Camera Labs

Then I will probably need a filter for the 100-400 too. It is not dust and water sealed at the front side when not covered with a filter... Or am I mistaken there?

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

There is an air path on the front of the lens. You can feel a difference in pressure if I block off the back end and pump it with and without a filter on. If that is significant, I couldn't say as I've not had any dust problems with mine with or without filter.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Have you ever been in a situation where you said "Damn why can't their lens or camera do...." look at your list and see if it matches your "Damn..." situations, if not, then you might not need the thing on your list.

7D is croped frame, so the reason you think you have more reach, is that it has already cropped the picture. You might as well do this in post processing.
The money might be better spent at buying lenses.

Consider how much gear you want to bring, do you need 10 lenses or only 1-2. When traveling, you need to pack light and the lenses need to be versatile, so you can use it for more than just one type of shot.

If I had a 70-200 mm f 2,8 then I wouldn't even consider a 100-400 mm. Do you need the extender??
I know some who have cursed at their gear on whale watching tours, because they had a huge tele lens and the whales where too close, so they couldn't fit them in the picture.

You need wide angle, all round and tele, maybe even a macro

I'd bring
17-55 f 2,8
70-200 mm

Maybe a wide angle lens like 10-22 mm

If you want 2 camera bodies, you might consider buying a high end compact like powershot. Chances probably are that a compact or semi compact would be used more than another DSLR.

People might think differently, but at the bottom line, buy what you need, not what gear is cool. You already have a lot of experience, with the gear you own. Take a look at where you think it doesn't meet your needs.
Have you ever wished that your 70-200 had more tele or does it suit you just fine.

Yeah, as soon as you have a 46MP full frame camera that has features that are similar to the 7D, like speed.

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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

Maybe so, but thats a different story

Hi guys,

The body is still an issue for me. While I still prefer the 7D's higher burst rate and better auto-focus my eye has caught the Canon 6D and 5DII as well. Prices aren't that far apart so I am considering these bodies as well. But here is the thing: I would love Full Frame to be sure because of the higher image quality, smaller DoF (greater possibilities for creative pictures), great ISO performance, options for landscape photography because of the "wider" view with my 17-40 and better colors overall, but I like action photography most.

Sports, animals in the wilds and similar topics tend to have fast moving action and then the auto-focus is really important. I read that the auto-focus of both the 6D and 5DII is not all that great, whilst the 7D performs a lot better in that department. The 5DIII would be an alternative, but that is a camera that's just way more expensive. So the thing I actually want to know: how does the auto-focus of the 5DII hold up when compared with something like the 7D or even the 5DIII? Is it really that much worse? If so, then I'm afraid Canon still has not made the ideal camera for me .

Thanks for the info so far!

Regards,

Mike

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

MTK - they have, it's just that it's way above your budget (and mine)... the 1DX

Speaking from experience, the 7D's AF is many miles ahead of the 5D2 if we're talking about outside the centre point... and even in the middle, the 7D will still be better. Lenses do determine AF speed to some degree as well, but generally speaking my 7D blows my 5D2's AF out of the water when it comes to action. Not only is it more accurate in the centre, the off-centre points are actually quite accurate and useable on the 7D compared to those on the 5D2. If you miss-focus with the 7D, it's bad technique on your part, not the camera's fault... I've learned that even with good technique, I still never trust my 5D2, especially when I'm backlit and shooting anything remotely moving.

The one thing that the 5D2/6D have over the 7D is image quality (mostly at mid-/high-ISOs), and that *is* a big deal, to me anyway.

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Canon EOS 5D MkII | Canon EOS 7D | Canon Digital Rebel XSi | EF 35mm f/1.4L | EF 50mm f/1.8 II | EF 85mm f/1.8 | EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM | EF 135mm f/2L | EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS | 580EX II | LumoPro LP-120

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It is as I suspected then. Is it just me or does Nikon look a lot nicer from an auto-focus point of view looking at the "step in Full Frame" camera? Since the D800/Mark III are out of my price league and I am trying to take the step towards Full Frame this time around (so no 7D or D300s either) then all that remains are the D600/6D. And when comparing the D600 with the 6D the Canon really seems to be a poor camera when purely looking at the AF.

I considered the 5D Mark II as well, but it has that same crappy AF. A while ago I saw a 1D Mark III for 1500 euro's at a store, and I am almost considering going for a camera like that. Even though I don't really like to buy a used camera. The moment that you unpack a new camera has always been something special to me, and having 3 years warranty is something that appeals to me as well. Does anyone else have an opinion they want to share on this matter?

