upgrade from Canon 450d to 7d?

RPCrowe wrote in post #16618330
That is totally a matter of opinion. I will grant that if video is your aim, the 70D is probably the best Canon camera on the market (still falling way behind a capable top line dedicated video camera).

The continuous auto focus of the 70D with the proper lens is great. However, if you equip your camera with an STM lens (which is needed for continuous video autofocus), you are certainly not working with the highest quality lens for still photography! The 18-135mm STM and 18-55mm STM lenses are nice but, their image quality is laughable in comparison with the image quality of top-line Canon glass...

If ultra high ISO is an absolute must, perhaps you might look on the dark side and consider Nikon gear.

By the way, a refurbished 7D is less expensive than a new 70D and a refurb 60D is less than half the cost of a new 70D. Doubtless, when refurb 70D cameras come on the market, their prices will be lower.

There are bells and whistles on the 70D which to me are totally irrelevant and useless (but, obviously this is not true for all photographers) such as an articulating LCD, in camera HDR and Wi Fi capability. I personally consider touch screen operation useless in still photography and simply a novelty in shooting video...

I wish that Canon would bring out a 1.6x camera which had:

ISO-25 capability... I would use this far more frequently than the gazillion ISO capability now available in most cameras...

Autofocus capability at f/8... Ability to use a 1.4x TC with a 400mm f/5.6L and retain autofocus...

Audio recording capability... to link with the image and to record data regarding the image...

Dual memory card slots...

IMO: These capabilities would make the best still camera possible.

Of course the later 1D (series) cameras have these capabilities (so Canon must believe that they are wanted by professional photographers). I don't want to use the 1D (series) because I normally carry two cameras and a pair of 1D (series) cameras are just too heavy for my wallet and too heavy for my back.

BTW: The 7D still retains the best autofocus capability of 1.6x cameras...

I agree with this. I really think the best bang for the buck is the 60d, by far.

NBEast wrote in post #16618368
+1

You deserve a 6D or 5Diii. Hope you can afford it. 70D would be a nice upgrade too (so I hear). The guy at Canon repair in Irvine thinks it's the best Canon DSLR for video (for it's video-suited AF system).

I have a 7D. It's nice, but due for replacement. It would be very limiting to not have ISO 3200 but IQ suffers in dark areas. ISO 6400 is only usable as a must-have capture but the result is borderline irreparable (in the dark areas), unless the grit isn't a problem.

All that said; I agree that in your hands, you're making your existing equipment look really good. I hesitate to offer you my humble advice at all.

Good to hera mate,is there a good camera shop down in Irvine.was trying to find one in glasgow but hard to find.

jamesiecotter wrote in post #16618439
Good to hera mate,is there a good camera shop down in Irvine.was trying to find one in glasgow but hard to find.

Irvine California - home of Canon repair USA. If that's what you mean, I can highly recommend Pro Photo Connection. Sammy's in Costa Mesa is much bigger but Pro Photo has more Pros - and incredible rental and onsite photo processing shops.

My comparison is 30D, 7D, 5D, and 5Dii. "Unacceptable" is very subjective. ISO 6400 has unmistakable noise particularly for under exposed areas but I wouldn't be bothered by it for something like a band shoot. The 5Dii ISO is a bit better than 7D, but I reach for the 5Dii for other reasons. The 5Diii and 6D are reputedly vast improvements, and the latest 1D gives acceptable results on some very high ISO ranges (like 25,000) ... so I hear (and all for a mere $7K or so).

It doesn't look like you're suffering but given your incredible skill, dude, you deserve whatever suits you if you can afford it. I like the hardier feel of the prosumer bodies.

I haven't seen you mention a budget ( sorry I may have missed it if you have already ). Would a F1.4/F1.2 lens interest you ? I did see a big increase in my keeper rates when I went 450d > 7d but I shoot wildlife. The FPS really helps with shy little birds hopping in the branches.

I've just put my 450d back in the car to carry everywhere with me. I have a damaged nerve in my back, and my 7d, 17-55, 100-400 with a tripod is killing me these days when carried around. I've also recently become a Dad and take my baby everywhere I go. Babies and their kit don't come light Weight may/may not be a factor for you. I'm pondering the A7r as my walk around as a workaround to my problems.

