Canon 7D - should i wait or not?

[Helevitia]

I have decided to upgrade my current kit to a higher spec Canon 7D body. The reason i have chosen this is i want a camera for sports shooting and wildlife photography and the 7D seems to be the best kit in the current non pro range with the highest fps.

I have 2 pondering points...

1. the camera was released in 2009, surely that means there will be an upgrade in 2013....is it worth waiting or buying it now based on its price

2. the camera uses compact flash, now im used to using sd cards. Is CF something that is phasing out or is it a better writing medium for fast transfer?? I see the higher spec canon camera's such as the 1D still use compact flash.


Thanks

Do what I did. I bought the 7D in May and will sell it as soon as something else comes along. Just wait for a good deal to minimize your losses. I bought mine for $1250 from Adorama. It seemed like the deal and link were hidden though. I twas weird.

 

[FTb-n]

The 60D is an underrated, but for sports and action, the 7D is cream of crop sensor bodies. Many point to the 8fps. While this has it's benefits, the real action advantage is with focus lock speed, focus tracking, 19 cross type focus points, and the expanded, movable single point focusing. The expanded focus point improves servo tracking and the ability to move it quickly simplifies the framing of your subjects.

I have both bodies and love the 60D for short zoom work where the flippy screen is sometimes used. But, the 7D is my primary camera for all things action – including some candids where you want the camera to lock in on your subject before the moment is lost.

I shoot a lot of figure skating. With my 60D, my in-focus success rate was about 80%. It often had a little trouble tracking skaters when they changed direction, even with the 70-200 f2.8L II. With the 7D, the success rate went up to 95%. The focusing is that much better. Remember, the 7D has two processors, one dedicated to focusing. (The 70-200 f2.8L UMS IS II is also a stellar focus performer.)

I bought 7D through Canon's refurb store and would highly recommend that route. As was mentioned in a previous post, it could be many months before the 7D2 is available. If you wait, that lots of pics you'll miss.

 

[Zv]

Since you said it's for sports and wildlife then it's really a no-brainer. The 7D was made for action, and it's ergonomic design make it easy and efficient to use in the field. A lot has been said about AF, don't know if anyone mentioned the Servo mode? That's where the 19 AF points come in handy, the different AF modes like zone AF and expansion of AF points make the success rate a lot higher. Maybe the 5D mk III or 1DX are better in this respect but those are full frame, cost a lot more and for sports a 1.6x crop factor is like a free tele-converter too!

I have no experience with the 60D, I went from 550D to 7D and skipped the in betweens. The 7D feels solid in your hands and it's built like a tank. It's got some decent weather-sealing too. I'm sure the 60D is a great camera but I just didn't like the 'feel' of the grip.

I do have one complaint - noise. High ISO performance is actually good, better than my 550D for sure. I am amazed at the results at ISO 3200, I wouldn't ever have went that high before. A little NR and it looks alright. But the lower ISO can look mucky and the 7D seems to add some NR even when you switch in camera NR off. No biggie as it's only visible if you zoom to 100%. Good lighting and correct exposure will take care of it though.

Don't wait, look at what happened to the 5D II replacement. People waited for that and well .....

 

[Sitting Elf]

Why a 7D??? This is why! This target drone goes from 0-250MPH in 1.3 seconds. This was the 13th shot in a extended burst during the launch. The only other camera to confidently capture this shot would be the 1DX. You'd have to be really lucky with cameras that have lower burst rates. Better to guarantee that you'll get "THE" shot.

Taken on a Military Sealift Command Supply Ship supporting an International Naval Exercise near Singapore.

 

[AprilForever]

Get the 7D!!! You will love it uberly!!!

 

[ud4steve]

If you think the 7D will fit your needs then I would just get one. I bought mine about two years ago and was very hesitant because there were all kinds of rumors that the 7D mark II was coming out within the year. As it turns out that never happened and in the mean time I've gotten a lot of pictures that I either wouldn't have before or would have had to be lucky to get. It's a fantastic camera and you won't regret it.