I need a new camera body...

[wrogers]

Hi all, I have a Canon 400D at the moment....which has developed a small problem.that seems fixed at the moment

but i want a second camera body anyway, so i can take landscapes and wildlife without swapping lenses.

so do I buy the 50D, or wait and save a fair bit more for a 7D....
I think that maybe a 50D and an upgrade of my 150-500 to a 400mm 5.6L would be a better choice...

but the 500D keeps niggling at the back of my mind as it is cheaper, and has similar sensor to the 50D, and it adds video.....

current prices:
500D body £499
50D body £699
7D body £1229
(from camerapricebuster)

what would you suggest?? is the 7D worth the extra, or is the 500D a steal??

please help!!!

Will

[MeadsMan]

Hi,I am currently using a 400D like you,and am also looking to get a second body,I think the 7D is likely a far better camera than the other bodies you mention.I am going to wait till I have funds for one.I also use the 400mm prime you mention,and I can not praise that lens enough,it turned my photography around !! Just keep in mind you can not zoom in and out,every now and again,not being able to zoom back has been a problem,but very rarely.

[Boddie]

I guess it depends on what you want to do with your images, and whether you would appreciate the extra features. I know plenty of golfers who think that using blades will make them play like Tiger, but it has the opposite effect.

[wrogers]

I want a camera with more fps for photographing my 2 dogs running...
more Mp could be useful for landscapes
better autofocus
better handling (maybe a 500d with battery grip or 50D/7D gripless)
spot metering mode (400D was last xxxD to not have spot!!)
live view (helpful for Manual Focus with x10 magnification!)
bigger better screen
and a top panel LCD would be nice.

video could be useful, as i am thinking about a camcorder, but dslr video sounds a good compromise.

also the convenience of not having to change lenses and or lending my brother a camera whilst out photographing.

and finally i can take my old 400D with me anywhere without worrying so much.

so for me that justifies an upgrade!

i will upgrade my Sigma 150-500 OS to a canon 400 5.6L at some point anyway.

[michael23]

well the way to go is really the 7d, but then there is a cost involved. Out of the other 2 personally i would say the 500d, the trouble is they are all very good cameras and a difficult choice it is! it may be worth hnging fire a bit longer and wait and see if canon are going to be releasing any new stuff in the next few months,

[Trik]

I have the Canon 50D, which was an improvement on my 450D. But it produces a lot of chroma noise. It isn`t too noticeable on a `busy` background, but, for wildlife, I like the background to be OOF, so the noise can be a nuisance. However, it is not insurmountable, especially if you shoot RAW. Luma noise hasn`t been a problem so far, even with high-ish ISO. The shutter on the 50D is louder than the 450D as well.

Incidentally, when you trade in a camera body, hang on to the additional batteries that you have bought. I traded in a 300D, and bundled in 3 spare batteries as they didn`t fit the 350D or 450D, only to find that the 50D used the same size as the 300D.

Trik

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by wrogers

I want a camera with more fps for photographing my 2 dogs running...
more Mp could be useful for landscapes
better autofocus
better handling (maybe a 500d with battery grip or 50D/7D gripless)
spot metering mode (400D was last xxxD to not have spot!!)
live view (helpful for Manual Focus with x10 magnification!)
bigger better screen
and a top panel LCD would be nice.

i will upgrade my Sigma 150-500 OS to a canon 400 5.6L at some point anyway.

Sounds like the 7D would be just what you need. Coupled with the Canon 400mm prime this is an awsome combination.

[Fourwings]

If it were me it would have to be the 7D, there are far too many issues with the 50D, quite frankly it was a step backwards from the 40D which itself had issues surrounding shutter jamming.
At least Canon actually sat for a while and re-designed a camera properly with the 7D, much the same as they did with the legendary 20D.
The 30D, 40D, & 50D were all rushed out much too close to each other without any kind of prolonged testing or trouble-shooting, Canon seem to have a track record for chucking a camera out there and letting the poor souls who buy the first ones find all the technical hitches for them.

[wrogers]

thanks for the replies...

well at the moment the 50D and 7D are on the cards..

as my camera will ideally last me a few years (2 or 3 years until it becomes a back-up) spending more is not too much of a problem for me...

and the main bonus for me (other than more FPS and possible video) is the better AF system (more cross type AF points) also live view for critically checking MF adjustments

I cant buy one until the end of Jan anyway... (grrrf VAT!!!!)
but hopefully any news of a 550D and 60D will come out then. I mean a 60D will surely be a 7D without the weather sealing!!

also the price may change although it has already been out a little while.

time to hit the review sites

[RichBrew]

Originally Posted by wrogers

...I cant buy one until the end of Jan anyway... (grrrf VAT!!!!)

I wouldn't worry too much about the restoration of the 17.5% VAT rate; it will only add an extra £12.49 on top of a £499 camera.

RichBrew