upgrade from 20D to 550D - AF performance

Hi,

I have a 20D and i like it a lot but i want to buy a new body and keep the 20D for backup.
I do mostly nature photography, landscapes, macro, wildlife, long exposure shots, astrophotography.
I have read tons of reviews, articles and everything about the 550D and 7D and i came to conclusion the 550D is a better choice for me because of the price.
It has the same image quality, metering, LCD, video as the 7D...and i could finally buy the Sigma 150mm macro too.
I would love the build quality and external controls of the 7D(as i love the body of the 20D) but i can live without.
My biggest concern is the AF of the 550D(especially the AF tracking). How does it compare to the old 20D(30D)?
I shoot a lot of wildlife, flying birds and i could use a better AF than the 20D.
I have the Canon 400mm 5.6L which is super fast and sharp but the 20D AF is not so great for fast moving subjects.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Is the question too stupid?

I've recently upgraded from a 20D.
My wife has a 450D and it's a great camera. Nothing wrong with the images, but for me it's too small (she dislikes the larger xD and xxD bodies) and I miss the wheel on the back. So I went for a 50D and so far I'm liking it a lot.

All that said, with a battery grip I think the 450D will handle much better (wife's old 400 had a grip and it was better). So from a handling perspective the 550D will also improve with a grip.

Stupidly, I can't help you on the focusing issue as I have no experience of the 7D or 550D. The 50D focusing is noticeably faster than my 20D though (which I've kept)...

I hope that is in someway useful.

Thanks a lot.
I think i would miss the better body of the 20D(but i will keep the 20D too) the big wheel and the top LCD.
How does it compare the 50D's image quality to 20D at low ISO(i rarely use above 800)?
I know i can find a lot of samples on the net but i want to hear from a fellow 20D user

blackcoffee wrote in post #10603928
Hi,

I have a 20D and i like it a lot but i want to buy a new body and keep the 20D for backup.
I do mostly nature photography, landscapes, macro, wildlife, long exposure shots, astrophotography.
I have read tons of reviews, articles and everything about the 550D and 7D and i came to conclusion the 550D is a better choice for me because of the price.
It has the same image quality, metering, LCD, video...and i could finally buy the Sigma 150mm macro too.
I would love the build quality and external controls of the 7D(as i love the body of the 20D) but i can live without.
My biggest concern is the AF of the 550D(especially the AF tracking). How does it compare to the old 20D(30D)?
I shoot a lot of wildlife, flying birds and i could use a better AF than the 20D.
I have the Canon 400mm 5.6L which is super fast and sharp but the 20D AF is not so great for fast moving subjects.

Thanks a lot for your help.

I believe the AF should be pretty much identical. The Canon 30D had a marginally improved AF system over the 20D (at least it did according to Canon) and the same system as the 30D has been used on the 400/450/500/550D.

The 7D will give you better autofocus for birds but you can do birds with a xxxD/Rebel. Please try out the 550D's controls to make sure you like them, they're different. I switch back and forth between a 500D (T1i), 40D and a pair of 1DII's, totally different controls so it can be done but it can be a bit odd for the first few minutes when you haven't picked up the 500D in a while (that one gets the least use around here).

Personally I'd recommend a 7d or a used 1D if you're into birds. With that 400mm lens you'll get better results.

Pick a used 1dmk2 for $700-$800 and kick butt with that canon 400mm f5.6. Why you want 550d or whatever that thing is.

bobbyz wrote in post #10610980
Pick a used 1dmk2 for $700-$800 and kick butt with that canon 400mm f5.6. Why you want 550d or whatever that thing is.

Yup, the 1 series AF/AI servo pretty much slaps the piss out of the lesser bodies.

bobbyz wrote in post #10610980
Pick a used 1dmk2 for $700-$800 and kick butt with that canon 400mm f5.6. Why you want 550d or whatever that thing is.

1d mk2 would be great, but i don't know if i can find for that price in Europe.
Also it's 1.3 crop and i will loose some reach but it's true that i could use 1.4 TC with AF.

I was thinking to get the 550D because of the 18MP(would be great for cropping), good image quality and half the price of the 7D. But i'm worried about the AF and i don't really like the plastic-fantastic body. 7D is too expensive because i want to buy 2 more lenses.

But thanks, i will think about the 1d mark 2.

blackcoffee wrote in post #10613003
I was thinking to get the 550D because of the 18MP(would be great for cropping), good image quality and half the price of the 7D. But i'm worried about the AF and i don't really like the plastic-fantastic body. 7D is too expensive because i want to buy 2 more lenses.

But thanks, i will think about the 1d mark 2.

MPs, image quality and other things mean nothing if camera can't focus properly. With 1dmk2 you won't blame the camera's AF. 1dmk2 and 400mm f5.6 is match made in heavens.

bobbyz wrote in post #10613343
MPs, image quality and other things mean nothing if camera can't focus properly. With 1dmk2 you won't blame the camera's AF. 1dmk2 and 400mm f5.6 is match made in heavens.

That's very true. Now i am seriously considering 1D

I upgraded from a 350D to my 40D and I would nver think small body again. Control placement, body size, and durability win hands down. Not to mention all the other 7D features.

blackcoffee wrote in post #10613372
That's very true. Now i am seriously considering 1D

why stop there?
the 1Ds is so much better in AF performance !

watt100 wrote in post #10614180
why stop there?
the 1Ds is so much better in AF performance !

The 1.3x 1D actually has better AF performance than the full frame 1Ds, it has to. The slower frame rate of the 1Ds means they actually remove some of the AF tuning that you get on the faster 1D since its AI SERVO needs to work twice as fast. Still very good though!

NeutronBoy wrote in post #10613816
I upgraded from a 350D to my 40D and I would nver think small body again. Control placement, body size, and durability win hands down. Not to mention all the other 7D features.

I purchased my 30D in addition to my 400D (now sold) and felt the AF was the same between them. When I got my 40D, I also noticed an improvement and overall quicker/more responsive. Dunno about the 550D, I would hope it would be slightly better then the 20d/30d/400D...