Going to upgrade from an XS...your thoughts are appreciated

I have the upgrade bug and am trying to decide which body better suits my needs. I'm leaning towards the 7D. Debating between the 7D and 50D.

I currently enjoy taking macro and wildlife photos as well as general walk around stuff (vacation and family mostly).

I got the XS to get into photography and feel I have out grown it. Especially with regard to its wildlife abilities.

My question, is the extra $700 for the 7D justified? Video interests me but image quality in my photos is far more important. The local camera shop did a pretty good job selling the 7D's image quality over the 50D but I would like your thoughts.

Also, given my current lens line up should I focus on better glass instead? I would hate to buy the 7D and have the glass negate all the cool improvements of the 7D or 50D.

I have been going back and forth all day with this and your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

That's a tough one. If I was thinking about purchasing a 7D I would probably just go to the FF and get a 5DMII and spend even more money. I don't think you'll be disappointed with a 50D.

I started with XT in 2005 and upgraded to the 7D in December. When the 50D came out, I was disappointed by the upgrade from the 40D and that it really didn't bring anything new to the table.

The 7D brings a lot of new bells and whistles. Better AF, 8 FPS, and video to name a few. It was a bigger jump than 50D, but I went for it and I'm glad I did. This camera should hold me for a while.

Someone had a similar question here:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=829565

Your lenses are decent IMO. A body would be a good idea. The XS is kind of lacking IMO.

i had a 50d a few weeks back.. really nice!

cant really say my 5d2 pics are soooooo much better... i just wanted the full frame. i say go with the 50 and use the $700 on an L series lens

heres a 17-40L for $730 new

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com/c/search?Ntt=CA1​7404LEF&N=0

I can't really recommend a 17-40L on a crop... Tamron 17-50 would serve you better IMO. Don't get caught up with the whole L craze. Not all L lenses are amazing and there are plenty lenses that are amazing that are not L's.

The 40D would be another one to consider, I've used it extensively for wildlife and found it to work great (And the 40D is extremely similar to the 50D with the difference being resolution and microadjust). I currently own both the 40D and 7D so I'll share some of my observations between the two. My thoughts will more than likely hold true for the 50D as well, because the two have the same autofocus system and similar high ISO performance.

I've found the extra resolution is nice on the 7D, although unless you print large you'll not need it. So I wouldn't put one camera over the other purely based on resolution. Autofocus is noticeably better on the 7D and I find that I trust it a bit more than the 40D. The viewfinder on the 7D is significantly better than the 40D, the 40D's viewfinder looks small and dim in comparison. There is a slight difference in feel for the grips of both cameras, I don't find either better than the other, just a bit different.

As for ISO performance, in my experience I find that for the 40D ISOs 100-800 are extremely usable with a noticeable loss of detail at ISO 1600 but it is still very usable. For the greatest detail I use 100-400, as 800 there is a bit of a detail loss compared to lower ISOs although it is well within my tolerances. With the 7D I find 100-1600 are extremely usable, with 100-800 retaining the greatest amount of detail. ISO 3200 is usable and is just a bit worse than ISO 1600 on the 40D. The ISO difference is about 2/3 of a stop to 1 stop in my opinion.

The burst rate is another difference, the difference between 6.5 and 8 FPS is noticeable, although either will be a hug leap compared to your XS. I've never felt that 6.5 FPS was holding me back though, so I wouldn't get the 7D solely for that feature, but it is nice. And that's really all the noticeable differences between the two from my experience of using both extensively. As far as your situation, I'd recommend getting a used 40D, as they can be had for less than $600 now and the price won't really get that much lower anymore. Perhaps it'll drop $1-200 more in the next year or two, but that's a lot less than the 50D or 7D will drop in that same time period. So if you find that you need something more, you could sell it off with little loss.

So IMO I'd recommend the 40D and use the $1200 that you saved over the 7D to get a nice telephoto prime and perhaps a teleconverter. I'd probably get the Canon 300mm ƒ/4L IS and Canon 1.4x extender, the 300mm is a very sharp lens and you should notice a big difference compared to your Tamron 200-500.

I own the 7D and bought the 50D for my daughter. Both are great, but the 7D is superior. My older 5D still beats the 7D for best image quality. Choosing which camera really depends on your needs and what you plan to shoot most. Sports, and faster moving subjects, the 7D wins. Good luck.

I jumped from the XS to the 7D and have no regrets.

Thanks all for the help. It's greatly appreciated.

A 40D plus a nice fast prime or telephoto (300 IS or 400) is a good thought too.

Is the 40D getting bit long in the tooth though? The ISO on the 40D concerns me.

BKATX wrote in post #9644516
Thanks all for the help. It's greatly appreciated.

A 40D plus a nice fast prime or telephoto (300 IS or 400) is a good thought too.

Is the 40D getting bit long in the tooth though? The ISO on the 40D concerns me.

I don't think it's getting long in the tooth. Not very much at all changed when they went to the 50D, it got a decent bump in resolution and microfocus adjustment. It was a very disappointing upgrade IMO. And what about the ISO on the 40D concerns you? I get very usable shots at ISO 1600, the 50D is very similar in ISO performance. Take a look at this photograph, it was taken with the 40D at ISO 1600.

there was a lot more involved in the 40-50d jump... trust me.. i had both in the last 3 months.

the rear screen alone was enough a reason to upgrade, sRAW, micro gapless lens, 50% jump in MP, better weather protection...

image quality was about the same yeah... but its only a $100 or so difference in cost... id just get the latest... not something already outdated

sRAW? Really? all those L lenses and 21MP just to shoot sRAW?

Doc Fluty wrote in post #9644586
there was a lot more involved in the 40-50d jump... trust me.. i had both in the last 3 months.

the rear screen alone was enough a reason to upgrade, sRAW, micro gapless lens, 50% jump in MP, better weather protection...

image quality was about the same yeah... but its only a $100 or so difference in cost... id just get the latest... not something already outdated

I have the 7D so I've used the new screen but I really don't see why it's such a big deal. I would never check focus on the camera's LCD and menus really don't need the bump in resolution. The others seem to me to be negligible differences.

And the cost difference is a heck of a lot bigger than $100, right now on Fred Miranda there is a 40D for $550. The 50D is still going for over $800 used. That's a $250 difference or almost 50% more in cost, that's significant. And the 50D is more than likely going to be the next camera to be upgraded which will cause its value to go down significantly. Better to buy something that has already lost most of its value than something that is about to lose a lot of its value IMO.

themadman wrote in post #9644601
sRAW? Really? all those L lenses and 21MP just to shoot sRAW?

The 50D is a 15MP camera, although I do see your point. I've never shot sRAW and can't see myself ever shooting it.

My mistake, I had the 5D2 in my head for some reason.