upgrade from the SL1 - T8i, 77D, SL3?

[amatula15]

Hi,

For awhile now I have been considering upgrading my Canon SL1 which I have owned for 6 years.

I had posted awhile back on this, but then looked elsewhere (Olympus, Panasonic) at image stabilized bodies (as sharp, stabilized images can sometimes be a challenge for me -- I hike so a tripod is not always feasible).

But I have been getting creative with stabilization and find myself improving in this area, so wondering if perhaps a Canon APS-C DSLR camera might work as an upgrade.

I do like the advanced functionality qand lighter weight of the 77D and T8i (vs the 80D and 90D which are heavier), such as HDR, bracketing, customizations... And I want to work with star trails and night photography a bit more, as well as using ND filters (have not done that yet).

I own the EF 24 mm F/2.8 IS and considering addeing the 18-55 F/2.8 and 10-18 mm lens if I stay with Canon APS-C.

What I am wondering would there be a noticeable difference iin image quality 77D vs T8i vs SL3?

(since I am a landscape photographer, better dynamic range is goo!)

And would one of those serve my purposes better than others?

Mostly I like to use out of camera JPEGs but want to "upgrade" that too and do some raw processing, but I don't want to spend a lot of time with it generally.

I want to stay light as I am a hiker who hikes long distances.
I don't want mirrorless yet due to its infant stages....

Thank you and all the best!
Annie

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Of those 3,..  th T8i is the best value overall.  Not just because its newer.  It meets or exceeds the performance capabilities of the other bodies in several areas and is a better investment in both the short and longer term.

Lens recommendations.  

Your 24mm pancake does pretty well.

the Canon 17-55 is considered to be one of the cadillac lenses for APS-C.  A lot more than a 18-55 and worth it.

You'll need to take the type of photography you do into consideration.  with a 24, 17-55..  you may want to invest in something with greater reach so you have additional flexibility and do not overlap...  but this depends on your needs.

I have owned the 10-18 and 10-22..  the 10-22 is a better lens overall, so if you are considering between the two its worth the extra $$ in my opinion.  

[RobertTheFat]

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@shadowsports wrote:

Greetings,

Of those 3,..  th T8i is the best value overall.  Not just because its newer.  It meets or exceeds the performance capabilities of the other bodies in several areas and is a better investment in both the short and longer term.

Lens recommendations.  

Your 24mm pancake does pretty well.

the Canon 17-55 is considered to be one of the caddilac lenses i APS-C.  A lot more than a 18-55 and worth it.

You'll need to take the type of photography you do into consideration.  with a 24, 17-55..  you may want to invest in something with greater reach so you have additional flexibility and do not overlap...  but this depends on your needs.

I have owned the 10-18 and 10-22..  the 10-22 is a better lens overall, so if you are cionsidering between the two its worth the extra $$ in my opinion.  

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There is one drawback to the 17-55 lens that is rarely mentioned. On even a larger APS-C camera such as the 7D, it casts a substantial shadow in the area covered by the built-in flash, effectively rendering the latter unusable. So if you buy that lens, you are constrained to using external flash only, My wife and I both have the lens and haven't found the unusability of the built-in flash to be a problem. But some might, so it's best to know about it beforehand.

[ebiggs1]

Robert she is a landscaper so I don't see the lens and flash conflict to be an issue. There are two lenses that are not "L" lenses that I am really high on.  One is the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens and the other is the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Canon.  One of or both of these lenses could cause me to break ranks and buy a 90D.  Steady boy, steady.  I think they are that worthy. And the plus is the 90D itself because it is a darn good, maybe the best, cropper there is.

If I was Miss Annie that combo would be coming home today.  (And of course switching to Raw format.) 

[Waddizzle]

I would not recommend the Sigma 18-35mm simply because DPP cannot perform lens correction on it.  The Sigma lenses have vignetting, which needs correction.  For someone who just starting out, I think it is best to stay with Canon lenses, so that they do not need to go out and buy a third party application like Lightroom or Photoshop, just to get lens correction for 3rd party lenses.

I like the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8, too.  But, it is not one I would want to take on hike.  It is only a little more robust than the 18-55mm kit lens.  Great for event photography, but not my first choice for hiking in the wild.  I would recommend the EF 17-40 f/4L IS USM, instead.  

[amatula15]

Thank you, Bob!
I would never had guessed this as an issue.. And I do use the pop up flash at times for fill flash.

[ebiggs1]

"I want to stay light as I am a hiker who hikes long distances."

The T8i is not all that heavier than the SL2 or 3, a little bit but I doubt it would be noticeable on a hike. The T8i would be my recommendation. The addition of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens is going to be heavier.  In my book it is well worth it.

I don't want mirrorless yet due to its infant stages....

