7D Noise....your opinions

[yourdoinitwrong]

The following article shows the noise comparison of the 7D versus a few other cameras (I'm sure most of you have seen it already):

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Ca...ise_JPEG.shtml

I currently have a 50D and am on the waiting list for the 7D from my local camera store, where I can trade in my 50D for about $700. I'm not impressed with the results of the 7D compared to my 50D. I understand that the extra noise is probably a result of extra sharpening compared to the 50D. I definitely like the better autofocus, metering, flash control, etc. but seeing these results I'm just not sure if it is worth spending the money. I do have the money to spend but what are your opinions on this?

[SPEEED]

The 7D is not a contender for the 5DII. Two different cameras, apples and oranges in the same basket (the link above). A cropper will never produce images (from a noise standpoint) on par to those produced by a full framer.

With that said, the 7D has quite a few upgrades over your 50D, which in my opinion, are worth the upgrade. I personally, chose to forgo the the 7D (coming from a 40D). I was more interested in the format (crop vs. FF), than ISO performance.

In the end, if you know you're staying with a cropper, I'd go with the 7D. I suggest you stop nitpicking in 100% crops. No one really stares at images blown to 100%.

That leaves you with the other features/upgrades the 7D offers - those alone are worth the extra dough imo. With that said, you must also take into consideration other factors such as you lens(es) line up, and your main uses.

[yourdoinitwrong]

Originally Posted by SPEEED

The 7D is not a contender for the 5DII. Two different cameras, apples and oranges in the same basket (the link above). A cropper will never produce images (from a noise standpoint) on par to those produced by a full framer.

With that said, the 7D has quite a few upgrades over your 50D, which in my opinion, are worth the upgrade. I personally, chose to forgo the the 7D (coming from a 40D). I was more interested in the format (crop vs. FF), than ISO performance.

In the end, if you know you're staying with a cropper, I'd go with the 7D. I suggest you stop nitpicking in 100% crops. No one really stares at images blown to 100%.

That leaves you with the other features/upgrades the 7D offers - those alone are worth the extra dough imo. With that said, you must also take into consideration other factors such as you lens(es) line up, and your main uses.

Thank you for your insight and input. You are absolutely correct about not putting so much stock into a 100% crop, I never blow up anything I take to that size. My uses for the camera are mainly family events and sports so the new autofocus and metering system will be a huge advantage as there is usually motion in the shots. My lenses are the 24-105 f/4L and the 70-200 f/4L so they are fairly decent lenses that usually produce good results. I bought these because from what I understand you need the good lenses to get the best from the crop sensors. Looks like I will keep my name on the list. Thanks again.

[tkman00]

the other thing to keep in mind is that you'll likely be shooting RAW and doing your own sharpening in PP

[twalls]

Man I just got mine yesterday.. you're going to LOVE it.. The build alone is worth it.. It feels like a "manly" camera.. It's heavier than the 5D, it has a bulkier grip for bigger hands.. You can actually autofocus in movie mode. Love how the auto focus points don't show up till you press the shutter.. That's going to take getting used to from upgrading (from a 20D). There's a dedicated button for switching to movie and camera mode and starting and stopping recording w/in thumbs reach. That 100% viewfinder is heaven-sent. Love the dedicated button for autofocus as well..

Man all in all, it's a GREAT camera.. You're not going to regret it at ALL.

[jake_91306]

Congrats on your acquisition... but you prefer it over the 5D? Mk I or Mk II?

[tkman00]

Originally Posted by twalls

Man I just got mine yesterday.. you're going to LOVE it.. The build alone is worth it.. It feels like a "manly" camera.. It's heavier than the 5D, it has a bulkier grip for bigger hands.. You can actually autofocus in movie mode. Love how the auto focus points don't show up till you press the shutter.. That's going to take getting used to from upgrading (from a 20D). There's a dedicated button for switching to movie and camera mode and starting and stopping recording w/in thumbs reach. That 100% viewfinder is heaven-sent. Love the dedicated button for autofocus as well..

Man all in all, it's a GREAT camera.. You're not going to regret it at ALL.

**jealous**

[yourdoinitwrong]

Originally Posted by twalls

Man I just got mine yesterday.. you're going to LOVE it.. The build alone is worth it.. It feels like a "manly" camera.. It's heavier than the 5D, it has a bulkier grip for bigger hands.. You can actually autofocus in movie mode. Love how the auto focus points don't show up till you press the shutter.. That's going to take getting used to from upgrading (from a 20D). There's a dedicated button for switching to movie and camera mode and starting and stopping recording w/in thumbs reach. That 100% viewfinder is heaven-sent. Love the dedicated button for autofocus as well..

