Canon 7D or...

[Hillbillygirl]

Hello BolRay: I have owned two 7D's and fell in love with them. They are an amazing camera for the main subjects I shoot, avian species). That being said, don't worry they definitely hold their own in all manner of shooting. I know of several using them in-studio even. The fps and sealed body build, along with shooting/buffer speeds really made this the one for me. (That being said I have moved on to the 1DMkIV with 2 of them now).
If you are shooting a lot of action the 7D would definitely improve your keeper rate with the superb focus system.
You have not indicated your preferred subject to shoot, so cannot really recommend glass even at this point. (From your examples I might guess mostly static objects and landscape?) If that is the case maybe just the 60D with articulating screen would do you well.

HBG

HBG

[Bol Ray]

Thanks for pointing it out Hillbillygirl

Hello BolRay: I have owned two 7D's and fell in love with them. They are an amazing camera for the main subjects I shoot, avian species). That being said, don't worry they definitely hold their own in all manner of shooting. I know of several using them in-studio even. The fps and sealed body build, along with shooting/buffer speeds really made this the one for me. (That being said I have moved on to the 1DMkIV with 2 of them now).
If you are shooting a lot of action the 7D would definitely improve your keeper rate with the superb focus system.
You have not indicated your preferred subject to shoot, so cannot really recommend glass even at this point. (From your examples I might guess mostly static objects and landscape?) If that is the case maybe just the 60D with articulating screen would do you well.

HBG

HBG

The thing is, my style of photography is still very Raw. I enjoy alot of hand held closeup photography of flowers and was quite happy with them until I decided to print this photos. And I have to reject almost all of them either due to

1. noise artifact
2. hand shake (I really should get a quick deploying monopod/tripod)
3. inaccurate focus
4. and now my lens are loosing their contrast to fungus

Lately I have been clicking street photography. ( I did try landscape, but I just suck at it)

mbrager suggested that am better off investing in lens for crisper images and he does make a valid argument. before his post I just thought that my 350D's sensor is outdated and the newer sensors are light years ahead when it comes it contrast, saturation and noise. is it true? am I running the clarity race with a bum leg? if so which aliment (lens or body) is the one I need to cure first?

I have been photographing for the last 7 years but still cant say that I have a perticular style I call my own. I just enjoy photography toomuch to let this blow away.

If I seem scattered think I am going through a photographers' midlife crisis where anything I do seems to be wrong (I am only 26).

[Hillbillygirl]

Well Bol Ray, with what you have implied about street photography, close-up, and the odd landscape, I would definitely say invest in glass first.
Sounds like a lot of outdoor shooting to me, so I would definitely invest in "L" quality glass. Best there is for Canon, and weather-sealed-(since you made comment on fungus). Maybe start with a 17-40 f4, or the 24-105 f4 with IS. Both of these are good quality glass, and fairly inexpensive, especially if you buy used, (and don't be afraid to buy used). That goes for bodies also.
As you suggested, a decent monopod, or better yet, tripod, and always shoot in RAW format so as to be able to PP to your liking with so much more control than Jpeg, especially since noise seems to be an issue.
Sounds like you are quite dedicated to this and would like to improve your skills, so you do know it is not cheap to invest in your hobby. I would say, do not ever go into debt just for fun, but do not cheap out or you will be disappointed with the end results, and it will discourage you. If you do not have funds at the moment, save up, and in the meantime get a couple books on shooting techniques/styles that interest you, and get out and shoot as often as you can.

[Bol Ray]

Hillbillygirl you make me smile. ;-)
I have been shooting in raw for the past 4 years now and have 4 HDDs filled with archieves. It is a different story that I don't know how to really PP these pics from RAW.

Marko usually ends his podcasts talking about how supportive his forums are and how warm and friendly people are here. AND HE WAS RIGHT!

back the what you said Hillbillygirl, so you are saying that I definately need a newer/better glass more than a newer body.

