6D or 70D, which has better low light capability or are they about the same?

[TCampbell]

You're going to need precisely calibrated scientific testing equipment to notice the difference in ISO performance between a 7D, 70D, 60D, or even a T2i/T3i/T4i/T5i. It's not that there isn't a difference... it's just that it's so subtle that you're not going to casually notice the difference. Effectively they will all "seem" to be about the same.

However... the ISO performance of a 5D II, 6D, 5D III, or 1D-X will be extremely obvious.

Part of the reason for this is because is because when it comes down to it... it's the physical size of an individual "photo site" on the sensor that makes the biggest difference and large full-format sensors have physically larger photo-sites. That makes them more efficient collectors of photons.

This is also one of the motivations behind the idea of "binning". For example, 2x2 "binning" means you use a 2x2 matrix (four photo-sites in all) and treat them as if they were just one. Noise elimination is a Poisson distribution/regression. The ability to knock down noise is based on the square root of the number of samples you take. The square root of 4 is 2. Which means if you take 4 samples, you can do twice as good at knocking back the noise.

 

[grafxman]

So Tim, I guess what you're saying is that I should just go ahead, bite the bullet and buy another 6D. My wallet screams in agony. :no smile:

 

[TCampbell]

So Tim, I guess what you're saying is that I should just go ahead, bite the bullet and buy another 6D. My wallet screams in agony. :no smile:

Yes, but you have to do things in the correct order.

FIRST act like you're planning to buy a new 1D X. Look at the price tag. THEN buy the 6D and act like you just saved a whole lot of money.

The amount you spend will still be the same, but for some reason you feel a whole lot better once you realize how much you could have spent. ;-)

Incidentally... looks like the 7D II is now expected "sometime" in the first half of 2014.

 

[grafxman]

So Tim, I guess what you're saying is that I should just go ahead, bite the bullet and buy another 6D. My wallet screams in agony. :no smile:

Yes, but you have to do things in the correct order.

FIRST act like you're planning to buy a new 1D X. Look at the price tag. THEN buy the 6D and act like you just saved a whole lot of money.

The amount you spend will still be the same, but for some reason you feel a whole lot better once you realize how much you could have spent. ;-)


Incidentally... looks like the 7D II is now expected "sometime" in the first half of 2014.

Thanks for the info Tim. I think I'll wait for a while and see what the 7D Mk II looks like.