Need a budget upgrade from a Canon 550D

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Name
Nick
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Before I go into it, I’m mainly a wildlife photographer.

Hey guys, I had a 550d about 7 years ago, sold up, but now started again, so I got another 550d and a sigma 150-600 which is great and it does the job! But now I’ve upgraded my lens, I’d like to upgrade my body, but at a budget as I don’t have loads of £! Haha. Been looking at the 7D mki yeah it’s old but the FPS is pretty quick and I’d only need to put about £200 towards it with a trade in of the 550d

What do you guys think? Any suggestions out there?

Thanks for any help!
Chilt
 
Just an observation!

I used to have the 7D and it was an upgrade from my 40D, the most disappointing thing about the 7D was how much more noisy the sensor was compared to the 40D :(
In due course I upgraded again to FF the 5D3 and the 7D was never used again........traded in eventually.

Other than that it was a superb camera for all other performance reasons :)

So IMO just be aware that you will need to be ready to handle that aspect in your PP'ing

I recall reading that the 7Dmk2 was much improved in regard to sensor noise.
 
What is your maximum budget? It all boils down to that.

Not a great deal really, I’d say £200 plus my camera so about £300ish :( haha
Just an observation!

I used to have the 7D and it was an upgrade from my 40D, the most disappointing thing about the 7D was how much more noisy the sensor was compared to the 40D :(
In due course I upgraded again to FF the 5D3 and the 7D was never used again........traded in eventually.

Other than that it was a superb camera for all other performance reasons :)

So IMO just be aware that you will need to be ready to handle that aspect in your PP'ing

I recall reading that the 7Dmk2 was much improved in regard to sensor noise.

Right okay! Might have to watch some compare videos between the 550d and the 7D and see how they stack up! Thanks for the comment.

Chilt
 
Not a great deal really, I’d say £200 plus my camera so about £300ish :( haha


Right okay! Might have to watch some compare videos between the 550d and the 7D and see how they stack up! Thanks for the comment.

Chilt

Comparison and reviews links within as appropriate
https://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/canon/7d/vs/canon/t2i/

https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos7d

https://m.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos550d

Best of luck finding an upgrade that you like and enjoy :)

PS I bought the 7D knowing, based on reviews, that the sensor was noisier (I have been shooting RAW for a good while ;)) and was pleased with its performance.......but just disappointed that the noise needed to be 'worked on'. I never had that issue with the 40D or indeed the 5D3.

PS having said that I now use Olympus and like the 7D this has noise to be copied with, this I find with different software a non issue by comparison to the 7D files.
 
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Comparison and reviews links within as appropriate
https://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/canon/7d/vs/canon/t2i/

https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos7d

https://m.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos550d

Best of luck finding an upgrade that you like and enjoy :)

PS I bought the 7D knowing, based on reviews, that the sensor was noisier (I have been shooting RAW for a good while ;)) and was pleased with its performance.......but just disappointed that the noise needed to be 'worked on'. I never had that issue with the 40D or indeed the 5D3.

PS having said that I now use Olympus and like the 7D this has noise to be copied with, this I find with different software a non issue by comparison to the 7D files.

You’ve got me thinking that maybe I’d take a FPS drop and get a better ISO handler? Mmmmmm

An alternative is the 70D which might be worthwhile looking at.

Thanks! I shall have a look at that :)

Chilt
 
An alternative is the 70D which might be worthwhile looking at.
Isn't the 70d the same sensor as the 7d?
iirc the only 2 'better' Canon APSC sensors are the one in the 7dII (not enough of an improvement) and the one from the 80d (well over budget)
The cheapest decent improvement over the 7d might be the 1dIII or IV
 
Isn't the 70d the same sensor as the 7d?
iirc the only 2 'better' Canon APSC sensors are the one in the 7dII (not enough of an improvement) and the one from the 80d (well over budget)
The cheapest decent improvement over the 7d might be the 1dIII or IV
The sensor in the 70D was the first dual pixel sensor. Image quality wise they are pretty much similar.
 
Isn't the 70d the same sensor as the 7d?
iirc the only 2 'better' Canon APSC sensors are the one in the 7dII (not enough of an improvement) and the one from the 80d (well over budget)
The cheapest decent improvement over the 7d might be the 1dIII or IV
The sensor in the 70D was the first dual pixel sensor. Image quality wise they are pretty much similar.

So would you guys just stick with the 7d? Or pay the extra for the 70d?

Thanks for the input
Chilt
 
Check out the 750D similar enough you wont need to relearn much and way better resolution and low light.
 
I can't say which is better for you. They each have their pros and cons. As you are buying S/H, factors like cost and wear and tear etc make it even more difficult. In my case I upgraded from my 450D to a 77D as it was the first camera I felt had a huge improvement in sensor, plus AF and it had video and a movable screen.
 
