# Upgrading camera



## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

I have been using canon rebel T1I for about 4 years now give or take.  I like the camera but I'm really starting to see its limitations.  My biggest issue at the moment is only being able to take continuous shots for about 6-8 shots and then my camera says busy.  I am missing what I think would be a great shot because of this.  I press the button and nothing and then I pray it will work again before I miss the shot... Most times it doesn't.  I don't get 6-8 continuous shots again for hours it's 1 or 2 then busy again.  I feel like it's getting worst.  

I was looking at upgrading and I was looking at the 7d.  My question is, does this problem resolve with the higher end cameras or is there another accessory I should be looking for.


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## Juga (Oct 18, 2013)

Can't speak to the 7D but I had that issue with my T4i. My 6D does not have that issue. I can shoot 4.5 continuously for about 15 full RAW files before it slows down and about 30 jpegs


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## The_Traveler (Oct 18, 2013)

If you are heavily invested in glass, then an upgrade will make your life easier.

If you have only one or two crop-frame lenses and see more involvement in the future for you, try out the smaller bodies like m4/3. The path is much less expensive and the quality is terrific. (I shoot 8 or 9 frs on my Olympus OMD and love the form factor.)


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## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

Hmmm...I didn't even know the m4/3's even existed.  Well I kinda did but never considered it.  I live rural so a lot of things are over my head lol.  Now I have more research to do, who doesn't like less expensive?!  I am glad the 6d doesn't have that issue, so that gives me hope. I have been researching and researching for months.  It's hard trying to decided on things to suit your needs.  I also would like to purchase a studio setup eventually....It's never ending is it?


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## Juga (Oct 18, 2013)

Addicting


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## D-B-J (Oct 18, 2013)

Higher end camera's have bigger and faster buffers, as well as faster computing/writing speeds. The Nikon d4 can shoot something like 100 raw photos at 9 or 10 fps before it gets backed up. I don't know any of the abilities of the canon side, but I imagine it's the same. 


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## texkam (Oct 18, 2013)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you want a fast in-camera processor and a fast SD card. The 7D is now an older model and won't have Canon's fastest processor. Check your card's rating as well.


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## Juga (Oct 18, 2013)

texkam said:


> Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you want a fast in-camera processor and a fast SD card. The 7D is now an older model and won't have Canon's fastest processor. Check your card's rating as well.



You're spot on Texkam. I literally just tested a 70D that I rented for a wedding tomorrow and it got to about 10 full raw before bogging down and about 40 jpegs.


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## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

I'm not sure what you wanna call it but that sounds about right.  I want for my camera to not say BUSY at the exact moment I need to take a shot.


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## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

So what you're saying is I should look at buying one of the new models?  Wouldn't the T4I have qualified as a newer model, or does it only apply to the higher end and not the entry level DSLR


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## lambertpix (Oct 18, 2013)

Make sure you have a fast card, too.  Your camera has some buffer memory that's always fast enough to store shots as fast as they're coming out of the camera.  On the other end of that buffer, the camera is writing to your CF / SD card as fast as the card will allow.  If your card is slow, the camera is filling up the buffer a lot faster than it's emptying it out.  A faster card, though, will make the buffer appear to stretch further by emptying it more quickly.

An upgraded camera *may* also have a larger buffer, which also helps give you more continuous shots.  Remember, though, with a slow card, you're going to be writing photos to the card for several seconds after you stop shooting, so your buffer won't really be empty for a while.

Finally, consider changing your continuous shooting technique.  I've found my shooting changed from "spray and pray" to something more like a sequence of short bursts.  Incidentally, this had more to do with not wanting to sort through three dozen identical pictures than it did buffer capacity issues.  These days, I very rarely fill up my buffer.  The last time I can remember actually running out of buffer and wanting more was this sequence, where I followed the wreck all the way down the front straight:


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## texkam (Oct 18, 2013)

Look for the latest generation Digimarc processor. The T4i may have the same processor as the T5i. I think Canon's higher end camera models may be engineered for more speed than the Rebel line. Not sure without doing research. Look for a CAT10 SD card. I think they now list additional marketing specs regarding transfer speed.


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## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

Ok so this might be a silly question, but... how do you tell how fast your SD card is? and can older cards "slow" down?  I like to take shots in bursts of about 5-6 shots when things are good just in case someone blinks or moves.  If I try and do that say twice in a row with about 30 seconds in between the I have to wait a bit.  So if someone does something cute or funny in that time I am SOL... plus the wait time in between every shot there after is insane.  If it can be resolved some by a new SD card that would be awesome since I now have lots more research to do!


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## Bulb (Oct 18, 2013)

It helps to think of digital pictures like water.