Man all in all, it's a GREAT camera.. You're not going to regret it at ALL.

It's nice to hear from someone who owns one. Other than that noise comparison I found there isn't much online that I have been able to find. I'm definitely sold on the build quality and features. I know you have only had it a couple of days but what are your initial impressions on the image quality? One other thing I just noticed in looking at some pictures of the 7D.....what is the "B" on the mode dial? Bulb maybe? The 5D MkII has it but my 50D doesn't.

[twalls]

Originally Posted by jake_91306

Congrats on your acquisition... but you prefer it over the 5D? Mk I or Mk II?

I wouldn't go that far.. But I believe it's by far the better of the crop bodies with the features, build and image quality (prefer the native sharpness over the softness of the 50D).. I think it's not really a fair comparison to a FF. I might however say that it can hold it's own agains the MK I, but not even close to the MKII. A friend of mine shoots w/ a MK II and by looking at the IC of his pics, I'll be happy if I can get CLOSE to that. He does use all L primes for the most part though as well. Here's his site, doesn't have his most recent stuff, but will give you an insight on his IC. All shot w/ the 5D.

http://www.huytranphotography.com/

Originally Posted by yourdoinitwrong

It's nice to hear from someone who owns one. Other than that noise comparison I found there isn't much online that I have been able to find. I'm definitely sold on the build quality and features. I know you have only had it a couple of days but what are your initial impressions on the image quality? One other thing I just noticed in looking at some pictures of the 7D.....what is the "B" on the mode dial? Bulb maybe? The 5D MkII has it but my 50D doesn't.

Honestly, I'm one to read the COMPLETE manual first before even snapping a shot. Even though I know what I'm doing, I just find it lowers my anxiety of having a new gadget.. I do that w/ video games too.. Have to learn ALL the moves and features first before I put my hands on the controller. Yes, the "B" is dedicated Bulb mode.

I did cheat a bit to see if you could do autofocus while shooting movies, and I also bought a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 the same day so I had to ensure that it worked. So I snapped a couple shots where I saw the new autofocus system at work.. AMAZING.. I used someone else's memory card, so I didn't get to view the images on a computer to see the image quality.

Yeah, the superior build is the FIRST thing I noticed and the first thing you will too, it just feels like a pro build rather than a "pro-sumer" build that's TRYING to be something. Maybe it's the single digit, maybe it's me jumping 2 generations of CMOS as well (20D had a Digic II, 7D has DUAL Digic 4).. Another thing you'll notice is how fast it's ready to shoot when you turn it on.. I think it's like .1 sec.

Oh yeah.. ANOTHER thing that I remember is that it has this dual axis leveling system built in for all you landscape photographers.. That will aide you in ensuring your horizon lines are straighter as well..

[yourdoinitwrong]

^^ Now I REALLY can't wait to get mine! Geez, I feel like a little kid!

[jake_91306]

DAMN... wish I could afford one... or the 5D MkII for that matter.

[twalls]

Originally Posted by jake_91306

DAMN... wish I could afford one... or the 5D MkII for that matter.

It really depends on what you plan to use it for man.. The 7D was made in mind to fix all those things that MK II owners complain about, especially in movie mode, for example, the biggest difference is the ability to record at 24p. Also, autofocus during shooting where as the 5D is manual only.

You're looking at DUAL Digic 4s as opposed to the single in the 5D, albeit a full frame. The 100% viewfinder, 19 AF points.. Man.. It's just a sick cam. I wouldn't be surprised if they came out w/ a MK III for the 5D next year.. They've already announced a firmware upgrade to allow the 5D to record in 24p (to be released in Jan I believe I read).

[TBG_Dad]

Just to echo twalls, the 7D is a really sick camera. While not knowing tons about flash use, I did try the Master flash feature of the 7D and a 430EXII as a slave and I must say that was really friggen cool.

[yourdoinitwrong]

I got my insurance settlement taken care of so the 7D should be here sometime next week. Can't wait! I don't want to spend any more right now but I'm really thinking about trading in my 24-105L for the 24-70L. I would miss the IS but the faster lens would be really nice to have. Anyone have a cure for this upgrade addiction?

[TBG_Dad]

Originally Posted by yourdoinitwrong

Anyone have a cure for this upgrade addiction?

more L and a zero balance in your bank account?