Camera Labs

Hello. I own a 40D and I've been thinking the past days if it is worth upgrading to a 7D considering that the model has been out for almost 2 yrs now or should i instead get a 650D. If I get the 7D, I would dispose of my 40d but if I get the 650D I can keep both. Thanks.

It may be the case that the 650D's features are more than adequate for you and the 7D could be overkill but without knowing what you're planning on shooting, whether or not you use the top LCD frequently on your 40D, if you'll use the articulated screen frequently and a whole lot of other factors, I don't think anybody can possibly give a conclusive answer of whether the 7D or the 650D is the "better" upgrade option.

Unless its feature sets are inadequate, the age of a camera is largely immaterial. Three years old or not, I still regard the 7D as a cracking camera.

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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

Well, it must be a general purpose camera which should be able to take good pictures of landscapes, people, sceneries, etc. and I believe both cameras are capable of doing so that is why I am somewhat undecided. In fact even my 40D is capable of doing it.

Yes, both would be perfectly adequate from a technical standpoint.

The 650D and 7D both have benefits and drawbacks when you pit them against each other. Those benefits and drawbacks affect different photographers in different ways. Perhaps you need to ask yourself which benefits of either camera you'd gain the most from whilst suffering the least from its drawbacks?

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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 7D has auto-focus advantages when shooting highly active, fast-moving subjects, and has a high frames-per-second rate. The vast majority of my shooting does not take full advantage of my 7D cameras' features. The 7D is weather-sealed better than most of the consumer-level Canon cameras, which is a distinct advantage for me, as I must sometimes shoot evidentiary images when it is raining or misting. I am not sure that the 7D is much better-sealed than my 40D. The AWB of a 7D is an improvment over that of the 40D, but I would not be surprised if the newer consumer-level Canons may have improved upon the 7D's AWB by this time.

The 40D is still a very capable camera! I plan to keep mine indefinitely, as a reminder of of a particularly memorable assignment.

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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 don't think it's worth the jump if you're just upgrading for image quality. I would recommend the upgrade if you're more concerned with it's features: build quality, FPS, autofocus performance, etc.

I am hoping the second generation 7D will have better noise performance. Until then, I will continue to hold onto my aging 450D and invest in optics.

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Canon EOS 450d/XSi, BG-E5 Grip, 4 LP-E5 battery, Canon EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS USM, B+W 77mm Pro1 MRC UV0 filter, Canon EF-S 10-22mm USM, HOYA 77mm HMC UV(C) Multi-Coated Filter THIN, Canon 580EX II,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31510271@N05/

If you are using a 40D, you should be looking at the 60D as an upgrade. It is the latest equivalent, and you appear to have missed it out. The 7D is really the sports, action or portrait use. Your landscapes are probably being shot using manual focus, or variations of that. Do you need the weather sealing?

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

Latest doesn't necessarily mean most worthy of consideration. Some don't regard the 60D as the latest equivalent in itself but rather the latest equivalent in name only - they feel its position ended with the 50D. I'm not talking about the use of polycarbonate on the 60D whereas the 50D and 40D had magnesium bodies - if plastics are good enough for the motorsports and aerospace industries, they'll probably be good enough for a camera. Some features in the 50D are actually either absent from or reduced in the 60D.

With your assumption that manual focus is being used for landscapes, the lens microadjustment could come in very handy on the 50D - the 60D doesn't have it.

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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

I agree with your points.

I did hear that some systems need to be calibrated if they use the micro focusing.

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Canon EOS 500D
Lenses: EFS 18-55mm IS, EF 50mm F/1.8 II

I think you've answered your own question already.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/53061745@N02/

Panasonic G3: 9-18mm, 14mm, 20mm, 45mm

"Upgrade to 7D"?...YES! And keep your 40D as a backup. 7D is an excellent camera. I have been using it for almost 2 years and I'm very happy with it. I use it for landscapes, wild life and anything in between. When I'm in the field, in the woods for wildlife shooting I have my Sigma 120-400mm on 7D for birds and animals and 24-105mm on 40D in case I come across something interesting that requires shorter focal length. I know, it's a lot of gear to carry but I do not have to waste time on lens swapping.
Good luck!

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Cameras: Canon 7D, 40D, PowerShot SX50 HS
Lenses: Sigma 120-400mm, Canon 24-105mm L, Canon 17-40mm L