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

I occasionally go through these thought moments, have an interest in wildlife and no matter how I look at it the 7D is still the best body for me. There is no perfect lens and body its all about compromise, but I forget all about it when I start snapping.
There is a fair bit more you can extract from the sensor with post processing and its easy to over complicate things.

The 6D is interesting as I could often use a second body with a more wide angle and it does get annoying changing lenses. The single cross focus point is sufficient for that, I guess they are trying to differentiate between the different bodies. I can see that I might get one when the prices start dropping a bit. I nearly bought a second hand 50D for that reason, now that I can get ff I might go for one.
But I am also seeing where the mirrorless stuff is going. Some exciting times coming up.


Reading your posts from the start I think you have room in your kit for two bodies, consider the 7D now as its very good value and then add the 6D later as it becomes cheaper.
You mentioned the positives for the ff bodies, but the reach from a crop sensor is hard to beat for wildlife photography, so just consider both.


Comparing Nikon, Sony and Canon is always nice, but depending on where they are in the model cycle they are all leading at some point. I also think that when you look at the features and functions, most of them are nice on paper, but are less relevant in the real world, at least in my world . Arguably both Nikon and Canon have had bodies that are more suited to normal photography at different times and most of the added features become less relevant, I don`t think there is anything wrong with the back to basics approach. I want to take photos as a main and not drive a computer.

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Canon Powershot S95, Canon 7D, 15-85, Canon 85 1.8 USM, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L IS Macro, Canon 70-300L IS USM+Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

In my opinion, even if in paper the D600 is better than the 6D, the fact that you already own a Canon DSLR with quite some lenses, makes it better for you to go with Canon. In my opinion, the lens has a heavier impact on image quality, but obviously if you have a really bad sensor it won't make any difference, but the 6D isn't anything like that.
Oh and by the way....

I also love new cameras
I've missed out lots of nice deals for used cameras and other stuff, but I really just love the idea of opening a brand new package, makes it feel like Christmas for me.
And a warranty is one of the best things you can get because no one guarantees you that the used DSLR or whatever will work for long, warranties make sure of this and if it doesn't work, there's a free replacement waiting for you

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Gear: Canon SX20 IS, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon EF-S 18-55mm
Wishlist: Canon 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
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Okay, here we go. A couple of months have passed, and I have added an alternative to the top of my list, though I still haven't decided.

The 1D Mark III has decreased in price a lot and it is of course an awesome camera. It is 5 years old though, and it is just 10MP. It has a lower crop factor (1,3) and this way I might get the best of two world: a bit more tele than FF and a bit more wide than 1,6.

Anyone has an opinion on 1D Mark III vs 7D vs 5D MII/6D? Like I said before: I am mostly interested in nature/animals/sports and I would like to shoot a landscape every now and then. I will be using the camera for action professionally as well.

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

The 5D2 and 6D may be a bit lacking in AF coverage if things really get moving. The 1D3's 1.3x crop factor means you'll find it difficult to go really wide angle if you want to, since you can't use the EF lenses to their full wideness potential, and you can't use EF-S lenses either.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I read an article about guys comparing the 1D III vs the 7D for birding. The 7D offered some advantages. mainly because a 18MP cropped sensor is like a 46MP ff sensor.
he then explains how translated to the same sized print settings the 7D contains more detail.
Differences are minor, but basically it highlights that you can make do with a 7D

here is the link to the pdf file
http://iwishicouldfly.com/iwishicouldfl ... %20III.pdf

there is more here , like the comparison of 7D vs 1 D IV
http://iwishicouldfly.com/iwishicouldfly/journal.htm

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Canon Powershot S95, Canon 7D, 15-85, Canon 85 1.8 USM, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L IS Macro, Canon 70-300L IS USM+Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Wow thank you! Those PDF's are really useful! I will certainly move my focus from the 1D Mark III to the 7D then. I have been playing with the following thought too:

I think for me it is wise to go for two bodies in the long run. A 7D (Mark II?) for shooting wildlife and action. The crop factor is a nice bonus for my reach, and the fast AF and burst rate are awesome. And a 5D Mark II or 6D for wide angle, and portrait shots. As long as Canon can't combine all that I want in one body (without it costing 6500 euros) I think this will be my best bet.

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM