another "help me with a 7d question"

I currently own a T2i and I mostly take photos of my kids (ages 0-5). My lenses are 17-55 f2.8 / 70-200 f4 IS / 85 f1.8 / 50 f1.8 with a 430ex. I have noticed a lot of my photos come out blurry when the kids are moving or doing activities. I shoot in manual most of the time and keep my shutter at 1/400 or higher if possible. I usually use center point and servo for action and 1 shot for stationary shots.

Will the 7d's autofocus system help with some more "keepers". I know the IQ and high ISO will roughly be the same and the 8fps might help but will the 7d's focus tracking be a big leap ahead? I was considering the 5d but then I would lose the 17-55 and I would gain the ff but lose the autofocus.

Ideally it would be great to get opinions from some people that have used both bodies. Thanks for the help.

trevert2 wrote in post #11544843
Will the 7d's autofocus system help with some more "keepers".

Yes it will. The 7D will tracks and locks focus much faster and more accurately than the Rebel. I have the T1i and the 7D, the difference in AF performance is substantial.

also your shutter speeds come into play

focus.pocus wrote in post #11545205
also your shutter speeds come into play

yes but if the available light will only let 1/400th what can you do? The 7d will not change that but if the focus is lagging then the shots will be blurry...this is what I am hoping the 7d can help with.

I have even shot at 1/800th and had blurry shots when they were moving.

I have a 7D and think it is a great camera. However, with the lenses you have, you should be getting good pics with the T2i.
If you have the budget, then go for the 7D, but really, the camera you have should have a good keeper rate.
1/400 should stop most action. Have you noticed that some part of your pic is in-focus, while your kids are not?

Post some examples of the ones you are talking about.

the other thought is that all the latest cropper (60D, T2i, 7D, etc.) force the photog to work on the shooting skills while holding the camera.
maybe some of the motion is user induced.

5D and 5Dmkii are more forgiving.

I agree that user error should be the 1st thing I should look at and I have.

I went sledding with my kids and the 1st few shots were good but as they approached the images got less sharp then blurry. I was not moving since they were approaching me and it was with the 70-200 and the 85 so the lenses should have been able to keep up (they are just kids so they are not flying down the hill).

I've also had shots from the pool where the camera can not get a sharp image of them jumping or diving.
I think the t2i is a fine camera and I have some great shots from it but it seems to be lack the quick focusing I keep reading about the 7d. I hoped someone had tried out both to get a real world comparison.

which focus mode were you using when the kids are running, jumping or diving? one shot, AI Servo or AI Focus? for tracking a running kid, use your center point focus only in AI servo mode, and keep the focus point on your moving kids while half pressing the shutter button. that will keep the camera adjusting the focus continuously, full press the shutter to take the shot.
also showing a sample of one of your blurry pic, would have helped to determine the problem.

Don't be afraid to use the other 8 AF points on the T2i. You have to keep the AF point on the subject otherwise it will be oof. The 7D's AF is overkill for your kids. Honestly.

Ziffle wrote in post #11545304
the other thought is that all the latest cropper (60D, T2i, 7D, etc.) force the photog to work on the shooting skills while holding the camera.

This isn't true, as long as you are looking at pictures, not pixels. It's only if you use all the pixels to crop, then magnify the image more that you'll notice a larger risk for camera shake and sjubject motion blur. But if you magnify an image from an older camera just as much, it will be just as blurry.

This isn't true either, since you'd need a longer lens to get the same magnification, or you need to crop even more, and then you are back in exactly the same situation.

Can i be wrong? sure. but shooting weddings, small sensal (spelling) in the sensor, even using the 1/2x focal length rule as a guide, moving from 20D-50D-7D have shown my technique was poor and needed to be tuned up to get the best possible images.

from a crop sensor 8meg to 18meg and the sensor is not going to be more sensitive to movement?

and while i pixel peep ... i don't live there - i get out and take pictures.

i will politely disagree and move on.
-Mark

I have both cameras and I can say I do like the 7D better, however, I've gotten great shots with the T2i. If you are getting blurry shots, it could be the same reason I was. When following the action, I found that I was stopping at the moment of shutter actuation. (stopped following for that split second) The people kept moving, so my focus point wasn't where I had/wanted it. This is true especially when trying to focus on the face/eyes. It doesn't take much to lose such a small target, so keep the camera moving when clicking the shutter.

The 7D does help a bit because it has more points, and when shooting moving targets, I use the expanded point option. and that helps a lot.

My only complaint is, with two different cameras, I have to remember the different layouts, and for an old guy, it can get confusing in the heat of shooting.

onick wrote in post #11545866
which focus mode were you using when the kids are running, jumping or diving? one shot, AI Servo or AI Focus? for tracking a running kid, use your center point focus only in AI servo mode, and keep the focus point on your moving kids while half pressing the shutter button. that will keep the camera adjusting the focus continuously, full press the shutter to take the shot.
also showing a sample of one of your blurry pic, would have helped to determine the problem.

I was using 1 point (center) with AI servo, in continuous shooting mode. The center point was on the their body so I had a larger target then just the face. I was tracking them as they came down the hill with the shutter 1/2 pushed. I deleted the out of focus shots but I will throw some up the next time I go out but it could be a bit as my wife is overdue with our 3rd baby by a week today.

trevert2 wrote in post #11547119
I was using 1 point (center) with AI servo, in continuous shooting mode. The center point was on the their body so I had a larger target then just the face. I was tracking them as they came down the hill with the shutter 1/2 pushed. I deleted the out of focus shots but I will throw some up the next time I go out but it could be a bit as my wife is overdue with our 3rd baby by a week today.

you certainly are in the right track, but next time you try, you can try keeping the focus point on their eyes or face, as if the part you are focusing is not the same line with their face, they might be just out of focus. your T2i and 17-55 or the 70-200 shouldn't have any problem tracking the faces of running kids. so keep the focus point on their eyes when tracking in ai servo, then you can see if their face come up as sharp in the picture.

I've never had a T2i, but I had (have) an XT and now a 7D and the AF is remarkable, compared to the XT. If you click my user name and click previous posts, I posted some toboganning photos a few days ago in the biiiig 7D photo thread. You can see the kind of stop-action I got with that (and I pretty much suck). One thing I've read about the AI servo is that it's a little more challenging when the subject is moving toward you (as opposed to transverse movement, like a car at a race from the stands, which is easier to track). Also I keep my panning motion smooth while using it and fully depressing the shutter, so far have a much higher rate of keepers while panning that way.

Do you have anywhere nearby you can rent from for a reasonable rate? One of our shops here will rent the camera, card and lens for about $100 a day. Though that does cut into the upgrade budget... I just like to try things out when I can, before I make a major purchase, to be sure.