40D to 7D?

danieljamesphoto

danieljamesphoto

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Hi all,

Just wondering after getting my hands on a 7D in Jessops and having the sales woman VERY nearly convince me to buy.

I'm wondering if it's worth the move from 40D to 7D? I know there's video etc on the 7D but i'm not bothered about that.

It's more the quality and new features, anyone any opinions? or am I just potentially digging into debt when I don't need to lol
 
Hmmmm, it's a tough shout.... With the sheer number of pixels the 7D has, you need good quality lenses to get the best performance. Yours are fairly decent, but it's your shout really if you want to upgrade the glass first or the body. What other features are you wanting from the new body?
 
I was looking to upgrading from my 40D but figured that whilst the 7D is a nice camera, and would have given me more pixels and a better AF when compared to the 40D, I didn't think it was enough to justify the expense.

In the end I went for full frame and a 5DII. Now there really is a difference between that and a 40D.
 
If you own up to gadget lust, it might help you get a better perspective on what you're really wanting ;)

Then go in with your 40D and memory card and take some comparison pictures - same subject, same lens, same everything, and take a look. Don't expect an 80% improvement in sharpness in line with the pixel count because you won't get it. 20% at best, if you look closely.

That's what I did - ended up with a 5D2 :D 7D is a fantastic camera though.
 
I did for once read all the other posts and I see why Hoppy went for 5D2

I've considered moving on (camera body) from the 40D a few times. When the 50D came out I soon decided not to upgrade and when the 7D came out I came so close but once again decided not to bother.

If full frame was more an issue (which it isn't just now) I would have gone for the 5D2 but for the crop Canons - I'm still happy with my 40D and have decided to buy glass instead.
 
I had the same dilemma... In the end I went for the 7D. The choice mainly boiled down to the fact that at the time, a lot of my lenses were designed for crop sensors and it didn't make a lot of financial sense for me to go changing everything! :)

As it turned out, I found that the 7D really needed good glass on it to extract the best performance and now all of my lenses are EF fit apart from my 10-22... On many levels I found the 7D to be a better option although I'll quite happily admit that overall, the image quality on the 5DMKII is better. At 'normal' viewing sizes though, there's very little in it and the 7D is capable of stunning images if you're prepared to put in the effort... As an example, take a look at the images I've put in the glamour section of my fiance. Regardless of what you think of the actual pictures themselves, there's no doubting the actual image quality.

Hope that helps a bit,
Si
 
I went for the 7D as well as I needed the crop sensor reach but I also wanted the better AF, fps and so on.

If you are not into long lenses (and from looking at your list you do not have anything very long) I am not sure if the 7D would be the best choice.
 
I based my decision to upgrade from the 40D to the 7D on the AF capabilities and I haven't been disappointed.
 
I was talking to a friend yesterday about the exact same thing and apart from the AF, I couldn't convince myself it was worth an upgrade, I'm very pleased with the 40D, so decided not to upgrade - at this moment anyway, but ??? :lol:
 
40D to 7D will cost you about £700-800 extra. That's a lot of nifty-fifties, which will allow you to shoot new stuff in new ways. So would some nice strobist stuff, or a longer zoom, studio kit... ;)
 
Very interested in this thread, because I am in the same dilemma!

I use my 40D mainly for gig photography, and was looking at the 7D, purely for:-
a) Speed (FPS)
b) High ISO
C) New AF System.

at high ISO, my 40D looks like a sandstorm, so i'm sure the 7D will be much better???

Weighing up all pro's and cons at the moment.

Cheers
J

www.justinmoirphotography.co.uk
 
New gear is always - or usually - good to get but I'm still using my 30D. I've been tempted to upgrade a couple of times and found myself looking at the cost involved, and thinking "what, really, am I dissatisfied with about the 30D?" I don't shoot professionally and haven't found anything so compelling that it made the decision for me. I suppose I will do it one day.
 
They say LIGHTING gets you the "biggest bang for your buck" (as they say across the pond). Speedlites, speedlite commander, trigrip reflectors, grey cards, colour correction gels, light modifiers, etc - can transform your options (depending on your genre of course, maybe not such a big deal for gigs).

Putting great glass on your existing camera can make a huge difference too.

Unless I had a specific requirement to go from a 40D to a 7D, I don't think I'd bother, it's still a cropped sensor. I'd get lighting or lenses instead.

