Upgrading T1i advice

[Kryten]

I'm thinking of upgrading at some point during the next 1-6 months. Currently have a T1i which I will keep as a backup/second body.

Trying to decide between T4i, 60D, 7D. I don't think I'm at the point of needing to go full frame, especially since I'm no pro.

I can get any one of the listed bodies on a rewards program, just will take me several months longer to save for the 7D, whereas I could get the T4i now, or the 60D in about a month. My favorite type of subject is nature/wildlife/landscape, and I dabble in macro and astro occasionally. I like shots with narrow dof, and although I am not a pro, I aspire to perhaps sell some images some day for prints, canvas, etc.

Which do you think would be the best choice for me? I am also open to other suggestions than those listed if the argument is convincing enough.

My Flickr photostream: Flickr: Steve Boer's Photostream

[RichardTaylor]

The 7D mainly because of its egranomics and better performance shooting wildlife, especiall wildlife in motion.

If you want shallow DOF try using some of your longer lenses wide open.

[wildcatnzl]

Seeing as you are into nature/wildlife/landscape, i would go with the 60D, because of the weather resistance. It also has better battery life. You would probably find the tilt screen very usefull especially in your macro photography.

I was going to say the 7D, because of the high burst rate, and focusing system, but that probably isnt something your really looking for unless your shooting birds and fast animals of course. It is great if youre stuck in the rain tho lol really great build quality.

[inkista]

What kind of wildlife? And how high up is wildlife on the scale?

Would definitely recommend the 60D or 7D over the T4i simply for the dual-wheel control ergonomics. But the 7D is better for fast action. And both the 60D and 7D are likely due for a refresh next year. Throw in that the T4i has the Digic 5 processor, while the 60D and 7D are Digic 4... it comes down to what your priorities are, and how soon you need the camera, and why you need the T1i as a backup.

Just my gut feel, but I'd plump for the 7D if you can wait it out, for the wildlife, but that's because I spend gobs of time shooting birds in flight. If wildlife is lower down the list than landscape for you, I'd say the 60D. And if you needed the T1i as your backup for event shooting (sounds very unlikely), maybe the T4i, so you'd have less mental adjusting to do between camera body controls in the middle of a fast-paced shoot, if you were continually switching off to avoid lens changes.

[cdmicha]

Just my gut feel, but I'd plump for the 7D if you can wait it out, for the wildlife, but that's because I spend gobs of time shooting birds in flight. If wildlife is lower down the list than landscape for you, I'd say the 60D.

Another bonus about saving a few extra months for the 60D or 7D is that if the replacements are announced/released, you could opt for one of the new models or get the current ones at a discounted price.

[Kryten]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I suspected the advice might be split between the 60D and 7D...

Taking a look at my flickr sets, one could easily argue that my emphasis is on wildlife over landscapes. However, the 7D only takes CF cards while I now only have all SD cards which I could still use in the 60D.

I guess the other question is do I really need to upgrade at all at this point? What benefits will I get over the T1i aside from a few more megapixels? Will my photos be noticeably better? My reasoning for keeping as a backup would be primarily to avoid changing lenses, as it's a bit of a pain juggling wildlife and landscape and switching between the 100-400L and the 10-22. It would be nice to have both on hand ready to go. I don't do 'events' and don't plan to get into that line of business at all.

[veritasimagery]

Seeing as you are into nature/wildlife/landscape, i would go with the 60D, because of the weather resistance. It also has better battery life. You would probably find the tilt screen very usefull especially in your macro photography.

The 60D and 7D have the same amount of weather-sealing. The 7D has the metal body, the 60D has the plastic body. The 7D is also a larger camera.

But yes, the swivel screen on the 60D would be very handy with the macro photography.

As far as benefits over the T1i, both the 7D and 60D have much better ergonomics, with the top LCD screen and dual control wheels. They also both have better AF systems.

[Preeb]

I'm thinking of upgrading at some point during the next 1-6 months. Currently have a T1i which I will keep as a backup/second body.

Trying to decide between T4i, 60D, 7D. I don't think I'm at the point of needing to go full frame, especially since I'm no pro.

I can get any one of the listed bodies on a rewards program, just will take me several months longer to save for the 7D, whereas I could get the T4i now, or the 60D in about a month. My favorite type of subject is nature/wildlife/landscape, and I dabble in macro and astro occasionally. I like shots with narrow dof, and although I am not a pro, I aspire to perhaps sell some images some day for prints, canvas, etc.

Which do you think would be the best choice for me? I am also open to other suggestions than those listed if the argument is convincing enough.

My Flickr photostream: Flickr: Steve Boer's Photostream

When I had that decision to make, I went from the T1i to the 60D, and for me it was the perfect step. I got the added control functionality that I wanted at a price which didn't break the bank. The T4i would not have worked even if it had been available at the time, because I was after the control ergonomics more than any feature enhancement. The only thing I see with the T4i is enhanced video AF and that means nothing to me.

With the 60D I went from 15 to 18 mp, better ISO performance, and the top LCD and top buttons, as well as the back dial and dedicated back button focus. The flip screen is handy but wasn't a deal maker or breaker. All for less than $1000. I even looked at the 7D but it was more expensive and didn't offer anything more that I needed. Since I already had the SD cards for my T1i, I was set. The 7D would have required changing to CF. I also didn't want the larger, heavier body of the 7D. I don't need the extra FPS (5 with the 60D vs. 7 with the 7D) that was the only real advantage I could see with the 7D.

Anyway, I went 60D. You need to evaluate your needs and decide what works best for you.

[crunch]

Why do you want to replace the body?

[Kryten]

Thanks Kevin and Rick. Crunch, that was part of my secondary question, whether I necessarily need to upgrade. I can definitely think of times when having 2 bodies with me would have been very convenient. There have been situations where I swapped lenses 2-3 times in an hour. The added bonus is that I will have enough reward points to get one of these cameras for 'free' within the next few months. So it's not so much that I want to replace the T1i, as I want to get an upgrade and keep it as a backup/second body.