Is the upgrade really worth it?

[cangoose]

Ok, Ok, I know I spend too much time on forums and reviews and dreaming about the next purchase should money fall from the sky. but.....I have a chance in a lifetime to go to Iceland and I want to be sure I have everything...well that's my excuse. I have a 40D...should I go to a 7D and add the vid? Will I notice a difference in picture quality? Should I go whole hog and go to 5DII...of course if money were no object..but then my walk around lens is the 17-85. Am I better off upgrading the lens to a 24-105L.....oh fantasyland..but does anyone have a view?

cangoose

[cosmicma]

all i can say id if you have the money go for a new body "AND" a lens if not i think you would get a bigger improvement from a lens upgrade

image quality is only as good as the glass in front of the camera a good lens will be good no matter what the body but the better the body with a poor lens the more imperfections of the lens will show

[chris-p]

Also consider that, if you upgrade to a 5DII and you've got EF-S lenses, they won't work with it.

The choice between 5D and 7D comes down to what you shoot. If you shoot things that require longer focal lengths like wildlife & sports then the 7D is the way to go, wider angle photography would be easier with the 5D. It's different tools for different jobs.

As Cosmicma has already said, it really depends on how much money you've got/want to spend. It will also depend on what other lenses you've already got, which you've not mentioned.

[matt wilson]

another option .Stick to the 40 d and hire a selection of the best lenses you can to cover all angles.

[KeithT]

A mate of mine has just entered the world of digital after trying hard not to ditch film. He purchased the 7d. He also bought the EFS equivalent to 24-135 lens. Stunning images from it of course in the right hands. I use the classic 5d and if I was going to upgrade my FF camera the crop 7d would certainly be a contender. Whether it's worth the money is a personal question, as it depends on how much you want to spend. In my opinion Canon don't make bad cameras. They make tools for certain levels of photography and it's the customer's choice how much they need to spend to get the tool of their choice. Good luck with yours anyway.

[Dunkeld]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a 30D. A bit dated now but still functional. Three or four lenses to go with it. I'm also using Canon G10 and G9 compacts......... which are very very good.
If I go for a DSLR Canon 550 D and 7D look appealing.But, the 7D is a beast of a camera which, because of it's size will scare off a lot of my subject matter in the street etc. The 550D I think represents a better deal financially anyway. BOTH have video, which I don't want since I already have it, unused and useless on my G series compacts. This video issue is becoming a deal breaker for me. I resent the fact that I need pay for something I don't want.
Another option is the portability of the Olympus Pen E2. A smaller sensor, and, that damned video again are the downside. Size matters for me, and I have to say the Olympus is edging it over the Canons.
You need decide what your needs are and then choose. But, after a lengthy love affair with Canon that included a brace of T90s, and EOS. 2 film cameras. A 300D, 10D, 30D and two G series compacts, I feel a divorce is imminent.