will make night and day difference. You can actually shoot at ISO 6400 and not lose a lot of sharpness, like you would with an APS-C sensor camera. You'll notice a big difference in facial sharpness I've found. Keep it at f/2.8, 1/500s, and let the ISO go above 3200, even up to 6400 if you need. You can do that with a 6D. If you need to use the center point, do it and then just crop later. It will still be drastically higher in IQ than with your current camera. I do not think though, that the point above center (or any in the vertical strip) are bad at all.

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[Cory]

Wow. I really appreciate that.
I'm going to use my crop-only zoom one more time today and then replace it with a 35 2.0 IS. The last question, then, is - Is 35mm a good compromise focal length for full frame normal/standard range? I think I'm set for portraits with the 100 2.0 and am not really an overly wide-angle shooter anyway. I guess it goes back to the 35 vs 50 thing, but with 35 maybe being more versatile? Maybe it ends up being 24+50 vs. 35?

 

[Random Orbits]

Wow. I really appreciate that.
I'm going to use my crop-only zoom one more time today and then replace it with a 35 2.0 IS. The last question, then, is - Is 35mm a good compromise focal length for full frame normal/standard range? I think I'm set for portraits with the 100 2.0 and am not really an overly wide-angle shooter anyway. I guess it goes back to the 35 vs 50 thing, but with 35 maybe being more versatile? Maybe it ends up being 24+50 vs. 35?

How do you currently use your 17-50? I use either a 35 or a 50 fast prime depending on the situation, but it comes down to personal preference. Or you could consider getting a kitted 6D or a body only 6D with a white box 24-105 depending on how the prices fall and then supplement that with the 35 f/2 IS.

 

[Cory]

I kind of do it all which, you're right, probably does point to a zoom. I'm a major sucker for lenses being the magic of image quality so maybe the 35 makes sense for now and to serve later as my "travel" lens with a zoom in the cards for a later date.

 

[DIABLO]

6D - not too different for AF, much better high ISO performance

70D - better AF, not too different high ISO performance (assuming you shoot RAW)

5DIII - much better AF, much better high ISO performance, much more expensive…

Given that the T1i Af meets your needs, I'd say the 6D is the better choice if the 5DIII is out of budget.

I have a question about the image noise in the 6d and 5d mark iii. Most of the reviews state that the 6d has better high iso range than the 5d mark iii. In another thread here a member stated that the difference is not as big as most reviews show due to the 5d mark iii not being in the same settings as the 6d.

My question is what settings on a 5d mark iii in raw or jpeg would make such a 1 to 2 stop difference in high iso compared to a 6d?

Here's the link to one such review that shows the differences at high iso. There is another one that actually shows a night photo of a building taken at the same iso that shows a big difference as well. Don't remember what website that was though.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/canon-eos-6d-vs-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-comparison-21119

 

[Too_Many_Hobbies]

Hi Cory,
I figured I would chime in here too even though I am no expert. I have owned the Rebel T1i though, and currently have both the 6D and the 70D. With the Halloween coupon that was available for the Refurbished 6D, I purchased that at a little over $1,200 as I could not pass it up. Not sure if something like that will come up again for black Friday or during the holidays, but if you do not mind refurbished I think it is a fantastic buy.

Of the 70D/6D I agree that the 6D is the camera to go with. Even though both are 20mp sensors, the images I get on the 6D are substantially better, especially at high ISO. I personally tried to avoid the T1i going over ISO 800. If I recall it didn’t have 1/3 stop ISO adjustments or auto ISO so I tended to not want to place it at 1600. Now I tend to shoot in manual mode setting the shutter and aperture how I want it and letting the camera pick the ISO for me (I do wish you could bias the exposure when you need to which you cannot, so sometimes I’ll shoot in Av or Tv instead, or change settings manually). I feel that I get a good 3 stop advantage over the T1i with the 6D as I’ll easily let it go up to ISO 6400. I personally think the metering and auto ISO implementation allow me to work much more quickly than I used to with the Rebel. I haven’t shot indoor sports, but my indoor very active toddler gets a lot of pictures taken of her in quickly varying low light conditions. As long as I am using the center point it does a great job. The other focus points aren’t too bad provided the lighting is better.

What I really like the 70D for is the frame rate and buffer. Neither are quite as good as the 7D I had (the 7D’s buffer in particular is what I really miss with the 6D). I’ll also move the focus point around without thinking much about it, where I usually keep the 6D’s in the center. One other thing I like about the 70D is the video mode. For some spontaneous event (like her trying to summersault) having the video with autofocus and flip out touchscreen is really nice in the 70D. If they just could combine my favorite features of both cameras I’d be all set with one . I’m hoping that will be the 5D Mark IV but until then I’m extremely happy with the 6D (especially since the 70D is technically my wife’s).

I’ve also been really thinking about a fast 35mm lens. I almost bought the Sigma 1.4 refurbished this morning but Sigma was out of stock by the time I came back after dropped my daughter off. Guess I should have jumped first thing. I do have the Canon 50mm 1.4 and use that a lot indoors. There are plenty of times when she is too close and I can’t back up, or I want to get more in frame and the 50mm isn’t wide enough.

Hope this helps. In summary, IMO the 6D is such a better camera that you should be extremely happy taking pictures with it over the Rebel.

 

[Cory]

Thanks. Step 1 is complete with the ordering of a 35 2.0 IS. I'm going to have an ebay fest for various things that collect dust and add the 6D in the very near future. Nothing, it seems, perfectly does it all, but all the guidance has been very helpful.

8)

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Volleyball is not very tough and doesn't really need super AF. AF is challenged when a subject is moving at high speed toward you, but even then, you can usually get by fine with any reasonable camera. you develop a sense of timing.

However, video is a different situation. If you want to zoom in and do video of rapidly moving subjects, autofocus will be a big benefit, and the only Canon DSLR with fast AF during video is the 70D. For stills only, I'd get a 6D.

I'm holding off on buying a new DSLR until Canon puts one out with AF during video, FF, Fast AF like my 5D MK III, Wi-Fi, and a fold out LCD. The latter may not happen, but its nice for video.