Finally upgrading from 7D. Suggestions?

Discussion in 'Canon EOS Digital SLRs' started by Louis, Apr 12, 2019.

  1. Louis

    Louis New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    2
    After making my first big camera purchase many years ago, I have decided I am well overdue to upgrade from my trusty Canon 7D. Since getting the 7D, I have invested in some glass (Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2), the second of which I bought a few months ago and love. Got me to thinking that I should probably see what's out there from a body standpoint too.

    Seems like some things have changed but that Canon has maybe fallen behind a little of the competition. That said, I am not looking to switch. Plus a lot of these features where they may have fallen behind will be new to me. I think I could talk myself into getting an 80D, 7D Mark II, or 5D Mark IV and feel good about my purchase (I've tried very hard to try and talk myself into a 1D-x but just can't do it for that kind of cash). So my question to the group is, what should I upgrade my 7D to?

    Short story:
    I primarily like shooting sports/action/candid and am also looking for something that will be a step-up in low light performance. I'd love to get into doing more video so better on that front would be nice to have, but not need to have. The whole "zapping the photos from your camera to your phone via wifi" sounds real cool. Shooting looking mainly at the touchscreen sounds interesting, is it significantly better than going "old school"? All that said, my primary interest is image quality and trying to get as many good, in-focus shots as possible.

    Long story:
    I run a small website business and in some of my offerings I include photography. I'm not the best when it comes to portrait shots (you'll never see me taking photos for the high school yearbook and battling Olan Mills), but good enough to get the job done. I find much more fulfillment in candid shots and often try to steer clients that way.

    But my true passion in photography is sports, and over the past couple of years, my daughter's competitive gymnastics events. It is fun to be able to capture the action mid-air with my 7D, but often a challenge in small gyms with not so great lighting. My youngest daughter started dance this year and I am excited to shoot her recitals and get some good shots of her like I do for big sis.

    It looks like the 7D Mark II can give me pretty much a better version of what I have at a good value. What am I missing by not having a full frame? Looks like the 5D Mk4 has lower fps, but does it make up for it in image quality? Is the video that much better? If I want to branch out more into photography and be more aggressive in offering that service to businesses, does it make more sense to go for the 5D Mk4? Am I better off just grabbing an 80D for now and waiting a year or two to see what Cannon will have as far as mid-higher tier DSLR offerings?

    When I got my first Canon Rebel a decade ago, I dove into learning about photography. I then bought the 7D and continued my learning to make the most of my purchase. I would say I kinda "slumped" there for 2 or 3 years, but re-kindled things a year or so ago and the most recent Tamron lens I bought definitely stoked the fire. That purchase was made with one of my new clients in mind, and my current desire to upgrade the 7D is definitely based at least in part on business possibilities. But my kids are only young once, and I want to capture as many beautiful moments as I can.

    If you've read this far, I really appreciate you doing so and would love to hear your thoughts on my situation. Thanks!
     

  2. johnsey

    johnsey Site Moderator Staff Member Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2017
    Messages:
    2,120
    Location:
    Fargo, ND
    Equipment:
    5dMk4, 5dsR, 5dMk2, 20D, 70-200 2.8L IS, 100mm 2.8 Macro USM, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 17-40mm 4.0L, TS-E 24mm 3.5L II, Rokinon 14mm 2.8; Pixma Pro-100
    Topics like this can get bogged down by too many technical comparisons and a bit of overthinking. All are great cameras and will give you great image quality, your really are paying for few specific increased specs and options.
    My initial reaction is that if your heart is in sports photography that upgrading to the 7DII is probably the most logical step as it will give you a few extra FPS in burst mode. Unless you want the extra megapixels or a full frame sensor it doesn't make sense to me to drop twice the cash on the Mark IV. I also wouldn't feel the need to upgrade just for business, I have a 5d2 and wouldn't worry about taking that out on a job, unless you plan to print images several feet wide having more than 20Mp is just in the category of nice to have.
     
  3. johnsey

    johnsey Site Moderator Staff Member Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2017
    Messages:
    2,120
    Location:
    Fargo, ND
    Equipment:
    5dMk4, 5dsR, 5dMk2, 20D, 70-200 2.8L IS, 100mm 2.8 Macro USM, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 17-40mm 4.0L, TS-E 24mm 3.5L II, Rokinon 14mm 2.8; Pixma Pro-100
    Probably a topic for a different thread of discussion..but I wholeheartedly feel that you should focus on your strengths in business. So if you like candid and sports advertise that as your niche. I think its bad business to steer someone away from what they want. Present what your specialty is and examples of the work and let them decide to go with you based on that.
    How would you feel if you went into a dealership looking for a minivan and the salesperson was trying to sell you on a truck?
     
  4. rayallen

    rayallen Well-Known Member Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2017
    Messages:
    1,277
    I agree with Johnsey about your passion for sports photography. For sports photography an APS-C sensor with Canon's 1.6 crop factor is very useful as that extra effective focal length makes a difference. On the 7D your 200mm becomes 320mm. On a 5D it is as it says - 200mm. If you are getting the framing that you like now on the 7D then set your lens at 125mm and see how you like it because that is what you will get on the full frame 5D.
    Even if you do branch out into other areas you probably would not be able to produce noticeably better images with a 5D unless you are making huge prints.
    If you have the dollars you could keep your existing 7D for sports and get a 5D IV for other ventures. They are both great cameras but they have different attributes and you need to consider which ones are more important to you.
    (I have both APS-C and full frame).
     
  5. Louis

    Louis New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2019
    Messages:
    2
    Thanks for your feedback Johnsey and Ray!
     

Share This Page