7D vs......get this a 1D mkIII

[mcarriganphotos]

I have been a huge fan of the-digital-picture since I got into photography back in late 2010 and this is my first post on the community.

Eventually, I plan to do something professional involving photography and I think over the last 2 or 3 years I have made great strides but being a full time Soldier I can’t give 100% commitment to photography yet and I want to make sure I am at a proper level before I make any moves towards it. When I do return from Afghanistan later this year I do want to start soliciting taking photos to improve my skills and have something to build a future portfolio with. All that being said, I’m getting to asking about an upgrade.

Currently I have a T2i, Sigma 18-125, Tamron 70-300, Canon 35 f/2 and 50 f/1.8II. My wife has given me an upgrade budget of around $1,500 for new toys when I get home and here are my thoughts.

I would love to do a 6D and could manage that with a little sweet talking to the wife (body only) but that leaves me in a small lens dilemma that I would not have a general purpose lens as my 18-125 would not work. I would also need to consider an 85 f/1.4 for a good portrait lens but again still no budget.

My logical plan is a 7D and a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 (none-VC). I can do refurbished or digitalrev.com on those for my budget easy. This would give me a better walk around lens than the 18-125 (I really don’t like it, it’s very soft) and my 50 f/1.8 on a crop is equal to 80mm for portraits.

I had an idea and it may sound a little off…A used Canon 1D III. I have heard the autofocus may be better than the 7D and may be better on ISO noise. I would get a 1.3-crop sensor which would give a "little" better on DOF but I would be going down from 18-meg to 10.1-meg, could you still print a good 8x10 or larger with a 10.1-meg? I don’t know if this is a big deal either but I would get 1/300 flash sync as opposed to 1/250. I know from my current study of flashes that a faster sync speed is better but not sure if that is a big difference. It would also be cool to say I own a 1-series

I know I don’t need a general walk around lens. I have spent the last 7-months in Afghanistan with a Canon 40D and 50 f/1.8. I know that even cheap primes are better than most lenses are sharpness and I really don’t like that Sigma 18-125. I would love to hear some thoughts. Thanks a bunch!

[Kayaker72]

MCarrigan,

First of all, thank you for your service.

Regarding which body to get, I wouldn't stress about it too much. I am a big believe in shoot until you develop a need and then fill that need. I am truly impressed by how good even Rebel bodies are and the IQ you can get from them. So, as you've been shooting, what needs have you seen develop? For a quick example, the sensor in the current Rebels, 60D and 7D are essentially the same. So the IQ you can get from each of these cropped sensor cameras is also, essentially the same. But there are differences such as build quality, custom features such as the ability to perform autofocus micro adjustment (AFMA), frame rate, LCD display, etc. My point being, there are reasons to get the different bodies, but only if you need those features. There are benefits of a FF sensor over a cropped frame sensor. But do you need those benefits? Will you use those benefits? Honestly, the current cropped sensors are pretty darn impressive.

I am not familiar with the 1DIII. But the concept of getting an older model 1D body is a good one that several here on the forum have followed.

It is tough to make a recommendation as I don't know what you like to shoot. Landscapes, family, wildlife, etc, are all different. Also, you have $1,500 to spend this year, but will you have the same budget next year?

So, some thoughts on what you mentioned:

• Canon 7D to me is a near perfect enthusiast camera. It can do most everything well as long as you have sufficient light. I shot for several years with it and the 15-85 and 100-400L as my primary lenses. To be honest, I miss the 15-85 on the 7D, great combination. So, what you have is good frame rate, good autofocus, good IQ, good build quality, good weather sealing, and good features. The negatives, it is best from ISO 100-400 and acceptable up to ISO 1600. High ISO can get very noisy. The noise has a larger grain to it, which can be noticeable, especially if you crop/pixel peep. But, all around, a very nice package. I could still be using mine today and be completely happy.
• Canon 6D. I've played with one, but bought the 5DIII. This body, to me, you begin to get a bit more specialized. Still very desirable. The real pluses here are a phenomenal center AF point, low light AF, great IQ, and great high ISO performance. From what I've seen, you could regularly shoot up to ISO 6400-12,800 and get good results. The wifi/gps are pretty cool features. The negatives, lower frame rate, lower build quality, I didn't like how it fit in my hand, the overall AF probably isn't as good as the 7D. In general, I would say that this would be great for landscapes and family photography. It will absolutely work for wildlife, but you lose the extra reach of the crop body and the extra AF points if you need them, so maybe not as good for wildlife/action photography.
  
