400D to 7D Upgarde

EMA747

EMA747

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Andy
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I am pretty certain that an upgrade to the 7D from my very trusty 400D is a good way to go but just want to make sure before I splash the cash. I am thinking 7D rather than 40 or 50D as it will maybe last me more into the future. I am not one to jump from camer to camera whenever a new out is out.
If I buy from kerso the 7D body only isn't too much more than a 50D.

I shoot travel as well as aviation, shipping, trains etc. I have a Canon 17-40 L and 100-400 L lenses so can make the most of good glass on good body.

I like the idea of also having video on the 7D because if all goes well I will start training to be a shipping deck-officer this year so I will be off around the world on container ships and having a camera and video in one would be a massive plus, that way I wouldn't have to take a camcorder with me.


Please tell me I am doing the right thing getting a 7D! I am trying to "buy once, buy rigth" ;)


Anoter question - I remember a few people on here saying the 7D produced pretty noisy images when the RAW files were processed in LR v2. I've not heard anything about that for a while. It the issue still there or are you current 7D owners happy with the output? I am so used to LR that I don't want to have to use another raw editor.

Thanks for you comments.

Andy S
 
I did exactly the move you are considering and I don't regret it for a second. I still have the 400D but to be honest I don't know why because I've shot about 3 frames with it since I got the 7D just over a month ago.

It is quite a leap but it's not overly difficult. Or at least I didn't think so. The 7D is an amazing camera and is generally highly regarded. There seem to be a few "bad copies" about but if you get a good one then it's difficult to beat it at this price. The buy once, buy right thing definately applies here. For what you will be shooting then this will be the best you can get without going to the 1D series.

Can't really comment on the noise problems. I personally haven't had any problems but I've been using the Lightroom 3 Beta and Photoshop CS2. I'd say upto 3200 is quite usable but 1600 is probably the limit if you want to print out larger than about A4.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Tom N.
 
Go for the 7D. I went from a 450D to 40D then 7D. Its a good camera but the audio on the video with the built in mic is utter rubbish. If you must video with it buy the a add on mic.
 
Sure you won't regret. I made the same upgrade back in December.

I am still processing my 7D RAWs with Lightroom 1.x. Using the Adobe DNG converter as an intermediate stage. Noise performance is far better than the 400D. Have not compared with DPP.
 
Sounds like a brilliant move and I can't think of a reason not too. Just make sure your PC is powerful enough to handle the larger files.

HTH

Ryan
 
@ Tom - Why do you mean by "bad copy" How would I know if I had one?
 
EMA747 said:
@ Tom - Why do you mean by "bad copy" How would I know if I had one?
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Well 1 or 2 people have had problems with their 7D's with unacceptable low-ISO noise and one had AF problems. It seems that there may be a few of them floating around but like I said if you get a good one it's very hard to beat, in my opinion. Please don't be put off by this though. If you did experience problems then you will be covered by the warranty and Canon should repair/replace it without any issues.

Ziploc said:
http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/used-equipment/used-digital-slr-cameras/used-canon-digital-slr-cameras/canon-eos-7d/

Boy that went fast. was a 7d for under £1K
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That's how I got mine. And I must say, I almost bought that one too. That's how much I rate this camera.

Tom N.
 
I guess one with ISO noise issues is pretty obvious to spot? (then again maybe not if I'm coming from a 400D with all it's noise! lol)
 
EMA747 said:
I guess one with ISO noise issues is pretty obvious to spot? (then again maybe not if I'm coming from a 400D with all it's noise! lol)
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I imagine it would be. I've done a bit of comparing with images posted on here and the POTN forum and I'm pretty sure mine is a good one. And you will definately see the improvement over the 400D. I certainly did.

Tom N.
 
I did this route too and its the best upgrade as you get to use all the old lenses...:thumbs: Set aside another £100 quid though as you WILL need larger CF cards! Especially if you intend to shoot video. I'm still using 16GB ones and they do fill up much faster than before!:eek:
 
I had noise issues with my original 7D. Excessive noise at 400 ISO - I sent it back to Canon and they sent me a new replacement saying that my camera had 'software issues'.

Haven't really used the new once since as I bought a 5DMKII while Canon had it for a month. To be honest, I prefer the 5D2 over the 7D, but I haven't yet tried it on wildlife, in which the 7D should perform rather well!
 
swag72 said:
I had noise issues with my original 7D. Excessive noise at 400 ISO - I sent it back to Canon and they sent me a new replacement saying that my camera had 'software issues'.

Haven't really used the new once since as I bought a 5DMKII while Canon had it for a month. To be honest, I prefer the 5D2 over the 7D, but I haven't yet tried it on wildlife, in which the 7D should perform rather well!
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Sara would you happen to have any of the noisy ISO 400 images you could post up just so I can get an idea what to look for when I get my 7D? No worries if you haven't. ;)
 
I didn't keep them once my issue was sorted - Soz! What I noticed at 400 ISO was a lot of noise in blue skies. I had taken the camera to a wind turbine area in Spain. Clear blue skies and white monster turbines ............. Once I got home, it stood out a mile.

I had a 50D previously that I was more than happy to keep at 800 ISO, it became very obvious very early on that something was a little wrong with my experience.

I posted many threads on here and other forums, some people agreed with me and others thought it was fine. I guess I was right to doubt it once Canon replaced it!

Am I totally confident with my new one? If I'm honest, No. I spent a lot of time when I got the new one watching Canon videos and searching out the ideal settings. I didn't really get out there to play. That will change when I move out to Spain soon, and I really hope to put it through its paces and learn to love it.

I think what is more likely that I will use the 5D2 for everything, accept it's wildlife restrictions and let the 7D gather dust. I will try very hard not to let that happen.
 
Andy the difference will blow your socks off.

Ive just made a similar jump from a 450D to the 7D. With the glass you already have you will not regret it for one minute. I've not had it long enough to give you any in-depth critique on it but from what I have seen so far has been more than impressive.

Good luck with your decision, if you do go down the route of the 7D I'm sure you'll be more than happy

:)
 
I also did the exact body upgrade and do not regret it one bit. My 400d put me off iso 1600 yet my 7d is excellent at 1600 and 3200. It's hard to get your head around the 7d at first but it soon starts to make sense. You also have excellent glass which the 7d will love you fo.
 
EMA747 said:
if all goes well I will start training to be a shipping deck-officer this year so I will be off around the world
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Good luck with that, it's what I did 30 years ago - it's hard work, but the photo opportunities will be fantastic! I bought my first slr in Singapore when I was 16 and it led to a lifelong love of photography.

Incidentally, I love my 7D :)
 
Thanks for all the comments. I couldn't resist any longer and sent off the money to Kerso this afternoon. My 7D should be here some time next week. Not sure I can wait that long! :D

I have read the 7D takes a bit of working out. Are there any instructional DVDs or books out there to help learn it?
A long-shot, but I remember a couple of months back someone posted a link to an article on a birding forum that showed how some pro birding guy had his 7D set up, ie what AF modes etc. Anyone remember it and/or how to find it?



homerdog said:
Good luck with that, it's what I did 30 years ago - it's hard work, but the photo opportunities will be fantastic! I bought my first slr in Singapore when I was 16 and it led to a lifelong love of photography.

Incidentally, I love my 7D :)
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Thanks. Got an interview in May so I hope there will still be some places with the better companies. Who did you sail with?
 
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