Another what camera thread

Currently have an XSi. I've been wanting to upgrade for a while now. I waited for the 70d to come out and have almost pulled the trigger a few times.

The majority of what I shoot is for work which is real estate photography - I mainly use the Sigma 10-20. Outside of work I shoot landscapes (both day and night) and wildlife.

Part of me wants the 6d and part of me wants the 70d.

I don't really care about the video of either camera - I have an HD video camera and a gopro. I like the articulating screen on the 70d. I like the extra "reach" of the crop for wildlife. I like the high ISO of the 6d.

I think I'm leaning 6d right now and that would mean selling some lenses to get a FF lens.

I'm not in any rush. I'll probably wait to see if there's any Black Friday deals or this will be a Christmas present to myself. Or buy used.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Go with the 6D since the majority is real estate/landscape photography.

You can always get an APS-c camera later if you get into wildlife photography heavily.

6D for best real-estate and landscapes, but with compromised reach for wildlife performance.
70D for best wildlife performance, but compromised dynamic range with real-estate and landscapes.

Unless you buy both, you can't have the best of all you want to do in one single camera, so pick what's most important and go with the camera best suited to your priorities.

NOTE: My use of "best" and "compromised" are within the limited parameters set in the original post (6D or 70D), and are not to be interpreted as having meaning beyond those limits.

I agree with above

6D for real estate
70D for wildlife

More to the point... what do you do with your real estate and landscape shots?

If you don't make big prints... really big prints, the 6D might be overkill. If all you do with the RE shots is make brochures and post some online, 7D would be fine for the purpose.

You don't list your other gear, but it can get really expensive replacing crop lenses with FF lenses. Lenses compatible with FF also tend to be larger and heavier.

Heya,

I'd lean on the 6D based on what you're talking about. It's plenty good for wildlife. You just need longer lenses for different wildlife depending on what you're shooting. But if it's not your primary thing, I'd not stress wildlife. Sounds like your primary thing is more suited to full frame and wider angles. So I'd go that route. And if you need reach, then just start shopping/saving for a really long lens (400mm starting point as a suggestion).

Very best,

amfoto1 wrote in post #17238039
More to the point... what do you do with your real estate and landscape shots?

If you don't make big prints... really big prints, the 6D might be overkill. If all you do with the RE shots is make brochures and post some online, 7D would be fine for the purpose.

You don't list your other gear, but it can get really expensive replacing crop lenses with FF lenses. Lenses compatible with FF also tend to be larger and heavier.

The real estate stuff is used for brochures and online. Landscapes and wildlife pics are occasionally printed to hang in the house.

The only lens I currently own that would work on FF is the Sigma 150-500 OS. So buying a 6d would also require getting a lens for real estate.

I wouldn't mind buying a 6d now and waiting to buy a lens a little later and just continuing to use what I have now. We're getting ready to hit our slow time of the year for listings. That's why I'm not in any kind of rush.

The 6D is what you want.

Full frame is the future, and crop sensors will always be a compromise.

fordbjr wrote in post #17237758
Currently have an XSi. I've been wanting to upgrade for a while now. I waited for the 70d to come out and have almost pulled the trigger a few times.

The majority of what I shoot is for work which is real estate photography - I mainly use the Sigma 10-20. Outside of work I shoot landscapes (both day and night) and wildlife.

Part of me wants the 6d and part of me wants the 70d.

I don't really care about the video of either camera - I have an HD video camera and a gopro. I like the articulating screen on the 70d. I like the extra "reach" of the crop for wildlife. I like the high ISO of the 6d.

I think I'm leaning 6d right now and that would mean selling some lenses to get a FF lens.

I'm not in any rush. I'll probably wait to see if there's any Black Friday deals or this will be a Christmas present to myself. Or buy used.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

A friend of mine used to shoot real estate. It was real rough photography, like shooting out of the car window and then off to the next property. The important thing was speed, getting as many properties done as possible in a short time. Does this sound like what you do? If so, your XSi is over-qualified.

On the other hand, if you take your shots carefully off a tripod, that would justify a 6D.

Archibald wrote in post #17238266
A friend of mine used to shoot real estate. It was real rough photography, like shooting out of the car window and then off to the next property. The important thing was speed, getting as many properties done as possible in a short time. Does this sound like what you do? If so, your XSi is over-qualified.

On the other hand, if you take your shots carefully off a tripod, that would justify a 6D.

Not at all. The houses I do are all in the same development and are $350k-$2mil+

fordbjr wrote in post #17238316
Not at all. The houses I do are all in the same development and are $350k-$2mil+

So there is income to be had in this decision? That makes it very easy: put your money where your money is. If you make money from real-estate, spend your money on a camera optimized for real-estate photography.

If money was no object, you wouldn't be asking, you would just buy the 6D or better. Judging by your comments, I would go with the 70D, keep your current lens lineup and great for wildlife. Can't really have both in one, either you go FF or APS-C. If you haven't had any issues or any need for FF other than better low light, I would stick with the 70D. I think is a very powerful camera and going from what you have now to that would be like going from a "good, decent" transportation to a new Vette!

Be wary of this advice. My girlfriend owns a 70D, and my full-frame 5D II creates more crisp image files with lower noise and allows for better shadow recovery and less likely highlight blowout than her 70D does.

I've directly compared both of them in several little photograph hikes and outings we've done together, and the 6 year old full frame always outperforms the 1 year old top-of-the-line crop sensor.

Definitely go with the full frame 6D. The 6D is even newer than the 5D II, so of course it'll be better than the 70D since the 5D II is already outperforming it.

enrigonz wrote in post #17238567
If money was no object, you wouldn't be asking, you would just buy the 6D or better. Judging by your comments, I would go with the 70D, keep your current lens lineup and great for wildlife. Can't really have both in one, either you go FF or APS-C. If you haven't had any issues or any need for FF other than better low light, I would stick with the 70D. I think is a very powerful camera and going from what you have now to that would be like going from a "good, decent" transportation to a new Vette!

The 6D is nice for RE photography, but with a good lens the 70D isn't bad either. If you're shooting on a tripod, you can easily grab an extra exposure for the highlights if you find you can't bring one exposure back enough in post. The really nice thing about the 70D for that kind of work is the tilt/swivel screen. It's so much more comfortable to work with.

You can see that I chose both. The 6D files are a bit more pliable, and I really enjoy that camera, but the 70D is no slouch either, especially with carefully lit scenes.

If it is purely a business decision the 70D is more than capable. You haven't said your XSi is holding you back for work.

If it is also for personal use and you throw in some wants then I'd go for the 6D.