Getting Back Into Photography

Hello everyone,

I haven't been on here in a while, and I've been out of photography all together until recently. Years ago, I was big into it. I had all the studio stuff, a studio space, and mainly shot people. I had a 30D and a 20D backup. That shows how long it's been, the 30 was fairly new then. I have since sold everything, except for the 20. I also still have a 580EX II, and wireless trigger system.

That being said, my wife and I have gotten into the car show scene. I have shot a few shows, and have taken some shots for friends in our car club using the 20D. It will give me an error every once in a while, and I'm looking to upgrade my camera.

I'm wanting to stay under the $500 mark, as this will just be for fun. If it turns into a money maker later, I'll go higher in price. Looking at used cameras on the B&H site, I'm torn between the 1D mark II n, the 5D, and the 50D. I don't like the size of the Rebel line, so those are out. If I go the eBay route, I may be able to pick up a 60D.

So, I'm looking for some advice. Which one would you get in my position? The cars will all be sitting still, so no moving subjects.

Thanks,

For that price you could get into a 7D. The IIn is nice for it's age but is big and heavy, one reason I sold mine after using the 7D for a while.

I'll have to look at the 7D, I know nothing about it.

The 7D is wholly inappropriate for your stated task. It is a crop-frame sports/action camera. The 5D will give you better results on stationary objects. It is available lately for $400, or so.

Bassat wrote in post #18078566
The 7D is wholly inappropriate for your stated task. It is a crop-frame sports/action camera. The 5D will give you better results on stationary objects. It is available lately for $400, or so.

A camera is a camera, there is no dedicated action camera or stills still camera. Also since he has a "crop" camera and that is what he has always used it completely appropriate.

Strick wrote in post #18078572
A camera is a camera, there is no dedicated action camera or stills still camera. Also since he has a "crop" camera and that is what he has always used it completely appropriate.

OP could use a Kodak Instamatic and get the job done. That doesn't make it the best tool for the job on the OP's budget. For moving objects, the 7D would certainly be a very good choice. OP states the cars will not be moving.

I agree with you that there are no dedicated cameras. That does not mean the one isn't better than another in some situations. I have access to 2 Canon SLRs, a 6D and 1DIV. Which do you recommend I use for studio setup portrait work? Either can do the job. How about high school hockey or basketball? I can pound nails with crescent wrench. That hardly makes it the best tool for the job.

Bassat wrote in post #18078582
I can pound nails with crescent wrench. That hardly makes it the best tool for the job.

That's a poor analogy. A 5d and a 7d are substantially similar tools, while hammers and crescent wrenches aren't.

More importantly, the 5d went out of production 6 years before the 7d, so as you shop around for used cameras take care to review shutter count before committing to a purchase. Also, I'm curious what, if any, lenses the OP has now.

I think the two questions you should ask is whether or full frame is a requirement and do you want/need any of the new, and somewhat gimmicky, features (e.g., WiFi, GPS, Live View, touch screen, etc). All the cameras you listed can produce quality photos, but are quite dated. As we all know, for SLRs there wasn't a dramatic change from year to year, but for DSLRs there are significant differences in sensor quality.

Also, a rebel with a added grip makes it feel like a normal camera in my hands.

--just my two and half cents...

As far as the XXD cameras are concerned up to the 50D they still used the same basic control layout as your 20D, kept with CF cards, and even the same battery/battery grip as the 20D. From the 60D forwards the control layout got changed to somethings between the Rebel series, and the old style. Personally I thought they took the worst from both line as added them together. They also take SD cards, not CF. The 7D was effectively the real replacement body for the 50D. It had better sealing than the older XXD series cameras, but retained effectively the same control interface as the older XXD bodies. The main difference is the newer cameras take a different battery the LP-E6, and all of the battery grips are different between models.

Two years ago I was in a similar situation to the OP upgrading from a 20D. I went with a 50D as I could not afford a 7D, and the 50D allowed me to keep all of my other accessories, including the battery grip, which I really like, especially when working with large lenses as I do a lot, or in portrait orientation, with the extra vertical controls. If I could have afforded the 7D I would probably have gone with one of those, even if I did then try to have to save for the extras.

Personally I would steer clear of the 5D, it is likely going to be as old as a 20D, so I would not really want one as a primary camera now. Also unless the OP already only has EF mount lenses I would steer clear of a body with a 35mm sensor, as it would also necessitate a complete change of lenses, especially at the wide end, important for car shows IMO. The Canon 10-18 STM lens is significantly cheaper than any EF lens in the 16-28mm focal length range. Actually that STM lens seems to provide very good quality on APS-C for it's price.

Alan

60D or EOS-M

Car scene will do lots of portraits of people and cars, I say with the budget 5Dc. If you shoot the 20/30D era, you likely already have full frame lenses to boot.

Right now I have the Tamron 28-75 2.8. It has served me well, and does good for what I need. I'll definitely have to look at the shutter count on a used camera, I don't want one that's all used up.

Full frame is not necessary, and all of the features you mentioned, although nice, are not deal breakers. No doubt, that the Rebel is a nice camera, I just prefer the feel of the full body cameras.

I already have a ton of CF cards, and batteries for the 20D. If I want to be able to use those, it looks like 50D is the way to go.

I would recommend the 50D. Definitely a work horse, usually can be found without ton of shutter clicks.. all 9 points are cross point. back screen is nice, you can AFMA your lenses. Great all around camera. Spend the money on a great lens, see how things go, and then upgrade the body as needed. 7D would also work just fine... if you find a great deal on one of those, then go for it.

I learned on the 50D, did a ton of work with it, and only moved on to a 7DII when my needs for higher ISO and better tracking required it.

Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 11 (or higher on either) are also good deals to start with.

In the future, if you like crop and want to stay there, the 80D offers the best bang for the buck on a crop sensor, and I wish my 7D2 had that sensor in it.

Good luck and have fun!