Upgrading: 60D or 7D?

Stuff

Stuff

Stuff

Associate
Joined
20 Sep 2009
Posts
2,407
Location
Brighton
Guys, I'm considering an upgrade from my trusty 40D. Love the camera, size, weight, etc. but would like something a little more. Higher MP, the ability to record movies and a better screen resolution would all be lovely, as well as all the little extras a newer camera provides.

However, I've been comparing them on SnapSort (Amazing website for camera comparisons if you haven't seen it before btw!) and there doesn't appear to be that much in it (Check for the Specification tab too if necessary)... The 7D's advantages appear to be weatherproofing, higher FPS and more focus points, whereas the 60D has a higher res screen and... a better battery?

Doesn't seem enough to warrant the extra for the 7D. Am I missing something? Can anyone go into more detail or link me regarding the focussing of the two cameras please, or advise one over the other? I'll be used for general out-and-about photography, as well as in nightclubs.
 
I'd wait - the 7D sensor is getting long in the tooth regardless of whatever they're doing with firmware updates, see what they bring out to replace it.

Also don't trust snapsort. I've seen a lot of dodgy comparisons from them, offering pros from one camera which the other one does better etc.
 
Last edited:
7Ds main advantages in my eyes are better build quality and more AF points. Personally I have the 60D and sometimes find the 9 AF points a bit limiting but to be honest I have no problem most of the time focusing and then recomposing. However when shooting sport I sometimes wish I had group AF points (which I think the 7D is capable of doing) rather than just a single point. However, I personally didn't think it was worth the extra for me therefore I went for the 60D. Hope this helps.
 
Stuff said:
Guys, I'm considering an upgrade from my trusty 40D. Love the camera, size, weight, etc. but would like something a little more. Higher MP, the ability to record movies and a better screen resolution would all be lovely, as well as all the little extras a newer camera provides.

However, I've been comparing them on SnapSort (Amazing website for camera comparisons if you haven't seen it before btw!) and there doesn't appear to be that much in it (Check for the Specification tab too if necessary)... The 7D's advantages appear to be weatherproofing, higher FPS and more focus points, whereas the 60D has a higher res screen and... a better battery?

Doesn't seem enough to warrant the extra for the 7D. Am I missing something? Can anyone go into more detail or link me regarding the focussing of the two cameras please, or advise one over the other? I'll be used for general out-and-about photography, as well as in nightclubs.
Click to expand...


What do you shoot? If you have heavy sports actioon, or fast paced wildlife, children/pets, then the 7D will be better.


Also depends what lenses you have. You might find a 60D and some lens investment gets you further than a 7D and your old lenses.


If you have very little lenses invested then it might be worth jumping ship. If not then I would perhaps wait and see what happens in the next 12 months 7D replacement, 60D replacement, entry level Canon Full Frame, 5DmKII reaching more suitable prices).
 
D.P. said:
What do you shoot? If you have heavy sports actioon, or fast paced wildlife, children/pets, then the 7D will be better.

Also depends what lenses you have. You might find a 60D and some lens investment gets you further than a 7D and your old lenses.

If you have very little lenses invested then it might be worth jumping ship. If not then I would perhaps wait and see what happens in the next 12 months 7D replacement, 60D replacement, entry level Canon Full Frame, 5DmKII reaching more suitable prices).
Click to expand...

I've got a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Sigma 10-20mm and a Canon 50mm f/1.4.

As I said in the OP, just general out and about shooting, as well as nightclubs. I considered waiting for the replacement, but it's probably gunna be quite a while yet, and it'll come in at a much higher price. The 7D price would be pushing it, so anything above will be a bit much. I was thinking maybe this now, and then selling and upping to a 5D MkII when the price comes down?
 
