To 7D Or Not To 7D?

I am currently shooting with a 30D. I like it, it think it is a great little camera and does a lot of what I want it to do. I am primarily a live music photographer really starting to make a name for myself in the San Francisco circles and I am very excited about this (I have a cd with my artwork being released this weekend and that band is about to blow up). The problem I am finding with my 30D is some pretty heavy banding noise in images shot at 1600 ISO. The lens I use more often than not is a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8

I have really given thought to buying a 7D in an effort to increase megapixels (mainly for the advantage of being able to crop images better) and decrease noise at 1600 ISO or slightly above. I need cleaner images so as to stay in the game with pros I'm shooting alongside of at shows. My thought was that with the jump from 8-18 MP and images that I see to be A LOT cleaner from 1600 - 3200 ISO I would accomplish my goal. I have been saving money in a scrooge-like manner to get to where I can buy this body and I'm close to being able to pull the trigger.

I have posed this "should I? Am I right in my thought process?" to one professional and he said that I was correct. What do you all think?

Understand that a 5dmk2 is just completely out of my price range. It just ain't gonna happen. With that understood, now what do you think?

I don't want this to turn into a glass over body discussion I know the priority but I feel like I need to get to a current Canon body first and then look at further glass purchases at the next steps.

Thanks for chiming in!

It is a really good camera. Do you need the AF system of the 7D. If so it is the perfect make. If it is about just the iso performance you can get the 60D as well, the same sensor pretty much.

Sounds to me like the 7D would be a good choice for you, especially if you already have some decent glass.

Well 7d is a truly amazing camera I really want to move to 5DM2 maybe soon but will be a good choice for you

7D has usable 6400 iso if you do web only and are going to crop it down. It does go downhill after 3200 and 1600 feels like iso 400 on my old rebel XT. The size of the raws, with noise reduction, gives you a lot of flexibility.

This is completely non-empirical, but the 7D has very usable 3200 in my opinion.

Make sure you understand the difference between sharp images and more mp of resolution--the two are not necessarily inclusive.

shoturtle wrote in post #11634991
It is a really good camera. Do you need the AF system of the 7D. If so it is the perfect make. If it is about just the iso performance you can get the 60D as well, the same sensor pretty much.

I think that the AF is not entirely crucial but that it would become something that I really appreciate (especially when I am doing landscape work).

I was afraid that if I stayed in the xxD series I might end up with another body where I'm dealing with the banding noise of the 30D above 1600. I have read several places that the banding exists on the 40 and 50D's as well. 60D would definitely save me some money which is always needed. I love the idea of images being useable at 3200 and I've seen quite a few images taken in similar settings and conditions that lead me to believe that IQ at that ISO would be a ton better.

Thanks for all the feedback. So far I'm feeling pretty good abou that 7D.

P.S. I get the MP vs. sharpness issue. I really want the boost in megapixels more for the ability to crop images when I need to. Does that make sense?

Well if money is tight, the 60D does offer you some breathing room, and still give you the iso performance you are looking for from a 7D.

Consider the Canon Loyalty program or order a refurb from Adorama. I ordered mine this week from CLP for under $1100. I then ordered my second battery and a 2 year Mack warranty ($89) from Adorama. My reasoning was the same I need better ISO perfromance shooting some indoor events than my 40D can deliver.

Take time to watch the 7D tutorials on B&H's site. Very helpful!

Happy Shopping!

7d is overkill for you. get a T2i, same sensor, less money. You don't need the 7D fancy focus. with T2i you can have some left over cash for some glass.

Daship wrote in post #11635630
7d is overkill for you. get a T2i, same sensor, less money. You don't need the 7D fancy focus. with T2i you can have some left over cash for some glass.

But nowhere near the same ISO performance. Which is why the OP is looking to upgrade.

SharkiePhotography wrote in post #11635836
But nowhere near the same ISO performance. Which is why the OP is looking to upgrade.

Hm? ISO performance between the 7D and T2i is actually quite similar. Some would argue it's identical.

It's the other features that set the 7D apart: MFA, 8fps, 19-point AF, etc...

SharkiePhotography wrote in post #11635836
But nowhere near the same ISO performance. Which is why the OP is looking to upgrade.

Most would say that the T2i and 7D are almost identical when comparing signal/noise characteristics.

go for it.. it's a great camera as mentioned... if you're shooting bands.. the high fps will help depending on whether the lead singer is running around like some do..

also the better AF system (over the T2i) will allow more control over your targeted subjet..

just do it.. I love mine..

the t2i and the 7d has the same iso performance, just like the 60d. The only differences are the buses to the processor or processors in the case of the 7D from the sensor. They all use the digi4.