  • If you were to go with the 6D, one thought would be to use the 35 f/2 and 50 f/1.8 as your general purpose lenses and the 70-300 Tamron for tighter portraits. They would work for many circumstances. The other temptation would be to sell the T2i, Sigma and the 35 f/2 so that you could buy the 6D in a kit with the 24-105 f/4. I've been looking at the 35 f/2 and I bet that would be a little painful to sell, but that would be one way to get the kit and stay within budget.
  • Remember, the 6D doesn't have a pop-up flash.
  • May want to consider a 5DII.
  
  
• 1DIII. Not familiar. I'll let others comment
• Rebel. Honestly, if I was you I'd be at least a little tempted by the latest rebel or 60D. The IQ is as good as the 7D and you save several hundred dollars that you could put toward a new lens, a tripod, or a flash. This would be a step up from your current T2i.

As you want to go pro someday, that makes things a little tougher, as you should probably start trying to build that kit, but the question gets to be, which block to start building with and how do you still take quality photos as you bridge toward your ultimate kit? With that in mind, the two options would be to get a FF body (6D or 5DII) then get the lenses or perhaps keep your T2i and get some lenses or flash system now.

Good luck,

Brant

[eldarhau]

I think the advice from Brant are good ones. The only thing to add I think, is that the long term value in a kit is the lenses. We have seen and still see a very rapid development in body qualities. Resolution, AF performance, low light performance, frame rates etc.etc. are constantly evolving. I probably change bodies 3 times more often than lenses. And the near current/current top of the line bodies, such as the 1DIV/1DX and 5DII/5DIII, will be available at more acceptable price levels fairly soon, whereas the glass will maintain its value.

I would spend time figuring out what focal lengths that are really essential and look for maximum quality there. As Brant says, the IQ from the Rebels and the other crop cameras are actually quite good. If you believe you will move to full frame bodies in the future, that is an aspect worth considering. I prefer full frame bodies myself, but if budget restrictions dictated crop sensors, I could live happily with that.

You have lots of fun ahead of you
Eldar

[Joel Eade]

I purchased a used 1D MKIII a few years ago and loved it. I am mostly into bird photography and I used it with a 300mm and 500mm lens. The biggest advantages over the 7d are: 1. Slightly bigger sensor (1.3 cf) and bigger pixels so better low light performance 2. Built in vertical controls 3. Faster frame rate 4. Holds 2 memory cards 5. More bracketing stops for HDR 6. Mine had fabulous auto-focus although there were reported problems when the camera was first released. The 7D has 18 megapixels as opposed to 10 for the 1DIII so you can maintain better image detail when you crop the 7D images because (at the same distance to subject and focal length) there will be more pixels on the subject

[DavidEccleston]

Just to add my 2 cents. I went from Rebel to 7D to 1DsmkII (full frame). The 7D has slight image quality improvement over the Rebel, but the main reason we upgraded was for the better AI-Servo. The image quality improvements of the 1DsmkII from the 7D are awesome. I love it. I wouldn't recommend my body though. To change half of the configuration options you need obsolete software running on an obsolete PC with firewire capabilities, and as it's no longer supported by Canon's support. If it breaks, it's done.

BUT, if you don't need the super AI-Servo AF performance, a used 5DmkI will get you the same sort of full frame image quality for much less money. As far as I know, the 5D is still supported, and would leave you with some money to spend on a new general purpose lens.

So you have lots of options, atleast one at each sensor size. You just need to know what it is you need.

For example, are you planning to shoot any indoor action? If so, you'll want low noise at higher ISOs, which would lean towards the 1DmkIII or a 6D. My 1DsmkII's ISO 1600 is very usable, even when cropping significantly, and the noise is super easy to remove compared to the 7D or Rebel. Despite the lower noise, it's somehow still useless past ISO 1600. (ISO 3200 is considered the H mode, and it's VERY noisy). I think the 5DmkI has the same ISO 1600 limitation, but I'm not sure. The Rebel, the 60D, and 7D won't get your past ISO 1600 either.

A single potential "must-have" of low-light action narrowed down the options a lot. What are *your* "must have"s?

