If you owned a T3i would you sell it for a 7D

I'm a little torn on what to do. Seeing the 7D prices coming down so low plus the addition of the new firmware right around the corner has me thinking of snagging one and selling the T3i. I shoot mainly birds and some other wildlife plus my children. I realize they have same sensor but AF is obviously significantly better on the 7D. I don't know if I should pull the trigger now on the 7D or sit tight until the end of the year for possible replacement or make a big a step up to the 5D3 or used 1DIV when I will have more money.

mileslong24 wrote in post #14715839
I'm a little torn on what to do. Seeing the 7D prices coming down so low plus the addition of the new firmware right around the corner has me thinking of snagging one and selling the T3i. I shoot mainly birds and some other wildlife plus my children. I realize they have same sensor but AF is obviously significantly better on the 7D. I don't know if I should pull the trigger now on the 7D or sit tight until the end of the year for possible replacement or make a big a step up to the 5D3 or used 1DIV when I will have more money.

If you need the better AF and extra FPS(with birds and chidren, I'd say you probably do), then GO FOR IT!!

Life is too short...If we always wait for the next best thing, we would never get anything new.

Well the 5DIII and 1D4 are currently available, so he wouldn't be chasing smoke but rather waiting for the funds to accrue . But the 7D is a supremely capable camera for its tier, so I guess it depends on how time-critical this upgrade is. Given the chance to upgrade to a 5DIII from a t3i, I would love to do so. The step up to a 1D sized body would be a bit of a larger transition, but the gains to be had would be correspondingly larger as well.

I think that you would be perfectly happy with a 7D, however. I also say go for it.

Sure, I'd make that switch.

What lenses do you have? Unless you have something good like the 17-55 f2.8 or the 15-85, I would just stick with the T3i. The 7D likes good glass.

The T3i was my first dslr. Since then a 60D, 5D markII, 7D and a 5D markIII. 60D and 5D markII gone. The only time I use the T3i is maybe going to a restaurant with a large group of family. Takes excellant pictures and always reminds me what a nice camera it is. To sell it wouldn't bring that much money so I just keep it. For birding I use the 7D and for more important photos the 5D markIII.

Kmccarthy wrote in post #14716534
What lenses do you have? Unless you have something good like the 17-55 f2.8 or the 15-85, I would just stick with the T3i. The 7D likes good glass.

I have the 400 5.6L, Siggy 30 1.4, and 24-105L.

I say buy it, you'll like it on so many levels...

Why do you want to upgrade?

I traded T1i to 7d - night and day difference. For sure it's worth the price premium

mileslong24 wrote in post #14716688
I have the 400 5.6L, Siggy 30 1.4, and 24-105L.

I'd say go for it. Since you shoot birds, the 7d is probably the best choice. You've got some nice lenses that should work well on the 7d. You would lose signiicant reach if you went with the 5DIII.

I have been fighting to urge to make the same move to the 7D from my T3i. However, I am going to wait for the next gen model since its probably a few months away and my T3i is sufficient for now. I find my T3i AF tracking not able to keep up when I need it the most.

Lien wrote in post #14723745
I have been fighting to urge to make the same move to the 7D from my T3i. However, I am going to wait for the next gen model since its probably a few months away and my T3i is sufficient for now. I find my T3i AF tracking not able to keep up when I need it the most.

Indeed, that is where I have settled, for now. (Ask me again in a few weeks, I will probably have changed my mind )

I'm thinking the 7DII whatever Canon will release to replace the 7D should be an excellent camera. The 7D has the same sensor as my T3i, so I am hesitant to upgrade knowing the 7DII could very well have a better sensor - a few more MP and better (lower) noise would be nice.

Now, if I lost or damaged my T3i beyond repair, I'd probably pick up a 7D in a snap to replace it.

shinksma

Ya....I'm still torn and might sit tight for a little while longer. I would be surprised to see a 7d replacement until at least end of the year. My biggest need/wants in an upgrade are better AF and better noise handling. I typically try to stay at or below 400 for ISO, as I find 800 to be borderline un-usable. I know the 7d fixes my AF problems but certainly doesn't address the ISO issue. Thats where the 5d becomes so tempting because although I lost reach I gain more MP to crop with and can crank the ISO much higher. But will most likely have to wait til November for the funds for that. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

mileslong24 wrote in post #14725716
Ya....I'm still torn and might sit tight for a little while longer. I would be surprised to see a 7d replacement until at least end of the year. My biggest need/wants in an upgrade are better AF and better noise handling. I typically try to stay at or below 400 for ISO, as I find 800 to be borderline un-usable. I know the 7d fixes my AF problems but certainly doesn't address the ISO issue. Thats where the 5d becomes so tempting because although I lost reach I gain more MP to crop with and can crank the ISO much higher. But will most likely have to wait til November for the funds for that. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

Bold my emphasis for discussion points:

Regarding ISO: I use ISO 1600 fairly often and don't find it too disagreeable. But YMMV on that, obviously. Can you post some pics of ISO 800 that you find "borderline un-usable"? Just curious, as I'm wondering what element I might be glossing over (literally?) as far as noise is concerned.

Regarding 5D3 sensor and cropping to achieve 7D/T3i imagery: if you crop a 5D3 sensor image to emulate the sensor size in a 7D/T3i, you get less than half of the pixels (8.7MP) of the crop sensor. So don't think cropping a 5D3 gets you the best of both worlds.

IMHO,

shinksma