Upgrading from the Rebel XSi: Perpetual indecision

[cheeseheadsaint]

Hi y'all! I've been shooting with the Rebel XSi since dec 2009 and it has been my first and only DSLR. It's been a hard journey... other fancy cameras have tempted me but I'm proud to say I have held off! until now...

I got started by shooting birds in flight with the EF-S 55-250mm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/igphoto/sets/72157626186549397/

Then later moved on to high school football/portraits. Now in college, I continued with sports, portraits and events but more than ever I find myself no longer satisfied. The low-light performance of the XSi and the limit of only 1600 is definitely straining the relationship!

I shot a quidditch tournament with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS ii
http://www.flickr.com/photos/igphoto/sets/72157632938593319/

And as you can see, my keeper rates dropped significantly once it got dark and those 'keepers' weren't as sharp.

I have long pined for the 7D when it was regarded as the best for sports photographers but I fear the low light performance improvement won't be enough... at least when compared to the 6D.

I read that the 6D is not good for sports.. mainly recommended for landscape photographers. But surely, it is going to be tons better than the XSi right? For autofocus points, I only shoot with the center point anyways on the XSi so the lack of crosstype won't be something I'd miss. Same with the fps and the RAW buffer rate... if its better than the XSi then I don't think I'll mind. The big pain right now is the ISO performance.

But the jump to full frame means I'll have to give up the poor man's tele effect of a crop sensor camera.

On the otherhand, with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 is ii I have gotten terrible chromatic aberration and was told in the topic i made about it that it would be ameliorated with full frame sensor plus the 6D has that processing feature now.

And another thing to note is that I do want to try video on the slr but that's always going to come second to photos.


But refurbished 7d's are going for under 1k... but I don't want buyer's regret either. I also don't want to spend more than I need to. I say "I don't think I'll mind" but that could be wishful thinking.

What do you guys think?

 

[bholliman]

I think the 6D is a terrific camera and a great value with prices down around $1500-1600. I paid $2200 for mine when they were introduced last winter, but don't regret paying an early buyers premium.

I shoot my sons junior high wrestling and baseball with my 6D and am able to get a decent number of shots in focus. The IQ is so much better than my 7D that I've started using the 6D for about everything except when I need the 1.6 reach advantage with the 7D. The 7D has a nice AF system, but for the type of shooting I do (mostly kids/family, landscape, portraits and some sports) the 6D can handle it better. I have my 7D listed on Craigs List now that I have a EOS-M to be my backup and for when I need the extra reach of a crop body.

 

[rizenphoenix]

My first camera was an XSi, I then upgraded to T2i and now have a 6D. As far as action goes, if the XSi can do it, the 6D can do it better. That said the 5D mark iii is better still, but with a hefty premium in the price tag. I find the 6D a dream. It's ISO performance is nothing short of amazing. I get great photo's right up to 6400 - all they need is a little noise reduction in Lightroom and it's hard to tell what ISO they where shot at. I can get still very usable photos all the way up to 12800.

If you think you'll miss the reach get a 1.4x teleconverter. Tamron, sigma, and Kenko all make decent one's for cheap. Canon's teleconverters is top notch but on the pricey side. You'll find that your IQ with the 1.4x on a full frame is equal or better then the crop w/o the converter.

 

[Halfrack]

Pick up a refurb T3i or T4i and save your money for the moment. Going FF means you need to replace your kit 18-55. Yes, the 7D is amazing for sports, and rumor of the mk2 is always around, and the 70D will be a hit if they can get it to do everything as stated. A t3i/t4i is not going to lose much value, and make sure you look at their Canon Loyalty Program.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-digital-slr-cameras

 

[darrellrhodesmiller]

i used an xsi for about 4 yrs.. then upgraded to a 7d used it for 2 yrs.. then to a 5d mk III.
i will always have a special place in my heart for my xsi. great camera!

i took some great shots with the 7D.. but i was never really happy with it.. i always felt like the images were noisier than they should be. it really does perform well for sports or action photography.. but i rarely shot that type of thing. it was just the wrong tool for the job for me.

i shoot a lot of street/natural light portraits.. and a lot of bands in dark bars... a full frame was the right choice for me.. i couldnt be happier with the 5d mk III.. its truly an amazing camera.. focusing.. noise level.. its amazing.. the only complaint i have is the price. When i bought it, it was priced incredibly high. if your'e patient you can find one for about 2500.00 these days.. which is what is fair.. if the 6D was out when i was looking for a camera i would have seriously taken a look at it.

basically it comes down to each tool is a little different. you really need to take a look at what you really love shooting.. and what you really are passionate about.. all these cameras are perfectly capable. all can take the shots you want.. they just have different feature sets.

you can always rent them before you buy to try them out.. lensrentals and borrowlenses.com are great.

 

[rpt]

If you want to keep your EF-S lenses due to budget issues, you have the 700D, the 70D and even the 650D. I think we will hear about the 7D in a few months. Look at the specs and decide.

If you are ok to sell your current lenses, you do have the 6D and 5D3 options too. I waited for the 7D2 and gave up about 15 months back and got the 5D3. No regrets.