[clemmb]

mcarriganphotos,
I too want to thank you for your service as well as welcome you to the forum.
I agree with David's suggestions. I have the 5Dmk1 and the 1DmkIIn. I have never used a 7D but have played with image files from one. Comparing the 7D files to my 1DmkIIn they were better in terms of sharpness when cropping but when the 1D files do not have to be cropped much they were much better than the 7D in contrast, color, dynamic range and noise. With better frame rate and auto focus I choose the 1D over the 7D. My 5D has a slight edge in overall IQ over the 1D but I love the auto focus and build quality so I find myself reaching for my 1D more often. The first several shots on my photo stream are with my 1DmkIIn. I would expect the mkIII to be a bit better. You can also see some examples from my 5D. The 50 still makes a good portrait lens on the 1D. A bit wide to me for the 5D. My favorite portrait lens on either body is my 70-200 usually near 200.
With all that said, a previous suggestion was to sharpen your skills with the body you have for now. When I first switched by business to digital it was with an 8 megpix rebel. I once had a portrait posted on a billboard from it and it looked great. I often printed 16x20s and 24x30. Do not be afraid of not having enough pix.
Most here feel glass is more important so maybe you should work on your EF glass so you'll be ready when you do upgrade.
Cheers

[mcarriganphotos]

Wow, thank you all for the great information. You all gave me a lot to think about.

I retire in 7-years unless my knees give out first and I want to get into portraiture, family, and group/event photography when the time comes. No weddings, that takes a special kind of photographer with a special personality that I don’t think I have, I could easily see myself strangling someone LOL. My real true love of photography is nature and landscape unfortunately there is not a lot of money in that area unless you can find a niche to fill or somehow develop a name for yourself. It was nature that drew me to bumping up to a DSLR and taking the time to learn photography. My wife told me a while back that I needed to make some income from my photos to buy more toys so that is what got me starting on learning portraiture and using flashes. I’ve actually really enjoyed journalistic/candid work I have been doing here in Afghanistan but don’t know how to move that into a career that. The wife knows I’m really making an effort and with a deployment we make some extra money plus we just had our first baby and knowing money needs to be budgeted pretty good here on out, she is being super nice and giving me this on time right now with the $1,500.

That’s really is a good idea, I didn’t think about investing in lenses first. My little T2i really isn’t bad. With my sharp 35 f/2 it’s great and I can’t wait to put the cheap 50 f/1.8 on it. So, if I get my first L to go on it I could stretch its life some more. I’ve been looking and can get a refurb’d 24-70 f/2.8 L mk1 from $1,100 to $1,200 or the Tamron 24-70 for $1,300. I came in second place in a Tamron photo contest to win a 24-70 That would leave a little money to maybe do some more flash gear. I have 2 flashes but will eventually have to give one back to the Army with the 40D. The only real problem is going back to my T2i after 9-months, I’m going to miss the feeling of the 40D body in my hand.

Thanks again!!
Mike

[clemmb]

I can’t wait to put the cheap 50 f/1.8 on it.

You may want to consider the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens

I can’t wait to put the cheap 50 f/1.8 on it. I’m going to miss the feeling of the 40D body in my hand.

I know what you mean. After I got the 5D I just hated picking up my XTi.
Used 40Ds are pretty cheap now. The link here is KEH in Atlanta. They are great to deal with and have a great warrenty.

[peety3]

For the last 2.5 years, my wife and I have owned a 1D3, two 7D, and a 40D. She has small hands, and doesn't like the 1D3 for that reason (too hard to reach the thumbstick). If I'm shooting solo, it's 1D3 and 7D, guaranteed, and the 1D3 is my first-out camera every time. If she's shooting solo, it's 7D and 7D. If we're both shooting, I'll decide whether to be nice and shoot 1D3/40D so she can have both 7D, or if I have to be firm and do 1D3/7D while she does 40D/7D.

The 1D3 might be 25% faster frame rate, but I honestly feel it's got way more than that inside, especially in AI Servo. The 1D3 can keep up far better than the 7D. It can also AF in lower light. I like the control configuration options on the 1D3 (big wheel is ISO for me), but I like the AF choices on the 7D. I'd pick the 1D3 hands-down if I knew that was all the budget I had for a camera for a few years, unless you like shooting super-wide-angle (the 7D is a better choice then).

[clemmb]

unless you like shooting super-wide-angle (the 7D is a better choice then).

I don't understand this comment. The 1D has a wider field of view than the 7D on the same lens?
What is your thought on IQ between the two?