So for the past few days I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on a new digital SLR body. Since I already own Canon lenses — most of which have no resale value — the smartest thing for me to do was focus primarily on Canon camera bodies (just to put it out there: if I could get good money on the lenses I own now, I’d probably make a major switch to Nikon).
Anyway, my current digital SLR is way out of date and I decided recently that it’s about time I get some new gear in my hands. Camera technology and picture quality has changed dramatically over the last 5 years since I last purchased an SLR which means that the gap between high-end professional SLRs and pro-sumer SLRs are becoming narrower.
For example, below is a comparison chart between the Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (green boxes indicate superior specs).
Click image above to enlarge
While the 5D Mark II is the higher-end camera, it seems like the 7D is the camera that actually gets all the goodies I’d actually make use of. Sure, the 5D’s full-frame sensor is a huge deal, but at this point, I feel like I’m willing to compromise in exchange for a generally more sophisticated feature-set in the Canon 7D. Specifically, here are the things I’m sold on in terms of the Canon 7D being a “better” choice: 8fps shooting, dual Digic 4 processors, better auto-focus system, built-in Speedlite transmitter, on-camera flash, and 100% viewfinder coverage just to name a few — all of these features are missing from the higher-end 5D Mark II for some reason (but I have no doubts that they’ll make an appearance on the 5D Mark III).
Click image above to enlarge
I guess the question for me is whether or not I’m willing to pay an extra $1000 for a full-frame camera with less features. At that price, I’m leaning towards a no.