...but going from a 40D to a 5D2? ...I would do that in a heartbeat.
 
So much depends on what you mostly shoot as whether you'd benefit from getting the 7D. We shot side for some time with a 50D and 40D using very similar focal lengths too for wildlife and it quickly became apparant that the 40D just couldn't compete in that scenario, so much so that we swapped the 40D for another 50D.

The 7D just widens the gap a little further. If however you don't shoot with long lenses or need the high resolution/cropping abilty then the 40D will probably stand you in good stead - spend the money on glass instead.

If you're determnied to upgrade, don't rule out the 50D - it still holds it's own well against the 7D for IQ, although the 7D has improved AF and other features which make it a substantially better camera.
 
I've been toying woth doing the same as you but I've decided against the 7D in favour of investing in 2 L lenses.
I've also read some similar comparisons bewteen the 40 & 50D like CT has made and decided a 50D will be worthwile for me.
 
justinmoir said:
Very interested in this thread, because I am in the same dilemma!

I use my 40D mainly for gig photography, and was looking at the 7D, purely for:-
a) Speed (FPS)
b) High ISO
C) New AF System.

at high ISO, my 40D looks like a sandstorm, so i'm sure the 7D will be much better???

Weighing up all pro's and cons at the moment.

Cheers
J

www.justinmoirphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...



I have the same issue and have decided to wait. I think that currently the 5Dmkll has MUCH better quality at high ISO's than the 7D, but the 7D has the better AF abilities. I think/hope that the next FF (5Dmklll) will have the same (or better) high ISO quality as the 5Dmkll, but will also gain the best bits from the 7D.


Given their refresh rate, I shouldn't have too long to wait. :)
 
If you're working full time as a pro, as it appears, with just one body I guess a second body is your next move, perhaps a 40d if there's one going!! It's a fantastic camera and was great value when the last new ones were around.

John www.phototuition.net
 
Have just seen a post on canonrumors talking about a 60D??

USA have just put out rebates on the 50D which could mean that a 60D is on the way, think I will hang off for another couple of months and see what appears!

60D could be just what I need in terms of upgrade, especially if the specs are to be believed?

From Canonrumors web site:-

60D Specs

18mp (7D Sensor)
11pt AF (New AF System)
Same Video Modes as T2i
Same LCD as T2i
6fps
Not 100% VF
No Electronic Level
ISO 12800 Max

cheers
J

www.justinmoirphotography.co.uk
 
is your glass L or equivelant (if yes)
do you do studio work (if no)

the do it

day and night difference from a 50d so I assume it kills a 40d
 
justinmoir said:
USA have just put out rebates on the 50D which could mean that a 60D is on the way, think I will hang off for another couple of months and see what appears!
Click to expand...

Canon UK anounced rebates last week, £65 for a 50D.
Price wise it will be interesting to see where the 60D will fit in.
 
7D is worse at high ISO TBH


justinmoir said:
Very interested in this thread, because I am in the same dilemma!

I use my 40D mainly for gig photography, and was looking at the 7D, purely for:-
a) Speed (FPS)
b) High ISO
C) New AF System.

at high ISO, my 40D looks like a sandstorm, so i'm sure the 7D will be much better???

Weighing up all pro's and cons at the moment.

Cheers
J

www.justinmoirphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
Out of curiosity, if you need to upgrade the body, why don't you consider a 5DII? Looking at the samples on your website I would have thought that would be the more logical route?
 
I'm going back now around 6 yrs ago & a pro tog I knew sponsored by Canon advised me to purchase the best lens I could afford even if they were not the latest & keep to FF. Lens technology does not change much, although some lens have made small leaps recently. His argument was it was basically one investment and as camera technology changed it would require these lenses to get the best out of the camera. A couple of years later I switched to the 1Ds MkII & I am glad I heeded his advise.

I also now have a 50D but find the 1Ds MkII out performs the 50D in all aspects especially sharpness. So I would recommend FF except for the long lens when the 1.5x is handy.
Technology wise the 7D is quite a quantum leap on the 40D & although many say video is not want they even consider it is useful & good quality & more 5D MKII are sold professionally due to the video.

The 7D will push your lens to its limits unless you have good quality glass L-Series being the best, but kit lenses seem not to cut the mustard.
 
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