SH 7D or not?

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Ferj

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I'm upgrading at least one of my camera bodies from 40D and was considering the 7D. However, I can't work out why there are so many available & reasonably priced. I've read of focusing & battery issues, is this why?

My main genre is portraits & I had been considering the 60D. I'll be using 50mm 85mm & 70-200 lenses with it, so any constructive input from users with experience of the 7d would be greatly appreciated!
 
Ferj said:
I'm upgrading at least one of my camera bodies from 40D and was considering the 7D. However, I can't work out why there are so many available & reasonably priced. I've read of focusing & battery issues, is this why?

My main genre is portraits & I had been considering the 60D. I'll be using 50mm 85mm & 70-200 lenses with it, so any constructive input from users with experience of the 7d would be greatly appreciated!
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Had you considered a SH 5D2 ? 5D2 + 70-200 or 24-105 is my current set up for portraits. They are a bargain SH.
 
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The 7d was a really really popular camera and sold in droves. Alot of people have sold them and gone with the 70d recently so maybe that is a factor?

Great cameras but have a poor rep for iso but I think alot of that is just caused by the internet tbh.
 
I agree with the above. Also it is now fairly old so you would expect many to be available 2nd hand. I agree that comments about iso are probably exaggerated but due to advances in technology, newer cameras have better iso handling so this is possibly what the 7d is compared against - and hence one of the reasons why people would move from the 7d to the 70d even if it isn't an exact replacement
 
Can I ask why people would go for a 70D over the 7D? There doesn't seem much difference as far as I can tell?
 
Newer tech, better iso capabilities, higher mp count (wow) tilty swivel screen?

There's quite a few members who have done it so maybe have a search and see if you can find a few of their reasons.
 
Ferj said:
Can I ask why people would go for a 70D over the 7D? There doesn't seem much difference as far as I can tell?
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A colleague of mine made the switch purely based on the handling of the 70D, he just couldn't get along with the 7D - but ergonomics are a personal thing (and I suspect the tilty-screen makes more of a difference than most photographers would care to admit). The question also goes the other way, why would you choose the 7D over the 70D? - it's not a clear-cut decision for most people when you start looking at the specifications and performance against most users genuine requirements. The 7D has also been left sitting a little oddly in the range, with increasing speculation over the non-appearance to date of a mk.ii, and the decision whether to pay £150 less and go with the newer 70D or pay £300 more and go with the full-frame 6D.
 
As above, people have gone for the 70d.
99% of the focussing issues reported are user error. it's a flipping complicated system especially for anyone coming from an xxxd camera and many did.

The 5dII is also a bargain ATM, with the caveat that you'd maybe need a lens revision too. I bought a 2nd 7d last year, and at today's prices, I'd probably have gone 5dII, and I'm not a 'must have FF' guy, I've been shooting crops happily for over ten years, and haven't started considering it till now. Purely because Canons low light performance on crop has fallen so far behind, and the 5d 2 or 3 and 6d are the only feasible upgrades. And 2 of those are relatively affordable.
 
I went from a 40D to a 7D pretty much when they first came out, lovely camera to hold and so many functions, most of which could be customised too.

AF system was excellent, but probably over complex for some and must admit I never used it to the full. Also rather unforgiving if you didn't get the exposure pretty much spot on which then tended to make it seem noisy at low'ish ISO.

Sold mine for a number of reasons, mainly because I gave up on wildlife especially smaller birds and went back to my old 5D, such simplicity after the 7D. Have since also bought a 5D MkII and a very bargainous 40D again just in case I ever want the bonus of the crop factor.

Still like the old 5D the best, not really sure why, but its just one of those things that is exactly right
 
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And as it's relevant.. I considered the 70D/7D/6D/5Dii/A7/A7r as possible upgrades from my 40D at the start of the year (after 5 years shooting the 40D). The 7D was probably the easiest to reject from that line-up (closely followed by the two Sonys), and in the end I realised there was nothing about the current Canon APS-C line-up that gave it a specific appeal over anything else. So I joined the ex-Canon owners club on the Fuji X-Pro1 owners thread. It is worth at least considering whether you'd gain more from moving to another crop sensor system (Fuji, Nikon or Sony) than staying with Canon.
 
It is worth at least considering whether you'd gain more from moving to another crop sensor system (Fuji, Nikon or Sony) than staying with Canon.
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Don't forget Pentax who have an excellent range of crop sensor cameras
 
For the price of a 2nd hand 7d you get a very capable camera. It's still worth considering.
 
I spoke to my local camera shop about this and they attribute it to the 70d. They were selling used 7ds at £795 before and have told me the most they sell for now is £595. Mine is in mint condition, I've had the body and sensor cleaned and they still said £595 would be the maximum.

Excellent camera though...I'm only selling mine as I'm not using it enough.
 
If you can have a play with the 7D and 70D to see which one you prefer
The 7D has the joystick controller it's really good can change settings very quickly for me that's a big deal and why I haven't updated to the 70D even though it's got a slightly better sensor
 
I've had two 7D's, the first had some metering issues in the middle of a burst shot and seemed noisy above ISO1600. The second had the same noise problems above ISO1600, even when ETTR, and although the metering was fine with this one it did have some focussing problems. I've had quite a few different bodies and the 7D's were the only ones I've had that have had these issues with. I exchanged my second 7D for a 70D and have never been happier with a crop body. The AF system is a breeze to use, the ergonomics are good in my hands (I do need a grip though as I have big hands and I've grips on all my bodies), the screen is excellent for macro and concert shots, the ISO handling is very good and the IQ is excellent. For me, it's the best crop body I've owned (7 bodies including a 1D3, 60D and the two 7D's amongst others) and it certainly gives the 5D Mk2 I had a run for its money (it's a fair way behind my 5D Mk3 though).
 
Modchild that's very helpful! I've just been over to Wilkinson Cameras and played with both and I was really liking the 7D in terms of size & weight & it sounded more solid if that makes sense? I liked the viewfinder too.

The 70D felt plasticky in comparison and I wasn't so keen on the flip out screen & lock buttons.

That all said I find lots of praise for the 70D & a lot of threads for issues with the 7D.
 
I was a fairly early adopter of the 7D and the focus settings is the biggest difference between this and the 40D/50D that preceded it. Those that complained of focus issues probably hadn't sat down and read the manual and learnt what the different modes did and how to adjust them.

The 7D gets a bit of stick for its ISO performance. I've always found that at the same ISO level, the 7D shot was cleaner, and I could safely run a higher ISO than I would dare with a 40D or 50D. The higher you go the more noise there is, but it still records detail quite well and noisy images can be cleaned up in Lightroom or similar. As with all cameras, get the exposure right and its best, the more exposure adjustment needed to rescue and image the worse it will appear.
 
I've had my 7D for 4 years now and have had no issues with it. I need a second body and although I'm thinking about a 70D I will probably hold out for a 7D Mk2 if it's available before too long.
 
Jackwow said:
I've had my 7D for 4 years now and have had no issues with it. I need a second body and although I'm thinking about a 70D I will probably hold out for a 7D Mk2 if it's available before too long.
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Yes I'm really happy with my 7D don't have any noise issues with it you just need to get the exposure right
I really would like a second body for a big trip with the same controls as my 7D will probably get another 7D unless it's replacement comes out soon
 
Love my 7d. Also love my 5d3. The 7d is still the best crop out there.
 
Cheers for the responses! Nearly crunch time. Either will be a dramatic improvement on the 40D, I'm thinking a 7D has the edge after handling them both & the positive input!

Sods law I buy one & they bring out the 7D mark 2!
 
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