Upgrade from 40D to 7D, can one really justify it ?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #9401192
For the millionth last time, the 7D is a different line of APS-C and is not the Canon successor to the 50D. The 7D does indeed allow you to pull some shots that you otherwise would not have been able to with the 50D, depending on what you shoot. Just from the improved AI Servo II (either taken from or developed in conjunction with the 1DIV) alone...

Then again, depending on what you shoot, the 7D may just not do anything more for you than a 50D or 40D, however, the features are substantive over those two and the featureset may be enough to warrant a switch to the 7D.

Hahaha Teamspeed, lighten TF up! I was jokingly taking the P-eye-S-S out of Canon's marketing bumph, and relating it to artyman's perfectly valid comment about skipping the odd generation of EOS body!

YES, WE ALL KNOW THE 7D IS NOT "MEANT" TO BE THE SUCCESSOR TO THE 50D, COZ THE CANON MARKETING DEPARTMENT SAY SO, AND THEY MUST BE RIGHT!!!!! Sheesh!!! lol

Your second para makes some good points, tho

I'm just a newbie to photography, but I went from the 40d to 7d for 4 reasons (listed in order of importance to me)...
1) Video capabilities - I have my camera out all the time, but the video camera was alway buried in a drawer and I kept missing great opportunities to record my kids. Now it's all in one. I know it's not the easiest to use for video, but at least now I've got those moments captured. BTW - this was the winning point when convincing my wife we needed to upgrade
2) AF - I'm finding that it is tracking in AI Servo mode better than my 40d did.
3) Better ISO perfomance
4) I like the extra 1.5 fps. I plan on taking a lot of action sequences (surfing, kids diving in the pool...) and that extra click may just help capture the right moment.

As far as IQ goes, I don't think I could tell the difference between my 40d and 7d shots without very close inspection.

I don't know if that justifies the extra $$$ for anyone else but it did for me.

i went from NO D to canon 7d ....LOL

Have a 350d and last year got a used pristine 40d, but realise I'm getting a bit older, nearly 60, and since my OM2 back in the days when a £ actually had some buying power I've never had a new SLR... both the Canons were used purchases, albeit very good ones.

So for me the temptation to get a fresh new shiny 7d is, well, a bit too strong and it feels likely I'm going to go splash some cash on one quite soon.

100 to 1,I won't use the video or probably notice the extre 8Mp, or indeed the extra 1. whatever FPS in action mode BUT I wil know that I'm the first bloke to us the thing, it'll have a warranty, and I feel I damn' well deserve it.

And I would guess that I'm probably not alone in thinking along lines of this nature. Sometimes a NEW camera is what you need!

I still recall how I felt as a youngster on my way home with my new Zenit-B and selenium light meter in the car - proud as punch. I knew I'd to learn a bunch of new stuff about developing tanks and Paterson chemicals and suchlike but it's been quite a trip overall. Yes, I think that 7d will be mine over the next week or two. Maybe a new lens too, just to cap it off! (Because I'm worth it!)