New 60D or Second-hand 7D?

[Patrick]

Well finally the cheque I've been waiting for has arrived and I'm ready to order my new kit! I'll get the EFS 15-85 and the EF 70-200 F4. I already have a 50 f1.8 mk1 and a 28-80 f3.5-5.6 mk2 from my single remaining film body (an EOS 10QD)

I'm almost decided on the 60D body - my budget will stretch to this new but wonder if a second-hand 7D body would be a better choice? I shoot a bit of everything except weddings(!) and do so for fun rather than money. I have a number of SD/SDHC cards already but no CF cards.

Opinions please? And if anyone is interested in a 10QD and 28-80 for their collection make me an offer and I'll but the cash toward a EFS 10-22! ;D

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[mystic_theory]

Do yourself a favor, go for a second hand 7D: hopefully un upgrade to the 60D will come out at the beginning of the next year. The image quality besides is the same, but the 7D works much better. ;D

 

[tnargs]

You can get a new 7D for under $1000 these days, surely that's worth paying?

 

[Menace]

I vote for 7d over 60d. Some of my favorite images were taken with a 7d with 70-200 f4. So much fun ;D

 

[FTb-n]

I have both. I love the articulating screen on the 60D. But, the 7D is twice the body – almost literally. It has two processors, one dedicated for focusing and it shows in performance. When you have to get that shot, you want a body that will lock in NOW. The 60D is good, but the 7D is that much better. Focus speed, AI Servo tracking, and single-point focus with expansion that can be moved around the frame. The spot focus is an added plus for large aperture lenses. (Did I forget to mention the incredible 8 fps burst mode?)

While there are times when the articulating screen of the 60D comes in handy, my 7D is always my first choice. I got mine through Canon's refurb store and highly recommend this path. They recently offered a sale with the 7D for less than $1100. But, even at $1300, it's a good price.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

You can get a new 7D for under $1000 these days, surely that's worth paying?

Here is a link to 7D prices from stores that are rteputable. I'd certainly wonder about someone selling a new one for under $1000.

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/02849/Canon-EOS-7D-price.html

 

[brad-man]

I vote for 7d over 60d. Some of my favorite images were taken with a 7d with 70-200 f4. So much fun ;D

Where would that be? I have been watching the price for some time now and $1200/$1257 (USA) is as cheap as I've found. I was holding out for a 70D. Since there appears to be no such camera anytime soon, I picked up a "like new" 7D for $900. 6705 clicks. It really is a fun camera...

 

[sdsr]

It's probably not cricket to answer your question like this, but here goes: if you didn't buy that rather expensive EF-S lens, you could probably buy, with the money saved and added on to the price of a 60D, a 5DII (their prices have been falling rather dramatically since the 5DIII came out) and get the advantages of FF....

 

[Chosenbydestiny]

After the recent firmware, 7D all the way. I made the mistake of selling my 7D to buy 60D before because I needed manual audio control for video. Now it's like...oops, lol.

 

[picturesbyme]

It really depends on what would you like to use it for, but I vote for the 7D too...
except IF FPS and focus MA isn't your priority...
in that case : 60D + better glass.
Would get rid of the 50 1.8 and the 28-80, would look into the 50 1.4 or the newer Sigma 50 1.4 and/or would look into the 70-200 f4 IS or the 2.8 over the f4.
I had the 15-85, it's a very good lens apart that mine had lens creep and pretty bad corners so I replaced it with
a 24-70 2.8 which I lucked out with. (sharp, awesome portrait/landscape workhorse)

 

[K3nt]

I haven't used the 60D and I'm biased but I'd say 7D all the way! I've fiddled around with the 60D on a couple of occasions but the 7D beats it in ease-of-use and ergonomics, except for the twisty-bendy screen.

 

[Zv]

I would recommend the 7D, new or refurb. Shop around. Amazon is pretty cheap. Also try both cameras out at your local retailer. Also nothing wrong with the 50 1.8, works just fine. 10-22 is an awesome lens, recommend it.

Some things to consider though -

Good CF cards aint cheap though, factor in an exta couple of hundred bucks in the cost. You could just get cheap ones but you'll miss out on the 8fps burst rate.

The 7D is bigger and heavier, might not be good for travel etc?

Then again, you might want a weather sealed body?

Photography is never going to be cheap, even if you set a budget sooner or later you end up spending more. Think about future proofing. Would the 60D still meet your requirements? Would it be better to switch to FF now and get a 5D mkII?

 

[LSV]

I'm coming from the limited budget angle: Fry's is selling the 60D + EF-S 18-135mm for only $900. According to CR price watch the lens alone is worth $400. In effect, you would be getting a new 60D for only $500!

 

[K3nt]

Good CF cards aint cheap though, factor in an exta couple of hundred bucks in the cost. You could just get cheap ones but you'll miss out on the 8fps burst rate.

I actually found some cards that offered great value for money. I got 2 Duracell 32GB 600x CF cards for half the price of ONE SanDisk with the same specs, burst rates retained, but not burst length.. But I'm not really fussed about shooting 22 shot long bursts vs. 27 shots.

 

[Marsu42]

I'm almost decided on the 60D body - my budget will stretch to this new but wonder if a second-hand 7D body would be a better choice? I shoot a bit of everything except weddings(!) and do so for fun rather than money. I have a number of SD/SDHC cards already but no CF cards.

I've been shooting 60d for 2 years. Imho the 7d is clearly the superior camera because of the better af _for_servo_af_, and now that the 7d will run Magic Lantern soon there's really no reason to prefer the 60d except if you wan the smaller body size and the swivel screen - the latter is really handy when doing odd angle or tripod shots. If you only shoot one-shot and do not track, the 60d af is absolutely ok & the 60d has better sealing than the Rebels, too. If you get a 7d you might want to try a underexposed shot, raise it and look for banding, some 7d bodies are known to be worse than others.

The question is what shutter count your used 7d has and if you really get it @60d price. And remember there won't be any warranty, and things break, so if your budget is really stretched already don't let yourself be talked into buying L glass and the 7d because most people on this site wouldn't want to use a 650d even as a doorstopper.

 

[RC Photos]

I've owned both the 60D and 7D and I would recommend the 7D without a doubt, the improvement over a 60D is massive. If I had my time again I would have just bought the 7D in the first place, although compact flash cards are more expensive they are also better if you are thinking of upgrading to 'more professional' cameras. Also the fps on the 7D is absolutely amazing.

I could not recommend the 7D more.


If you have any further questions, pm me


- RC Photos

 

[Patrick]

Thanks all for the advice. Will look around for a good used 7D.

 

[verysimplejason]

7D if you're more of a sports/bird photographer. If you're a landscape fanatic, 60D should be better. The swivel screen is very useful to take those super awkward shots and if you're creative enough to take advantage of it.