The 7D and the 5DMKII are very different cameras for different people, going form a 7D to a 5DMKII might be a significant downgrade if you become dependent on the AF abilities the 7D affords.

however, buying a 7D and waiting for the 5DMK3 to come down i price might make for a suitable upgrade option. Int his kind of situation I would move towards the cheaper 60D and preferably looking 2nd hand so that when you upgrade the losses are reduced. If FF is likely in the distant future then getting a 60D and investing in something like a 70-200 or 85/135mm prime that work well on crop and FF might be a good idea
 
D.P. said:
The 7D and the 5DMKII are very different cameras for different people, going form a 7D to a 5DMKII might be a significant downgrade if you become dependent on the AF abilities the 7D affords.

however, buying a 7D and waiting for the 5DMK3 to come down i price might make for a suitable upgrade option. Int his kind of situation I would move towards the cheaper 60D and preferably looking 2nd hand so that when you upgrade the losses are reduced. If FF is likely in the distant future then getting a 60D and investing in something like a 70-200 or 85/135mm prime that work well on crop and FF might be a good idea
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it :)
 
Wasn't the 6D the rumoured 5D replacement for a while?

In any case - see what sort of performance the 650d sensor gets before committing to the old sensors. If it's for better noise performance and image quality then a jump to full frame at the moment might not be out of the question - the 5D Mark 1 costs less than either of those two cameras, and still has better noise performance than any APS-C sensor simply due to its size and low pixel density. What that could also do is allow you to sell off your 17-50 and 10-20 and pick up either a 17-40 or 16-35 2.8 as your wide angle; at the wide end the 16-35 offering a stop more light than your 10-20, at the long end the 17-40 offering a stop and the 16-35 offering two, as well as the stop-or-so of low light advantage you get from the 5D over the crop cameras. The 50 1.4 can take the role of your normal lens in this situation.

It does depend a lot on what you shoot, though, and which focal range you find yourself using most as of course there's no point spending £700+ on a 16-35 if you very rarely make use of that range.
 
The fact that there is a massive firmware update introducing loads of new features to the 7D next month seems to suggest that it isn't due a replacement as soon as everyone had originally speculated.
 
Nexus said:
The fact that there is a massive firmware update introducing loads of new features to the 7D next month seems to suggest that it isn't due a replacement as soon as everyone had originally speculated.
Click to expand...

Potentially. But it's also possible they have a glut of 7Ds produced that aren't selling, so they updated the camera to shift the last batches, knowing that whatever they're preparing for the replacement is a big enough advancement on the 7D that sales of that won't be hit by it. I'm not sure that's the case, but it's important to not read too much into the firmware update.

Also the 60D has been out longer than any of the previous xxD bodies were out without replacement, having been updated every year until the 50D, which lasted two years but the 7D having come out after a year.

Either the 60D or the 7D are due an update, regardless, and if neither of them are updated within the year I'll be very surprised
 
You could always stick magic lantern on a 60d to get focus point grouping and some other handy features. Then invest in a tasty EF lens with the difference. Then upgrade to FF further down the line.
 
This is what I discovered when helping a mate choose a new camera. I was recommending the 60D as I have one, but then I compared the specs on that site you linked (by the way, are you the person that messaged me on flickr? This was the exact same question I was asked then this thread popped up! :D)

If you only have 'cheaper' lenses, now would be an opportune time to switch, unless of course you want to get a 5DmkIII (big investment, ace camera) but would benefit from higher quality lenses. It's not an easy choice, and for me I'd LOVE to have that Nikon D7000, but I've spent such a lot of time investigating each lens I purchased, and invested a LOT of money in them, the loss from selling then buying again would be too much.

I have to say though, as stupid as it sounds, I'm considering a D7000 with a 24-70 for gig photography. This is cheaper than buying Canons 24-70!
 
I have a 600d that I chose when I couldn't justify the extra money of the 60d or 7d.

The 7d actually has a slightly worse output than any of the 18mp APS-C Canons due to it's dual digic processors...it can cause banding due to the high sync accuracy required between them.

Also, the 7d is only really worth the extra cash if you do enough sports or moving wildlife photography to justify it...some people have struggled to get good results with the complicated af and it's the subject of much debate. The 7d is getting new firmware so see what that does for you.

The 60d is much better for video as it has the articulating screen, some other features plus it can run Magic Lantern. It doesn't work on the 7d due to the dual digics.

This may be a good time to hang fire...you have the 40d which still takes good pictures. Photokina is in September and Canon are supposed to be bringing out some sort of "baby" full frame and replacement for the 60d.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom