50d or 60d as a second body

[sbeecroft]

Hi,

I currently have a 7d. I have started to take on some small portraiture jobs and some commercial stuff.

I am putting into consideration picking up a second body to have as a back up in case anything happened to my 7d.

Although I also like the idea of having my 24-70 on one and my 70-200 on the other on occasion.

I am wondering what to get second hand and am looking at 2nd hand 50d and 60d.

Just wondering about any views on this?

The way I see it at a glance. 50d has same CF cards as 7d. 60d has same battery as 7d. 60d newer. 50d cheaper. 60d same sensor as 7d.

Not really sure what else to consider.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Whiters]

I'm not sure that having the same battery should be a consideration for you, given how cheaply you can buy third party batteries on ebay which do the job. Memory cards however are a significant expense which should be a consideration.

 

[Whiters]

Another big factor is how useful do you think the 60d's adjustable lcd screen would be to you?

 

[sbeecroft]

I'm not sure that having the same battery should be a consideration for you, given how cheaply you can buy third party batteries on ebay which do the job. Memory cards however are a significant expense which should be a consideration.

Yeah I think the card is more important that the battery. As realistically i tend to run out of space on cards long before I need to change the battery.

 

[sbeecroft]

Another big factor is how useful do you think the 60d's adjustable lcd screen would be to you?

I cant recall ever using the LCD on my 7d or 450d before that to actually setup a shot. purely for review. So I don't know. But then I suppose you cant use something that you don't have.

 

[AndyB1976]

I know its going to be more expensive and not what you asked but I would be inclined to pay the extra for another 7D.

Having complete compatibility with cards and batteries is one point, but having an identical layout on both cameras would be more beneficial if you intend to shoot quickly with both a 24-70 and 70-200 setup.

You might miss the main features of the 7D primarily the focus system or even the more advanced (than the 60D) Speedlite controller for portrait work.

 

[SpikeK6]

I know its going to be more expensive and not what you asked but I would be inclined to pay the extra for another 7D.

Having complete compatibility with cards and batteries is one point, but having an identical layout on both cameras would be more beneficial if you intend to shoot quickly with both a 24-70 and 70-200 setup.

You might miss the main features of the 7D primarily the focus system or even the more advanced (than the 60D) Speedlite controller for portrait work.

I would say this^

Second hand 7D are coming down in price and are quite affordable now.
Save up a bit more

 

[sbeecroft]

I know its going to be more expensive and not what you asked but I would be inclined to pay the extra for another 7D.

Having complete compatibility with cards and batteries is one point, but having an identical layout on both cameras would be more beneficial if you intend to shoot quickly with both a 24-70 and 70-200 setup.

You might miss the main features of the 7D primarily the focus system or even the more advanced (than the 60D) Speedlite controller for portrait work.

I do agree with you. I had thought of this for as you say it took me many months to get used to the 7d from the 450d, so to be able just to use another camera with the same speed would be a good choice. In more support of your view I was also thinking about if I was using 2 identical cameras you are almost guaranteeing your final results in post are going to look the same.

I think I was just hoping nobody would suggest this!