topic Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

NSPhoto — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:47:15 GMT

Hi guys! I'm ready to go BIG and upgrade from my current and first professional camera, the rebel T2i. I'm thinking the 6D, because the 5d3 is a bit too much for me. I'm just wondering if I should consider the 7D or go with the newer 6D?

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

Skirball — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:15:08 GMT

What do you shoot? Why are you upgrading? Where is your camera lacking?

Nobody can tell you what to upgrade to, but if you give us some background we can at least form an educated guess. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to tell you to just get the 5d3.

Short Answer:

If noise level and high ISO ability is very important to you, and you mostly shoot still life, get the 6D.

If you shoot moving subjects, sports, usually have good lighting, and can use crop factor as an advantage... get the 7D.

If you like to do a bit of it all, you have to chose which is more important to you: image quality (at higher ISO) or tracking moving subjects. IMO the AF on the 6D isn't as bad as the hype on the internet, but I learned on a 400D, so I guess I don't know how good it is.

Make sure you give some thought to lenses and that cost associated with going FF. It's not universally better, crop has its advantages too. 7D is a fantastic camera.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

hsbn — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:48:36 GMT

Save some money and get the 5DMIII.
Ok, the joke is over. Like Skirball said, if you like sport and wildlife photography, 7D is the one to get. But if you want top notch image quality for every day use 6D is a clear winner or the cheaper 5DMII is also good. I find the AF on the 6D is pretty good for me. I'm doing mostly wedding and event stuffs to fund for my travel/landscape passion and I think the 6D is pretty good for the job.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

JoeDavid — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:30:22 GMT

It usually gets down to lenses as much as anything. Do you have EF lenses that are suitable for the full-frame 6D (or 5D3) or do you own primarily EF-S lenses that are designed for the 1.6x crop sensor cameras like the T2i? If so the 7D may be a better option for you unless you are prepared to buy some new lenses as well as the body...

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

cicopo — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:27:26 GMT

I agree that unless we know what lenses you have & why you think a better body might improve your photography BUT I don't agree with the idea it has to be one of the currently marketed bodies. The 5D3 is (from almost everything I've read) a GREAT camera, but so is my 1DS2, & 1D2n which are ANCIENT according to some. Unless someone GIVES me a 5D3 or 6D I'll never own one, not because they aren't great bodies but because neither will make me a better photographer. What is it you need to be better to justify buying a body with more features than buying lenses more suited to what you want to shoot.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebiggs1 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:13:30 GMT

I agree with Mr cicopc, you don't have to buy a brand new body. The 1D Mk II and Mk III are real bargains today. Also the 5D Mk II is a great bargain.

Look at it this way, your Rebel is as much more than a point-and-shoot is. The “D” series is that much more than your Rebel and of course the 1 series is the top of the line.

A 7D, if nothing else, is a much more robust body than any Rebel is. There is nothing, really, to not like about it. The 5D Mk III is always my first choice if the money will work for you.

Personally I don't see the need for the 6D but I am sure it is a wonderful camera. And I am sure all the 6D owners love theirs.

If I found myself without a camera this morning and I intended to buy one, it would be a 5D Mk II.

This is my free advice and worth every penny.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

Skirball — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:52:37 GMT

ebiggs1 wrote:Personally I don't see the need for the 6D but I am sure it is a wonderful camera. And I am sure all the 6D owners love theirs.
If I found myself without a camera this morning and I intended to buy one, it would be a 5D Mk II.
This is my free advice and worth every penny.

I think that comes down to how much faith people put in used and refurbished. I’ve never been a huge fan of used electronics, but that’s me, I know many people go that route all the time and it works for them. If you can buy used with confidence, then I agree, the 5d2 is significantly cheaper. I would argue otherwise for Refurbished.

Those go for $1500. For $300 more I can get a brand new camera, with warranty, some slight performance enhancements, and a WiFi that I use for my professional work. It was a no brainer, for me. Add in the kit package, and I can consider it a $1600 camera. Arguably even less since I was going to purchase the lens anyway.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

hsbn — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:03:48 GMT

I was thinking the same as ebiggs1 too. I was going to purchase a 5DMII, but a new 5DMII is not that much cheaper than the 6D. I don't have good experience with used camera. You may be lucky to get good one; but I have seen people abused the camera (even cosmetically looks new) and I got bad one before (it looks like brand new). So for a "big" investment (to me at least) like that I don't want to go with used one anyway. And 6D is a better camera (not much but still better). For $200 more, a brand new, factory sealed, better camera I think is a no-brainer for every one.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebiggs1 — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:20:31 GMT

You are right! One must be careful about purchasing used. The place where you get used equipment is a big factor. Just taking some Tom, **bleep** or Harry from the Inet is probably foolish. But a store like B&H, Adorama or KEH has very conservative ratings and allow a return period if not satisfied. Plus being a CPS subscriber is helpful, too.

To me the 6D is what? It isn't a 5D Mk II nor anywhere close to the 5D Mk III. Canon added wi-fi and GPS, OK. Others may think differently and probably do but it isn't for me. To each his own.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

Skirball — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:33:16 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:

To me the 6D is what? It isn't a 5D Mk II nor anywhere close to the 5D Mk III. Canon added wi-fi and GPS, OK. Others may think differently and probably do but it isn't for me. To each his own.

