Eos 550D or 7D for newb?

M

monster

Messages
2
Name
Simon
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi everyone, its my first post so please be gentle(ish);)
I am new to the DSLR thing. I have used compacts, and even had an old film SLR in my teens-long time ago! so I was looking at new cameras for the wife, and we decided on a G11. all good. Then I start looking for a new camera for me. I am into motorsports and outdoorsy stuff etc.
Anyway, I liked the look of the new EOS 550D. At least i did, till I looked at the 7D, cause it feels better in the hand, and is tougher and more resistant to weather right? My question is, am I being an idiot looking at a 7D as my first DSLR? is it worth the extra money?
Thanks for any advice.
 
Apart from the fact that its a lot of money to invest in a hobby without knowing if you'll keep it up, then yes, a 7D could be a good first camera. It doesn't have the idiot proof modes that the 550D modes, but it has the semi automatic modes you should be using.

Both a 7D and a 550D will punish cheaper lenses though.

There is the saying, buy once buy right and a 7D would meet that saying.
 
That's exactly the reason I bought a 350D several years ago.

If a camera feels right to you and you're happy with the cost then go for it.

Although I don't have one the 7d is recommended by a lot of people for precisely the applications you want it for.

And you're much more likely to stick with a camera you're happy with than one you're not and so you could spend less money overall.
 
I wish I'd have bought the 7D instead of the 500D.

As Andrew says, buy right the first time :)
 
Will andrewc name and shame the lenses that the 7D will punish?
 
I've had an upgrade myself and gone for lens' over body.... (400D to 50D)

I was contemplating the 7D but realised I wouldn't have the money to have a decent lens' to go with it. (something to think about)

Dismiss the 550D! IMO it's overpriced plastic whereas the 7D feels amazing and you'll get more life out of it...
 
You need good lenses as well, its not all about the camera. The 550D will give better quality with an expensive lens than a 7D with a cheap lens.
 
If money is no object, then get the best you can affford that feels right.

I got into photography only last october and already have upgraded to the 50D from the 400D, for no other reason than I got a bargain, but after using it in anger at the weekend I wished I had bought it first time round.
If you know your way around a camera then going down the 7D route will not hurt. Get good glass though, IMO its falce acconomy buying cheap glass, I found that out too.

Spike
 
Personally, I would go with the 40D (has some advantages over the 50D) and invest the rest of the money in good lenses.

As for the 7D weather seal, its suppose to be equivalent to the EOS 1N (35mm camera from the 90s), but its only weather sealed (maybe, not sure its up to the 1D series weather sealing) if you are using selected L series lenses and a filter.

It does really depend on your budget, and how seriously you want to get into motorsport, but something like a sigma 100-300mm f4 would be a good place to start, but that's £1000, on a budget, sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 is £600

As for a general walk about lens, canon 17-55mm f2.8 is ideal, £600, or either the tamron 17-50mm f2.8 MKI (£330) or MKII (IS) (£450) as alternatives.

That would get you started.
 
7D for a newb!

Has the world gone mad!?!

:shake:

IF you are proficient and know your way around metering, exposure, AF, composition................etc

then maybe, but then you wouldn't be a newb.
 
Mad Badger said:
7D for a newb!

Has the world gone mad!?!

:shake:

IF you are proficient and know your way around metering, exposure, AF, composition................etc

then maybe, but then you wouldn't be a newb.
Click to expand...

But surely all those come into play no matter what DSLR you get. They all require it,the only difference is the 7D is a much better quality DSLR.

Spike
 
Welcome to the world of dSLR.. and the millions of options and questions it opens up :D

For my two-peneth.. I started with a 350D - loved it. It was all I could afford at the time and served me well.

I then jumped up to the 40D as soon as I could - lovely piece if kit, and a move i never regreted. I would agree with Pete.Rush about getting a 40D in investing more in the glass. For all the sayings you're gonna hear as a newb, one of the best I think is "ok body and best glass is better than best body and ok glass".

However, I recently (Jan) jumped to the 7D.. very happy bunny indeed. It is a different beast to any XXXD model and feels tougher than the XXD models. A colleague of mine has just made the jump from a 500D to a 7D and absolutely loves it. I still have my 40D as a backup body.

Yes there is a lot to learn, and yes it is a hell of a leap of faith to start with, but if your budget allows then it is better to invest in the best you can afford. It will also suit your motorsports shoorting fancy. 8fps just sounds sooo sweet when a bike is banking hard around a bend :)

That said, 6.5fps on the 40D is still very sweet too and you'll save a bundle of cash.

