Canon 60D or 7D

[dccarver]

I’m an amateur photographer. I enjoy taking pictures of my daughter’s soccer games. I have a T2i, which is very nice, however it doesn't capture(snap) the movement as clearly as I would like. I'm thinking of upgrading and not sure if I should upgrade to a 60D or 7D. Any comments or advice would be wonderful... Thank you!

 

[bvukich]

it doesn't capture(snap) the movement as clearly as I would like.

Out of focus? Motion blur?

What AF mode are you using? What lens?

 

[dccarver]

I use mostly use the sports mode. It seems to be in focus just not quick enough.

 

[dccarver]

I use is the 75-300.

 

[bvukich]

There are several variants of the 75-300, but none of them focus very fast, and all are optically mediocre. It's tough to tell without more details, but the T2i probably isn't your weak point.

Have you thought about getting a new lens? The 70-200 f/4L USM would be better than the 75-300 in every way, if you can afford to lose 100mm on the long end. It is also very reasonably priced. Before you put a new body behind sub-par glass, I would suggest at least renting a better lens for a weekend.

 

[dash2k8]

For serious sports photography, the 7D will help tremendously. Its 8fps will allow you to capture every thing. The 60D doesn't shoot as fast, so there is the chance you may miss something by a split half-second. I own both the 7D and 60D, so I am not one of those biased owners. I use 60D more for casual HD video because of its flip screen, though for more serious jobs I still resort to the 7D and my Zacuto kit. If you're only interested in sports photo, the 7D will be a better choice.

 

[WarStreet]

I use mostly use the sports mode. It seems to be in focus just not quick enough.

dccarver, your setup it is not the most adequate for sports photography. It only means that with your setup, the percentage of great photos will be lower compared to better setups, but you can still get great photos ! Pro sports photographers can't afford to miss the moment, so they use expensive equipment to have a higher percentage of successful photos. In your case, you don't need to have such a high percentage of successful photos. Also, I am assuming your daughter is slower than a pro athlete, and this helps your AF and also the ability of freezing the moment.

The first question is this, are you taking the photos outdoor during daytime with adequate light ?
If yes, then you should not have any problem in taking good photos.

Don't use the sports mode but switch to AV, and set the lens wide open. Then step up manually the ISO until you get a shutter speed of at least 1/500. Personally I try to use at least 1/1000 for rugby, most of the time reaching even 1/2500, but these are faster athletes. You need to have a compromise between ISO and shutter speed. Use Servo focusing with center point only, and set continuous shooting so that you can shoot like a madman . You can always place the subject away from the center with a better framing later on with cropping. Aim the subject on the center point and focus continuously, even if not taking photos, so that the camera can fix the focus while the subject is moving. I like to use back button focusing : http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2286

Having said that, if you still want to upgrade camera, I will go for the 7D. Neither the 60D or 7D will give you a better freezing ability, since their ISO ability is similar to your 550D. Also, neither of them will give you a better cropping ability.

But, the 7D has a better AF and better FPS, which gives you a better percentage of successful sport photos.

For better freezing ability, you should get a faster lens, such as a 70-200 2.8. It also blurs the background better, has faster AF, sharper and has a constant aperture which is good for sports.

I suggest to practice with what you have first, so that you get a better idea of your needs.

 

[dccarver]

Thank you so much for the advice and your time!! I will look at getting a better lens,which is a win win! I can use it whenever I upgrade my camera body.

 

[match14]

I would get a 7D over the 60D for the better ergonomics, but I think a better lens would be wise first.

 

[adamdoesmovies]

I am facing a similar dilemma, though my circumstances are somewhat different.

I do an equal amount of photography (everything from boxing matches to headshots), video, and cinema-style filming. I always wanted the 7D for all the obvious reasons, but I find that the 60D offers manual audio control, as well as the flippy-screen which is quite useful for compositional purposes. The price is not an issue to me at this point. I am torn between them because I would make use of the advanced auto-focus, high frame rate, lens adjustment, and professional build quality. I would rather not buy both. What do I do?

 

[K3nt]

I'm very new to this "real" photography stuff and have only had my 7D for two weeks, but I can say it's the best thing ever. I can capture pretty much anything with it, at amazing quality at that.
I haven't used the 60D, but if I had gotten that, I think I might have ended up thinking "why didn't I shell out the few hundred more for the 7D?".
Canon 7D with a 70-200mm either the f/4L or the f2.8L II would pretty much do anything you like.

 

[Loswr]

I'm very new to this "real" photography stuff and have only had my 7D for two weeks, but I can say it's the best thing ever. I can capture pretty much anything with it, at amazing quality at that.

Ahhhh...so, you haven't been bitten by the full-frame bug yet, I see.

 

[K3nt]

Not yet... but I expect it to set in no later than 2 years from now...

 

[ronderick]

I am facing a similar dilemma, though my circumstances are somewhat different.

I do an equal amount of photography (everything from boxing matches to headshots), video, and cinema-style filming. I always wanted the 7D for all the obvious reasons, but I find that the 60D offers manual audio control, as well as the flippy-screen which is quite useful for compositional purposes. The price is not an issue to me at this point. I am torn between them because I would make use of the advanced auto-focus, high frame rate, lens adjustment, and professional build quality. I would rather not buy both. What do I do?

That's a hard one. Just like what you've said, the 7D has the AF, FPS, and rugged built. However, the articulating screen of the 60D makes it pretty handy for certain situations. At this point, Canon does not have a camera body that combines the strengths of the two.

Now, what you can do wait and see what's going to happen with 7D2 (most people expect this sometimes in 2012... if Canon sticks to the cycle).

If you absolutely need a camera now, you might as well get the 7D. If you anticipate seeing the use of your camera in challenging conditions, the built quality of 7D and its capabilities is probably a safer bet than 60D, not to mention that the price is pretty reasonable at this point of its cycle.

PS: How heavily invested are you in Canon lens system? If you're not limited to Canon, another possibility would be the Olympus E-5, which is (in my opinion) a 7D-level body with articulating screen. However, the obvious risk of investing in Olympus's system is that the future of its 4/3 lens and camera is anybody's guess...