Actually I think if I had held off until now, I might have been tempted by the 70D and would have lined up for it...

 

[jdramirez]

Briefly, I found the iso for the 60D to be tolerable at 1600, acceptable at 2500, meh at 3200, and trash any higher than that.

I imagine the 7D would be comparable. I had the xs back in the day, but it depends on how much better in low light you want to go.

 

[jdramirez]

You should be easily able to find something in the used 7D market for 700 or 800... On Craigslist the other day, someone was selling their 7d with less than 10,000 actuations for 700. So stay patient...

 

[scottkinfw]

Don't forget that you can correct CA in LR 4: develop> lens correction> color correction> remove chromatic aberration> check and adjust sliders. Easy!

 

[Aglet]

XSi's a good little camera, I still keep a couple of them around even after selling a 60D and my 7D (&5d2) that underwhelmed.

Nothing wrong with staying with a crop body for most shooting; e.g. the 60D performs quite a lot better than the XSi for high ISO and AF is tad better.
You may want to give strong consideration to the new 70D. It'll have the old 7D's AF which was pretty decent and much better and more versatile than the XSi's. You'll have a swivel screen and video, faster shooting and many more things which will be useful.

If the 70D isn't hampered by Canon's usual (fixed pattern) low-iso noise issues is may be your best option with most features-bang/buck.

 

[honsten]

I made this exact upgrade. I'd been using an xsi that was a hand-me-down and it's a surprisingly capable camera. Anyway, I wanted more iso and video so bought a 6D with the 40mm STM.

It's a phenomenal camera. I'll be happy using it until the day it literally falls apart.
The xsi is still used - I always liked its low iso performance and the colours are great etc. it's a tough little bugger that just won't die. So keep yours as a backup.

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

Wow thank you so much for your responses thus far! =D

Halfrack: I actually considered that too! But honestly I very rarely use my kit lens. I would use the 50f1.8 and stand back due the fact that times when I do need the wider angle, it would be indoors. it's always the ISO i keep pushing and not sure if the new entry level iso will be enough.

Aglet and rpt: good point about the 70D.. totally forgot about that one. will prolly wait to see the reviews on high iso noise.

for those who upgraded from the XSi to the 6D was the improvements in AF noticeable for action/sports/etc?

 

[northbyten]

I'd go with the 6D.

 

[rpt]

Wow thank you so much for your responses thus far! =D

Halfrack: I actually considered that too! But honestly I very rarely use my kit lens. I would use the 50f1.8 and stand back due the fact that times when I do need the wider angle, it would be indoors. it's always the ISO i keep pushing and not sure if the new entry level iso will be enough.

Aglet and rpt: good point about the 70D.. totally forgot about that one. will prolly wait to see the reviews on high iso noise.

for those who upgraded from the XSi to the 6D was the improvements in AF noticeable for action/sports/etc?

Have you considered renting the camera and buying lenses?

I can't do that in India but it is worth a shot... You could ask...

 

[RGF]

Are your lenses primarily EF or EF-S? Moving from a crop,sensor to full frame will mean replacing the EF-S lenses ($)? For low light and action, the 1Dx is king, but the price is princely.

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

RGF: My lens line up is EF-S 18-55, EF 50f/1.8 and EF 70-200mm/f.2.8 IS ii. (i still have my EF-S 55-250mm but i've been using the 70-200mm instead) so primarily EF lenses. yeah the 1Dx is out of my range

rpt: i didn't consider that yet! hmm...I'm at a point where nearly all my images taken are with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS ii and then sometimes the 50f/1.8 and almost always wide open.. especially when it gets dark. dunno what others lenses i would get.. maybe a faster prime but meh i hardly use the 50f/1.8 anyways at least in comparison to the 70-200mm since I mainly do sports. another thing prolly to mention is that I see this upgrade as a long term thing... like whatever camera i use next, I want to use it until its last clicking shutter before i upgrade.



70D specs look so good for sports photographers!! but surely the catch is the ISO performance. otherwise why the huge price difference?

 

[brad-man]

RGF: My lens line up is EF-S 18-55, EF 50f/1.8 and EF 70-200mm/f.2.8 IS ii. (i still have my EF-S 55-250mm but i've been using the 70-200mm instead) so primarily EF lenses. yeah the 1Dx is out of my range

rpt: i didn't consider that yet! hmm...I'm at a point where nearly all my images taken are with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS ii and then sometimes the 50f/1.8 and almost always wide open.. especially when it gets dark. dunno what others lenses i would get.. maybe a faster prime but meh i hardly use the 50f/1.8 anyways at least in comparison to the 70-200mm since I mainly do sports. another thing prolly to mention is that I see this upgrade as a long term thing... like whatever camera i use next, I want to use it until its last clicking shutter before i upgrade.



70D specs look so good for sports photographers!! but surely the catch is the ISO performance. otherwise why the huge price difference?

So you've answered your own question. If AF is your main concern, then the 70D would likely do. For high ISO the 6D is the clear winner as long as you won't miss the reach with your 70-200.