I agree the cameras are in the beginning stages but the R lenses are not.  Lenses is where its at, not the body. For the average person cameras like the EOS R is probably the way to go especially if you are not heavily invested in EF glass. You are not. There may not be any new development in or any new EF or EF-S lenses. They are at their end.

Besides you mentioned you looked at Olympus and Panasonic, aren't they both mirrorless?

As to using Raw, most of the time it is well worth it.  If you import your photos to your computer, the conversion is seamless and requires no further input on your part if you don't want to. Raw converters like the free, comes with every Canon camera, DPP4 read all your camera settings and automatically apply it to your photos so they look exactly as you thought they would. The big difference is the ability to adjust and edit with much greater range than a jpg can offer.  Plus this is a total non-destructive process so if you change your mind you can revert to the original at any time. When you use jpg a considerable amount of your photos data is simply deleted. Yup, just thrown in the trash can and is totally unrecoverable. Raw never does that.

I prefer Lightromm but the free Canon DPP4 is very good.  Light editing in DPP4 can be mastered in an hour or so by the average person.  Then......................................

[ebiggs1]

"I do like the advanced functionality qand lighter weight of the 77D and T8i ..."

To me the worse choice is the 77D.  It is just an odd duck. The T8i all the way over it. If you can handle its increased weight I would very much prefer the 90D for hikers as the 90D has some weather sealing. The T8i doesn't. The 90D also has some other better specs.

[Waddizzle]

" I had posted awhile back on this, but then looked elsewhere (Olympus, Panasonic) at image stabilized bodies (as sharp, stabilized images can sometimes be a challenge for me -- I hike so a tripod is not always feasible)."

If you are using a tripod, then having an image stabilized lens is not important, as is an image stabilized sensor.  If you are not always using a tripod, then perhaps you should be.  Do you want to take landscape photos, or snapshots for postcards?

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"I do like the advanced functionality qand lighter weight of the 77D and T8i (vs the 80D and 90D which are heavier), such as HDR, bracketing, customizations... And I want to work with star trails and night photography a bit more, as well as using ND filters (have not done that yet)."

The Rebel Series of camera bodies are not known for advanced functionality.  They are known for ease of use, small size, and light weight.  The lack weather sealing, in-camera HDR, AFMA, and many other desireable features for photo enthusiasts.  So, this scratches both the 77D and the T8i off the list, because they lack features you may be looking for in a camera.  I recommend the 80D or 90D, with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens.  Check the Canon online Refurbished Store for great deals on the 80D.  The 90D is still a little too new to be offered there, so it seems.

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"I own the EF 24 mm F/2.8 IS and considering addeing the 18-55 F/2.8 and 10-18 mm lens if I stay with Canon APS-C.

What I am wondering would there be a noticeable difference iin image quality 77D vs T8i vs SL3?

(since I am a landscape photographer, better dynamic range is goo!)

And would one of those serve my purposes better than others?"

The EF 24mm f/2.8 STM is an okay lens.  Its' primary design goal was compact size, not image quality.  The EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is actually a great lens, even for landsacapes.  It would be a great lens to capture panoramic shots.  The EF-S 10-22mm is a great lens, with an all metal body and internal focusing and zooming.  I would highly recommend it for hikes.

Do you mean the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens?  It is a great lens for photography, but a disappointment for videography.  Camera bodies with Dual Pixel AF do not go into Movie Servo AF mode with that lens.  If you want to shoot video with Movie Servo AF, then you want an STM zoom lens, not a prime, but a zoom lens.  For some odd reason STM primes disable Movie Servo AF.

Finally, always shoot RAW.  Use Canon's DPP software to edit and convert RAW files into JPEGs.  If you are just starting out, then stick with always buying Canon lenses, at least until you learn quite a bit more about photography.

[amatula15]

Thank you, everyone!

I purchased a used Sigma 17-50 F/2.8 during lunch. I can return it if I don't like it -- will check it out tomorrow. I did love the weight (the store also had a Canon 18-55 F/2.8 too)

The T8i does have HDR filters and some level of customization.  I believe it was the replacement for the 77D.

EBiggs: I was referencing the M lens for APS-C. I agree the RF lens are progressing but that is full frame.

But I did read of the new RF 24-105 F/4.1-7.1 and that sounds like a step in the right direction, both in terms of weight and variety (although 7.1 does not sound appealing for landscape)

I am unsure - because I want to dive into wildlife too -  if FF is the the way to go considering the weight of the lens. I have been happy with APS-C image quality.

I do love the D90 but itt is a bit heavier than I would want  but read  some lens cannot handle the 32 mp (although  I am sure if you put quality lens on it, then it would be fine).

The 50 mm F/1.8 ssounds like a great idea! (even without IS) -- I can check into that.

Thank you, again, everyone. Now I just have to see if the 90D is too heavy...

Annie