7D or 5D Mk II

[wavemachine]

Well fate has decided i.e budget has been severly slashed by £700 to £2,000 so I am looking at:-

• Canon EOS 7D Body Only
  Canon BG-E7 (BGE7) Battery Grip for EOS 7D
  Canon LP-E6 (LP E6) Battery for EOS 5D MkII/ 7D
  2 x SanDisk CompactFlash EXTREME IV 8GB Standard
  Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro - Canon Fit

Looking at the link Forseti sent that looks like a very nice lens, at the wider end I have my existing Sigma 10-22.

[flake]

Just to throw a spanner. Following the launch of the 1D MkIV you might be able to negotiate a 1D MkIII for 007£2000 (£700 less than it is atm) Then you don't need a battery grip. A super professional camera which will last you a long time.

[wavemachine]

you might be able to negotiate a 1D MkIII for 007£2000

Nice idea but think the HD video could be quite handy to have.

I have thought long and hard read every review and am convinced the 7D is the right choice for me.

Thanks to everyone for there input.

[Forseti]

Originally Posted by wavemachine

I have thought long and hard read every review and am convinced the 7D is the right choice for me.

And you won't be disappointed. If you've got the time and inclination (plus broadband) then before reading the manual and switching on the camera take a look at this series of videos (three) on the 7D. They are very interesting and explain things in more detail than the handbook does. http://www.video.bhphotovideo.com/?f...b9a26a992d3ab2

The link page opens with a video 'an in depth look at the 7D'. Just underneath is the search box and if you type in 7D it will throw up the 3 videos in question.

[wavemachine]

And you won't be disappointed

Reading the reviews and looking at the specs it seems to be quite a jump from my 40D, a bigger jump in features and resolution than from my 350D to 40D for sure.

Thanks for the video links, I have watched one of them already.

Hope to get the camera at the weekend.

[wavemachine]

Just an update, picked up a 7D today and opted for the 15-85IS kit lens as that seemed more flexible.

For portraits I have a 50mm 1.8 and 100mm 2.8 macro to fall back on.

I have to say after and initial play I am very pleased, quite an upgrade from the 40D. I played with a mates 5D quite a lot at the weekend and that is a nice bit of kit but now having tried bot cameras I think the 7D is the right choice.

Once again thanks to everyone for the responses and a special thanks to Forseti and Flake who helped me make what I am pretty sure is the right choice.

[flake]

A very nice camera, probably the best of all the crop frames on the market, it would certainly be my choice if it wasn't for the 5D MkII. I do see them as addressing different photographic needs though.

One point to consider with this camera is the sheer amount of data it's capable of processing with the dual digic IV processors, normally the speed of CF cards is far in excess of what the camera can deliver, but with this camera I think it's a different story, so make sure you buy at least one very fast card.

[Forseti]

Originally Posted by flake

One point to consider with this camera is the sheer amount of data it's capable of processing with the dual digic IV processors, normally the speed of CF cards is far in excess of what the camera can deliver, but with this camera I think it's a different story, so make sure you buy at least one very fast card.

Yes I'm in agreement with this and as the 7D supports UDMA I'd recommend using cards that support this and 60MB/s at a minimum e.g. SanDisk Extreme 60MB/s UDMA or SanDisk Extreme Pro 90MB/s UDMA6. Fast cards are also a must for shooting video which you may at some time, if not now, consider using. The file sizes are big also (21MB) so consider 8GB capacity cards at a minimum. Have fun with the new camera - it's a joy isn't it?

[wavemachine]

Well I got an 8GB Extreme 1V 45 mb/s card with the camera, I do take the point I should look at getting at least one ultra fast one though they are a tad pricey at the moment and I am now officaily broke Maybe next month

I was thinking of getting a screen protector though, any recomendations or do you think it is unnecessary? I don't tend to be too harsh with my camera equipment I will add.

[flake]

I think the old Extreme IV has now been dropped in favour of Extreme and Pro versions, 60MB and 90MB respectively.
You really will have to save up to buy the Pro versions as they are very expensive (on at nearly £600!) the Extreme 8GB is a bit more realistic at £70