7D or 50D or Used MkIII - Suggestions?

The 50D has the same AF system as the 40D...maybe a little faster, but the same. That makes it a parallel move and not worth the effort.

Since you can get a 1DIII for around the price of a 7D, might as well wait and get that. Unless you want the megapixels and video, anyway.

The 7D is the obvious choice unless your budget allows for the MkIII, and you'd prefer it's few advantages over the 7D's many advantages.

There is no comparison between 7D and 50D IMHO... and with prices that similar,. you get a whole lot more from the 7D.

Since you're using a 40D now, I'd suggest going the 7D route. It seems to perform very admirably and you'll have some cash left in the pocket for a lens or back up body!

jr_senator wrote in post #8953668
One does not have to "own" or even "have used" an item to bash it. Based on reviews and forum member's observations I determined that both Canon's and Sigma's 20mm lenses sucked. I also determined, in much the same way, that Voigtlander's 20mm lens is very good and now have one on order.

True. But it seems pretty stupid to talk about things that you know nothing about. To say something like "the 7D sucks" is pretty stupid considering that he has never even seen the camera and that many people seem to think otherwise. Take the 50D for example, when it first was released people were bashing and bashing it and hardly anybody even handled the camera, now that the camera is in their hands the bashing has quieted down and now there are quite a few good reviews. I was simply asking the guy why he is bashing the camera.

OK, partly true, you did ask what are the grounds for saying "...The 7D sucks...". And, I wouldn't mind knowing that myself. But, you also asked, "...how can you bash a camera that you do not even have?", I responded to that.

I think the answer you want to look for are sample shots of 7D's AI SERVO... it's amazing! There are many posts showing this... I think you would give up the 40d and 50d for the 7D

the 7d is miles ahead of the 40d and very close to the mk3 in fact for wild life the 7d is now my first choice .
Rob.

Wow guys some great input here. I was always leaning toward the 7D. Firstly I'm going to put the feelers out to my pro friends as to what they will be asking for their Mk III's once they get their MkIV's. One definite feature I'm looking forward to is micro adjust just to perfect my 300 2.8's performance with converters. But all 3 have MA.

If it's more than a 7D the answer is simple, it'll be a 7D, if it's comparable or less I'll re-consider.

Keep the suggestions coming, all are much appreciated.

The AF system on the 7D is a winner - it's perfect for sports and action photography. And, the 7D will yield better low-light results. I bought one, and I was one of the few that once stated that I would never buy an APS-C camera again. I bought it and I like it! (Still have my 5D2 though!).

GyRob wrote in post #8955399
the 7d is...very close to the mk3...

I suppose that depends what one calls close. I understand the 7D has some new stuff, but for just one thing, I wouldn't want to return (I had a 20D) to the smaller viewfinder that an APS-C sensor camera has.

jr_senator wrote in post #8955545
I suppose that depends what one calls close. I understand the 7D has some new stuff, but for just one thing, I wouldn't want to return (I had a 20D) to the smaller viewfinder that an APS-C sensor camera has.

Believe it or not, the 7D's viewfinder is slightly larger than that of the 1D3. It is a 1.0X magnification, 100% coverage viewfinder, which is wonderful.

https://photography-on-the.net …5469&highlight=​viewfinder

Someone mentioned it earlier on here, that the 50d is a horizontal move more than a vertical move. If you are looking to upgrade, go for the 7d over 50d, hands down. The 50d is ok, but i wouldnt trade my 40d in for it.

Tom W wrote in post #8955569
Believe it or not, the 7D's viewfinder is slightly larger than that of the 1D3.

Well, give me 20 lashes with a wet noodle. Still, I couldn't be comfortable with a fixed focusing screen and no rangefinder (macro, MF only lenses). Nor would I be as comfortable with the lenses I have on the smaller format.

jr_senator wrote in post #8955804
Well, give me 20 lashes with a wet noodle. Still, I couldn't be comfortable with a fixed focusing screen and no rangefinder (macro, MF only lenses). Nor would I be as comfortable with the lenses I have on the smaller format.

No lashes - I'm concerned that you'd enjoy it.

The lack of interchangeable focus screens makes the 7D less suitable for non-Canon manual-focus glass. You can manually focus with the standard screen or with live view, but from what I've read, those that like to shoot Zeiss or the Nikon 14-24 on their Canon bodies tend to like the high-precision AF screen option.

My manual focus experience so far is minimal - I manually focused on the moon when I stacked teleconverters the other night, but I couldn't quite match the capability of AF. To be fair, I was squatted down, looking up at the viewfinder. I should have pulled out the angle finder for that - it was an awkward position.

Tom W wrote in post #8956397
I manually focused on the moon...

You were on the moon? Voigtlander lenses are MF as well.