Another 7D or 70D dilemma!

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geoffr

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Whilst I've been a member on the site for a long time this is my first post and I understand the final decision will lie with me but I'm hoping that I can gain some good advice! My dilemma is this. I've owned my 450D since 2008 and it has been a great camera which has helped me learn more about photography from the basic modes I used on my G2 prior to this. I feel that I've begun to reach the limits of what I want to do with it and am considering buying either a 7D or 70D...I'm sure you can see where this is going! My budget is around £800 and both of the options are within my budget if I purchase from DigitalRev; the 7D is £689 and the 70D is £739 (this was £769 only a few days ago?).

In addition to my 450D I also own the 24-105L (I use this most of the time), 55-250mm kit and 50mm f1.8 lenses, along with a 430EX II Speedlight. I also own a PowerShot S95 as pocket point-and-shoot and find that a pretty capable little camera. My photography is a mixture of wildlife, street, abstract and portrait - alongside the obligatory pictures of my young son and pets! I always shoot in RAW and do a small amount of PP in Lightroom 5...generally adjusting the White Balance, lens correction and maybe some colour tweaking here and there. I like to try and capture everything in camera, as although I work in IT, I don't want to spend hours staring at a screen. Currently I don't have any real interest in video although that may change in the future?

The main reasons for the upgrade are:
  • AF accuracy
  • Focus points
  • ISO performance above 800
  • Increase in shutter speed
  • Flash commander built-in
Now whilst I know both of these cameras will be an improvement over what I currently have I'm having a tough time deciding which will suit me best. My heart says 7D but my head says 70D! The prices are so similar and as such the pros and cons of each over one another for me are as follows:

7D
Pros
100% viewfinder coverage and 1.0x magnification
High build quality
RAW buffer size
Tried and tested

Cons
Uses CF cards - would reduce the price difference as I have none
Older 18MP sensor
Limited ISO performance over 1600 and some noise even at low ISO

70D
Pros
Newer technology
Flip-out screen
Uses SD cards
Touchscreen
WiFi (not sure if I would use this very much)

Cons
Seems to be more focused on video
Missing 2 focus modes which I might use for wildlife photography

I am prepared to wait until next year before I purchase as the prices may have dropped further, especially if a 7DII was to be announced. When this might actually be appears to be anyone’s guess!

Any help or advice much appreciated.
Geoff
 
Personally would choose the 70D, your 7D pros seem less than persuasive

100% viewfinder coverage and 1.0x magnification----will you really notice it that much, I never have with 97% coverage
High build quality----you haven't broken your 450D in four years so should be ok
RAW buffer size----do you rattle off multiple shots very often
Tried and tested----should think any design fault would have showed on the 70D by now
 
IMHO at this point in time the 70d is a good buy. rumour has it new 7d mk2 out next year
 
70D. If a 7D MkII should surface of something similar it is likely to fill a price point significantly higher than that of the 7D or 70D.

The 7D has been and still is a good seller for Canon but its getting on a bit and its high ISO performance does it no favours.
 
I went through a similar choice process. Every photographer has their own personal preferences but what sold me on the 70D over 7D was the articulated screen and it's speed of focussing. I shoot a lot of dragonflies and insects and know how valuable fast focus and an articulated screen can be. The 70D is also a more easily manageable size for me in the field.

Those same features which make the 70D so good for video (which I don't shoot at all) also benefit shooting stills. Test drive both if you can and I'm sure you'll then know which you prefer.
 
I had 2 7D's and both had issues and were basically unusable above ISO1600. I rarely had them above ISO800 as it just produced photos that were too noisy for me. I shot lots of wildlife in woodland and the main subject was not distinct enough for me. I part ex'd a 7D and some other bits for a 70D and I've been blown away with it so far. The files are clean at ISO3200 and usable at 6400, the articulating screen is great for those odd shooting angles, the IQ is better than the 7D (specially Jpegs SOOC) and the AF speed is faster than the 7D. I do miss the 'spot focus' feature of the 7D but after using a 1D3 for a while before I got the 70D I'm quite used to shooting with the full size point. The video features I've not really used yet but I did try a 40mm f2.8 STM pancake lens on it to try the video and I was so impressed with the few minutes I did I've decided to give it a good try in the future. If I was going to choose now I'd definitely go for a 70D, IMO it's the best crop body I've had.
 
Hi Geoff

Everyone has their own opinion and has likes / dislikes, but I probably would choose the 70D over the 7D at this point.

Do you have the opportunity to hold both of them - the 7D especially will be a bigger body than you are used to...

tijuana taxi said:
Personally would choose the 70D, your 7D pros seem less than persuasive

100% viewfinder coverage and 1.0x magnification----will you really notice it that much, I never have with 97% coverage
High build quality----you haven't broken your 450D in four years so should be ok
RAW buffer size----do you rattle off multiple shots very often
Tried and tested----should think any design fault would have showed on the 70D by now
Click to expand...

:plus1:
 
mazdaman said:
I am sticking up for the 7D not handled a 70d so unfair to give an opinion but I recently bought a used 7d from the used sales here. Below a link to my first ISO 6400 shots. The build quality sold if for me of the 7D coming from a 50D was a seamless transition

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/canon-eos-7d-owners-thread.275803/page-25#post-5970180
Click to expand...
Yes the 7D does get a lot of stick but do think that for what the OP wants , will be using it at ISO 1600 and above the camera with a newer sensor (70D) will be better
Im a real fan of the 7D tho its a fantastic camera to use and as long as you get the exposure right IQ is excellent
 
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Don't get me wrong with my post above, the 7D is a fantastic camera and will give you some excellent shots in the right conditions. Below ISO800 and in decent light it's as good as the 70D but it's when you get into more challenging situations that the 70D comes into its own.

