To upgrade or not...

[gregcoad]

<p>As a very serious amateur on a very seriously limited budget, I am looking for opinions from those who own or have owned a 30 or 40D.</p>

<p>I have reached a point in my photography, that I am finding my xti to be quite limiting in a number of ways (listed in order of significance):</p>

<p>1. The viewfinder is terrible. Pentamirror=dim. Very small. Coverage isn't a huge issue since cropping can usually fix that, but size and brightness are very important to me.<br>

2. Autofocus is somewhat unreliable and unpredictable, especially in low light (dimly lit theatres, landscapes at dawn and dusk, 2AM urban street/landscapes). Because of this I don't usually rely on the autofocus system but because of number 1 above, manual focus is also not always a viable option either, especially in low light - double whammy.<br>

3. Low ISO noise is pretty bad in my opinion. I may be guilty of pixel peeping to some degree. I haven't done any large prints from any ISO800 exposures, so perhaps this isn't as big of a problem as I might be making it out to be. (Any xti owners out there that have done large prints from an ISO800 exposure might be able to set me straight on this)<br>

4. Build quality. When I purchased the xti this was not high on my list, but I now find myself wanting to go out in the ugly weather quite a bit and the Optek Rain Sleeve is getting a bit tired. They work great in a pinch, but lately, 9 times out of 10 the reason I want to go in the first place is that I see the weather getting nasty and my xti body makes me think twice. I also have starting to do a lot of hiking/backpacking lately (sometimes the only way I can find the time to get behind the shutter is to pack up some food, clothes and gear and say goodbye to civilized life for a few days).<br>

5. Lack of "pro" features. No pc sync, can't swap focusing screens, cumbersome setting of aperture and shutter speed in manual mode (tiny Av button instead of thumb wheel).</p>

<p>Ultimately I believe that I "need" a full frame camera. I love the 7D for so many reasons, but I am going to wait until Canon combines all of the great things about the 7D with a full frame sensor before I make that move (plus I'm not ready to spend $3000 on a camera - or at least my marriage isn't ready for that!)</p>

<p>So my question is would I get much further ahead in terms of 1-5 above if I was to try to find a used 30/40D? I think I could find a decent 30D with grip and batteries for around $500 or a 40D with grip and batteries for around $750. Or should I just deal with my xti frustrations for a couple more years and save my pennies for when that "6D" or 5D mkIII arrives? I do know that the day will come and I will make that move. I wouldn't feel like I was wasting the $500-750 though since the 30/40D would then become my backup body.<br>

<br />Of course option #2 would be deal with my xti frustrations for a couple of more years until it becomes a backup body and in the meantime spend my meager budget on a 580EX II (currently just have a 430), or the 17-40 that's been calling to me for the past 2 years.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your input and opinions.</p>

[carbon_dragon]

<p>I think you'd have to get to the 1d line to get actual weather sealing. I don't feel too good about going out in the rain with my 5D mk I either. And the 5D is a heavy thing, especially with the 24-105. But a used 5D might get you into full frame a bit cheaper, maybe $1100 in BGN condition at KEH. And the viewfinder is much brighter than my Sony A350 which is sort of similar to the standard APS-C style viewfinder. Perhaps it's another possible options for you. Seems a bit more solid than the Sony too but the Sony is ok.</p>

<p>And then maybe you might investigate an older 1d used. Not as many megapixels, but better weather sealing.</p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>For $750 you can get a very good condition 1Ds.</p>

<p>It has a 100% viewfinder and a pentaprism, it is big and bright too. It has world class AF, even today it stands up perfectly against MkIII's. ISO is not a huge strong point but 800iso is very printable. Build quality is second to none, many people say the best way to own a Porsche is to be the second owner (it is running nice and is just right by then) well I would say the same thing about 1 Series cameras. It has all the pro features you mention.</p>

<p>I buy all my 1 Series bodies secondhand off eBay, I have only owned 1 Series digital bodies.</p>

[richard_martin10]

<p>I started with an XTi and thought it was a very competent camera. Never had an AF issue, the slightly dark viewfinder was never an issue for me. As far as ISO performance goes I shot mostly 400 and under but the few times I bumped up to 800 it seemed OK to me. I've produced numerous 13x19 pics from the XTi that were quite nice. With all that said I sold it and replaced it with a 40D. The most annoying part of the XTi was how easy it was for me to inadvertantly change settings on the camera with all the exposed buttons on the back. I shoot mostly auto racing with some train and railfan work thrown in along with family stuff, when I would move the camera in and out of the bag it seemed that my settings would occasionally get changed and I would shoot a bunch of pics before I realized what happened. The 40D doesn't do this to me, and the other benefits it offers have made this a great choice for me.....frankly, the 40D does everything so well that I wonder why anyone needs any more camera then this. AF performance is lightning fast with fast focusing lenses, I have no problems catching fast moving racing cars at all, IQ is excellent, ISO up to 1600 is fine. The viewfinder is much brighter and the camera is built like a tank. If you can find a good used one or even a new one I'd say its a great upgrade. Best of luck! </p><div></div>

