Worth upgrading my 7D?

kcbrown wrote in post #14787010
But not as good as what you'd get with the reach of the 1D4.

The pixel density of the 1D4 is such that if it were scaled to full frame size, it would have 27 megapixels, while the 5D3 has 22.


No, considering your needs, it seems to me that the 1D4 is the most logical choice for you: more pixels on target than the 5D3 and better weather sealing (all bets are off if you change lenses in the rain, though! ).


However, nothing gets you the pixels on target of your 7D, which would get you 46 megapixels if its sensor were scaled to full frame size.

If pixels on target are of greatest importance to you (and they seem to rank right up there!), then stick with the 7D, use a rain hood with it, and stop changing lenses in the rain without cover!

I actually hadn't considered it this way.

So a image size wise and quality of crop, a 7D>1D4>5D3 because of the pixel density over the size of the sensor?

So if I pick the 1D4, I get better body weathre wise, and I can use my lenses with 2x or 1.4x TCs (depends) to get a better reach (because of the F/8 AF).
But on the other hand I can crop better (more MP) and get less soft images (only 1.4x TC) from the 7D?

I guess that makes the 7D my main option and a more sensible one.
So at most, I get another 7D so I don't need to change lenses, and call it a day and save a few thousand bucks which I can spend on a better rain cover for the body.

BugNyou wrote in post #14789194
I actually hadn't considered it this way.

So a image size wise and quality of crop, a 7D>1D4>5D3 because of the pixel density over the size of the sensor?

So if I pick the 1D4, I get better body weathre wise, and I can use my lenses with 2x or 1.4x TCs (depends) to get a better reach (because of the F/8 AF).
But on the other hand I can crop better (more MP) and get less soft images (only 1.4x TC) from the 7D?

I guess that makes the 7D my main option and a more sensible one.
So at most, I get another 7D so I don't need to change lenses, and call it a day and save a few thousand bucks which I can spend on a better rain cover for the body.

Well, if you include the use of a 2x TC on the 1D4 versus the 1.4x on the 7D, then the 1D4 actually wins, but barely. Between the pixel density of the 7D and its 1.6x crop, the 7D has a 1.3x advantage over the 1D4 in terms of linear (i.e., per side) pixels on target when the same focal length lens is used (including TCs). But the 1D4 can make us of an additional 1.4x in terms of TC, so it wins, by 7% on a side (or a factor of 1.07: 1.4/1.3) in terms of pixels on target.

However, you pay big for that small advantage. The money that you'd spend for the 1D4 can be spent on lenses for the 7D to extend its reach even further.

So yeah, I'd stick with the 7D unless you find something about it limiting you that the 1D4 would solve (like high ISO capability).


One more thing: the weathersealing of the 1D4 won't save you for lens changes. Changing the lens in the rain on the 1D4 will damage it just the same as it would the 7D (you're exposing its innards to moisture at that point), so if you got a 1D4 you'd still have to contend with that problem. Furthermore, the sealing of the 1D4 is really only effective if the lens is sealed as well (you can tell if it is by whether or not it has a rubber gasket at the base of the lens mount), and not all Canon L lenses are sealed.

Thank you for the advice

I think I will just stick to the 7D for now and just get a better rain cover for it.