Oh, and a great Flickr stream you have. You could teach many of the gear heads on here a thing or two about skill over kit

h14nha wrote in post #16619369
Oh, and a great Flickr stream you have. You could teach many of the gear heads on here a thing or two about skill over kit

yes, depends on the budget but if the OP is primarily into portraits then upgrading lens, lighting and maybe a 6D is the best choice

I thought that you meant Irvine in the west coast of Scotland Thats where i am from.I am stuck on what to buy,it's between the 7D and 70d. 7d looks more sturdy but is starting to hit 4 years old,While there has been a lot of good write ups for the 70d these days,hard decision to make

6D would be brilliant although i would have to get new lenses as it is a full framed camera.I am torn between the 7d and the 70d right now.hard decision to make

unfortunatly the 6D is a bit pricey plus i will need to buy new lenses all over again so i will need to leave that option for another time.I am very close to getting the 7d or the 70d.
jUST FOUND OUT THAT THE Iso 1600 WAS ACTUALLY THE CAMERAS iSO BOOST,which explains that the quality was so poor.Its a great little camera ,which i will keep as its fun to use,but it's more at he amateur end of the scale compared to the 7d and the 70d.The big boys like the 6D is something to look forward to for the future

Mike55 posted this on another thread.
http://www.dxomark.com​/Cameras/Ratings
It brings you to an ad-page but just click the upper-right link to get straight to the chart.

It rates all DSLR sensors (by camera and release date) in terms of noise, color depth, and dynamic range.

This is for sensor measurement only - totally skiping some very important factors like of "how it looks" (over processed, etc) and how the actual camera performs (AF etc); but it will answer how it stacks up for high ISO performance.

NBEast wrote in post #16625321
Mike55 posted this on another thread.
http://www.dxomark.com​/Cameras/Ratings
It brings you to an ad-page but just click the upper-right link to get straight to the chart.

It rates all DSLR sensors (by camera and release date) in terms of noise, color depth, and dynamic range.

This is for sensor measurement only - totally skiping some very important factors like of "how it looks" (over processed, etc) and how the actual camera performs (AF etc); but it will answer how it stacks up for high ISO performance.

Yes it was number 111 if I remember correctly. We all know Mike55 has a personal vendetta against the 7d, he claims to have a bad one and thinks that they're all junk, period. He regularly jumps into threads to blag them. A little further down the list though is the EOS M2 which is the very latest 18mp from Canon. The 1Dx is the first Canon on the list at number 23. Canons BEST camera at number 23...........

70D. Newer tech/sensor, WiFi, essentially the same AF system, touch and flip screen with awesome dual pixel AF system (you'd be surprised how useful it is to just touch where you want the camera to focus) for LV/video and it's cheaper... seems like a no-brainer to me... unless you reeeeaaaalllly need dual cards, joystick or the expansion focus modes. To me it'd be silly to give up all the other 70D advantages and pay more for just those three things.

And if someone brings up the 7D's "better build quality" I might have a brain aneurism.

EverydayGetaway wrote in post #16628429
70D. Newer tech/sensor, WiFi, essentially the same AF system, touch and flip screen with awesome dual pixel AF system (you'd be surprised how useful it is to just touch where you want the camera to focus) for LV/video and it's cheaper... seems like a no-brainer to me... unless you reeeeaaaalllly need dual cards, joystick or the expansion focus modes. To me it'd be silly to give up all the other 70D advantages and pay more for just those three things.

And if someone brings up the 7D's "better build quality" I might have a brain aneurism.

Hua? Same as what? 70D

7d has better AF, better ergonomics and controls and , bigger brighter viewfinder and sorry to say Everydaygetaway, much better build quality.

I don't shoot video, don't use live view much and don't care about wifi so I much prefer the 7d.

h14nha wrote in post #16627876
Yes it was number 111 if I remember correctly. We all know Mike55 has a personal vendetta against the 7d, he claims to have a bad one and thinks that they're all junk, period. He regularly jumps into threads to blag them. A little further down the list though is the EOS M2 which is the very latest 18mp from Canon. The 1Dx is the first Canon on the list at number 23. Canons BEST camera at number 23...........

The charts look like a great sensor comparison tool. If you take the chart at face value, the Canon prosumer APC line-up have marginal ISO differences over the last 5 years.

RE: Mike55 - if you raise the bar high enough the 7D won't make it. He has high expectations for himself and his gear - that he puts thru the ringer. That doesn't have any bearing on the link he provided.

stpix wrote in post #16628639
7d has better AF, better ergonomics and controls and , bigger brighter viewfinder and sorry to say Everydaygetaway, much better build quality.

I don't shoot video, don't use live view much and don't care about wifi so I much prefer the 7d.

Yup, my brain just exploded. Weight does NOT equal better build... both cameras are way more solid than any casual shooter is going to need. AF is practically the same, ergonomics is 100% subjective and the VF is so close that it makes practically no difference.

70D is the easy and obvious choice, 7D fanboys aside