Canon T7 or T7i?

[jburch921]

Hello I'm thinking of upgrading my Canon t3 to a Canon t7 or t7i.  Which of these two do you think would be a better options for sports action pictures?   Are night game pictures improved with either of these camera choices?

I also have a 300mm lense, will I still be able to use it on either of these cameras? 

I have to tell you, I have taken literally thousands of pictures at sporting events, being the team picture taker and I loved my t3, but I think it's time to upgrade. 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.  Oh and I'm on a budget, that's why I'm looking at those two Canon options.

Thank you

[rs-eos]

I would spring for the "i" version for sure.  A decent amount more than the non-i, but the extra feature set will be well worth it.  

For example 45 focus points of all cross-type vs 9 focus points with just the center one cross type.  7 fps vs 3 fps for rapid fire photo capture.  Better ISO performance as well.   There are other differences, but I think these three would help you the most.

[jrhoffman75]

You say it's time for an upgrade. Why?

If the T3 is no longer meeting your needs then list why and see if the T7 will address those needs. If not, will the T7i meet those needs.

[wq9nsc]

For night sports, the i suffix version is the better choice because it provides better noise performance at increased ISO. 

With night sports, there is almost never as much light as you want or need.  I shoot a lot of high school sports with Canon 1 series and f2 and f2.8 prime lenses and there are places where even with this setup available light forces a slower shutter speed than I would like.  The T7i sensor alone is worth the upgrade if you are shooting night sports.

If your 300mm lens works with your T3, it should also work with the T7i.

A fast (wide aperture lens), good high ISO noise performance, the right location, AND always shooting in RAW are all important with night sports.

Attached photo is pretty typical of the sub-par lighting conditions common at HS fields.  I was shooting with a 300 f2.8 lens @1/1000 which pushed the ISO to 20,000 for a standard exposure.  It makes me really appreciate the few very well illuminated fields in the area.  And once again, always shoot images in RAW because you can do far more with them in post to correct for the challenges from poor field lighting.

Rodger

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

If you are going to upgrade...

T8i...

You will be doing yourself an injustice going from the T3 > T7

If you are considering the T7i...  the T8i is within reach and worth the slight bump in cost. 

[jburch921]

Thank you Rick.  I took your advise and bought the T8i.  I'm still waiting for it to arrive, I can't wait to check it out and see what it can do.  Any advise on settings for night sport games?

[ebiggs1]

"Any advise on settings for night sport games?"

Can't give you exact settings and no one else can either without being there. However, there are some things to avoid and some to do.

Stay away from the green square or any full auto mode (100%) along with P mode.  Av mode will be your best friend with a high ISO number. And most important always shoot Raw, never jpg. Post process in Canon's free DPP4.

[ebiggs1]

"If you are going to upgrade...

T8i...

You will be doing yourself an injustice going from the T3 > T7

If you are considering the T7i...  the T8i is within reach and worth the slight bump in cost."

What Rick said!  

Lets consider, new tech is always better than old. The T7i is around 5 years old now. You have an older camera now so let's get the most current model you can. As it will stay up to date and serviceable longer. Whatever you used your T3 for the T8i will do and most likely much better.

Any lens that fit and worked on your T3 will work on a T8i, too.

[stevet1]

What Rick and ebiggs1 said.

[jburch921]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate your input here. I think I'm going to take a look at the T8i now.