Using a 60D or 7D in real life, not spec based.

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Has anyone bought the 60D and shortly after gone for the 7D?

Have you bought the 60D due to not having the money for a 7D and found that you are happy to stick with the 60D?

I ask because I’m looking to upgrade my body from a 450D. I have read endless specs but would like to hear about real life usage from average day to day walkabout snappers.

I currently have a 17-55 2.8, 50mm 1.8 and 70-200 F4 L to stick on the front of it. The dosh saved may be put towards a 100mm 2.8 USM macro.

Thanks
 
What do you photograph? The only real difference is the autofocus system.... (yes, I know that isn't an answer, but the value of one over the other will - as far as photo taking is concerned - be primarily down to the autofocus system). If everything you photograph is moving, there's a lot of added value to the 7D which isn't needed nearly as much if you're doing architectural stuff on a tripod (for example).
 
What do I photograph? The simple answer would be everything. I suppose the largest percentage would be me chucking the camera in the car and going for a walk and snapping whatever comes my way animals, landscape, flowers ect. I would like to get more into photographing people, probably at parties and social occasions, maybe one day a little candid street stuff. I can’t remember that last time I went to a sporting event and I don’t think I would be taking a camera if I did, that’s not to say it might never happen, but its certainly not a regular occurrence.
 
Have you bought the 60D due to not having the money for a 7D and found that you are happy to stick with the 60D?

Not exactly, I bought the 60D as a 450D upgrade as when I tried the 7D it was just a little too big for me.

The 7D felt more like a "Pro" camera to me and just a little too flash for a hobby.

I thought if I fell the need to change from the 60D to the 7D I could upgrade but I've been happy with the 60D.

That's not to say that wont change though.:D
 
Try looking at it from a different angle.

Is your 450D holding you back in any particular area? If so which of the two cameras you are considering will fill that particular void better?

I have a 7D and I know for me the 60D would not cut it. I need the autofocus system the 7D has for my most commonly photographed subjects.

Also, you mention that you would use money saved for a 100mm macro. Getting low down for macro and ensuring critical focus is much easier if you use live view on a swivel screen (60D). I did some macro a while back and found live view immensely useful.
 
Thanks,

Whilst I do believe its the person behind the camera that takes the shots I also believe in having the best you can buy, but at some point you have to draw the line. Unfortunatly I'm like any other bloke and love gadgets and functions that I may never use and often get blinded by all the non important extras when making a decision.

PMCGSMURF, How much of a difference has going from the 450D to the 60d been?
 
Also, you mention that you would use money saved for a 100mm macro. Getting low down for macro and ensuring critical focus is much easier if you use live view on a swivel screen (60D). I did some macro a while back and found live view immensely useful.

Funnily enough I wanted to get low to shoot some blue bells in the woods the other day and thought how useful a swivel screen would have been, I can see how it would benefit macro shooting.

I know I get bothered by noise when bumping up the iso, I also feel the picture quality just isn't good enough. I just don't seem to see the depth thats offered by other cameras, I dont think its entirly my picture taking either.
 
The pics on our 7D are much better exposed on the 7D compared to the 450D we had before.
 
What do I photograph? The simple answer would be everything. I suppose the largest percentage would be me chucking the camera in the car and going for a walk and snapping whatever comes my way animals, landscape, flowers ect. I would like to get more into photographing people, probably at parties and social occasions, maybe one day a little candid street stuff. I can’t remember that last time I went to a sporting event and I don’t think I would be taking a camera if I did, that’s not to say it might never happen, but its certainly not a regular occurrence.

Firstly why do you want to change?

I take almost exactly the same types of picture that you do and my first digital camera was the 350D which I used for around 5 years until I felt that I had outgrown it.

So I got the 450D which was excellent for the price (second hand on here) but since I take quite a lot of pics at high ISO I started looking at the 5D II, but the resolution at 3200 ISO wasn't as good as the 1Ds MkII which at that time was being advertised on here.

After some pondering I bit the bullet and bought the 1Ds II and am VERY glad I did!

For me it feels so natural and FF quality is AWESOME.

But each time I upgraded I had a valid reason and didn't change just for changes sake.

Personally unless you're also considering FF I would go for the 7D since the pics I have seen from it are excellent and the price is also very good.

.
 
Make the change either way, the general handling/controls on the 60 & 7D are alot nicer (IMO) than the xxxD range, I went from a 350 to a 40D and Im so happy with it. (will keep and just get better glass until I can afford a 5D mkII).

I think with the lenses you have the next logical step is a body upgrade. then glass, then body again.
 
I would go for the 7D since the pics I have seen from it are excellent and the price is also very good.

Canon make several DSLR's with the same chip in it so IMVHO the choice has to be handling and features as image quality will be pretty much impossible to tell apart from one camera to the other.

Personally I'd probably go for the 60D for the articulated screen.
 
I have had a 7D, 1DmkIII, 1DmkIV and now a Panasonic GF2. To be honest apart from specialist situations (aviation, marathon etc) the GF2 produces pretty much identical pictures to the Canons.
I used to have a 400D and again if I look back through my Flickr stream the images from that are still pretty close to the pro bodies.

It kind of depends what you are shooting and what you will do with the images afterwards. Don't always go for the best you can afford.
 
i looked at a 60d in jessops last weekend and immediately wanted one, but then when i looked at the 40/50d i couldn't help thinking that they will be better value for money. the 60d is approx £800 and the 7d is approx £1180 but 50d's in the classifieds are going for £500ish/40d's for £400. that's still a lot of camera for the money with similar ergonomics, semi-pro build quality and all round decent package.

i'll be a new convert to canon when i sell my sony kit and the cash saving of the 40/50d is tempting me to buy second hand.
 
Like RichardtheSane, I knew I needed the 7D when upgrading from my 400D. Swivel screen wasn't really an attractive feature for me, the AF system in the 7D was. I was finding I was missing some shots due to the 'slower' AF on the 400D which, after reading reviews, the 7D was likely to nail.

Don't forget kerso when looking to buy new stuff, I got my 7D from him for a very tidy sum, just drop him a PM for the latest price!
 
Basically I had the same stuggle in December!!
I loved the tilty monitor of 60D ....
but the tuning point to 7D is the AF points .... 60D is the same as my old 400D with 9 points only (I used only the centre one which others cant reach where I want) you will have a easier and comfort shooting experience with 19 points!!! Addition....I tried to shoot rugby in March with almost all points....they were like 98% accruate!!!!:love:
 
The thing with all of those AF points is that they're still congragated in the centre, huge areas aren't covered...

VF1.jpg


A moveable point might be more useful for some, certainly I'd prefer a moveable AF point or more coverage.
 
You dont need a movable AF point....
you can either use the AF lock or zone focusing or panning the camera....
and those points in the 7D are enough for daily use in order to form a good photo stucture!! You wont need the main subject lay on the edge of the picture though!!
BUT still .... Canon is a lot more better than Nikon's (so called "49 points"............)
 
Oh yes you do...

...If you are worried that focusing and recomposing will cause your subject to fall out of the DoF.

Of course there's always manual focus but for those of us (assuming that others are like me) who want something in focus towards the edge of the frame rather than in the centre all those points clustered together in the centre are wasted.
 
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