What does the 7D offer that I can't get from the T3i?

[Skile]

T3i,7D

[ScottyP]

Upgrade lenses first. The durability of your camera body is perhaps the last thing to worry about if you ski into a tree. The 7d is old and is discontinued, or technically will be in a month.mm. Other than the metal body which will endure in a landfill for Eons after the 7d is history, the 70d is a more advanced piece of equipment.

[cale_kat]

You're entitled to your opinion. Err... thanks for sharing. Have a happy day!

[RobertTheFat]

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@ScottyP wrote:
Upgrade lenses first. The durability of your camera body is perhaps the last thing to worry about if you ski into a tree. The 7d is old and is discontinued, or technically will be in a month.mm. Other than the metal body which will endure in a landfill for Eons after the 7d is history, the 70d is a more advanced piece of equipment.

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Since I've never even seen a 70D (and I own two 7D's), what I say should be viewed with caution. But it's hard to read this forum for more than a few weeks without concluding that there are more potentially serious issues with the 70D than there ever were with the 7D.

When the 70D first came out, I was all set to try to talk my wife into getting one. (She clings to her fine old T2i because of its smaller size and lighter weight.) But I've changed my mind. Now if I try to talk her into a larger camera, it will probably be one of my 7D's or the new 7D2.

[cale_kat]

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@Skirball wrote:

The 7D has a much more sophisticated autofocus system and comes in a "professional body" - which is more rugged, weather sealed, rated to a higher shutter count, etc.  I don't doubt it's more durable, but I spent a year with a 450D (early predecessor to the T3i) smashed into a pack with my rockclimbing gear as I backpacked through humid South East Asia, and that camera is still working fine to this day.  It's got over 100,000 actuations on it, which is over twice it's labeled life.  My point is simply: don't read too much into it, people grossly overstate specs on cameras. 

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Talk about delayed connections.... anyway, I was thinking about the point you were making above ^ after stumbling through a "spec" search and realizing that body construction was not a "reviewable" specification. Well, I thought that this supported what you had written and it seemed you were owed credit for this insight.

linky http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-EOS-70D-vs-Canon_EOS_7D

[mtrplato]

I take a lot of macro (flower) pictures (EF100mm f/2.8Macro USM), but would say my subject interests vary (but never take video). Nonetheless, I'm thinking of upgrading from the T3i. Budget limitations have me thinking of the 70D. In general, is there enough of an increase in focus, sharpness to justify the jump between those two bodies?

Thanks so much.