Canon 7d still worth buying?

JacaRanda · Oct 21, 2014

ronlane said:
I would agree that if video is something that you are into, then the 70d and it's touch screen are the way to go. Being able to touch focus the screen for video would be something that is very attractive to me for video, but I rarely to any video, so the touch screen isn't something that I want for myself.

Hi Ron. My wifey has the 70d and the few times I used it, the touchscreen was actually a pleasure. So used to touchscreen on the phones and Ipad.
It's the one thing I wish they would have put in the 7dmII. Wifi, nope, articulating screen nope (got it on 60d), but the touchscreen...wish they had.

ronlane · Oct 21, 2014

JacaRanda, I hear where you are coming from there. I think it would be a great feature to have the ability to turn it off and on. It's not that I'm against the touch screen, I'm sure that I would use it on occasions if it were on there. And if it were on there, it wouldn't change my mind for or against the 7D mk ii. Basically, touchscreen isn't one of the features that I am looking for.

Mateomateo · Oct 21, 2014

so overall consensus is canon 70D?? i thought there would be more diehard canon 7D fans out there

lambertpix · Oct 21, 2014

Mateomateo said:
so overall consensus is canon 70D?? i thought there would be more diehard canon 7D fans out there

I've got a 7D, and I love it, but if video is more than an occasional thing, the 70D's dual-pixel sensor is pretty compelling.

xzyragon · Oct 21, 2014

I love my 7D. I like the controls better than the 70d. I don't need a touchscreen. I don't need a swivel screen. I DO want a better sensor + dual-pixel AF. I'd rather spend my income on lenses than bodies at this point, so I'll stick with my 7D.

If you're into video AND the 7D mk2 has dual pixel AF, i'd go for that. Otherwise i'd get the 70d.

If you aren't into video, i'd get the 7D if you feel like saving money, or the 7D mk2 if you want the best canon crop body that'll last you for a decade.

Mateomateo · Oct 21, 2014

7d mk2 is a bit more than im willing to spend, and they 7D and 70D are in the same price range, just worried the 7D will be a bit outdated in a couple years, and ill do mostly photos and a bit of video on my free time

weepete · Oct 21, 2014

Hi mate,

I shoot with a 7Dmk1 and have done for a couple of years now so thought I'd chime in with my perspective. You'll need to bear in mind that I don't shoot video, I just do stills.

In my opinion the 7Dmk1 is a great camera and I do have a lot of love for it, however there are a couple of things that I would change about it if I could. Let's start with the big ones...

Low light performance is a bit of an issue, technology has moved on and it's starting to show so you can expect noise to show if you are shooting at an ISO of 800 or above and nowadays there are sensors out there that way outperform the 7Dmk1. Indeed it's the same sensor that was used in the Rebels and was in all the other Canon DSLRs for years.

Under exposure can introduce noise in your pics even at lower ISOs, so you really need to nail the exposure if you want the best picture quality.

Dynamic range also lags behind with other cameras outperforming the 11.7 EVs the 7Dmk1 can squeeze out.

It doesn't have a minimum shutter speed function. I know this isn't a big deal to most but it would be really useful to me for a lot of situations.

You'll be using CF cards in the 7D which are more expensive than other memory types and you'll pay extra to max out that FOR for burst shooting.

Other than that it's pretty spot on. The 70D uses the same AF system, has a similar dynamic range, slightly (and I do mean slightly) better high ISO performance. DXO mark scores the 70D just 2 points higher overall than the 7Dmk1 making them very close indeed. From what I can see the video features of the 70D slightly edge it if you use them but there really isn't much to pick between them in the tech specs other than the metal body of the 7Dmk1 being a bit more sturdy.

They are both very capable cameras, however I don't see the 70D lasting much longer than the 7D mk1 given how similar the dynamic range and low light performance is.

JacaRanda · Oct 21, 2014

Again, if you plan on doing video, then there seems to be an advantage to having a swivel screen and a touchscreen. Just because it has a touch screen does NOT mean you have to use it. You can menu dive, hit the q button and navigate around like always. No need to turn the touchscreen on or off, simply don't use it.

Unless you are planning on beating the camera up a bit, I see no reason to buy a 7d at this point in the game. At least not new.

Mateomateo · Oct 21, 2014

thanks for all the replies, really appreciate everyones help, ive been shopping around for the best deal of the 70D and 7D, since they are both almost the same price and around the same specs i guess ill just see what has a better deal. for example i found on bhphotovideo.com :

canon 7D with a 28-135mm lens for $1099 or
same 7D with an 18-135mm lens for $1299
or just 7D body $999
or on amazon
canon 70D with 18-135mm lens for $1349 (plus camera bag and SD 32G card) or
canon 70D with 18-55mm for $1149 (plus camera bag and SD 32G card)
or just 70D body $999 (same as 7D)

so what do you guys think of the options, what would you choose and why?

weepete · Oct 22, 2014

I'd buy a body only and either a Canon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 IS (mk1 which is pretty much the sharpest non L telephoto zoom you'll get) or a 70-200 f4 L if your primary shooting is models and sports on a budget. Or I'd just plump for a Canon 70-200 f2.8 L if there is a bit more cash available.

I'd stay away from super zooms though as they tend not to be too sharp.

From there I'd a a generalist zoom, either the Sigma 17-70 f2.8-4 or 17-50mm f2.8 depending on your priorities and after that you could look at UWA lenses or more reach on the telephoto end like the Bigma 150-500

jaomul · Oct 22, 2014

I'd go the 70d with the 18-135mm stm lens. This range covers a lot and will be a great starter lens which with use will point you in the direction of what other lenses you may need. The stm lens should work great for video and stills.

Mateomateo · Oct 22, 2014

thanks, looks like the 70D is the best option.....but a friend told me that i should just get a canon T5i and save money, but i was wondering if i would be sacrificing video capabilities that the 70D and 7D have with a T5i. can someone explain the video part of the cameras, I know more about photography than the video specification on cameras. just see that the 7D has 8fps the 70D 7fps and the T5i has 5fps, and just wanted to get some good HD video that i can pass directly to a big screen. cheers guys

ronlane · Oct 22, 2014

The 70D is the newest of the camera's and was featured for it better video capabilities, so it will be better at video than the T5i. The T5i is the entry level camera versus the 7 and 70D which are the next step up. To me this these two provide different (better?) features.

I don't think you would be disappointed with the 70D for video or stills.