70d?

[jerrytech1]

I own a T3i and the following lenses.
Kit 18-55, Tamron 17-50 1.8, Canon 85mm 1.8, Canon 70-300 4-5.6, Canon 50mm 1.8 and most recently the Canon 400mm 5.6 L. The T3i is a great entry level SLR and I've done some nice things with it.

I shoot mostly landscape and wildlife and I've begun to dabble in portraits (indoors and outdoors). I've done a few product shoots and restaurant interiors.

I would like to get into another camera. I'm leaning towards the 70D. Any thoughts, suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Kayaker72]

Budget??? Eventual goals??

[DavidEccleston]

What don't you like with the T3i? Or what are you hoping to gain from the new body? The 70D looks fantastic, and unless you need the sports capabilities of the 7D2, it's a great camera for much less... But it really depends on what you want your camera to do.

If wildlife isn't a big thing for you, all your other scenarios are non-action shots that can use tripods or have the lighting controlled. These would likely benefit more from a 6D, giving you the option of thinner DOF, and have shots with less noise. The wildlife may suffer with the lack of reach, but a 1.4 extender on the 400mm will get much of that back. The 6D would leave you without anything wide (18-55 and the 17-50 wouldn't be compatible), but Canon has a wealth of wide lens options.

For us, coming from a T1i, we didn't like it's AI Servo. It lagged, resulting in blurred dog faces, with sharp tails, so we upgraded to the 7D. That improved the servo, but also improved sharpness, burst rate, battery life, controls, and likely a whole bunch more little things.

So, what is it that you want? The 70D is great, but it might not be the best option.

[jerrytech1]

Thanks. My budget is roughly the cost of the 70D new. Sports will most likely factor in and also I'm not giving up the T3i. My fiancee has taken an interest and I'd like to have a 2nd camera. Obviously I wouldn't buy another T3i so I was thinking "affordable upgrade that makes sense". I would not be looking to lose any of the lenses I already have so that factors in as well. I can get the 70D new for around $1000. Thanks for the input. I'll probably rent a 70D this week and give it a good workout.

[Kayaker72]

Hi Jerry,

When evaluating bodies I tend to separate sensor performance/IQ and the various features of the different bodies (AF, AFMA, fps, etc).

In looking at DXOmark, the 70D sensor has maybe 0.5 stops better ISO performance. Sensorgen.info reported DR, read noise, etc for those two sensors as extremely similar, if not identical. The sensor performance is so close I suspect you may not be able to tell the difference in the actual IQ of the images coming off those two sensors.

So, it gets down to if you want the various features of one body over the other? For that, scrolling through Bryan's list of specifications is a great way to compare.

I could see getting the 70D for sports photography (improved AF, fps, etc). If video or liveview performance then the DPAF. I've never shot with a pentamirror, but have heard that a pentaprism is nicer.

But, my point is I would make sure that there are specific features of the 70D that will help you take/make your images that you want. Because I suspect the final IQ of the images will be the same or very similar.

If it is better IQ you want, I'd be watching the news section for a sale on the 6D.

Good luck,
Brant

[jerrytech1]

Thanks Brant.

[Kayaker72]

No problem...after my post I went back to read Bryan's review...probably should have done that first....to quote:

"Those looking for a small and/or less-expensive model should also consider at this time the Canon EOS Rebel T5i and the Canon EOS Rebel SL1. These two cameras give up little in image quality, but do give up some features and performance."

So, check out the features. I will also say that there is something to ergonomics. As hobbyists, this about fun, and if one camera feels better in your hands, you will have more fun.

[jerrytech1]

One review i read stated that the 70D takes a long time to process long exposures .up to 30 secs. Anyone have that issue with this camera? Seems odd to me...

[HDNitehawk]

I would look at a used 5D II instead of a 70D.
Going to a FF will do more for your photography than going to the next version of a crop sensor.

[DavidEccleston]

All Canon cameras have a high-ISO noise reduction option that records with the shutter closed for as long as it recorded with the shutter open, and subtracts the sensor-specific read noise from the actual image data. It's not that it's taking 30 seconds to process the image, it's that it takes 30 seconds to re-create 30 seconds worth of noise.

edit: I'm going to edit... perhaps not *all* Canon cameras have this option. Many do. Perhaps all, but I don't know for sure.