Why do you consider it not 5d2? That's exactly the level I put it at considering IQ and AF.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

cicopo — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:14:13 GMT

No use arguing bodies until we know what needs improving via the upgrade. Might need a faster AF system rather than high ISO performance etc. Might just need a month of learning from Lynda.com so they can process their images properly or more easily. As for used gear it sounds like I've had much better luck than some of you. Most of the gear I use now was bought used & some has served me for 5 full seasons of heavy use too.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ctn830 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:00:37 GMT

I was looking at the 7d but I don't like the fact that it does NOT use an SD card. I think Canon is upgrading this camera (along with a few others) this year

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ctn830 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:03:28 GMT

I am ready to upgrade but i have a 28-80 EF USM lens on my old Elan IIE 35mm. Will this lens work on all new digitals? I think so. I am looking at 60D only because of price.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebiggs1 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:26:48 GMT

"I was looking at the 7d but I don't like the fact that it does NOT use an SD card."

This is one of those things you must weight before you buy. All my Canon bodies (4) use the CF card so I try to stay with it.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

cicopo — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:07:02 GMT

Until they invent SD cards with higher write speeds than those available in the CF form don't expect high burst rate cameras to use SD cards. I don't suggest limiting your choice in cameras by the card it uses.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ctn830 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:22:52 GMT

I wanted to get the 7D and install the eye-fi card for wireless photo upload but realized it wasn't compatible because it did not use SD card. So I am leaning towards EOS 60D. I think the newer high end expensive cameras (ie, EOS 6D) are using SD cards also.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebiggs1 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:51:18 GMT

Mr. cipico is correct. The 7D and the flagship model 1D X both use the CF cards. The 5D Mk III is able to use either.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

Skirball — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:19:49 GMT

@ctn830 wrote:
I wanted to get the 7D and install the eye-fi card for wireless photo upload but realized it wasn't compatible because it did not use SD card. So I am leaning towards EOS 60D. I think the newer high end expensive cameras (ie, EOS 6D) are using SD cards also.

Cicopo is right, don't choose a camera based on cards, it's a realively minor expense in the grand view of things.

That said, yes the 6D has SD cards and suppords SDXC, which has narrowed the gap on read/write speeds between SD and CF. However, I think the impact on use is fairly neglible either way (with the exception of the 5d3 which is known to record slowly with an SD card but that's a camera issue). The biggest advantage of SD cards, for me, is the ability to pull them out and pop them in my computer - and hopefully in the future, a tablet.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebulington — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 21:52:32 GMT

I too have a Canon T2i and I am thinking of upgrading to either a 70D or the 6D. I'm a big canon fan, but I'm wishing they would start offering more of the types of solutions that Sony is coming out with. Having said that, I'm looking for a camera that will focus faster in lower light. The fps rate isn't a concern as the T2i has served fine in that area for shots of our kids. However, I'm always pining for faster lenses to capture action and focus faster in average lighting.

My wife also wants a faster focus when she uses it in auto mode. I have tried both, but I can't tell if the lenses are making the difference in focus speed or the subject or the camera. I'm excited to move up to FF, but at the same point, I have the 55-250 EF-S IS, the 18-55 kit lens (yuk), a Sigma 18-250 IS HSM (vintage 2011 is good all-rounder for vacation) for APS-C only, the 40mm IS STM pancake for crop (cool little lens) and the only EF I have is the 50mm 1.4 (really like this).

I primarly use the all-rounder (my wife doesn't want to be limited by zoom) or I personally use the 40mm pancake and 50mm prime for shots of the kids (age 3 and 9 months). I'm not a pro, nor do I want to be. However, I LOVE having pro-level candids of the family without hiring a photographer to follow me around. I shoot mostly in the aperture or shutter priority modes as I'm either aiming for bokeh or stopping some action.

I like the size of the Sony's but I've got a lot invested in Canon and I like Canon IQ and noise. I'm probably going to stay with Canon, but might pick up a NEX 6 for travel unless Canon updates the Eos M to a reasonably responsive camera soon.

Re: Ready to Upgrade...T2i to what?

ebiggs1 — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 22:17:59 GMT

This is just a personal observation and opinion so please don't get too offended. I started photography in the late 50's.

That said I didn't always have pro level equipment either but I always wanted it. Eventually went to work at Hallmark Cards. A photographers dream job.

Now, IMHO, there are only two choices in pro level cameras, Canon and Brand N. (35mm style that is) Sony is not one.

It is more at the same level as your Rebel, or a 70D.

Secondly, except for the Canon 50mm f1.4, you don't have any pro level glass. So, my advice is get some "L" lenses and keep your Rebel for a while. Even the 70D is only a small step up, again IMHO. If you want to go FF right now and need an entry level camera, the 6D fills the bill.

But in the end the 5D Mk III is the real deal. If it can't do it nothing can, again IMHO.

I have no idea what your budget is but good glass is very expensive. And if FF is in your future, lenses are where it's at for you now.

How about a Canon 24-70mm f2.8 L II? Possibly the finest lens of it's type anywhere, period. It and a 5D Mk III is the dream outfit.