[angel_bocanegra]

<p>Hummm, you want full frame plus 7D features. Have you considered Nikon? They have the D700 which is full frame and it has comparable features to the 7D. Only problem there is that its 12MP. But the picture quality is amazing. I have the 7D and 5Dmkii. Honestly, I could be served well with the 7D alone. But FF does give you extraordinary IQ, specially the 5Dmkii.</p>

[mars c]

<p>+1 for the 1ds, In fact I have one, coming my way.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>I don't think that the x0D line will give you the weather performance that the 7D will. I own both the 5D MkII and 7D and feel more comfortable with the 7D in wet and cold weather. See <a href="http://canonfieldreviews.com/7d-1-weather-sealing/">http://canonfieldreviews.com/7d-1-weather-sealing/</a> for a review of the 7D's performance and ancillary discussion of the 5D MkII and x0D performance.</p>

[John Crowe]

<p>Another vote for the 1Ds. Although that 17-40 would be very tempting. What other lenses do you have?</p>

<p>Be sure to check out a 1Ds in person. I am not sure how fast it is and I do not know how well it performs at ISO 800 and higher. They are also larger and heavier than you may think. Also not sure what battery life is like, so a few things to consider when looking.</p>

[scott_ferris]

<p>3 frames per second, not a sport shooter but not bad. It only goes up to 1250 iso, 800 is not brilliant but you can print it and noise reduction has got much better now. Batteries are good, I take two for a full days shooting with IS lenses and get $29.95 copies and switch the Canon end caps, they have a much better seal than any aftermarket version I have seen. It takes about 30 seconds, just two Phillips screws. The AF is worth the money just by itself.<br>

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1ds/</p>

[gregcoad]

<p>Thanks for all of the input so far. I hadn't considered the 1Ds at all. I will definitely take a closer look at it. The weight and bulk might be a factor for me. One think I like about the 5D and x0D's is that I can have a battery pack for most shooting, but take it off when I am heading out on a backpack adventure.</p>

<p>Many of you have zeroed in somewhat on the weather seal aspect of things. It is number 4 on my list, so definately not the highest priority. Number 4 on my list also refers to overall ruggedness, not just weather seal. I don't plan on spending a whole lot of time in tropical storms with it, just the drizzly, foggy days in the mountains or the odd flurry. During these outings it will also spend most of the time in a weather proof bag.</p>

<p>Still would like to hear some opinion on 40D vs. 1Ds in terms of the other criteria listed. I realize that weather sealing will not be as good with the 40D but I wonder if it will be passable and if there are other aspects of the 40D that would make it a better fit for me (ISO range/performance. How does the viewfinder stack up? Autofocus system.)</p>

<p>Also, if I'm shopping for a 1Ds, how do I check the shutter count (or how does the seller check the shutter count) and what was the original spec for shutter cycles? When looking at the 40D vs. the 1Ds, the 40D's I'll be looking at will be 2-3 years old while the 1Ds' will be 6-7. Should this be a concern?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

 

[markonestudios]

I would seriously consider stretching the budget a little (save up a bit longer?) and getting straight into full frame with a used 5D Mk I. Superb viewfinder, good AF, excellent high ISO performance, solid build with "pro features" ;-) ... 12.8MP. For your purposes, I think it would serve you better than a 30/40D - which are both great cameras in their own right. However, this advice is given somewhat blindly as you haven't said what lens cache you currently have. If you're thinking of buying a 17-40L then I assume you probably have the kit lens. I can totally understand your frustration with it; I own an XTi, and recently upgraded to a FF. Miles apart in terms of user interface and sheer image quality. I knew I would move to FF from the onset, so I never got a kit lens, I went straight for the 17-40L.

[brett_w.]

<p>The 40D won't give you any better image quality or ISO performance. save your money for full frame if you feel the body upgrade itch.</p>

<p> </p>

[alan_green4]

<p>vote for saving your money. you want full frame. a xxd may be a bit better but not what you're looking for. you'll only get the ff body later anyway.</p>

<p>in the meantime you might consider a fast prime/lower ISO combo to combat noise</p>

[matthijs]

<p>Note: I did print a 8x12" (20x30 cm) of a ISO 1600 400D/XTi picture and it looks nice.</p>

<p>(<a href="../photo/7510471">This </a> is the picture in question.)</p>

[zigzag]

<p>Don't consider upgrading to a 30D. I don't think you'd be happy. The 40D is a much fuller featured camera if you're going that way.<br>

If you 'need' FF then the 5D MkI still has very low noise performance and has been a stellar performer for a number of professionals in the last few years.<br>

I've just upgraded from a 30D to a 5DMkII after a body failure and I must say it allows me to take photos which would never have been possible before. As a first FF for me it's a delight to get the bokeh, low noise, high ISO, lenses that are designed for 35mm now operating as expected, larger RAWs (or options for smaller RAWs) etc. Sure I'd have liked the 7D focusing system and the speedlite controls but now I do own the $3000 camera and the wife still talks to me.</p>