With the 70D en route... what should the price of a 7D be?

[jdramirez]

I know the 70D has a better/new sensor and wifi, but I can't imagine the original 7D should be priced less than the initial asking price for the 70D body, which will be $1200 at launch, and probably settle around $1100 after 4 or 5 months with rebates and dealer discounts on packages.

But I'm looking at Craig's List and Amazon and I know a ton of people are jumping ship for full frame with the 6D being an excellent low light camera and the 5D mkiii being better in regards to image quality, low light performance, and while it has a slower shots per second, it isn't a slouch at 6 fps.

The 7D launched with a price of $1700 in 2010 (per Canon price watch, I really don't care if I'm off by a few months), and the price has dropped for a new body for as low as $1100 at one point.

I'm seeing used prices around $850 and even some people selling theirs for around $700. I find it hard to believe that the 7D isn't the preferred option over the 70D. I can people shying away from buying one new for $1200, but I feel the used price for a really good condition 7D should be around $950 or so... unless the people are just wanting to drop their old gear and don't care about the $250 or so they are losing.

Maybe there isn't that big of a difference between $850 and $950, but between $700... it seems like a huge gap.

 

[Dylan777]

I hope I could sell my 5D III around $1500ish by the time 5D 4 coming out.

At this moment, I'm so dam happy with the results 5D III has to offer(my needs of course). The 5D III could be my last FF DSLR. I'm looking forward for FF mirrorless body like the Sony Rx-1, that allow shooter to swap lenses. Hope Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Sony will bring something to the market next 3-5yrs.

I would be tickle to death if future FF mirrorless AF speed x3 - x5 faster than current RX-1.

 

[preppyak]

There are a few elements to that; note that the 60D, T3i, etc that use the same sensor have likewise had a 50% drop off in new price, and the used market is even worse. If anything, the 7D is holding up much better. But, it's also reflecting the fact that there are a lot of older 7D's with high shutter counts. A 7D with 100,000+ clicks probably isn't actually worth more than $700, when you factor in a shutter replacement soon enough.

The reality is the used market follows the new price of cameras. Hard to justify buying used for $950 when I can get it brand new with warranty for $1050. And it's hard for Canon to sell 7D's for $1200 when a 60D is half the price. So the prices all trend down; which is great, unless you are trying to sell a 7D

 

[jdramirez]

There are a few elements to that; note that the 60D, T3i, etc that use the same sensor have likewise had a 50% drop off in new price, and the used market is even worse. If anything, the 7D is holding up much better. But, it's also reflecting the fact that there are a lot of older 7D's with high shutter counts. A 7D with 100,000+ clicks probably isn't actually worth more than $700, when you factor in a shutter replacement soon enough.

The reality is the used market follows the new price of cameras. Hard to justify buying used for $950 when I can get it brand new with warranty for $1050. And it's hard for Canon to sell 7D's for $1200 when a 60D is half the price. So the prices all trend down; which is great, unless you are trying to sell a 7D

I had a 60D and I loved it. It was flawed though. Canon stripped AFMA from it which the 50D had. Ditto with fps and body core. I know the sensor is the same, but I definitely felt that while I was satisfied with my 60D and the price point I got it at, I could appreciate how much better the 7D was for sports and fast action. And the 60D and 7D are really two different markets of enthusiasts.

If you are tripod mounting, a t2i would be equal to a 7D. I know there are really good deals on the 7D out there was well. A few weeks back you could get a 7D refurb $629, but I don't consider the people who buy used generally to be aware of the crazy cheap deals that are available from time to time.

The price can vary on a new 7D, but I think for the most part, $1150 to $1200 is where most of the new ones sell at. So yes, at $1050, a $100 discount for used isn't impressive at all, but @ $1150 plus tax, buying a used in good condition one @ $950 seems about right.

I guess what I'm amazed about is that the 70D is basically a 7D junior and Canon is going to come out and sell that at $1200 versus a 7D which is already selling at $1200...

Is wifi and a new sensor REALLY that significant?

And yes, a 7D with 100K actuations is soon likely to die... but I'm not talking about those. I'm seeing ones with less than 10K actuations for $700... and I'm surprised.

And I do realize that lenses hole their value substantially more than bodies. I buy and sell gear all the time and I guess what I'm most surprised about is that I don't see a replacement for the 7D that is better. The 5D mkiii is great and I love it, but it does lack the reach of the full frame and it doesn't have the fps... and I really doubt every 7D owner is jumping into the 1dx pool... and the 70D is on par with the 7D (provided the sensor isn't the greatest thing ever)... but maybe it will just remain a myster.

 

[jdramirez]

I hope I could sell my 5D III around $1500ish by the time 5D 4 coming out.

At this moment, I'm so dam happy with the results 5D III has to offer(my needs of course). The 5D III could be my last FF DSLR. I'm looking forward for FF mirrorless body like the Sony Rx-1, that allow shooter to swap lenses. Hope Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Sony will bring something to the market next 3-5yrs.

I would be tickle to death if future FF mirrorless AF speed x3 - x5 faster than current RX-1.

When I bought my XS... I figured I would eventually upgrade. When I did, I sold it for exactly what I paid. I lost zero dollars. When I bought my 60D... I figured I would use it till it died. I sold it for $316 less than what I originally paid which equates to about $126 per year (2.5 years) as a rental fee ($0.34 per day). But then extra money came along and I had a full complement of lenses so I upgraded to the 5D mkiii. I presume I will have that for 3 years... maybe 4 unless then new 5d mkiv is just AMAZING. But with the 5d mkii, it had problems - mediocre auto focus being the big issue. I don't have any complaints with the mkiii. So after 4 years, I suspect I'll lose $1000 (I got it at a really good price so I won't lose as much as others) so $250 per year and $0.68 per day.

I don't like the idea of renting my camera for around $5 a week... but considering lens rentals and borrow lenses charge $127 for 5 days... I think I'm getting a bargain.