50D / 60D or 7D

[steamplug]

Help me choose, im looking for a relacement for my 400d, ive got a nice collection of lenses so im looking to stay APS-C so heres my options.....

50D - Used but in mint condition

60D - New UK Retail

7D - Grey import from somewhere like digital rev

One key point is i do not require video.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[ianpinion]

What do you like photographing steamplug? If we knew it might help us narrow down your choice.

[steamplug]

I do some studio work, also enjoy landscapes and low light photography

[ianpinion]

I can understand why you are having great difficulty choosing between them. They are all great cameras and equally capable of capturing images of stunning quality with the right lens choice.

The only major differences are that the 7D has a 100% viewfinder against 95% for the other two. The 7D is also capable of taking 8 frames a second, again a fraction faster than the other two.

Both the 7D and the 50D have magnesium alloy bodies which make them more robust than the 60D's plastic body.

The 60D has the new articulated screen, which is great if you're using the live view function to shoot something at either a very high or low level.

I guess the only other consideration and it is an important one regards the length and type of guarantee you can get with with each camera. If you're looking at the secondhand 50D try Mifsuds. Be careful if you're buying the 7D as a grey import and make sure you get a guarantee that is valid in the UK.

[steamplug]

Cheers Ian im still swaying towards the 50d i have seen a few new ones around for between £550 and £600 which would come with a full guarantee. I would possibly be tempted with the 60d but I think the magnesium alloy construction of the 50d sways it.

[matt wilson]

I am a 50 d user .It is a cracking camera and very well built .If someone gave me the money tomorrow and said go and get a 7d I would say thanks a lot and go and spend it on a lense ............There's nothing it can't do .

[ianpinion]

The only other thing to do is to try them. You might find you like the feel of one over the other two, because let's face it, the biggest differences between them are the weights and the ergonomics of the buttons and control dials.

Go and have a play with each of them, probably with some of your own favourite lenses to see how balanced they feel in your hands and make a final decision from there.

[cosmicma]

to be honest for me it would have to be the 7d

there all canon
the articulated screen of the 60d doesn't seem to be a selling point for the OP ( or the 50d would probably be out of the question )
the 7d is the better camera out of the three
so the question of warranty would be the only issue i'm sure there are dealers out there ( kerso ???? ) that will honour the uk warranty

[donoreo]

7D then 50D for me. I see the main feature of the 60D as a gimmick with limited use. What was taken out is not worth it to me. My opinion of course.

[AndrewKulin]

7D, as this is enough of an upgrade to justify buying a new camera in my opinion, if you feel you really must.

60D has been downgraded, at least in terms of build quality and some features, as expressed by Donoreo above.

50D, only thing compelling about it to me, is it has the ability to allow you to correct for front or back focus issues with your lenses. Otherwise it's an older generation camera, so why bother with a 1-gen upgrade? Also, at the time it came out, I remember it was it was not as well received as say the 40D was compared to the 30D. Image quality was one of the things I recall being considered less than stellar on the 50D, because too many pixels (15 MP) were packed onto the sensor (and Canon hadn't worked out all the issues with smaller pixel sites at that time). Some reviewers were saying the 40D had better IQ than the 50D because of that.