My next camera

[idanidan123]

So I've been using my 1100D since February 2015, and now I'm looking for my next DSLR. I only use Manual Mode, so is there a camera similar to the 5D Mark III, but at a much lower price ?

Any suggestions will be helpful 🙂

[TTMartin]

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@idanidan123 wrote:
I own the 25-105 mm, and the 90-300mm.
I shoot landscapes.
I own my camera for more than a year, and I really feel like upgrading to a much more professional camera.

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I would skip the camera upgrade, and buy the EF-S 10-18 IS STM instead. You will get a much greater improvement in your photos doing that than buying a new camera.

[Waddizzle]

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@idanidan123 wrote:
I own the 25-105 mm, and the 90-300mm.
I shoot landscapes.
I own my camera for more than a year, and I really feel like upgrading to a much more professional camera.

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I would skip the camera upgrade, and buy the EF-S 10-18 IS STM instead. You will get a much greater improvement in your photos doing that than buying a new camera.

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Before you make an investment in new lenses, give it a little thought into what camera body upgrade you might make in the future.  I was once in similar position as you, with a T5[1100D] and a desire to "upgrade". 

I realized it would be wise to make a decision as to whether to buy EF-S or EF lenses.  With one exception, I decided to to purchase only EF lenses exclusively, so that would have the proper lenses when the day came that I upgraded to a full frame camera body..  The one exception, though, was that I purchased a wide angle zoom, like the EF-S 10-18mm suggested above. 

[TTMartin]

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@idanidan123 wrote:
The full-frame sensor is not a must for me. I'm currently thinking about getting the 7D, I just saw a review by DigitalRevTV and now I'm considering it. I'm just looking for a solid upgrade over my 1100D, but don't wanna spend too much money.

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The 70D you mentioned earlier would be a nice upgrade over your 1100D.

I would get it over the classic 7D for landscape photography. There really isn't a need to pay the premium for the 7D over the 70D for that type of photography. And the 70D actually has some of it's own advantages over the classic 7D when it comes to landscape photography. The 70D has a newer sensor than the classic 7D giving it better low light / high ISO performance. Also features like the tilt swivel LCD can come in handy when you want to get unusual angle photos either low to the ground or shooting above an obstruction over your head.

[Waddizzle]

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@idanidan123 wrote:
The full-frame sensor is not a must for me. I'm currently thinking about getting the 7D, I just saw a review by DigitalRevTV and now I'm considering it. I'm just looking for a solid upgrade over my 1100D, but don't wanna spend too much money.

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The 70D you mentioned earlier would be a nice upgrade over your 1100D.

I would get it over the classic 7D for landscape photography. There really isn't a need to pay the premium for the 7D over the 70D for that type of photography. And the 70D actually has some of it's own advantages over the classic 7D when it comes to landscape photography. The 70D has a newer sensor than the classic 7D giving it better low light / high ISO performance. Also features like the tilt swivel LCD can come in handy when you want to get unusual angle photos either low to the ground or shooting above an obstruction over your head.

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http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-70d-18-55mm-is-stm-kit-refurbished-camera

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-70d-18-135mm-is-stm-kit-refurbished

Food for thought.

[Waddizzle]

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@idanidan123 wrote:
The full-frame sensor is not a must for me. I'm currently thinking about getting the 7D, I just saw a review by DigitalRevTV and now I'm considering it. I'm just looking for a solid upgrade over my 1100D, but don't wanna spend too much money.

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I still say that you just might be better off with a new lens. You don't seem sure of what you want, which is okay.  It's a lot better than just spending big dimes on something that you are uncertain.  Ask questions.

I distinguish a difference between an upgrade and a replacement.  An upgrade is the next level of performance, not just better performance.  A replacement can either be direct, or it can come with a nominal improvement in performance.

I think you're looking for an upgrade, but for the price of a replacement.  My advice is to either save your money for that real camera upgrade, perhaps buy a better lens, or just sit back for a while, and learn more about photography and the gear.

[RobertTheFat]

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@idanidan123 wrote:
The full-frame sensor is not a must for me. I'm currently thinking about getting the 7D, I just saw a review by DigitalRevTV and now I'm considering it. I'm just looking for a solid upgrade over my 1100D, but don't wanna spend too much money.

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Despite what some others have implied, I don't think the 7D is an illogical choice for you. It's a significant upgrade over any Rebel, and the highly successful 7D Mark II should be putting considerable price pressure on the 7D. One possible course of action is to watch the Canon Store for a good refurbished 7D. Canon factory refurbs have a very good reputation.

