Dilema 550D or 7D

riu

riu

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steve
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I took up photography 16 months ago and purchased a Canon 450d, i have been really pleased with the camera, but there is still a lot for me to learn. The dilema i am in is that my wife as decided to take up photography also,Its first up in the morning gets the camera. So i have told her see can have the 450D, and i will purchase either the 550D or 7D. Being relatively new, i am not sure which would be the better option.Or should i wait for the 60d?
My main interests are Wildlife, Seascapes. Any thoughts would be greatly received.

Steve:)
 
Have you handled the 7D? It is bigger than the 450/550D, which could be a consideration in it's own right. The 550D is an extremely capable camera, that some mags are billing as Canons best consumer camera ever. Are you on a tight budget? The 7D is more ££'s than the 550D.
 
swag72 said:
Have you handled the 7D? It is bigger than the 450/550D, which could be a consideration in it's own right. The 550D is an extremely capable camera, that some mags are billing as Canons best consumer camera ever. Are you on a tight budget? The 7D is more ££'s than the 550D.
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Yes i have handled the 7D, and as you say is bigger than 450D, but this is n't an issue. Now the wife's interested budget is out of the window. LOL
Apart from the build , CF,as opposed to SD and Fps, i'm not sure what other differences there would be. As you point out the 7D is nearly twice the cost.

regards
Steve
 
Have a look here for lots of videos about the 7D.

It has an ungraded focus system, masses of customisation, ability to micro adjust your lens .......... That's just off the top of my head!!

The focus system really lends itself to wildlfe photography, especially quicker moving objects. It has more focus points, so that you can get stuff better framed.

I am on my second 7D as I sent the first one back to Canon, with unacceptable noise at lower ISO's. If you search around the net, there are lots of cases of this happening. Canon sent me a new 7D saying that my old one had software issues. There are plenty of people taking fab pictures with the 7D though.
 
Your lenses consist of a 17-85mm, sigma 70-300mm apo dc, Canon 50 mm 1.8 mk11 and a Sigma 120-400 HSM.
A 7D will punish these lenses and it will show the issues with these lenses far more than your 450D would.
Personally I would consider either a 550D, 40D or 50D and invest in lenses.
The 7D is a fantastic camera but you do need top end lenses to get the best out of this body.
 
I was in your boots a few weeks back, and my choice ended up on the 550D. My personal reasoning for going for the 550D was that I'd cut down on body cost to save me some money for extra glass. While I'm still happy with my choice of camera, I kind of regret that I didn't go for the 7D. Some of the reasons are:

1: the 7D has a better build quality and is somewhat weather proof, where the 550D isn't weather proof at all.

2: The 7D is quicker on continous shooting, something I've found just a bit lacking on the 550D while shooting seabirds in flight, as well as my kids.

3: If bought as a kit, the 7D kit lens is a lot more exciting (to me) than the 550D kit lens.

In any case, they are both great cameras, and I doubt you'd actually regret getting any of them. If you can't wait to start shooting, and budget is a bit tight, going for the 550D with a couple of extra lenses to get you going could be a smarter purchase than going with the 7D if it means you'll be stuck with its kit lens for a while.
If cost is no object to you, I'd say go for the 7D
 
I totally agree and had the same dilema myself several months ago, if money no object and you can afford the 7D then I would say go for it you won't be dissapointed. I knew deep down that if I bought the 550D or even the 50D it would not be long before I was wishing that I bought the 7D...

However please note if you buy the 7D, it won't be long before you start eyeing up those lovely white lenses to compliment it and it starts to become expensive, but if you are serious about your photography also very rewarding and you won't regret it.
 
I just moved 450D to 7D, I did consider 550d and 50D, but felt that it was just a small step up and that I would be looking to upgrade again in a short time.

These were some of the factors I considered.

Pro:-
1.0x maginification and 100% viewfinder (love this)
18Mpp - 550d and 7d are the same pixel depth, both will need decent glass to get the best out of them
8FPS much faster than the 450 or 550 or 50D
Much better metering system (63 sensors)
Much better AF (flexibility, capability and speed) 19 cross point
Wireless flash control of remote flash built in
Better ergonomics (control dials etc..)
Better customisation of the control scheme
Weather sealing

Cons:-
Had to buy expensive Compact flash (need the new UDMA ones for video)
Heavier (but nicely balanced)
Cost
 
mipevo6 said:
I just moved 450D to 7D, I did consider 550d and 50D, but felt that it was just a small step up and that I would be looking to upgrade again in a short time.
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Martin the thing is, you had the 70-200L IS F4 before buying the 7D so you were already on your way lens wise.
I assume you got the 15-85 when you bough the 7D and it's not a bad lens for a consumer lens.
Don't forget the op has nothing like these two lenses.
 
hashcake said:
Martin the thing is, you had the 70-200L IS F4 before buying the 7D so you were already on your way lens wise.
I assume you got the 15-85 when you bough the 7D and it's not a bad lens for a consumer lens.
Don't forget the op has nothing like these two lenses.
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True... I already had the 15-85 and it works very well on the 7D as a walkabout.

I haven't tried the 7d with a standard kit lens, not sure what the quality would be like.

I would point out that the 550d has the same pixel depth as the 7d so I assume it needs decent glass as well.

Cheers
 
Thanks to everyone for their comments and advice. Taking everything into account i think i will go the 7D route and purchase a better lens, possibly 70-200L f4 or the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. Hopefully then at xmas 24- 105 L

Regards

Steve
 
riu said:
Thanks to everyone for their comments and advice. Taking everything into account i think i will go the 7D route and purchase a better lens, possibly 70-200L f4 or the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. Hopefully then at xmas 24- 105 L

Regards

Steve
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Good luck with your purchase...

The 7d is a cracking camera...
 
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