Camera Labs

I and confused I am going to buy one or the other but I am new to photography and I don't know if I need the 7 d ??? What do you think?

My advice is to not worry about the camera as much as the lens.
What is the budget you want to spend on everything?

Are you really interested in movies, or just want a nice camera to learn on?

I take it from these selections that you don't want a rebel? Is this due to picking it up and not liking how it feels or is it something else?

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

I will taking pictures of the kids and also videos of them also. I got confused by reading the reviews. I have the t3i now but the 60d reviews are better and the 7d reviews are even better than the others. And yes I do want a good camera to learn on! I dont want have to reinvest again any time soon.

I would have suggested buy the camera first if you were going to be buying some more lenses soon... but as you don't want to buy anything soon after this then I would definitely suggest the t3i with a better lens. I think I am right in saying for the price difference you can get something like the Canon 15-85mm??? If so this would be a good standard lens to get. Also remember you can save some money by getting the camera body only unless like when I bought my camera the price was only an extra £10 for the 18-55mm kit

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

These are different cameras for different jobs. I believe they share the same sensor, so choose the one best-suited for most of your shooting. You mentioned video which is a factor favoring the 60D for you, as it has an articulating LCD. I do not shoot video, and rarely use live view, so an articulating LCD is mostly worthless to me.

On the other hand, I wanted micro-focus adjustment, which the 60D does not have. (This was a disappointing down-grade from the 50D.) The 7D has this feature. I sometimes use wide apertures, and with the resulting shallow depth of field, focus must be absolutely perfect.

The 7D has more metal in the body, so it should be tougher than the 60D. This means the 7D is heavier, if I remember correctly. Of course, something as simple as a chronic or lingering shoulder injury may indicate lighter weight is better. My wife did not mind the weight of a Nikon D200, D300, or D300s, until she injured her right rotator cuff. I bought her a D7000 and lightweight Tamron zoom, and she was back in business. (She works for a government entity that specifies Nikon cameras.)

I have forgotten if the 7D has better weather-sealing than the 60D; I think it does. Weather-sealing is important to me; at work, I may have to shoot in the rain, or may have to wipe/flush contaminants from the outside of my
equipment.

These are factors I recall from when I considered whether to buy a 60D or 7D, in the Autumn of 2010. My two main working cameras now? 7D. Your needs may vary.

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Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro

Actually, your T3i is a quite good camera! Be patient about upgrading. As already indicated, a lens upgrade may be the better path for now. Better a T3i with good lenses than a 7D with mere kit lenses, and I am not kidding at all.

If the budget allows, an L lens can be a wonderful way to wake-up your images. Try renting one! A 35mm 1.4L, stopped-down to about f/2, can be a truly wonderful lens for photographing children and pets indoors and in low light.

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Canon 7D/5D/40D/1D2N; Nikon F6, FM3A, & Coolpix A; Canon 40mm Pancake, 135L, 50L, 35L, pre-II 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8L Macro, 10-22mm EF-S, 28-135 EF, 400mm 5.6L; Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AI-S, 50mm 1.4G, 50mm 1.8D, 16mm 2.8D Fisheye, 180mm 2.8D, 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S; Tokina 17mm & 100mm 2.8 Macro

I do not know your need, but...

I traded in my 60d for my current T2i, and I am very happy!

I don't think 60d would be a big jump from t3i, so if you want/need to upgrade, then look into 7d.

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Olympus OM-D E-M5, Panasonic GF-3, Canon SX40HS

Panasonic Pancake 14mm f2.5, Panasonic Leica 25mm f1.4, Olympus Zuiko 75mm f1.8
Panasonic 14-42mm

Sorry keyfin I misread your post. I didn't realise you already owned a t3i. In that case I would skip the 60d as I don't think it is worth the upgrade especially if you already own a t3i. You would not see very much difference in terms of image quality (if any at all) so I would only really consider the 7d. The 7d will produce better images and has the additional benefits of being weather sealed and rugged ect. It also has a lot of additional features over the t3i. However if image quality is all you want to improve and dont care about weather sealing ect then a lens is definitely the way to go. If you are prepared to spend the same amount on a lean as you would of a 7d then I would consider picking up a L series lens that suits your style of photography. By the sound of it you need some sort of general purpose lens. I can highly recommend the 24-105L f4 lens which I use with my t2i. I find the focal length perfect for general use and it produces very sharp images. However there is also the 24-70L f2.8 which could be an option if you require the extra stop to allow more light in.

