Fair price for a high shutter count Canon 7D

[mangurian]

What should I pay ?

If it goes south, does Canon still repair something this old and would it be worth repairing?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

There have been a few posts regarding shutter count recently. 

Shutter count is not fully representative of a body's overall reliability or remaining life expectancy.  More emphasis was put on mirror accuations and sensor "on" time. So I'd suggest taking more of these factors into consideration colectively.

The 7D is still actively supported and eligible for factory service.  See here

Repair as well as maintenance is avalable. 

As far as price.  Body free of damage.  Good overall & working condition...  $300-$400

Admittedly, I am not a proponent of buying used electronics.  I have no problem buyng Canon refurbished equipment.  A few of my lenses are refurbs purchased directly from Canon and have been nothing less than great. (And I mean perfect!)

You won't get me to recommend buying a 9 yr old camera (7D) 2009.  If it were me, I'd get an 80D (2016)

Comparison 

Yep.  It's double the price, but well worth it

Canon 80D refurb

The 7D is a capable body and if this is your pricepoint, you'll need to evaluate the overall condition and value.  Remember to factor in its age.  ~I'm biased against old tech.    

Good Luck

[Waddizzle]

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@shadowsports wrote:

You won't get me to recommend buying a 9 yr old camera (7D) 2009.  If it were me, I'd get an 80D (2016)

Canon 80D refurb

The 7D is a capable body and if this is your pricepoint, you'll need to evaluate the overall condition and value.  Remember to factor in its age.  ~I'm biased against old tech.    

Good Luck

---

The 80D at the price is a steal.  Compare to what regular retailers are asking for it.  Personally, I would get the version with the 18-55mm starter lens.  It is a pretty good lens, and it will help you learn about the camera and lenses.  

My recommendation for a first add-on lens would be the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.  This lens shares a focal length with the starter lens, but in addition to having better IQ, it will teach you about Depth Of Field. 

Invest in a quality tripod.  They do not sell them at the big blue box stores.  I have bought all of mine online through B&H Photo Video on a daily special, or when they have a clearance sale on a given model.  I never pay the regular list price for a tripod. 

My tripod became a teaching tool.  It gave me time to pause and THINK about what I was doing.  It was also a very handy camera stand, so that I could go through the menus and learn the camera while I read the manual on a tablet in my hand.

What lens to buy next really depends upon where your interests are going.  Most people like to go for longer focal lengths.  A few like to go for wide angle lenses from the start, but everyone winds up here sooner or later.

[ebiggs1]

Anytime you compare a new and in this case a much newer camera to an older one the new should win the features and spec race.  However, if you compare a new 80D, which was suggested above, to a 7D in build, the 7D is going to win every time. Not even close.

"As far as price.  Body free of damage.  Good overall & working condition...  $300-$400".  Is that a good price, I don't really know but if the shutter does go it will cost around $300 for a new one.  Whether Canon repairs it or not, third party shops do, so that isn't a problem.

As to shutter count, which can only be given as an accurate count by Canon, is more important on a 7D than a newer model because the 7D wasn't into video as heavily as today's bodies. IMHO, if I was going to pay $400, I would want shutter count to be pretty low. Under 25K for sure even less. Again, IMHO, I would take a 7D or 7D Mk II every time over an 80D.  And the 80D is one of my choice cameras. The two models serve two totally different types of consumers.