Should I upgrade from 400D to 60D/7D or buy great glass?

[ZedEx]

You have made a good choice in the 15-85 vs the 24-70. I don't know why people always throw two different focal lengths up for discussion. Although the 15mm on a 7D is equivalent to 24mm on a full-frame dSLR like a 5D, the 24mm as printed on a 7D is equivalent to like 37mm or something on a 5D. It's an annoying focal length and offers no benefits. If you want a wide angle that is still L glass, look into the 16-35 f2.8L or the 17-40 f4L both of which are good walkaround lenses on a 7D

Hi

I had planned to go 550D body upgrade but 7D was also in back of my mind. I went to camerahouse and had play with both 7D and 550D. As i already have 400D so there was not big difference in handling of 550D but when I held 7D in my hand it felt great in my hands.

now i have planned to buy 7d only.

for lens i had come down to two choices
1. EF S 15-85mm (have read good reviews about it). approx $1000
2. 24-70 mm f/2.8L approx $1900

as there is huge price difference, I will be going with 15-85 at the moment.

I will upgrade lens next year to L series as i have set limit on budget to max at $3000 per year on photography related purchases.

Do you think I should wait for Christmas offers?
i have seen good offers on point and shoot in the past but don't remember about dslr promotions.



thanks everybody for replies.

[colormeter]

thanks for reply.

I just called my friend to let him know about my choice. He has 5D mk II and 24-70, 70-200 and 16-35, all L series.

He also suggested 16-35 over 24-70. he said only buy 24-70 after upgrading to full frame.

regarding video recording, he told me that there is difference between manual controls in movie mode between 5D and 7D. He said 7D does not offer same level of manual control as in 5D. I was under the impression that they both have similar level of video controls.

It is not going to change my choice but i am just curious.

[Mircula]

i would consider the sigma 17-70 as well. Cheaper than the 15-85 and definitely better value for money. Besides it is a really sharp lens!

[rhanesworth]

I am looking at the 60D. What a great camera. Compare it with the 7D and you should see the 60D is the way to go. In camera processing for both RAW and JPEG's, can correct for lens distortions. I am looking at the 24 - 105 L lens, for the money just over $2000 you can have both

[bricat]

I think I paid around $1600 for 7D grey market and bought kit lenses. Now the dollar is better again you can buy it cheaper still. And your lens can be bought grey market too. I am a novice so I bought the best camera body I could afford at the time and will upgrade the lens side when(if) money is more available. cheers Brian

[Arg]

thanks for reply.

I just called my friend to let him know about my choice. He has 5D mk II and 24-70, 70-200 and 16-35, all L series.

He also suggested 16-35 over 24-70. he said only buy 24-70 after upgrading to full frame.

regarding video recording, he told me that there is difference between manual controls in movie mode between 5D and 7D. He said 7D does not offer same level of manual control as in 5D. I was under the impression that they both have similar level of video controls.

It is not going to change my choice but i am just curious.

Video: your 5D friend does not know 7D as well as he thinks, the 7D actually has a better video setup than the 5D, though I am reporting website verdicts I don't actually know or care video too much.

Lens: you are getting strange advice from FF users, who seem to think your top priority should be compatibility with FF. I disagree, it is wrong to think you will ever need FF. And if you one day do, you can get good resale on the better models of EF-S lenses.

(1) the 24-70 is not a good focal range on 7D (38-112mm equiv) if you are looking for a bit of wide and a bit of tele in the one lens. This is a 1kg lens with no IS and no natural role on a 7D.

(2) the 16-35 is also an odd focal range on 7D (26-56mm e): very restrictive and for no gain. This lens really only has a home as an ultrawide on FF.

(3) the 15-85 is a superb lens with a great focal range (24-135mm e). I have done 2 overseas tours recently with a 35mm camera with primes 28, 50, 135 and 300mm, and on both occasions I never used the 300mm except for a few wildlife shots. So, I would have been covered by a single 28-135mm! So, it is a great focal range, recommended.

(4) if you want the ultimate and can afford it, the 17-55 is my second recommendation. Equivalent to 28-90mm it is a short allrounder and, get this, it has even better image quality than the three already excellent FF 'L's 16-35, 17-40, and 24-70! Combine the constant f2.8 and the bonus of excellent image stabilisation missing from the three 'L's, and you have the perfect crop sensor lens of this type. Fancy that: your crop sensor camera will have a superior lens to the FF's! (and guess what: the lens maketh the image more than the sensor in 99% of general photography).

Choice of camera: 550D is a great choice and a big big upgrade to a 400D. There is an online review saying huge step up from 400D in all sorts of ways, but I can't find it quickly But I have to agree with you on 7D.

[colormeter]

i agree 17-55 f/2.8 is great lens but it is bit over the budget for me now.


now with 7D, 15-85, 16/32GB CF, extra battery i will be out of pocket for around $3000.
i will wait one-two more months to see some Xmas offers.

I want to shoot new year fireworks in 7D and start new year with new camera.

[unistudent1962]

The 550D is a good choice, I upgraded from 400D and kit lenses a few months ago. Went for a 17-85 IS USM on eBay ($400, you'll probably get one for $300-$350 now). I can see a definite improvement in imgae quality over the kit 18-55 regardless of the negative comments I've read on here about this lens. I also went to a 70-200 f4L IS. Make up your mind about what you want, get the best price you can from online stores, then send an email to as many bricks and mortar stores as you can asking them for a quote. I bettered the $4500 rrp price of all the gear I bought (550D {w/18-55 IS as a backup for my 16yo daughter to use on the old 400D body}, 70-200 f4L IS, BG-E8 Battery Grip, 2 x 8GB Sandisk C10 Memory Cards, Spare Battery, Lowepro Backpack, UV Filters {for protection}) to just on $3000. Australian stock with Canon Australia warranty.

[grauniad]

ZedEx says 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is not appropriate for a crop body. I think 16-35mm f/2.8 lens is even less appropriate for a crop body. Much better to get Sigma 10-20mm or Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens for landscape photography on a crop body. But good zoom lenses are too expensive. Learn to love primes. Much better value for money. Use your 50mm f/1.8 more. Buy a relatively cheap 28mm f/2.8 for a wider angle view.
Rodney

[Ploddy]

I stuck with a 350D for years and slowly acquired L glass instead. Although I coveted each new body that was released, I stuck to my guns and got the glass I wanted, knowing that I would get teh body eventually and when I did, would have a great kit to match.

I took awesome shots on the 350D with my 24-105 L, 100 2.8 and 50 1.4 and never regretted the decision.

I am totally convinced that average body + good glass beats good body + average glass any day of the week and twice on shoot days.


As for glass, have you considered the 24-105 L? It is no good for wide shots, but as a general walkaround, it cant be beat IMHO. Also, save for the L, it may be twice the price but you will want it eventually, might as well get it first and save the hassle of selling your non-L stuff on ebay

[LJG]

If you are considering buying a 60D, it is not really that much more expensive to go to a 7D. The one thing about the 60D is it is still new, so is not discounted yet. I think it'll stay high because it will be poplular with the roatating screen so you may have to give it 6 months or longer before it begins to get discounted and come down, if you can wait. OR, the other option is a 50D and if you hunt around you can get a new 50D for under 1k at the moment and they are good buying at that price I can tell you! Then you'll have a bit left for some better glass. Good luck with it, whihever way you go you'll have a ball! Good luck.

[jamie87]

I recently purchased the 550d and just the 50mm f1.8 (changed over from nikon) and I have realised that having lesser quality lens' (eg. kit lens) is what made me outgrow my previous slr so quickly. I say invest in the glass and go for the 550d, its an awesome camera!

[Arg]

I recently purchased the 550d and just the 50mm f1.8 (changed over from nikon) and I have realised that having lesser quality lens' (eg. kit lens) is what made me outgrow my previous slr so quickly. I say invest in the glass and go for the 550d, its an awesome camera!

+1 although I would add that Canon's latest kit lenses (the IS models in 18-55 and 55-250) are a big step up in IQ from the previous Canon kit lenses and pretty much the best of all makers' kit lenses.

It is possibly time to end the "don't get the kit lenses" mantra for new Canon buyers, and instead say "look at your needs".

[blissful]

now with 7D, 15-85, 16/32GB CF, extra battery i will be out of pocket for around $3000.

This is the exact set I bought a little while ago with the camera and lens coming from DWI, the battery from Hong Kong and the 16GB CF from Cheap Chips. Total cost - under $2400.
I was fortunate that I wasn't charged GST or customs duty for the camera but even if I had been it still would have been a good buy.

I am so pleased to have the 7D and the lenses can come as I can afford them. I think I would have been wondering if I had bought something like a 550D.

[dulvariprestige]

One of the sponsors, Digital Rev, has the 7d and 17-55 for 2,400 delivered, I paid that for the body only, a year ago.

[Judi]

I've just upgraded to a 60D and love it! My budget couldnt quite stretch to a 7D, the flip out LCD screen is a bonus!