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

In terms of image quality none of them offers more than the T3i - that's the reason why I'm still using the T1i - the difference is minimal and almost not noticable. I bought some nice lenses and that improved the quality much more than a better body could have done. Of course there are some nice features; especially in the 7D. The weather sealing, the better viewfinder, focussing system, grip etc. But as the sensor is the same the image quality doesn't change and the video mode is even worse than the one of the T3i - and you are missing the articulated screen on the 7D.

So for improving the handling I personally like the battery grip - the camera feels better in my hands, it's nice for portraits and it's easier to keep the camera straight, especially with a flash gun and / or a heavier lens on it.
For improved image quality I chose better lenses. For improved image quality I'm skipping the T2i / T3i / 60D / 7D generation as the image quality is about the same (and 15MP--->18MP is no real difference) and I'm waiting for the next generation at the moment. Then I'll go for a xxD / xD camera for the better handling.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

1) If possible, hold all 3 in a store, shoot a few pictures and see what feels the best. All 3 share the same sensor, so picture quality is about the same. The lenses will make the difference there.

2) The T3i is probably the best of the 3 for video (articulated screen and 3x digital zoom), the 7D for shooting photos (biggest viewfinder, more focus points, more photos per second, top LCD), and the 60D kinda in the middle for both.

3) Since you already bought the T3i, I'd be hesitant to replace it unless you can get a 100% refund. All 3 cameras are very good, so I don't think there is a wrong answer, just whatever is right for you.

I have held all 3 and I like the feel of them all and I can also return the t3i if I want for a full refund. when does the xxD / xD camera go on sale and what is the benefit? thank you for all the knowledge and information this will definitely help me make a sound decision.

The only issue with the 7d is that it doesn't have a moveable screen. I like the functionality of it being able to swivel.

I all honesty, the reasons I got the 7D was because of 4 things

1) the Metal frame inside the body - If the feel of the 60D and the weight is a factor I would get a 60D due to its wight, the fact its just as durable and its got a flippy screen

2) the higher AF points - I shoot lots of school sports days and people running around, so if this is your only shooting subject, I would get a 7D... But if you want to just shoot lots of differnet things, nothing wrong with the 60D.

3) I wanted the fasted continous shooting mode I could afford - like I said earlier is high speed and sports photography is the only thing you are shooting, then yes the 7D is a good choice, but if you want a mixed bag, the 60D is just fine with 5fps. No one ever complained about it

4) Cant care much for movie mode - so the flippy screen is not usefull for me. Also the 60D has controlable volume control the 7D doesnt. If video is important, the 60D is a better bet - and the money you save on the body, means you can get a better lens.

Good luck.

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1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

With my own money, I would take the 7D on account of it suiting my photography of motorsports better than the 60D (even though my 550D does a good job already). I do videos occasionally but not enough for the 60D's video recording advantages and its articulated screen to win the argument.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

The first DSLR I purchased was a XTi from December 2006.
I didn't know much about photography and the rebel series of Canon cameras are a great way to learn.

I am still using this camera. Your T3i is a lot better than my XTi in terms of specs. However, I'm still waiting to upgrade the body. I get a lot more benefit by increasing my understanding of cameras and with the lenses I'm acquiring. I'm trying to pace myself on what I'm purchasing and making sure it is something I'm going to want.

If you are just starting out in a DSLR, and you enjoy the T3i, then I would say to keep it rather than trading it in. At some point, you will probably upgrade it no matter what camera you get. However, the money you save right now on a camera could allow you to get a better lens(es) now that you will have longer than your camera body itself. Don't pay too much attention to the reviews of the cameras as they are a lot closer than what some people state. If you really want a different body you can do that. However, the body is less important in image quality than the lens you are using. As stated previously, the T3i, 60D and the 7D all use the same sensor. So the same lens on used on all 3 would produce the same picture. The differences between them are primarily auto-focusing, handling/construction and price. If you are happy with your T3i, then be happy and don't listen to other people tell you differently.

After using your camera for a year or two will give you a lot better understanding of what you like and not like. It will also help you understand more about photography itself. This will be true no matter which body or lens you have.

Most importantly, have fun. Good luck with your decisions.

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes