Close to buying a 7D.. BUT!

C

Colin Green

Member
Hello all,

I am just a mere click away from purchasing a 7D. I have spent the last 2 weeks or so researching and weighing in the pros and cons, comparing the camera to its competitors, namely the t2i. and I feel that the 7D will suit my needs and keep me a happy camper.

However, every now and then I come across one or two people out of the bunch who say, "ahh don't bother, the 7D and the 5D will be obsolete soon enough anyway."

Now, I know full well how quickly technology changes and new cameras emerge. And I know that the next generation of dslr's will look to fix the bugs of this first batch. However, can anyone shed some light on this for me? Does anyone think that if I purchase a 7D now I would be making a foolish decision.

Like I said, I know the pros and cons of the camera pretty well at this point, but I'm just trying to do my best to ensure that I don't end up kicking myself in the face when I find out in 5 months the 7D is obsolete lol.

Thanks guys, all of your help is always greatly appreciated!


-Colin
 
I'll reflect what a lot of other smarter people have said on these boards:

Waiting for manufacturers to release the next generation of cameras is a bad choice, unless you already have a nice camera to fall back on and are just looking for a B-cam, etc. It's better to get in the game sooner than later. And we all know too well that release dates for equipment, especially that as head-turning as a camera, can be pushed ad infinitum.

And to that, lenses are your biggest investment, almost irrespective of the camera you get (again, almost). Buy your 7D, learn to use it, have fun, make good stuff, and when new cameras come around, you'll already have a food in the door with the manufacturer and how they operate.

P.S. The 7D will not be obsolete in 5 months. Not even. It just came out in September or October of 2009, I believe, and is one of the flagship DSLR cameras right now, not like I need to remind you. You will be very happy with this camera. I picked up mine just a few months ago and am in love.

Also, you did the right thing doing thorough research. I went through the same weeks of comparison shopping online and reading dozens upon dozens of reviews. Then I made the choice to get a 7D, and I have never looked back.
 
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Canon just announced the new 60D today.

But look -- what would make a 7D "obsolete"? It will still do the exact same job six months from now, that it will do today. Sure there will be other products introduced, and they will be better and cheaper. That's the way things work in the electronics industry. But just because something new is introduced, doesn't mean that your existing equipment stops working.

Unless you're trying to get established as a rental house, where folks only want to rent the newest and latest -- if that's your angle, then yes you definitely have to worry about something new obsoleting what you've got. But if it's for personal projects etc., then what does it matter if something new comes out in the future? (and it will, you can count on that).

Get what you need, get something that does the job you need done, and then >go do that job< instead of worrying about what else is coming out. :thumbsup:
 
Scott, Barry, Thank you so much for the speedy and informative response!

You guys make some very good points, Its true that at some point you have to just commit and buy, otherwise you'll always just be sitting and waiting for the next thing that may or may not come out haha. And I am anxious to finally just go ahead and buy, its been a good summer and I feel like now is a good time to do so.

I don't plan on going into the rental house business just yet, but Barry I appreciate you covering all possible scenarios :)

Thanks so much guys! Its always nice to hear some reassurance before making a big purchase haha.
 
Hi Colin,

more or less we all went through this kind of thinking/planning. I did couple of months ago before picking the T2i. I would suggest you to consider the following:

1) Are you going to make money doing pics/video with your camera or learning/experiencing/practicing ?

2) Are you going to use it mostly for stills or for video ?

3) Do you have an adeguate budget for the rest ? Lenses, tripod, filters etc ?

I would say the 3 above questions should direct you more precisely to understand if you need to pay the double price of the 7D vs the T2i. Hope it helps :)
 
I buck the trend a bit here..... if you don't have anything to shoot and don't need to start learning, then wait and see what will happen at photonika... maybe even up to the end of the year.

The Canon 60D and Nikon 3100 have been announced this week and I would expect some news from Panasonic and a few others too.

The 60D sounds very promising for video use.... same specs as 7D but with articulating screen and audio controls/external mic input.
 
If you want to buy a Canon soon... I think it's got to be the 60D. It's positioned exactly between the t2i and 7D... with many convenience/ergonomic luxuries of the 7D... and a few key improvements OVER the 7D (for video use).

If I hadn't already gone through the return on a 7D to buy a t2i... then I'd return my t2i to get the 60D. It's the clear and easy choice now... IMO.

Oh... and the 5D obsolete? Not until full-frame sensors are common. Full frame is still in a world of it's own... with a really high price of admission... and anybody who says "who cares" usually says that because they haven't tried it, or can't afford it.
 
7D and 5D are fantastic still-photo cameras and I as such they won't be obsolete for a while. If you mainly shoot video, hacked GH1 is even better than those two (and accepts almost any glass with appropriate adapter).

And as other said, waiting for better camera is like waiting for faster computer...there will always be faster computer and better camera. But if you want to do job now, buy what's available and do it. Camera won't get any worse with time...it's just that new products might be better.
 
Grunf said:
7D and 5D are fantastic still-photo cameras and I as such they won't be obsolete for a while. If you mainly shoot video, hacked GH1 is even better than those two (and accepts almost any glass with appropriate adapter).

And as other said, waiting for better camera is like waiting for faster computer...there will always be faster computer and better camera. But if you want to do job now, buy what's available and do it. Camera won't get any worse with time...it's just that new products might be better.
Click to expand...

I have a problem with everyone who keeps recommending the Gh1. First and foremost I cannot build a business on a camera that has hacked software and can be very unstable. Countless threads through google searches proves this.

Second the Gh1 still does not operate as well as these Canon Hdslr in low lighting conditions.

That is all
 
Barry_Green said:
But look -- what would make a 7D "obsolete"? It will still do the exact same job six months from now, that it will do today.
Click to expand...

Easy: in an effort to get the most bang for the buck do I wait for the 60D or even *big breath* the Nikon D90 replacement next month, or go with the 7D now?

You're right the 7D will function the same tomorrow as it does today, but in light of new models coming out soon I think it's a good time to wait. One month from now assess the new models, determine if it's worthwhile to wait for the additional features they have and make your choice based on these models... don't sit around waiting for an 8D.
 
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life4eva said:
I have a problem with everyone who keeps recommending the Gh1. First and foremost I cannot build a business on a camera that has hacked software and can be very unstable. Countless threads through google searches proves this.

Second the Gh1 still does not operate as well as these Canon Hdslr in low lighting conditions.

That is all
Click to expand...

"building a bussines" around 1200$ worth of aliasing DSLR without usable AF and auto-gain is as bad/good as "building a business" around hacked GH1.

GH1 with conservative bitrate (B och C with Class 10 card) setting is stable as rock. It has articulating screen, it has mount which accepts most lenses, it can shoot until you run out of card, it has usable AF and usable stabilization. And best of all: picture is (to me) better than Canon. There are many threads and articles, from both sides of the camp but all in all, I find GH13 a better video DSL(R). For photo, I would pick Canon. (I own both).

low lightning conditions? Well, maybe. But possibility of fitting my old FD f1.2 stock on GH1 kinda makes it a moot point...it would cost me arm and leg to obtain same EF stock.

Regards,
 
To be fair... I'd rather have a Canon w/ 2.8 glass at 1600iso... then a GH1 w/ 1.4 glass at 800iso. If you were lucky on your GH1 then it's all good... if not you'll have specific banding issues that aren't happening in the Canons.

The thing is... if you were going to build a business around DSLR video you're going to need a couple anyway... not only for coverage... but so far it's known to be risky to try and record video non-stop with any of the Canons... and the GH1(3) can record all day without those problems.

All these cams have strengths and weaknesses... I don't care which one you get... GH13, Canon, whatever... they're all compromising answers for video (so far).
 
life4eva said:
I have a problem with everyone who keeps recommending the Gh1. First and foremost I cannot build a business on a camera that has hacked software and can be very unstable. Countless threads through google searches proves this.
Click to expand...
life4eva said:
Second the Gh1 still does not operate as well as these Canon Hdslr in low lighting conditions.

That is all
Click to expand...
I’m trying to understand this statement…you “have a problem with everyone who keeps recommending the GH-1?” Why? It seems like you’ve already made up your mind and really don’t want any feedback. The “hacked” GH-1 is also my recommendation by the way. This is coming from a guy who owned a 7D since last year and moved to the GH-1(3). I can’t see a big difference in “low-light” myself. I mean….are you really going to use 6400 ISO on the Canons and expect it to be good video? Both the Canons and Panasonic put out nice looking video but as the previous poster mentioned…yes…the Pana is that much sharper. And as far as reliability is concerned I’ll put it this way…your chances for anything going wrong in the GH-1’s hacked video mode is actually less than the rate you’d experience “overheating’ in the Canons. So…now you know. :)
 
Ian-T said:
I mean….are you really going to use 6400 ISO on the Canons and expect it to be good video?
Click to expand...

6400 is a bit extreme, no?

The GH1 has banding issues above 400 on many, many units, including my own.

If mid-high iso is an important aspect then I would not recommend a GH1.
 
OK. But I try not to go above 800 which I've not noticed any problems at so far. Honestly though even with the 7D @ ISO 1600 you had to have some decent ambient lighting for the noise to be supressed. I have not tried the same types of shots with the GH-1 as yet.

I mentioned 6400 since the GH-1 does not dance up in that territory.
 
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