You can't grab water with your hands. 
So you put water in a bucket (camera's buffer). The bucket is designed to be quick and convenient, but it can't hold much water. 
This is what a water tower (SD card) is for. The water tower can hold an incredibly large amount of water
The water tower has a pump (the SD card's speed) which is used to pump water from the bucket to the tower.

So there are a few potential solutions to the problem:
1. Get a camera with a bigger buffer. It will take longer to fill your buffer, but it will also take longer for images to be moved to your SD card.
2. Get a faster SD card. Your buffer will still hold the same number of pictures, but they will be saved to the SD card even faster. A fast enough card could take images out of the buffer almost as fast as you put them in.
3. Change your shooting style or image quality setting. Probably the most inconvenient solution.

Unfortunately, there is one more variable to take into account: different cameras support different SD card speeds. The most important characteristic is its 'write speed' rated in MB/s. You can look up the maximum supported speed online or in the manual. A few online sources are saying that 6MB/s (class 6) is the maximum supported speed for the T1i. You can find out the speed of your card by looking on the front for a small circle with a number in it. That is the card's class which corresponds to a certain speed.


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## Aapoll (Oct 18, 2013)

That makes sense!  So if I'm already using a class 6 card I'm sol? Lol is it possible my camera is wearing out?


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## Bulb (Oct 19, 2013)

Aapoll said:


> That makes sense!  So if I'm already using a class 6 card I'm sol? Lol is it possible my camera is wearing out?



I just looked up your camera again. You should be getting 3.4 frames/second for a total of 170 .jpg or 9 RAWs before the buffer fills.

If you're shooting .jpg then something is terribly wrong. If you're shooting RAW then 6-8 is close to what is expected.

How long does it take for you to get that same 6-8 shots again? Your manual says an average RAW file is 20.2MB. That means 8 shots is about 161.6MB. At 6MB/s this means it will take at least 27 seconds to empty the buffer. If it's taking much longer than that (more than a minute) then it may be time to replace the card.

If your camera and SD card are working how they should, but you're still not happy with it then it may be time to replace them.


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## Aapoll (Oct 19, 2013)

The 6-8 RAW is about right but I Can't get another 6-8 in a minute. After that first burst of 6-8 I can only shoot 1 or 2 at a time before busy shows again.  I just bought a new card and it's still doing the same.  So I think its a camera thing more then a memory card thing.  So I should look for a camera with not only higher frames per second but also one with a larger buffer and latest processor?  Is that correct or did I totally mess up? 
Thanks for you advice it's highly appreciated


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## Bulb (Oct 19, 2013)

Aapoll said:


> The 6-8 RAW is about right but I Can't get another 6-8 in a minute. After that first burst of 6-8 I can only shoot 1 or 2 at a time before busy shows again.  I just bought a new card and it's still doing the same.  So I think its a camera thing more then a memory card thing.  So I should look for a camera with not only higher frames per second but also one with a larger buffer and latest processor?  Is that correct or did I totally mess up?
> Thanks for you advice it's highly appreciated



It's no problem. I'm happy to help.

That's right. Higher frames per second, a larger buffer, a faster processor, and a faster card are all factors you want to consider.

Before buying I would recommend you find the manual on Canon's website. There's a section titled "Guide to Image Quality Recording Settings" which will give you an idea of how the camera will perform with continuous shooting.

Finding the maximum SD transfer rate that's supported isn't always as easy. I don't think it's ever mentioned explicitly in the manual, but you can usually find it with a quick Internet search. When in doubt, buy a Class 10 or faster.

There is one more thing you can try with your current camera... the manual mentions that turning off "High ISO Noise Reduction" can speed up continuous shooting. I doubt it will have an impact when shooting RAW, but it's worth a try.


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## lambertpix (Oct 19, 2013)

Bulb said:


> There is one more thing you can try with your current camera... the manual mentions that turning off "High ISO Noise Reduction" can speed up continuous shooting. I doubt it will have an impact when shooting RAW, but it's worth a try.



I believe you're right -- it's not applied to RAW shots, but it's worth a try.  That also brings up a good point -- If you've got a need for more continuous shots, you can give yourself an instant boost just by switching to JPG.  It's always been interesting to me that the camera's processor can apply all sorts of picture settings *and* compress the image to a JPG file and the camera is *still* faster because of the smaller file sizes.  The miracles of specialized processors, right?

 Anyhow, if you *do* look at a new body, be sure to look at something like a 60D / 70D -- my old 40D blows those numbers away for continuous shooting.  That's one of the areas you give up a little in the Rebel line.


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## Aapoll (Oct 20, 2013)

Thank you both.  This thread has helped me decide that the 7d might not be what I need.  I am no closer to deciding on a new camera but I'm sure glad I didn't drop the money on a new body only to find out later it might not be what I need.  I thought I had it all figured out but there is so much more to consider.  Since this is one of the main things that bothers me, it's back to the drawing board comparing things I never even thought about before! Thanks a bunch!


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## lambertpix (Oct 20, 2013)

If you're worried about burst speed on the 7D, it's miles ahead of the T1i.  Not quite "1D" speed, but it's sufficient in most cases, IME.


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## TCampbell (Oct 20, 2013)

You're running into a camera "buffer" limit.  You may find that you can solve your problem just by shooting JPEG instead of RAW and you don't need to upgrade anything.

The camera has some amount of internal memory.  When you take a photo, the photo does not actually go straight to the card... it goes to that temporary memory.  The camera will then start writing the image to the card BUT... in the meantime the camera is available to take another shot (even though it's not done writing the last shot.)  

This memory buffer (temporary memory) can hold several shots... but it's not unlimited.  The actual number of shots it can hold depends on the size of the images that you are taking (not very many shots if you shoot RAW, lots and lots of shots if you shoot JPEG.)

Here's the test results for your camera:  Canon EOS 550D (Rebel T2i / Kiss X4 Digital) In-depth review: Digital Photography Review

Notice that in RAW mode you can shooting 5-6 frames before the buffer is full.  If you switch to JPEG mode you get "100+" (which means they gave up once the camera got to 100 frames before it's not realistic that anybody would need more.)  While "100+" frames sounds really great... keep in mind the continuous shooting framerate on this camera is 3.7 frames per second.   

Here's what you'd get if you "upgraded" to a few different newer bodies then the one you have.

T5i only gets 12 frames of JPEG... but it's shooting them at 5 frames per sec.  
60D can shooting about 58 frames of JPEG and it's shooting them at 5.3 frames per second.
7D is basically built FOR these sports/action shooting situations, can shoot JPEG frames at 8 frames per second and keep this up for over 320 frames (about 40 seconds).  
70D can get a good 40+ shots and it's shooting at 7 fps.

You can see that the T5i will seem like a "downgrade" but that's really because it's frame rate is faster.  The 60D is even faster still but it's internal performance and memory buffer are sized that it really outperforms the Rebel class bodies (and it should... that's part of why it's a mid-range body and not an entry-range body).  The 70D is the latest in the mid-range and it shoots noticeably faster than the 60D (not to mention having a better focusing system.)  But the 7D... well it's basically purpose built for the job.  Almost nothing beats it... almost.

My 5D III (6 frames per second) has "unlimited" in JPEG mode.  The camera can process and write the images to the CF card faster than 1/6th of a second which means the buffer will never fill up.... but that's an expensive camera.  And likewise the 1D X blows the doors off the 5D III.  But these are $3500 and $6000 bodies.  (the 1D X is blazingly fast).

If you _really_ need a long continuous frame rate, the 7D or 70D would be good options (and frankly I'd probably lean toward the 70D because it's only 1 fps slower and it's doubtful you'd need more than 40 continuous frames).  

Three pieces of advice:

1)  Shoot in JPEG mode if what you want is the ability to shoot a LOT of continuous frames without the buffer filling too quickly.

2)  Buy the FASTEST class card you can.

3)  Anticipate!  Knowing you're playing a game of getting the shots without overflowing the memory buffer... don't start shooting TOO soon.  If you know the sport or type of action you are shooting, you get a sense for when something photo-worthy is about to happen and you want to capture that "decisive" moment.  If you start shooting too soon then you'll start filling that buffer.


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## Aapoll (Oct 20, 2013)

I was just looking at cameras again and it came down to the 7d and the 70d.  I really like everything about the 5d mark III and while the price isn't that much of an issue (sure I would have to save but I don't mind dropping money on something I love), I just don't think I need something of that magnitude at the moment.  I am not paid for any work and I am still just learning.  I am just not satisfied with my current camera.  Thanks for the input.  I appreciate everyone's time,  it sure helps to know more about why a camera is slow and different things that affect it.


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## lambertpix (Oct 20, 2013)

TCampbell said:


> (the 1D X is blazingly fast)



So, am I the only one who watches press conference & news events and picks out the 1D's in the press throng by the sound alone?   ;-)


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## Lumens (Oct 20, 2013)

I upgraded from a T2i to a 7D specifically for the fps.  I enjoy shooting Birds in flight and prefer to shoot RAW.  I experienced the exact problem you discuss, frustrating waiting for the camera as the bird flies off.  The 7D was everything I expected and love it.  The dual processors make it really fast.  Not sure about the 70D but if jPeg is good for you and you do any video that might be a better choice.  However IF the 5D Mk III was within the budget I would go for the Full Frame due to the Image Quality.  All three are great choices.


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## play18now (Oct 20, 2013)

lambertpix said:


> TCampbell said:
> 
> 
> > (the 1D X is blazingly fast)
> ...



And sports games.  And no you're not


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