Good luck :thumbs:
 
SpikeK6 said:
But surely all those come into play no matter what DSLR you get. They all require it,the only difference is the 7D is a much better quality DSLR.

Spike
Click to expand...

But why spend all that money on a camera body when good glass is what you need, plus good glass = an investment....... camera bodies come and go, but a good lens last along time. I can see where MB coming from....
 
OK maybe we should ask the OP what his budget is as he never mentioned it and we all donot know what it is, for all we know he could be a multi millionare.

So if he is said multi millionare then a 7D with lots of L glass will not be a problem, but if he has say a budget of £1500 then a second hand 40D with decent glass will be the much better option.

Come on Monster are you a multi millionare or you working to a budget????

spike
 
Mad Badger said:
7D for a newb!

Has the world gone mad!?!

:shake:

IF you are proficient and know your way around metering, exposure, AF, composition................etc

then maybe, but then you wouldn't be a newb.
Click to expand...

Got a D60 as my first knowing nothing, and learnt about ALL of the above without touching a setting other than full manual :lol: It can be done. So I assume the same would go for a better camera.
 
If good autofocus for action is important then it must be a 7d (or 2nd hand 1D mk2 for half the price!). Remember good glass is the key, and 18-55mm won't get anywhere near it. If the funds are limited, 40D and good glass will be a better deal overall.
 
Looking back through my photo archive I think the shots I achieved with my 300D match my 50D.

It's easier to get the results with the 50D but working with the slow(er) functions of the 300D forced me to use MF & the full manual settings.

I'd buy the 550D & some nice glass (not necessarily 'L')
 
While i can appreciate the "oooooh!" factor of the 7D,i can't quite get my head round it being recommended as a first DSLR..
I guess if money is no issue then thats a different story.Still makes me cringe a little though :)
(Or is that just me wishing i was somewhat richer? :nuts:)
Whatever you end up buying,may it bring you a lot of happy times!
(Mumble...and if its the 7D no doubt it will)
 
I agree with Spike, We really need to know the budget of the OP. That will give us all better information which will give the OP a better informed choice.
 
Hi Monster and welcome.

I was in a similar situation to you a few years back. I looked at the 400D (the equivalent at the time to the 550D now) and also the 40D (the equivalent of today's 50D - the 7D is a new line and had no equivalent then)

At the time although I could afford the 40D and a couple of lenses I couldn't justify it!

So I plumped for the 400D, bought an extra lens or two and then build up my lens collection over the next few years.

I recently got the 7D as I wanted better ISO and better AF. No regrets though on the 400D - it was a great introduction to SLR photography for me.

So what I would say to you is consider the following whilst trying to make your choice:-

1) If you're really stretching the budget go for the 550D you will need accessories - bag / memory / tripod / filters etc etc endless money pit hobby!
2) Consider the 40D / 50D also, somewhere between the 400 / 500D and the 7D. The 40 / 50D is a much better build body than the 550.
3) There is a big old learning curve with the 7D. A lot of settings to fiddle and if you don't get things right you might struggle / get frustrated. Less to get wrong with the 500D / 50D. Obviously this depends on your experience.

Hope this helps

Mark F
 
Not that long a go we got an introductory email from EdinburghGary, saying he's just splurged loads of dosh on a reasonably high end Nikon setup and that he didn't have a clue what any of the buttons do. Two years later and he's got a high street studio.

Many thought he was mad to spend all that money starting out, but he was from the 'buy once, buy right' school of thought, rather than the start from the bottom and work your way up methodology.
 
hi everyone,
Thanks for all of the advice. I really appreciate it. I think that i may have come over as a bit of an over minted c_ck! Oh dear. Anyway, I did motocross till last year. Ive done it for alot of years, and i fell off last year and buggered my left shoulder. I think thats my lot for a while, So selling the bike this week. Should have budget of 2500. I know its alot of money to plough in at the start, but when i buy stuff i try and do it for tomorrow and not for today. I do the same with computers. Works for me. Again, thanks for everyones time and advice.
 
monster said:
hi everyone,
I think that i may have come over as a bit of an over minted c_ck! Oh dear.
Click to expand...

Not at all. With that budget you should do OK!

All I will say is if you have to make a few compromises due to budget, spend the best you can on glass.
 
