Debating on the 7D

[Overread]

(Yes yes I know there are 10001 posts about this on the internet, but this one is special - its mine )

Ok so I might have some money burning a hole in my pocket and despite also wanting to save for silly expensive lenses (300mm f2.8 !) I've also a range of products/addons that I've also wanted to add to my current setup to allow it to expand (downside of building up from scratch is a lot of parts needed along the way). Plus I'm unlikely to do any big earning so there is a risk that some savings might get eaten up with every day living stuffs.

So with that in mind I've taken a look at the 7D as an option to upgrade from my 400D - I'm not in two minds about the choice of camera body; I want the video mode; I want the crop sensor and I want the silly complicated AF (as well as noise control).

However we then come to the addons to the (possible) purchase itself; where there is less info abound.

1) Batterygrips; I've been looking around and some 3rd party ones are offering a lot more features than the standard canon version. This is interesting since the build quality is also not dire on many of these (so I read). However I don't live in portrait mode (I use it when I need it of course) and further one big factor that the 7D has that I do want is the weathersealing aspects. With that in mind I suspect that best is going to remain the, more expensive, canon version - unless anyone here can suggest others?

2) Batteries - an area where a saving might be possible with a good £20 difference between canon and many of the 3rd party versions. The chips though is one point I want to keep for the accurate power rating. So are there reliable 3rd party options that keep the nice chip for reading the power levels to the camera?

3) Memory cards - I've some feeling that the 7D does not use the same type as the 400D (I'm bad at mixing all the memory card name types up....)

Adding of course a nice E1 wriststrap and OPtech pro neckstrap to all the above as well


So far as I can work out that is what I'd be adding to the purchase (I'm very used to battery grip and the strap setups with my 400D and would seriously miss them were I not to have them on the 7d).

So first up anyone able to give me some pointers and maybe push me over the edge with the purchase choice?

 

[subscuck]

The 7D ungripped is probably about the same size as your 400D gripped, something to maybe think about. The 7D will be rather large gripped. As you suspect, the 7D uses the bigger CF card, not the SD card your Rebel uses. Memory is cheap nowadays. I can't comment on batteries as I've never bought 3rd party batteries before. I will say, with the glass you own, a 7D will be splendiferous!

 

[cfusionpm]

1) Batterygrips; I've been looking around and some 3rd party ones are offering a lot more features than the standard canon version. This is interesting since the build quality is also not dire on many of these (so I read). However I don't live in portrait mode (I use it when I need it of course) and further one big factor that the 7D has that I do want is the weathersealing aspects. With that in mind I suspect that best is going to remain the, more expensive, canon version - unless anyone here can suggest others?

2) Batteries - an area where a saving might be possible with a good £20 difference between canon and many of the 3rd party versions. The chips though is one point I want to keep for the accurate power rating. So are there reliable 3rd party options that keep the nice chip for reading the power levels to the camera?

3) Memory cards - I've some feeling that the 7D does not use the same type as the 400D (I'm bad at mixing all the memory card name types up....)

Adding of course a nice E1 wriststrap and OPtech pro neckstrap to all the above as well

1) I use a Flashpoint grip from Adorama for both my 50D and 7D. The build quality and features are just as good as the real one, even with soft touch rubber grip (the 7D has an additional molding for ring finger that the Canon grip does not have). I've personally never had a problem with rain (only shot once in moderate drizzle), so I don't know how well it is compared to the Canon with regards to sealing, but it does have the same lip on the side and upward curvature so the camera "sits" in it. No rubber sealing.

2) I have an off-brand battery from Adorama (seeing a pattern already?) and notice no difference between it and the standard. I have yet to use a full two batteries in any shoot (even over 1500+ photos).

3) 400D still uses Compact Flash, same cards as the 7D. They didn't switch to SD cards until the 450D/XSi.

I would recommend a RapidR strap, but that's just me :thumbup:

I used to have a 400D/XTi, but moved to a 50D before jumping to the 7D. The gap is huge! The jump from the 50D to 7D was kind of "more of the same, but everything better" whereas the jump from 400D to 50D was more like "new buttons, easier controls, new features, easier use, faster performance, better responce, etc." I think you will be very pleased with a 7D.

 

[Josh66]

 

[Overread]

The TV person told me so I had to.....



ps buyers remorse is so painful when you don't have anything to show for it - though its a tuesday so there's a good chance stuff might arrive before next week!

 

[subscuck]

The TV person told me so I had to.....



ps buyers remorse is so painful when you don't have anything to show for it - though its a tuesday so there's a good chance stuff might arrive before next week!

Woo Hoo!

 

[Overread]

The Battery is in the post - the Battery is in the post!!!

nothing else yet though... all listed as processing or I've not got a clue.

 

[soylentgreen]

The 7D grew on me. I bought it to use at a wedding when I had to send my 5D in to Canon fpr servicing. I was initially not impressed with it IQ wise. I thought the added MP on the crop sensor would inherently lead to noisier images, but that was not the case. Also, it had the misfortune of me comparing it to a FF 5D Mark II. Not really fair. I now almost exclusively use it for my wildlife stuff since the AF system is pretty nifty, especially compared to a 1D series. 5D still trumps for low-light though.

 

[Overread]

I am now the proud owner off a 7D!!!!!






battery grip.... and memory card and OpTech neckstrap. What's the betting that the spare battery also arrives before the camera body itself

 

[ghache]

congrats.

 

[Overread]

Phew and an hour sitting on phones later and I might have a nice shiny lens as well by the weekend - yay to order confusions and sitting in bank customer service queues. Still no idea on the darn postage of the camera body...


EDIT ooh this is fun apparently I missed a call and the order was cancelled and I got no email telling me (cancelled because my billing and delivery addresses are different - student away from home and apparently missed the one phone call to confirm...) Soo its now on order from Amazon and back to the waiting game

 

[Josh66]

That sucks.

I've only once had a company actually call me to confirm an order... It was something around a $5000 order from B&H...

At least you'll still get it, eventually.

 

[Overread]

True its not that common here either and I suspect if both addresses were the same they wouldn't have needed to call. Also I did get the email in the end - at 6pm right after all their service lines close for the evening. Either it got pushed through the system or sent again after I called (to complete things fully) or they have some sort of batch email service setup and typical emails are sent out in batches (and thus mine got sent in the last evening batch).

Still its all sorted and fingers crossed if things go well its a lens tomorrow and a camera on Saturday

 

[CNCO]

i was thinking of making the switch to canon, but i have way too many accessories with nikon. the sb-900 is a great flash second to none. my 70-200 f2.8 is another great lens. if i could switch all of my nikon gear for canon then i probably would do it. the trouble is to find someone that wants to trade.