WHAT CAMERA SHOULD I GET?!

[toweltrick]

Ahhh, back to beating that dead horse with such a question. But I'm so unsure on what DSLR to get! I just need some secondary opinions because maybe someone else will point something out that I'm overlooking. 

Currently I have a Olympus OM-D E-M10 mark II and a film camera, the Olympus OM2n. Recently I tried using my E-M10 to photograph a sports event (thankfully I was just doing it for fun and not professionally) and it failed MISERABLY! The camera's auto focus cannot find anything fast enough and when it does.... its the background and not the player you are trying to focus on. There is no manual override on the lenses I have so I couldn't intervene and fix this myself. I was looking at lenses to get that I could focus manually with but micro four thirds (or Olympus lens mount) lenses are so expensive I came to the decision to just get a different camera.

Right now I am pretty set on the Canon EOS Rebel T7i. Is there anything I'm overlooking? Any other camera someone would recommend near that price range? The T7i looks to be a pretty amazing camera.

Thanks for any help.

[TTMartin]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

The T7i has specifications that say it has the potential to be a great camera, except for one critial issue, battery power.  That's a deal breaker for me.  If you want to use high horsepower lenses for sports photography,, then you're going to need far more battery muscle than what the T7i offers.  BTW, there is no battery grip option for the T7i, and none forthcoming, AFAIK.

I would recommend the 80D.  It uses the same LP-E6 battery that is found in the 7D2, 5D3, 5D4, 6D, and many other pro-sumer grade cameras.  Having the extra battery capacity allows the camera to control the Af motors more precisely.  This is a fact of physics, not an opinion.

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A valid point, but, I shot sports with the 50D and big lenses like the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8. With a single BP511 battery and never had a issue. I would change batteries at halftime just to be on the safe side. The mAh rating between the LP-E17 and the old BP511 are very similar. Battery tech has progressed too. 

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Didn't say the smaller batteries woudn't work.  It's just that the higher capacity allows the body to do a better job.  You know, they give 1D Series bodies that big battery for a reason.  And, it's not just for extended battery life.

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To put it another way, the number you usually see on a camera battery, expressed in milliampere hours (mAh) is a measure of longevity, not of power. The latter, expressed in watts (volts x amperes), tells you how well the battery does its job at any given instant in time. It's what matters when you're trying to drive the focus motor of a large lens at its rated speed.

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I said it was a valid point. I run a battery grip on my 7D Mk II for the extra amperage. What I was saying is that the T7i and 50D have similar battery capacity mAh and volts, and that the 50D was fine shooting sports with big lenses.

Another point, if he is going to step up from the T7i, I wouldn't get the 80D, I'd go all the way to the 7D Mk II.

[Tronhard]

For me, when these inquiries arise, there are a lot of unanswered questions that I would need to address before I would give an opinion:

1.  What is your budget? Most important of all normally, especially if you have to justify your expenditure to your significant other!

2. Under what conditions will you be photographing: e.g. outside, inside under lights?  This will help to tell us about tonal sensitivity and max aperture.  e.g. Photographing indoor sports can be very challenging because of the limited lighting.

3. Are you photographing team sports (multi-targets) or individual? This will tell us what level of sophistication of tracking you need.  The 80D and 7DII are arguably the best in class of these at present for crop sensors.

3. What is the quality of output you require?  Are you going to post to social media (low res), put on media screens or prints up to say 11"x17" (medium res.), or create large size images > 11"x17".  In particular we are looking at the quality of the glass you want.

4.  What are your future intentions?  Is the level of photography where you will stay.  Do you intend to limit yourself to this type of capture or do you have asperations of other specific types of photography.  For example for what has been so far described a crop sensor body would be good for the long reach, but if you want to work in very wide angle a crop sensor FoV will not work well for that.  Also crop sensor lenses don't work on FF bodies so there is a compatibilty issue if you intend to move up to that kind of body in the future.

It is so tempting for me and others to say what works for us, but there are lots of quesitons needed to find out what our inquirer's agenda and requirements are.

[toweltrick]

I'd like to keep my budget right around $1,000 although I am not opposed to investing in something that will work well with my future goals. And my significant other does already know about this and is okay with it lol. 

I usually photograph outside. Anything from cars, to landscapes, to portraits etc. Although I would like to start some work inside and learning about lights and what not. 

As said above, I usually photograph outside. I know I said in my original post that I was photographing a sport but this is not something I usually do. It was just for fun. But it does seem that the T7i will do a fantastic job in photographing a sport if I ever choose to do that. 

My requirement for quality is not very high. I am usually only posting on Facebook and Instagram. But (also addressing the next question here) I really want to do photography as a side job and eventually as a living. Whatever camera I choose to buy now will probably also begin my side job with photography. I would like to shoot family photos, weddings, and things of this sort to start off with. 

I'm afraid that, with this new information, someone is going to suggest a full frame camera for me. Like a 5D mk III. Although that is a fantastic camera and I would love to have one, I don't know how I feel about paying around $1,500 just for a body. Looking at the T7i's specs it seems, with good glass, I could produce quality images that will serve me just fine for the goals I listed above.

[TTMartin]

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@toweltrick wrote:

I'd like to keep my budget right around $1,000 although I am not opposed to investing in something that will work well with my future goals. And my significant other does already know about this and is okay with it lol. 

I usually photograph outside. Anything from cars, to landscapes, to portraits etc. Although I would like to start some work inside and learning about lights and what not. 

