Canon 650D vs 7D

[Squidy]

Hey all,

I've been given a fantastic offer on trading in my 650D for a 7D and I'd like to know what everyone's opinion would be. I know the 7D is widely regarded as a better camera, but what is it that makes it better? From what I can see the 650D is newer (and apparently faster) and has a touchscreen which I find to be a godsend, but where does the 7D excel? Is it image quality etc?

If anyone has any opinions I'd love to hear them

[Busted Knuckles]

650 has a slightly updated sensor - if any (live view auto focus)
Digic 5 on the 650 image processor vs. dual Digic 4 on the 7d. 650 is "updated"

The difference as far as I can tell are,
Auto focus points, (have you taken that many out of focus shots?)
size & weight, construction, weather sealing, faster frames per second, penta prism vs. penta mirror (brighter), features such as electronic level and some other software bits which others are much better positioned to explain than I. Some love "the wheel" some not so much- I don't find it that much faster than the buttons.

Lose,
touchscreen, improved live view focus,


If you are longing for higher frames per second.... plan to give the camera to your grand kids in 15 years.... find you take several shots out of focus...

I know lots of people complain the 650 and it siblings are small in the hand - I have a 5dIII and 600 (same size) and I like the light weight and don't find the body small - and I have fairly large hands. I am always "surprised" if I have handled the 600 for awhile and then pick up the 5dIII at how heavy it is.

I see at as "once in" the increment gets pretty small. IQ will be "better" in the 650 for the updated processor (some argue the high iso noise reduction is too much)

Feature set, other than the live view focusing/touch screen the 7d is much more advanced.

"Upgrade" for the missing features, not for IQ

[clemmb]

The difference as far as I can tell are,
size & weight, construction, weather sealing, faster frames per second, penta prism vs. penta mirror (brighter),

Thats enough for me to go with the 7D

Some love "the wheel" some not so much- I don't find it that much faster than the buttons.

After I upgraded from a Rebel to the 5D I found I hated the controls on the rebel. The wheel made it much faster for me. I also feel the rebel is too small in my hands.

[Squidy]

So image quality is better on the 650? I got told it was far superior on the 7d?

[Busted Knuckles]

So image quality is better on the 650? I got told it was far superior on the 7d?

Absolutely incorrect.

The 7d, 600d 550d all share the same sensor and Digic Processor - impossible to have any IQ difference.

[Black_Dog]

Absolutely incorrect.

The 7d, 600d 550d all share the same sensor and Digic Processor - impossible to have any IQ difference.

Not true, my friend. There's more that impacts image quality than just the sensor and processor. Look at the difference between the photos taken in this review between the 60D and 7D. Compared to the 7D, the 60D clearly has better image quality due to better noise suppression, color rendition and exposure. From other reviews I've seen, the 650D controls noise slightly better than the 60D.

That said, I would only consider the 7D if I were a sports photographer and needed the speed of the dual Digic 5 processor and superior AF system. Otherwise, the 60D does everything as well or better than the 7D (e.g. video). I would not buy another Rebel (XXXD) body. I've previously owned two of them. They take decent photos and have proved to be surprisingly durable, but they are too small for my large hands, look and feel like cheap plastic, have comparatively dark viewfinders, and they lack the top LCD and rear command dial. Given the small price difference between the 650D and the 60D, I would choose the 60D.

[Scott Stephen]

Hmm. It would be different story if you didn't have either one yet, and you were deciding on which to buy. As you already have the T4i, which must have been a very recent purchase, I just don't see trading it right now for a used 3-year old camera that is about to be replaced/refreshed with a newer model. The 7D does not have a better sensor, and the T4i actually has a pretty nice new AF system itself, with all the cross-type AF points.

Unless you were doing extreme outdoor photography and really needed weather sealing and a metal body, I just don't see a huge difference there for you. Plus, with all the new stuff just about to come out, you might rather grab the 7D mk2 if it has a much improved sensor, or maybe add a full frame 6D or something.

But more than anything, I agree with Busted that you should probably first be sure you have good glass.

[andnowimbroke]

Agreed with everything he said. Heavily enjoyed the 7d,but if the features you need are found in the current camera, I'd stay there. Besides, they refresh the smaller sized cameras more often.

[neuroanatomist]

So image quality is better on the 650? I got told it was far superior on the 7d?

Same basic sensor (650D adds some pixel clusters for phase AF), so same basic IQ from the sensor.

To the extent that the much better AF and faster frame rate help you get more keepers, that can be considered better IQ.

[Dr Croubie]

The 650d sensor is newer, with a newer processor, so theoretically it should give better response. except for certain websites that shall remained unnamed by me, saying that the 650D actually turns in slighty worse IQ than the 7/60/600D. Of course, if you're looking *that* closely at images from any of these, you should look for a good deal on a used 5d2 instead.

The biggest selling points for the 7D when I bought it were the fps and the AF, it's much more 'sports' oriented. 'sports' doesn't have to mean people running around a field, or birds flying overhead, kids running around a house can be just as challenging for an AF system.
Of course now that I've got it, there's other benefits that I wouldn't have thought of. I tried a friend's 550D the other day. Man, it is tiny. I've used rangefinders which are also small, but they fit my hands better. If it's an slr it's gotta be big for me.
And i don't like the 550d viewfinder, too small and dark. Pentraprism ->>> pentamirror. once you get used to it you can't go back.
Electronic level, very useful for tripod-landscapes, especially pano-stitching.
And custom-functions. I know lots of people who have C3 set to "OMG, look, a bird!" mode.
I love the wheel/joystick combo, I can't live without it. But that's more of a baby-duck syndrome, if you're used to buttons you may find it hard to switch to wheel. ditto touchscreen, if you like it and use it, you may miss it...