Inevitable "what upgrade?" Thread (sorry!)

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mrthingyx

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Hi, everybody.

I have been using my Canon 20D since around 2010 and it is working just fine (battery life is shorter than it was but...). I have a 550ex flash, a Sigma 30mm f1.4 and a Nifty Fifty, with access to some nicer glass through a family member. It has pants high ISO, the AF is ropey, but it works and I (think I) can take nice photos with it.

I normally shoot family stuff (my Flickr stream is under drthingyx) so a mixture of portraits, candids and landscapes (with my family in them) in anything from bright light to evenings indoors (with/without flash), and doing art at a table to running on sports day... So EVERYTHING aside from extremes (no real ultra low-light or F1/ice hockey).

However....

I would like to upgrade to address the AF and get bigger pictures. And I have no idea what do. Do I go for a Canon upgrade as I have kit? Or - as my kit is quite limited - do I change system? Full frame is attractive (I very occasionally use a bro's 5D Mark 2) but this will require additional investment for glass, which means a system change is also an option. Is APS-C still "ok" or is 4/3s the answer? I like the idea of "in-camera" stabilisation but love the DOF of FF; but like the cost of APS-C and 4/3s (weight isn't a problem for me)...

What is my budget? I proposed a £1450 upgrade (D800, telephoto zoom and a nice prime) to the missus and she wasn't happy, but has not said no... But effectively less than that. :)

So... Apologies for rambling, but help is appreciated! :)
 
hiya mate... when you men "get bigger pictures" you mean for printing etc or megapixels? what sort of glass do you have for the canon at the mo?
 
Hiya! Bigger pictures for me means "printing" as I have recently gotten into big (24*16 minimum) prints.

Regarding glass, I don't have anything other than the nifty fifty and the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and a flash.

Thanks for any help!
 
The switch from APS-C to FF is "nice" but not necessary - if your lens is good, stick with APS-C for minimum spend - if your lens was the kit lens you had with the camera, go for a better lens - but dont shift to FF just for the sake of it.
 
You're right, if you go FF the world is your oyster as neither of your lenses are really what you'd choose.

If I was starting from scratch looking for family stuff, I'd be seriously looking at Oly and Fuji mirror less. The 70d is the obvious upgrade though, it's a cracking camera apparently.

But if you feel the pull of FF, try a 6d, the familiarity will help, the AF isn't amazing, but in all other respects it's a great camera. Otherwise the dark side beckons.
 
With the 80D in play, I think the 70D is likely to become a bit of a bargain as stock gets cleared out. My daughter has a 60D and it's a nice camera, so I'd expect the 70D to be even better than that.
 
would an original 7d not be a quite a step up from a 20d? I'm not an expert at asp-c to be honest... but obv a 7d is reasonably cheap and would leave money for some nice glass?
 
owenb said:
would an original 7d not be a quite a step up from a 20d? I'm not an expert at asp-c to be honest... but obv a 7d is reasonably cheap and would leave money for some nice glass?
Click to expand...
Yeah could be a good shout. Though for family shooting, I think the 70D might be preferable to the 7D which is aimed at sports photography.
 
Thanks for the responses... From the sound of things APS-C is probably the way forward.

I had looked at 7ds, but a lot have massive shutter counts that make me baulk. One option might be a 5d with nice glass as a less painful entry to FF, but I am not going to get much better in terms of picture size or AF and they seem hard to find at the moment.

70d looks good as I was concerned with the x0D range after the 60d's "consumerisation" but part of me wants to try the greater purported dynamic range of Nikon whilst selling all my Canon stuff (I don't have much anyway)... Better glass on a depreciated body is probably the way forward, however.
 
70D would be the logical upgrade to move up the scale, improve overall performance, while keeping your lens collection as is.

However a 6D would give you the full frame experience, so better image quality and improved low light performance. You have the 50mm which would give a field of view much like the Sigma 30mm works on your 20D. Then sell the Sigma and buy the Canon 85mm which would give a field of view much like the 50mm does currently on your 20D. AF performance in the 6D is still better than the 20D so no issue there. You would need to buy a couple of SD cards though, that said you would for the 70D.

I expect you could get a used 6D and 85mm for under £1k if you keep your ear to the ground.
 
Sell the lot and go Nikon get a d750 and spend the rest of your budget on the best 35mm prime you can afford. I'm not sure it is great advice but it's what you want to hear :)
 
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