As said above, I usually photograph outside. I know I said in my original post that I was photographing a sport but this is not something I usually do. It was just for fun. But it does seem that the T7i will do a fantastic job in photographing a sport if I ever choose to do that. 

My requirement for quality is not very high. I am usually only posting on Facebook and Instagram. But (also addressing the next question here) I really want to do photography as a side job and eventually as a living. Whatever camera I choose to buy now will probably also begin my side job with photography. I would like to shoot family photos, weddings, and things of this sort to start off with. 

I'm afraid that, with this new information, someone is going to suggest a full frame camera for me. Like a 5D mk III. Although that is a fantastic camera and I would love to have one, I don't know how I feel about paying around $1,500 just for a body. Looking at the T7i's specs it seems, with good glass, I could produce quality images that will serve me just fine for the goals I listed above.

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Don't get sucked into the full frame hype. I did and purchased a Canon 6D, I almost never used it so I just gave it to my daughter. My APS-C camera does everything I need it to do.

One of the great things about Canon is their consumer STM lenses have fantastic image quality at ridiculously low prices. So when you get purchase your camera buy the kit with the STM lens, and enjoy your new camera.

[ebiggs1]

"Don't get sucked into the full frame hype."

I totally agree.  Both formats have their place.  Their strong points and weak points.  Most if not all you read on the ole inner web about FF being better is hype.

"I don't know how I feel about paying around $1,500 just for a body."

Unless you are going used, I don't see you getting a new 5D Mk III or the current Mk IV, anywhere near $1500 !  If you do, buy it with out hesitation before the seller changes their mind and comes to their senses.

Get the T7i and stop shopping.

[toweltrick]

"Unless you are going used, I don't see you getting a new 5D Mk III or the current Mk IV, anywhere near $1500 !  If you do, buy it with out hesitation before the seller changes their mind and comes to their senses."

Yes I was speaking of used. I am on a used gear for sale page and just saw a 5D mk III with a shutter count of 60k for $1500. 

"Get the T7i and stop shopping."

Will do 😄 The camera does look pretty impressive.

[Waddizzle]

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@toweltrick wrote:

"Unless you are going used, I don't see you getting a new 5D Mk III or the current Mk IV, anywhere near $1500 !  If you do, buy it with out hesitation before the seller changes their mind and comes to their senses."

Yes I was speaking of used. I am on a used gear for sale page and just saw a 5D mk III with a shutter count of 60k for $1500. 

"Get the T7i and stop shopping."

Will do 😄 The camera does look pretty impressive.

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Buying used gear is always a risk.  The best places for used gear is KEH, IMHO.  KEH rates their used gear conservatively.

If you are an experienced photographer, then I recommend passing on the entry level Rebel series of cameras, because they lack a few critical features.  If you are interested in the T7i, then look at the 77D.  I still feel the 80D is the best value in the product line.

[ebiggs1]

"I recommend passing on the entry level Rebel series of cameras..."

Yeah, it is an entry level, perhaps, but there are entry level and there is entry level.  The Rebel T7i is somewhat beyond what most would call entry level.  In fact it will exceed the needs of the vast majority of folks.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"I recommend passing on the entry level Rebel series of cameras..."

Yeah, it is an entry level, perhaps, but there are entry level and there is entry level.  The Rebel T7i is somewhat beyond what most would call entry level.  In fact it will exceed the needs of the vast majority of folks.

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That's bad advice from someone who someone who is obviously not familiar with the gear under discussion.

If you want to be serious about sport photography, then take a pass on the entire Rebel lineup.  Many of the premium grade lenses have features that disabled with Rebel camera bodies.  For example, better focusing with f/2.8 AF sensors.  No Rebels are compatible with using an extender like the 1.4x III, except for f/2.8 lenses.

Yup, I botched my copy and paste job on the battery specifications, but the point was clear.  The LP-E17 battery has FAR less capacity, because it is made for kit lenses, not the big, super telephoto lenses.  It simply lacks the muscle to control the motors as accurately as a beefier battery.  I will skip the physics lesson on why this is true.  I hate to see you argue against established science and basic algebra.  And, I'm not talking about lens tests, either.  I'm talking about Ohm's Law, and applying it.

The Canon specifications claim that you can get 800+ shots from a single charge on a LP-E17, but it doesn't specify what type of lens would be used.  I have little doubt that the 800 figure is most likely associated with using a fully manual lens, one that does not present a load to the battery.

My M3 uses the LP-17, and I can take hundreds of shots with it, if I am using a fully manual focus lens, but not so with an AF lens.  With an AF lens, the battery indicator is down to around 50% long before I reach 200 shots, and that is using EF 40mm lens, a pancake lens without IS.

My T5 uses a battery similar to a LP-E17.  I have put my 150-600mm lens on a tripod, and then swapped out different bodies, as part of some of my AFMA adjustments with the Sigma Dock.  The T5 could not focus as well as the 6D, 7D2, 80D, or a 1D Mark IV, in One Shot mode.  If I focused several times, then the T5 could finally get a sharp focus, but for just one shot at focusing, the T5 consistently came up not as sharp.  

The T5 needed a few more tries to acquire a really sharp focus.  Yes, the other camera bodies had better focus systems, but the 6D AF system is not all that dissimilar.  All cameras were in One Shot with the center AF point selected.  Tried the same test with smaller lenses, and the T5 could lock focus just like the other bodies.  It was clear, the bigger the lens, the less capable the T5 could focus.  It simply lacked the extra power to do it well.

[ebiggs1]

You just went from dribble to blather!  

The Rebel T7i is an outstanding option for the vast majority of people.