Nick what do you shoot more specifically than wildlife..........that's the biggy here do you need the high frames per second do you constantly shoot crepuscular beaties. Mate I started with a 550D is a cracking little camera. i've never used the 7D have a dig for a guy called Daniel Cadeaux (hope the spelling is right) he was a 7D user produced some stunning images, with that camera!! It seems from reading his posts way back that ETTR will be a big player with that camera. Mate I went from the 550 to the 1div ,MPB have some in stock circa £550 might be too much also might be worth the wait. You might find cheeper privately. It's a hell of an upgrade even though I still am blown away by that little 550. It was primarily the need to drive AF fast plus that frame rate that appealed to me. Plus it is built like a tank. so anything the UK throws at you ,you should be good weather wise. Which is always important with any UK wildlife photography: one is gonna get half drowned in this country at some stage it a given:D

Tailor what you buy to your needs mate .......................you personally , might not like the weight of a 1 series body, tis a lump. It's a tool Nick.......... buy the best one you can afford to fit into the type of wildlife you love shooting most. Mate the 1div was four thousand pounds or there abouts when new under £600 represents one hell of a tool for wildlife image making.. I'd get me head down and save a bit more .

I can't provide you with anything constructive on other cameras I've only used three DLSR's full stop. i'm no tech head

I only know this little bit

..going from a 550D to a 1Div is a tiny bit mind blowing:LOL:. That jump wont make you a better tog. But it will allow you to make images far more reliably than you can in certain situations because of the more advanced AF and the speed of it. it will allow you all the focal points to compose if there is time or close. it can be flipped effortlessly it's a pro camera to shoot wildlife a few years back. Modern sensors are better in low light more advances in AF but only incrementally better. A 1div is a really really good tool for the money right now.

I repeat best tool for you not me :) see if you can find someone local and try some bodies Nick, you need them in your hand. We are all different the weight and size of a canon one series could have huge implications for some of us,it's not just about pixies and AF speed and iso performance you have to be able to maul this stuff to your subject to some level or other ..

stu
 
The 7D is a very nice camera except the sensor is near identical to the 550D. A tiny bit worse some say actually.

Apart from that it is excellent, I think I owned 3.

One of them I bizarrely bought for £230 about 16 months ago and it was literally as new with only about 5000 shutter count.
 
To look from another perspective - will the spend of £200 and the trade-in of a reasonable body give you the 'difference' in images you might be expecting? Would there be mileage in concentrating on your technique - using what you have to the best of its ability, and save a little more in the bank until you get enough to make the upgrade worthwhile? We often keep wanting better stuff when we actually need to focus on becoming a better photographer first :) (And I'm not saying you're bad!!!!!)
 
I had a 7d, lovely camera function wise, but exposure needs to be spot on otherwise it's noisy even at low ISO
No idea about other options I changed from Canon years ago, but the 1Div sounds like the way to go
 
Nick what do you shoot more specifically than wildlife..........that's the biggy here do you need the high frames per second do you constantly shoot crepuscular beaties. Mate I started with a 550D is a cracking little camera. i've never used the 7D have a dig for a guy called Daniel Cadeaux (hope the spelling is right) he was a 7D user produced some stunning images, with that camera!! It seems from reading his posts way back that ETTR will be a big player with that camera. Mate I went from the 550 to the 1div ,MPB have some in stock circa £550 might be too much also might be worth the wait. You might find cheeper privately. It's a hell of an upgrade even though I still am blown away by that little 550. It was primarily the need to drive AF fast plus that frame rate that appealed to me. Plus it is built like a tank. so anything the UK throws at you ,you should be good weather wise. Which is always important with any UK wildlife photography: one is gonna get half drowned in this country at some stage it a given:D

Tailor what you buy to your needs mate .......................you personally , might not like the weight of a 1 series body, tis a lump. It's a tool Nick.......... buy the best one you can afford to fit into the type of wildlife you love shooting most. Mate the 1div was four thousand pounds or there abouts when new under £600 represents one hell of a tool for wildlife image making.. I'd get me head down and save a bit more .

I can't provide you with anything constructive on other cameras I've only used three DLSR's full stop. i'm no tech head

I only know this little bit

..going from a 550D to a 1Div is a tiny bit mind blowing:LOL:. That jump wont make you a better tog. But it will allow you to make images far more reliably than you can in certain situations because of the more advanced AF and the speed of it. it will allow you all the focal points to compose if there is time or close. it can be flipped effortlessly it's a pro camera to shoot wildlife a few years back. Modern sensors are better in low light more advances in AF but only incrementally better. A 1div is a really really good tool for the money right now.

I repeat best tool for you not me :) see if you can find someone local and try some bodies Nick, you need them in your hand. We are all different the weight and size of a canon one series could have huge implications for some of us,it's not just about pixies and AF speed and iso performance you have to be able to maul this stuff to your subject to some level or other ..

stu

Thanks for the big great response! I’m mainly a bird photographer, so the high FPS is a upgrade for me In itself, I’ve just checked the price of the 1Div and for a battered one it’s £550 and decent condition your looking at £850ish which I’d have to save a while for that as the house I’m saving for would come first and I doubt I’d have a Mrs if I got that! Hahaha! But thanks again for the great reply!