I can never understand why these two DSLRs get compared with one another. The 550D is an entry level camera and the 7D is a pro-end camera. The only thing they share is megapixel count! Either way, here's a comparison review by DigitalRev: http://biSPAM/bl6Wxw
 
I'd never dissuade anyone from buying the best camera they can afford - even if it may seem overkill given their experience. They're all basically just a light tight box, but the dearer camera has more features, so you're unlikely to outgrow it or find it wanting as you grow in experience.

The only way it would be a mistake is if you were buyng it on a whim and then finding photography wasn't for you, but that would be a mistake with any camera anyway.

I'd say get the 7D and as long as you're prepered to learn your way round it ( it's quite a complex camera, and you really do need to RTM to get the best from it) I'm sure you wont regret it. Do it with your eyes wide open though - any camera with 18 mp means you need to get very good glass to see the best results.
 
defo get the 7d, I wouldn't say it's particularly complex as others have suggested, didn't take me long to get my head around it.
 
With your budget of £2500, I would definsatly get the 7D.
You say you used to have a film camera, I take it then you have a general idea of what what with all that goes on or need to go on.
You will get some nice galss with the money you have left over for what you will want to do.
There are probably better deals out there but jessops are doing the 7D with 18-135 for just over £1500 so that leaves you plenty of money to get some other decent glass to go with it.
Maybe even second hand glass as it will save you a few hundred ££££ on new prices.

Good luck with what ever you decide to go for and best of all enjoy it.
oh something else to consider in your budget is some sort of image edting soft ware.
Alot of people on here use light room or photoshop.
I have photoshop elements 8 which i picked up off ebay for £40 ish and this does me fine, but everyone is different.

Looking forward to seeing some pics

Spike
 
I've had the 7D. Get a body and 24-70 2.8L. Keep the rest of your budget till you figure out what else you'll NEED not WANT
It'll be a great, versatile set up. Been said many times. Buy right, buy once.
 
monster said:
hi everyone,
Thanks for all of the advice. I really appreciate it. I think that i may have come over as a bit of an over minted c_ck! Oh dear. Anyway, I did motocross till last year. Ive done it for alot of years, and i fell off last year and buggered my left shoulder. I think thats my lot for a while, So selling the bike this week. Should have budget of 2500. I know its alot of money to plough in at the start, but when i buy stuff i try and do it for tomorrow and not for today. I do the same with computers. Works for me. Again, thanks for everyones time and advice.
Click to expand...

Hi Simon,

The fact you you stated you were into motorsport, I would look to invest in a good telephoto lens. Good ones don't come cheap. Therefore I would look at the Canon 50d, which has a good burst rate, a good telephoto and another general zoom lens.
As someone previously stated, a good lens is probably more important than the body. Why not price your lenses first, then see what is left in your budget for a body.

Peter
 
7D body approx 1200 pounds.

good zoom for motorsports canon 100-400mm approx 1300 pounds


There you have it 2500 and having ace equipment for a newb. As for 7d is an overkill or not or if its too complicated, when there is a will there is a way.

You buy the 550 and if u find that photography is right for you you will regret not getting the 7D in the 1st place.

If you have the budget go ace. You can always sell later at a good price. Both 7D and 100-400 tend to keep their price well... I think at least as me is newb too :D
 
I second the 100-400mm

Just got one myself, you can get very good second had ones on ebay for 800 to 900 pounds.

Leaves you a little bit of cash for a few extras like a bag memory cards etc etc etc

spike
 
For motorsport at that price id rather a second hand 1dmk2, or 1dmk3 is going Canon, and some decent fast glass again id be tempted by second hand market.

Somthing like a Canon L 70-200, Canon L300mm f4 (plus tc) or Sigma 120-300mm f2.8

The 1d's have all the basic settings you would want for motorsport use. I wish i brought the 1d's i now have before wasting time on a 350d, then the 40d's i had. Would have been far cheaper to got the secondhand body first.

If interested in any other field the properly better a 7D, i think its cheaper upgrading lenses then body, what ever you do dont get fixed on more MegaPixels being best, not always the case. An out of focus shot will be oof regardless of MP, a poor soft lens will always be poor and soft.
 
Going from a p&s to a 1D is completely ridiculous, even if it makes sense financially.

(no offense)
 
None taken, but 7d, or even 550d to 1d isnt a major jump for motorsport useage. Tv, spot metering and bobs you uncle. But for anything else then id quite agree.

I sold my first camera after just 3months
 
Cameras loose value more than good glass IMHO.

Just something to think about perhaps.

Mind you, with your budget you may be able to afford both better camera c/w better glass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top