I have been debating f/2.8 24-70 L or f/4 24-105 L. Leaning towards f/4 24-105 L for the image quality (read somewhere that its better between the two) but the f/2.8 looked much brighter from my tiny little view finder.

I am open to any suggestions between the three lens 17-40 f4L, or the 24-105 f4L, f/2.8 24-70 L
(May be I should start another post for the Lens and not clutter a body post with a lens post)

[Hillbillygirl]

Well, you can start a new thread or go with this one, I will try and help in either if I can.
Do you really need the speed and light gathering of the 24-70 or is it lust? Remember with the 24-105 you have IS which is good for two stops of light gathering ability also, and it is much lighter to hang on the neck for awhile. They both have their advantages over each other in this respect.
Now the 17-40 gives you less range and much more distortion on the wide end, but is still a sweet lens in its own right. Remember also that 24 equals 38.4 mm on your camera so it is not that wide, and the 17 will be 27.2 which is usually plenty wide, if that is what you are looking for.
I do not know where you live, but if it was close by I could let you come over and try the 17-40 f4L, and the 24-70 f2.8L for a few shots on your body to see which you like. (sorry, don't have the 24-105). I absolutely love my 24-70, but then again, for the money, and the wide angle, would not part with the 17-40 either.

[in00bz]

imho
save up & buy a 5d II
the 7d dosent worth it except if you want long video sessions

[Hillbillygirl]

imho
save up & buy a 5d II
the 7d dosent worth it except if you want long video sessions

If money was no object, sure go ahead and Buy 5D MkII. Then you will also have to buy new glass, as what Bol Ray has now will not work on Full frame. You are talking many thousands of dollars here.
The 7D is a beautiful camera, and works very well in high ISO situations also.( I am speaking from personal experience). It is not on par with 5D for studio work IMO, (just because of crop, not quality of pics), but that being said, there are many Pro's using this body in studio. Don't believe it, try checking out the Canon Forums. (Glamour & Nudes section)
Only downside is, either one of these cameras will want to use "L" quality glass to get good results, that is why I would suggest the investment in glass first.

On another note, I see you now have your location up as India, so I guess trying out my lenses is out of question eh Bol Ray? Did you finally decide on which glass, or still debating?

[in00bz]

+1 for the glass advice

[asnow]

Do you really need the speed and light gathering of the 24-70 or is it lust? Remember with the 24-105 you have IS which is good for two stops of light gathering ability also, and it is much lighter to hang on the neck for awhile. They both have their advantages over each other in this respect.

I'm sort of in the same boat. I would love to upgrade my Rebel XSi (EOS 450D) to a 60D or 7D. I've found that ISO 1600 on my Rebel body is very noisy so shooting in low light is not very good. However, as suggested I think I will concentrate on some good 'L' glass first before I upgrade the body. The two lenses that were suggested 24-70 f2.8 and 24-105 IS are definitely two considerations. I've just reserved the 24-105 to rent for this weekend. Not a bad deal. As it is a long (3 day) weekend I get an extra day in the rental. For $25 I have it from 4pm on Friday to 11am on Tuesday.

[Hillbillygirl]

I'm sort of in the same boat. I would love to upgrade my Rebel XSi (EOS 450D) to a 60D or 7D. I've found that ISO 1600 on my Rebel body is very noisy so shooting in low light is not very good. However, as suggested I think I will concentrate on some good 'L' glass first before I upgrade the body. The two lenses that were suggested 24-70 f2.8 and 24-105 IS are definitely two considerations. I've just reserved the 24-105 to rent for this weekend. Not a bad deal. As it is a long (3 day) weekend I get an extra day in the rental. For $25 I have it from 4pm on Friday to 11am on Tuesday.

Now that there is an excellent deal. I am sure you will have loads of fun with it. It is about the best walk-around lens going IMO. Light, sharp, and IS to boot. If it is so great, why don't I have it? I have a 17-40f4, 24-70f2.8, 70-200f2.8, so it just does not fit in-between anything I already have. If I did not own the 24-70f2.8 "brick", I would be all over it. Have fun this weekend Asnow and show us your results.