Chilt
 
To look from another perspective - will the spend of £200 and the trade-in of a reasonable body give you the 'difference' in images you might be expecting? Would there be mileage in concentrating on your technique - using what you have to the best of its ability, and save a little more in the bank until you get enough to make the upgrade worthwhile? We often keep wanting better stuff when we actually need to focus on becoming a better photographer first :) (And I'm not saying you're bad!!!!!)

I totally understand where your coming from, I was using a 55-250stm lens for My wildlife and I got some great shots.. just frustrating when I ain’t got that extra zoom, and my main focus is the shutter speed upgrade I think!

Thanks for the comment
Chilt

I had a 7d, lovely camera function wise, but exposure needs to be spot on otherwise it's noisy even at low ISO
No idea about other options I changed from Canon years ago, but the 1Div sounds like the way to go

Yeah I find the 550D quite noisy so the 7D would be the same! Which living in the uk.. could do with something that handles
Light a bit better!

Thanks for your reply

Chilt
 
Nick, I have to be a little brutal here, but with your budget, you're going to have to make some serious compromises and decide of its worth it for you or not.

I've had a 7d and its going to give you the same IQ as the 550d. Better AF, yes (although still not the best) and a faster frame rate, but the end result won't blow your socks off compared to the 550d.

750d will give you a better sensor, and for me, this is where the key lies - better image quality. When you break down frames per second and realise you're still missing a huge portion of the action in a second you might think this camera is the best bang for your pound.

As an outsider, you could get an old 1d3. I also had one of these at the same time as the 7d. Better AF and IQ but it comes with a large caveat - you need to be shooting your subjects without the need to crop too much. If you can, the IQ is excellent for a camera of its age, but if you're expecting to be able to crop away 80% of the frame to get a high quality shot of a small bird, you're going to be disappointed.

Maybe just working with what you have, work on the fieldcraft, maybe take a workshop with the saved money might be an idea

Mike
 
Nick, I have to be a little brutal here, but with your budget, you're going to have to make some serious compromises and decide of its worth it for you or not.

I've had a 7d and its going to give you the same IQ as the 550d. Better AF, yes (although still not the best) and a faster frame rate, but the end result won't blow your socks off compared to the 550d.

750d will give you a better sensor, and for me, this is where the key lies - better image quality. When you break down frames per second and realise you're still missing a huge portion of the action in a second you might think this camera is the best bang for your pound.

As an outsider, you could get an old 1d3. I also had one of these at the same time as the 7d. Better AF and IQ but it comes with a large caveat - you need to be shooting your subjects without the need to crop too much. If you can, the IQ is excellent for a camera of its age, but if you're expecting to be able to crop away 80% of the frame to get a high quality shot of a small bird, you're going to be disappointed.

Maybe just working with what you have, work on the fieldcraft, maybe take a workshop with the saved money might be an idea

Mike

Thanks for your reply mike, I shall take a look at the 750D, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my 550D and it really does do the job! It’s a fantastic little camera!

All I was thinking was doing a bit of a upgrade while I had the chance cause once I’ve bought my house I really don’t think camera equipment will be in the running haha! But I’m going to do some carful thinking about what I’m going to do!

Thanks for your comment
Chilt
 
The 750D does look quite good and at nearly the same price as the old 7D... Mmmmmmm got some thinking to do here!

Thanks
Chilt
 
Hello I own the 550 D and 7D mk 1 and mk 2
The image quality from all 3 is excellent and I don’t think you will see any difference in image quality in going to a 7D mk1 what is good though is the controls on the 7D are so much better than the 550D
The 7D mk 2 is a step above the mk 1 tho especially the autofocus
It’s also possible to have AI servo focus and one shot focus assigned to each one of the back buttons for wildlife photography it’s worth it for that alone (with the mk 2)
 
Not sure if there are any 800Ds on the s/h market yet but it's an improvement again over the 750D. Might be a bit out of your reach atm though.

Hey yeah the 800D is out my price range :(

Thanks
Chilt

Hello I own the 550 D and 7D mk 1 and mk 2
The image quality from all 3 is excellent and I don’t think you will see any difference in image quality in going to a 7D mk1 what is good though is the controls on the 7D are so much better than the 550D
The 7D mk 2 is a step above the mk 1 tho especially the autofocus
It’s also possible to have AI servo focus and one shot focus assigned to each one of the back buttons for wildlife photography it’s worth it for that alone (with the mk 2)

Well im not disappointed with the image quality of the 550D I think it’s very good really for such a small cheap camera so that’s not an issue, it’s mainly the FPS and I’d say the ISO in low light but I’d have to pay a fair bit of money to get a good low light canon camera!

Thanks
Chilt
 
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