Upgrading from a Rebel XT, Where to? 50D vs. 7D

[MrsWRX85]

Hello all,

I am new to this website and came here for some advice. I've been reading alot about the Canon 50D and the 7D. I currently have the Canon Rebel XT and have been wanting to upgrade. I have two lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM and the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM. I want to know which camera, the 50D or the 7D would work best with the lens I currently have.

I've held the Canon 50D at my last trip to Bestbuy and I really love the feel and construction of it. The only reason I'm hesitant about buying the 50D is because I really would like a camera I can use for years to come and would not require me to upgrade again anytime soon. I want a camera I can grow into which means I don't want to upgrade to a 50D now and then have to upgrade to the 7D in two or three years.

So what I'm really looking for from all of your help is to determine if the 50D is a good upgrade and which camera would best fit the lens I currently have.

PS. HD video is not important to me (now) but maybe in the future.

Thank you very much.

 

[Neil S.]

Get the 7D if you can afford it.

It has weather sealing, which in the past wasn’t even available on a Canon body in its price range.

It has very high burst, which helps for shooting action.

It has outstanding resolution, which brings me to my next point...

You need to understand that the 7D requires good glass to realize its full potential.

In fact if you are using lower end glass, the 50D would most likely provide better image quality.

This is because the 7D can actually resolve more detail than many lower end Canon lenses have the resolution for.

Your 70-200 f/4 and your 60 macro are both very sharp lenses, so this wouldn’t be an issue.

I would recommend you buy L glass for any new lenses if you get a 7D. There are a few exceptions to this, such as the EF-S 17-55 2.8, because it is mostly up to L standards in the image quality department.

If I was you I would get the 7D, you won’t regret it I promise you. :thumbup:

Hope this helps.

 

[MrsWRX85]

Thank you very much Neil for your quick and detailed response.

I am leaning towards the 7D. This is the ultimate camera I want. I do not plan on purchasing any camera lens soon. I just hope that the 600 plus dollars is worth it.

Again, thank you.

 

[Neil S.]

You are currently limited by the types of shots you can take based on the focal lengths of your lenses.

60mm on a 1.6x factor crop body is not very wide at all.

If those are the only 2 lenses you own, I would at least recommend getting a zoom in the 18-55 ish range.

You may find yourself really needing a wide angle lens, and even a cheap kit lens is better than nothing.

Just my thoughts.

 

[MrsWRX85]

My goodness, you are right.

For right now, I'm trying to use the macro lens to shoot pictures of corals in our fish tank and have read that the macro lens I have could be use as the prime lens as it does good portraits and such.

I will have to keep this in mind after the purchase of my next DSLR.

Thank you Neil.