Okay - I just had approximately 4k fall into my lap. The mature and responsible thing would be to throw the whole amount into my puny little IRA. But, I want a new camera.
I'm leaning heavily toward the Rebel T2i because of the cost issue. Is there any reason I should go with the 7D instead. Also weighing in on the side of the T2i is that I could possibly also get a decent wide angle lens at last and replace my broken flash - all for slightly more than what the body of the 7D costs, and then be mature and responsible and put the rest into my puny little IRA.
IMHO going from an XXD series to a Rebel series is a step backwards. Look hard at the differences in the two cameras that alone should help you make the choice. You can get a 7D body only fairly cheap these days, less than $1500 new and around $1300 very lightly used.
Matt the biggest differents I can find between the T2i and the 7D besides the bodies is the fps. They have the same sensor. Everyone I've talked to says that the T2i is just the 7D in cheap clothes. I've also considered buying a 50D, but I really want that 7D sensor.
Matt the biggest differents I can find between the T2i and the 7D besides the bodies is the fps. They have the same sensor. Everyone I've talked to says that the T2i is just the 7D in cheap clothes. I've also considered buying a 50D, but I really want that 7D sensor.
Look at the number of AF points and the type of AF sensors they are.
Melissa It might depend on what type of shooting that you plan to do. What Matt said is true and they are not exactly the same sensor. I made the choice based on the ISO and the MP of the sensor. I rarely use anything but the center auto-focus point. I too had thought that the 7D was going to be my next camera but when the T2i came out I couldn't justify the almost $1000 dollars difference in price for the 7D. I love the camera BTW
Matt the biggest differents I can find between the T2i and the 7D besides the bodies is the fps. They have the same sensor. Everyone I've talked to says that the T2i is just the 7D in cheap clothes. I've also considered buying a 50D, but I really want that 7D sensor.
Look at the number of AF points and the type of AF sensors they are.
Matt
7D is going to be a more durable and better built camera. It has weather sealing and is intended to put up with higher usage (as well as shutter count). It also has Canon's wireless flash control integrated. In general, it's intended to be more flexible for a more professional user. The controls are aimed more at this, and the menus/controls are more programmable. It is the same basic difference that has always existed between the two lines. One is designed for consumers and one is designed for semi-pro.
Okay what about going for the 50D over the T2i? My flash broke when I dropped my 30D. My 30D is fine. If it had been a Rebel, it would have broken. I also HATE HATE HATE Rebel controls.
I'm very happy with my 50D. The only thing the T2i has going for it over the 50D is the inclusion of video capability. If one has small hands, they might prefer the Rebel body. Also, the Rebel has an additional cost. It will have you going out and buying new memory cards and batteries, as it uses SD cards and different batteries from the 20/30/40/50D series.
In my experience the Rebels don't focus as fast if you plan to do any action as well as the FPS and the focus dot issues already mentioned.
I'd head toward the 50D at the least or the 7D and it's weather seals for sure if it were me.
edit to add: and what yo-spiff said about batteries & cards... ewww SD! It's really really nice to have a second matching battery charger that's for sure.
ewww SD! It's really really nice to have a second matching battery charger that's for sure.
SD cards tend to be less expensive now, since they are so popular. And they are avaiable everywhere. CF cards are quickly becoming a specialty item, but I don't think they are going away anytime soon.
I think I am leaning toward the 50D. I do have small hands, but I am used to the 30D. We have a Rebel at work (XS, I think), and I hate the dag-gone thing.
When I went from a Rebel XT to a 20D, I did find there were some functions that were easier to use on the 20D. For instance, I had rarely used the focus point selection, too many button presses to get to it in a hurry. Now I have it assigned directly to the directional controller.
The 7D uses the new Canon LP-E6 batteries and the T2i uses the LP-E8. (not sure if these are cross compatible)
The 50D uses the old BP-511A which I believe are the same as your 30D.
It sucks because I had some extra BP-511A's lying around from a 20D but they aren't cross compatible with my new 5D2.
7d...of course I say that because I have one. Then, I'd get some heavy duty rock 'em sock 'em glass.
Well, the problem is if I buy the body of the 7d, then that is ALL I'm getting. My hours at my evil part-time job have been so severely cut back that I'm in absolutely no danger of being able to afford to get anything from my pay anytime soon. I'm getting a new camera because my 30d is getting old, and I need a second body anyway. But, I also desperately need a wide angle lens, and a new flash. But, at the same time I need to be responsible and put at least half of this money into savings because one never knows what the future holds.
I took some test shots with a 50d at 3200 ISO yesterday, and on the back of the camera, I saw almost no noise at all. I can't imagine what in the world I'd need to shoot above 3200 ISO for when I currently never shoot above 800 ISO. I am going to talk to the guy at our local camera shop tomorrow, and see if he'll either sell me just the body of the 50d he has in stock, or if he'll have to order it in.
I went to the 50D from a RebelXT and a short period with a 20d. I immediately saw a difference in the lack of noise. It makes the biggest difference for me when using plugins like Topaz Adjust, or PSP's clarify adjustment. I can use higher levels of adjustments and they actually enhance the image instead of bringing out noisy grain and banding. I used the "Spicify" preset on this one, which I have previously avoided because it brought out so much nasty stuff. It gave this one exactly the look I wanted.
The higher end models must give amazingly clean images, because the 50D is pretty darn good.
7d...of course I say that because I have one. Then, I'd get some heavy duty rock 'em sock 'em glass.
Well, the problem is if I buy the body of the 7d, then that is ALL I'm getting. My hours at my evil part-time job have been so severely cut back that I'm in absolutely no danger of being able to afford to get anything from my pay anytime soon. I'm getting a new camera because my 30d is getting old, and I need a second body anyway. But, I also desperately need a wide angle lens, and a new flash. But, at the same time I need to be responsible and put at least half of this money into savings because one never knows what the future holds.
I took some test shots with a 50d at 3200 ISO yesterday, and on the back of the camera, I saw almost no noise at all. I can't imagine what in the world I'd need to shoot above 3200 ISO for when I currently never shoot above 800 ISO. I am going to talk to the guy at our local camera shop tomorrow, and see if he'll either sell me just the body of the 50d he has in stock, or if he'll have to order it in.
50D has banding issues @ 3200... (everything looks stripey).. In any case, it's great up to 1600.. and there's a ton of other reasons to own this camera...
Matt the biggest differents I can find between the T2i and the 7D besides the bodies is the fps. They have the same sensor. Everyone I've talked to says that the T2i is just the 7D in cheap clothes. I've also considered buying a 50D, but I really want that 7D sensor.
Don't kid yourself. The T2i might be a decent camera, but the 7D is far better. Read the reviews objectively as if you're not going to spend money on either one of them, and you'll see the stats. The 7D will be my next camera, but I've been waiting to see what the rumored 60D offers as well. According to the latest I've heard the 60D will be announced in June...next month.
I had a 50D for a year and was never really happy with the image quality. There was noise in all photos at all ISOs and I had to run every photo through noise reduction software. Might not bother some, but it really bothered me.