Some respondents have suggested that you spend your money on a better lens. And in a way they're right: a better lens can result in better pictures. But replacing a lens affects only the pictures that would have been taken with that lens. A better camera has the potential to make all your pictures better.

But there's an overriding principle at work with any upgrade. Better equipment will make any photographer better, but how much better depends on how good one already is. The better photographer you already are, the more difference better equipment makes.

[ScottyP]

Honestly I cannot see an advantage in upgrading to a 7d. The 7d is a sports and fast action camera, the very opposite of landscape shooting. 

The general rule is to spend your money on lenses, not on bodies, because you see more difference for your money.  You could benefit from a body upgrade coming from an 1100d but you'd do better to go with a T6i and get a newer sensor and basically the same autofocus as the old 7d1. 

The wide angle lens suggested above would be a nice addition to have for the landscapes. 

[Waddizzle]

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@ScottyP wrote:

Honestly I cannot see an advantage in upgrading to a 7d. The 7d is a sports and fast action camera, the very opposite of landscape shooting. 

The general rule is to spend your money on lenses, not on bodies, because you see more difference for your money.  You could benefit from a body upgrade coming from an 1100d but you'd do better to go with a T6i and get a newer sensor and basically the same autofocus as the old 7d1. 

The wide angle lens suggested above would be a nice addition to have for the landscapes. 

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Go with lens, I say.  I love to shoot landscapes and cityscapes.  My wide angle zooms are my favorite lenses.  The T5 is married to the 10-22mm.

I would not consider a T6i as an upgrade over a T5.  It's more like a replacement.  Besides an uptick in megapixels, what is the real perfomance upgrade?  What is the advantage of replacing one fully functional Rebel with another one released about a year after the first one?  As you noted, the two cameras have similar autofocus systems. 

I don't think the 7D would be a bump in the right direction, either, at least not for shooting landscapes.  You would get the same IQ as the T5.  I would think a camera upgrade would involve multiple technological advances, at least two major advances. 

I would suggest an 6D, 7D2, or even the 80D.  But, I still think a wide angle zoom would be probably be best.  I would purchase a zoom with a camera body upgrade in mind, though, the EF-S 10-18mm, EF-S 10-22mm, would be very fun lenses to use.  Wide lenses force you to think about composing a shot.

[RobertTheFat]

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@ScottyP wrote:

Honestly I cannot see an advantage in upgrading to a 7d. The 7d is a sports and fast action camera, the very opposite of landscape shooting. 

The general rule is to spend your money on lenses, not on bodies, because you see more difference for your money.  You could benefit from a body upgrade coming from an 1100d but you'd do better to go with a T6i and get a newer sensor and basically the same autofocus as the old 7d1. 

The wide angle lens suggested above would be a nice addition to have for the landscapes. 

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The 7D is a robust, well made camera with a good AF system (including autofocus microadjustment, which Rebels don't have) and a proven 18 Mp sensor. The fact that it's particularly suited to sports and action photography doesn't make it any less suitable as a landscape camera. Landscape photography is actually one of the least demanding uses of a serious camera. If it's available at a really good price and you don't need a full-frame camera, there's no compelling reason to avoid the 7D.

[TTMartin]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

The 7D is a robust, well made camera with a good AF system (including autofocus microadjustment, which Rebels don't have) and a proven 18 Mp sensor. The fact that it's particularly suited to sports and action photography doesn't make it any less suitable as a landscape camera. Landscape photography is actually one of the least demanding uses of a serious camera. If it's available at a really good price and you don't need a full-frame camera, there's no compelling reason to avoid the 7D.

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The reason I suggested the 70D over the 7D, is it has pretty much all of the characteristics you listed. While it has a polycarbonate body, it is weather sealed to the same level as the classic 7D. The 20 megapixel dual pixel sensor creates a finer grain than the 18 megapixel sensor. So you gain about a full stop in real world low light / high ISO performance. It has a very similar AF system to the 7D and also includes microfocus adjustment.

It also is under pricing pressure from newer cameras like the 7D Mk II and the 80D. As well as additional pressure from some bloggers who didn't understand how microfocus adjustment worked, and/or were trying to make a name or themselves by being controversial.

The 70D is available for around $700 directly from Canon refurbished. Right now it appears as though Canon has cleared out their stock of refurbished classic 7D's.

I will say I personally am really tempted to pick up a refurbished SL1 now for backpacking. At $330 with a EF-S 18-55 IS STM lens it is a steal. At 1 1/4 lbs with the lens it's hard to beat that value for lightweight high image quality setup.