Camera Bodies

[Kayaker72]

In reading this, "upgrade path" may not be what I am doing any longer. There was a point where I would shoot to need, decide what I wanted, and upgrade over time. While I still might want a few things, like a prime lens here or there, I am mostly set. So, really it is more of a maintenance path for me. Knowing that I plan to shoot for decades and the gear will eventually wear out.

I think I'm going to go back to a crop sensor if the 90D / 7D Mark III offer a modest resolution bump, acceptable ISO, and improved dynamic range.

I've figured out I'm not willing to spend enough on camera equipment to really shoot full frame. I've enjoyed the 6D using it for 4 years now without an upgrade, but the 6D Mark II in my opinion is not a compelling upgrade and the 5D Mark IV is more camera than I really need.

I can't see myself leaving Canon because I like the lenses and don't want to lose all of the money in a system swap.

Dave

Yeah, there would have to be something very specific that I wanted in another system to consider a swap. Right now, if you really wanted FF mirrorless, ok, Canon doesn't even have one. But the crop sensor mirrorless are pretty solid and the new sensor tech really seems to be keeping up with only negligible benefits of other tech.

As for APS-C, overall, to me it is a more viable option than ever before. I am not sure how much more it can improve (sensor performance is getting pretty efficient), but maybe another 1/3-1/2 of a stop. I occasionally think back to when I joined the forum in 2010. As many might remember, back then their was a common discussion between crop vs FF and a general consensus that FF was ~2 stops better in terms of most performance parameters. But, with the latest upgrades, current crop sensors actually exceed FF sensors (5DII) of that generation in some ways (low ISO DR) or have closed the gap in others.

Then throw in the cost, size, and weight advantages and I can really see why people would not need an "upgrade" path to FF. Crop is more likely than ever to suit someone's needs.



I say that, but no one had better try to pry my 5D out of my hands.

I don't really have a plan either. Currently using a 5dIII which I am very happy with. I'd like to upgrade, but I'm not sure any of the current bodies have any compelling features for me to justify the upgrade cost at this point. Having said that, I'm not really sure what I would like to see to prompt an upgrade....I suppose just general improvements across the board (MP, noise, AF, etc.). I would like to have an intervalometer built-in (which the 5dIII doesn't have), but that's not enough of a specific need to force an upgrade. My other issue is that I'm not sure I want to hang on to the 5dIII for several more years to possibly wait for a 5dV; I'm not sure my current camera would last that long. So I may be interested in one of the other 5d versions (maybe a new sR?). I looked at the 6dII, but seemed like more of a lateral move from my 5dIII.

Stephen

Ha....This is pretty much where I was at. But, as I do enjoy thinking about the gear, and am a bit into the latest and greatest. In thinking about an overall maintenance plan, I basically considered three options:

• Just keep using my 5DIII and shoot until a real need developed or the camera died beyond reasonable repair. As a quick example, I talked about shutter actuations previously, from what I've read, replacing a shutter is only $300. Replace a shutter every 150k actuations and you can likely keep using the 5DIII for years and years.
• Skip the 5DIV and wait for whatever is released after. I played with this and when factoring in resale value of the 5DIII, there was only a minor cost savings vs...
• Upgrade to the 5DIV.

Really, all three are very viable options. The 5DIII is a great camera and as long as it is working, I can see running with it. But, me, personally wanting the latest, and running the numbers told me waiting a year wasn't so bad financially, so I have gone for the third option.

[wsmith96]

I don't really have a path planned out, or a plan at all. I've gone through my own personal preference test between FF and crop and I ended up selling both my 5D and 6D bodies. At the end of the day I didn't see a significant difference between the FF and crop based upon what I shoot and the prints I made (13x19). I'm holding on to the money from the FF cameras, and am considering a 5DMkIII used in order to get the auto-focus system. I think that is more of me wanting a FF camera rather than needing a FF camera though. I'm odd like that though, I want the latest, but I have my own personal spending threshold.

[Dave Throgmartin]

For me the biggest advantage of APS-C is cost. The 7D type cameras offer fantastic features and a huge amount less money than the 5D series. I'm not sure the image quality is there yet which is why I wait for the 7D3

Dave

[Sheiky]

I've gone from a 450D to a 50D to a 5DII and last year I had a difficult decision to make. I pretty much only take photos during holidays so we try to go on holiday as often as possible so I doubted if I would really need a DSLR. In short "downgrading" to a mirrorless turned out more expensive than I thought and really not that beneficiary to me personally. Going all the way down to a "pro" level compact was tempting, but I was afraid to miss doing real photography and not be happy with the quality of the results. Then I chose to upgrade to a 5D3, however in the last couple minutes of decision making I saw the 5DS for a relatively small added cost...so I went for the 5DS.

I love the camera and it's so much better on pretty much every level compared to the 5D2 that I think I'm set for a while and don't need an upgrade soon. However the 5DS turned out to be quite an expensive upgrade as soon as I downloaded the first files to my computer(which was quite a good computer)....I needed a new pc badly with the large files. So I did a big overall upgrade.

I had some doubts if this was all worth it considering the amount of photos that I take, but it's also a hobby and hobbies just cost money.

Since then I also invested in a Lee Filter set and I'm more and more enjoying to take photos again so in the end I'm happier than ever.

Do I miss certain things? I'm a simple guy and use probably only 5% of the features that my camera offers(same counts for the little amount of apps on my phone). But one thing I do envy others for is the swivel screen when I have to go into backbreaking positions to take certain photos. I think the screen would be something I'd upgrade for in the future.

[Manofmayo66]

......I love the camera and it's so much better on pretty much every level compared to the 5D2 that I think I'm set for a while and don't need an upgrade soon. However the 5DS turned out to be quite an expensive upgrade as soon as I downloaded the first files to my computer(which was quite a good computer)....I needed a new pc badly with the large files. So I did a big overall upgrade.

Even though my photos are stored on a NAS, I find that editing them on an M.2 NVMe drive is the best. Can your computer handle the new NVMe drives? There might be a workaround possible, say installing a M.2 drive on a PCI-Ex4 card.

[Joel Eade]

For me the biggest advantage of APS-C is cost. The 7D type cameras offer fantastic features and a huge amount less money than the 5D series. I'm not sure the image quality is there yet which is why I wait for the 7D3

Dave

I had the 7DII for a while but found that to get the very best out of it required me to stay at relatively low ISO values. I think for someone who wants a DSLR that is versatile, has a lot of features for the money and is a decent action camera it represents a good value. It would also be a good macro body. I already owned 1D bodies when I got it and the IQ just did not compare so I sold it with a 17-40 Canon lens and bought a used 5DS-R.

[Sheiky]

Even though my photos are stored on a NAS, I find that editing them on an M.2 NVMe drive is the best. Can your computer handle the new NVMe drives? There might be a workaround possible, say installing a M.2 drive on a PCI-Ex4 card.

I'm pretty sure my pc could handle an M.2 drive, however I already had two SSD's in my previous pc and I kept them. All my photo's are downloaded to the second SSD to do most of the sorting and editing and afterwards I transfer them to the Raid HDD's in my PC. It works a lot faster than working from the HDD's. I don't know how much and if the M2 would improve the speeds. (PC is a I7 6700K, 32GB RAM, 2x512GB SSD, 2x2TB HDD in Raid, GTX1070)

[neuroanatomist]

No master plan for me. Started with a T1i back in 2009 (after a long P&S-only hiatus from film SLRs), soon moved to a 7D, then added a 5DII. Replaced both with a 1D X, and that's still meeting my needs just fine. Picked up an EOS M during the fire sale for travel/convenience, it spontaneously died about 2 years later, and for $10 more than Canon's flat repair fee I picked up a new M2 instead. Recently bought an M6, not really because I needed the upgrade, but mainly to hand the M2 down to my daughter (now 9, wanting something more flexible than the S100).

I've considered the 5Ds, but will likely wait for the MkII version.

[DavidEccleston]

I want a full frame with the 1DX II's pro level performance, with the 5D IV's improved sensor (ie: ability to push from shadows), at, preferably, less than the cost of a 7D II.

It's never going to happen, but that's what I want.

[Kayaker72]

It's never going to happen, but that's what I want.

This cracked me up.....