I use my 70D as a companion to my 5D3 and I'm getting great shots from both all the time. I used the word 'companion' instead of 'back up' as they are both getting about equal amounts of use whereas with the 7D it was around 90% with the 5D3 and 10% with the 7D. Although the 70D hasn't got the magnesium body of the 7D it is still a very solidly built camera, and lighter than the 7D as well. It has an aluminium chassis and polycarbonate resin body shell, similar to F1 cars, so it's not going to fall to pieces at the slightest knock. I've had 7 crop bodies including a 1D3 (1.3x crop) and the 70D is honestly the best of the lot. I don't see me buying another dslr body for quite a while although I'd guess a 7D MkII, if it ever arrives, will take the mantle of 'best crop body' again but I've no intention or need to update my 70D. I'll be concentrating on improving my lenses from now on.
 
Just wanted to say thanks for all of your opinions and think the 70D probably is the best given some of the opinions above. I will have to try and find somewhere to try out both the bodies and see which feels better but as I haven't managed to damage my 450D in 5 years it's probably best to assume that the 7D might not be needed in that area!
 
Love my 7D. Absolutely no need to switch to another crop Camera. If you learn the 7D correctly & ETTR in low light then it gives fantastic results even in low light.
 
I love my 7D, although I reckon I would have been just as happy with the 70D. In the end the magnesium body and 8fps swayed it for me purely due to mainly doing sport photography. If i were to be doing lots more video or lower light shooting I would have gone for 70D so I imagine it would depend on what your use will be
 
I went from a 450D to a 7D and it was a massive jump for me. My 450D was unusable at ISO400 and above but I can use ISO800 fine and ISO1600 with a little NR in Lightroom without much of a quality drop on the 7D. It does get a bad rep for high ISO performance but you just have to learn to work around it's down falling.

I'm selling my 7D though as I simply dont use it since getting a 5D3 :D
 
Went and had a play with a 70D and a 7D today....now I'm even more confused! 7D is definitely built better and I thought the buttons on the 70D felt very flimsy in comparison to even my 450D. Also preferred the joystick and wheel combo on the 7D over the directional one on the 70D. Viewfinder was much brighter too on the 7D so I really need to cost up the options between the 2 now. New tech on the 70D was very good, as was the articulating screen but how much I would use it I don't know. WiFi would be useful but generally only as a remote release mechanism.
 
geoffr said:
Went and had a play with a 70D and a 7D today....now I'm even more confused! 7D is definitely built better and I thought the buttons on the 70D felt very flimsy in comparison to even my 450D. Also preferred the joystick and wheel combo on the 7D over the directional one on the 70D. Viewfinder was much brighter too on the 7D so I really need to cost up the options between the 2 now. New tech on the 70D was very good, as was the articulating screen but how much I would use it I don't know. WiFi would be useful but generally only as a remote release mechanism.
Click to expand...

That's why it's so important to try them out for yourself. Although it can cause more confusion :D.

There is talk of the 7D mkII having wi-fi but not confirmed yet and the new one will carry a nice price tag over the current model - when it eventually arrives.

I'd look at what new bits does the 70D offer over the 7D for you and try to work out if you'd miss them if you didn't get them (hope that makes sense)
 
Is this video any help to you, Geoff?....


I considered the same choice but went for the 70D because it suits what I do better (not video). That articulated screen and fast autofocus does a lot for me.

Oh, and I'm finding that the 70D's touchscreen is far more useful than I expected it to be.
 
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Maybe the price difference will resolve your dilemma - the 70D is now more than £100 cheaper !
 
Thanks for the video link RedRobin - think that was one I hadn't seen! I think I am decided that although the 7D is better built the 70D will be a better option in the long run due to the newer tech and slightly better high ISO performance. Price wise the cheapest UK body only version I can find is on Amazon for £820...if not I can use someone like DigitalRev or HDEW.

I've got to go to John Lewis tonight so might see if I can have another play with the 70D. Thanks for all the opinions and advice listed above.
 
Decided - 70D purchased, although as its a part Christmas present I don't get to open it until Christmas Day :( The wife has said she will charge the battery for me before wrapping it though.
 
geoffr said:
Decided - 70D purchased, although as its a part Christmas present I don't get to open it until Christmas Day :( The wife has said she will charge the battery for me before wrapping it though.
Click to expand...

Excellent news, less than a week to wait now :D

Enjoy your surprise present ...
 
Hope you got to enjoy your 70D. I do a lot of theatre work in low light and find the 7D works fine for focussing quickly and I particularly like the spot feature - invaluable for me. I shoot almost everything at ISO1600 and, while you expect a degree of noise, Im generally pleased with the results.
 
Taken with the 7D, ISO 800, do you see problems with this picture? The 7D is a fine camera and is more than most people will ever need ...
Note these are REAL world examples :)
8738681935_65775b07e9_c.jpg

This waxwing was taken at ISO3200, cropped;
8238172874_f0153f122f_c.jpg

The noise is more apparent, but still usable.

Another example at ISO 3200
13964188646_e72179670d_c.jpg

FYI here is my flickr if you guys wish to see more :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/graemewillettsphotographer/
 
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