Decisions, decisions!

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BobbyD

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Rob
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Hi all,

I've recently quit my job to go to freelance and as a result will no longer have access to the Canon 7D i was allowed to bring home with me. Now, I'm no pro photographer - I'm a graphic and web designer by trade but did do quite a bit of photography as part of my job.

With going freelance I probably wont be doing any so have decided to take it up as a hobby just for the enjoyment :)

The problem is i just can't decide what camera to get. I have decided to stick with Canon's as that is what i am familiar with.

I'm stuck between the 700d and the 70d. I need a camera fairly fast as i need to shoot my portfolio for my website. I haven't got the cash at the moment for the 70d (waiting for invoices to be paid) so was wondering whether to get the 700d for now and then sell the body and get a 70d body maybe if the prices come down. And if i do that perhaps it's worth just getting the 650d and saving some money.

The main reason i was avoiding the 650d was that it doesn't come with a STM lens which would be great for home movies (I have a young daughter).

My second problem is I don't know what lenses to go for. Up to now i have just been using the 18-135 IS (7d kit lens). I can't even decide between 18-55 STM and 18-135 STM ( are there any drawbacks to the 18-135 apart from price?).

I will need one lens capable of shooting my portfolio with, including some close ups although probably not macro close. That aside i will mostly be taking pics of my family and anything else that takes my fancy.

Budget for all this is good, but i would rather keep costs down at the moment and get some upgrades as times goes on

Sorry for the wall of text, hopefully some of it makes sense! :)
 
I'm a Nikon man so can't offer any Canon related advice.

I can however advise picking up something second hand to begin with, rather than going new. These forums can be a great source of quality used equipment at fair prices.
 
I'd get a second hand 7d to start. You already know the camera...

Harrison cameras have a 12 month warranty with all their second hand gear so it's almost as good as buying new if you are planning to have one for a short time and trade up later.
 
First off, congrats on making the leap to go freelance :thumbs:

Secondly, I can't help with the kit list either (unless you're going to shoot film and want some guidance on Canon FD manual lenses :)) but have you thought about renting cameras and lenses in the short term?
 
Rob. Have a look at the 60d. It's a great camera and the price is really low now. I can't comment on the 70d as I have not used one, but it seems to me like if you want a great camera at a bargain price this is the way to go.

Again, I can't really comment on the STM lenses, as I've not got a lot of experience with them. But for video I like to use prime lenses (it's the only time I really use my 50mm). Autofocus for video on DSLR's is pretty rubbish. You have to manually focus in my experience, however this is not to bad with a bit of practice as the video is a lot lot more forgiving than photo's. Another advantage to use a prime lens is for the money you will be able to get a lens which is really quite usable indoors when it is dark. Unless you want to get into the hassle of expensive video lighting then this is helpful (although you can get an lcd set of lights that mounts to the hot shoe of the camera, for around £20 on ebay, which is meant to be pretty decent).
 
Hi Rob

Although not a Canon shooter nowadays I have owned pretty much all the top end Canon bodies released in the last few years, excluding 1DX and 70D, and would advise getting a 60D as well.

IMVHO a fantastic camera for the cash.

Other bodies do high iso or sports or whatever a bit better but 60D is just a great all-rounder for sensible money.

GLW your decision !
 
srichards said:
I'd get a second hand 7d to start. You already know the camera...

Harrison cameras have a 12 month warranty with all their second hand gear so it's almost as good as buying new if you are planning to have one for a short time and trade up later.
Click to expand...

Thanks - never heard of them before will look them up :)
 
Strappy said:
First off, congrats on making the leap to go freelance :thumbs:

Secondly, I can't help with the kit list either (unless you're going to shoot film and want some guidance on Canon FD manual lenses :)) but have you thought about renting cameras and lenses in the short term?
Click to expand...

No I had not - but thats a fab idea. It would at least buy me some time to make my mind up!
 
A 60d may be a good shout actually. I had not considered that but your right the prices are good and it would let me invest a bit more in a lens and all the other bits i need like an external flash, extra battery, memory card etc...

Thanks all for your help :)
 
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