UKC

I already have a 5D MkII body but I have the kit lens for that for landscapes etc and I also have a 400mm lens that I use for birds & wildlife.

Basically it is a pain in the rear swapping lenses in the field so I want to get a separate body for the 400mm lens.

Another downside of the 5D is that the shutter is surprisingly loud. When I am in hides etc, I notice other people using cameras that make a very faint, almost inaudible click as they shoot. Not sure if these are Nikons or other brands but is there an ideal Canon body that would be suitable for the long lens.
Ta.

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

I would look at the 70d, has a good auto focus system crop frame which boost that 400mm lens and has a silent shutter option, which while not silent is quiter. Plus it won't break the bank as a second camera.....or wait for the 7d mark ii

In reply to CrushUnit:

Having trashed my 2 year old 60D the weekend before last, I've just heard from the insurers they're giving me the cash to replace with a 70D (great news - silver linings and all that) but I'm debating whether to go for a 6D instead. My lens line up would allow going full frame (I have only one crop sensor only lens) but, on reading reviews, I'm not sure about the 6D and think the 70D may be the best option. As I currently without a SLR body, I really do need to jump in now and can't afford to wait and see what happens re new Canon releases.

In the same incident I also trashed a 24-105 L and, whilst it was ok, I wasn't blown away so I'm debating that one too.

I appreciate the biggest choice is in some respects simply full frame vs crop but the 70D seems to be so well liked I wonder if that is really the best option (and about £400 cheaper in real world price terms). I'm mostly into landscape, some portraiture and a bit of macro. No video.

Any thoughts welcome.

In reply to Skyfall:
Some 70D thoughts here:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=577544
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=579625

Since micro-adjusting my 24-105mm - I've been blown away by the lens.

In reply to CrushUnit:


It does no such thing - it's just a smaller field of view. It's still a 400mm lens, there is no 'boost'.

It could technically have a higher resolution though (at same focal length), as the actual pixel size on the APC sensor could be smaller than on a full frame (sensor dependant).

In reply to ChrisJD:

Chris,

What do you mean by micro adjusting your 24-105 lens?

I have one that came with my 5d mk II so I'm just interested in how you can make it better.

Cheers
Giles

In reply to Giles Davis:

Hey Giles

Thread here:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=579625

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

What about the 7D, fast shutter speed and multi point focussing. Mine's at work, i'll try it when i go back in on Thus and see how noisy it's shutter is.
found one on Simply Electronics for £565

Chris

In reply to ChrisJD:

Maybe boost wasn't the right word, its a smaller field of view but there are more pixels in that field of view aren't there?

In reply to Skyfall:

If you don't need to better focusing system on the 70d then the 6d looks like a good choice for the type of photography you have described in my opinion.

In reply to ChrisJD:

I agree - it's a pretty sharp lens. There's distortion at the wide end, but that can be easily corrected with a lens profile.

In reply to CrushUnit:


Depends on body - but typically, yes.

Whether that increased pixel density over FF translates into perceivably better image resolution is another matter of course.

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

Look at the 6D. It is being raved about for low light performance and has a silent shutter mode.

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

Having researched this over the last few weeks(just ask my better half) the general opinion seems, for your type of photography, to be the Canon 7D. Great focusing system & the frames per sec is great for twitchy wildlife. Depends, of course, whether you're prepared to go down the half frame road.

As wildlife really isn't my thing I went eventually for the 6D. It's certainly pretty quiet. downside would be that it's a bit more expensive when compared to the 7D.

A professional guy that I know loved the 7D but he indicated that the results needed quite a lot of "processing" to get them to his liking. As he mainly shoots weddings that might or might not be relevant.

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

My vote would be a canon 1D mkIII for the same money as a 7D or less than a 70D. Faster FPS, better ergonomics, better view finder, better AF, better image quality as long as the lens has enough reach (a 1.6 crop camera is better if you are focal length deficient but if the lens has enough reach the bigger sensor accounts for more than the extra megapixels), more pliable raw files on account of the better circuitry in a 1D, better weather sealing, far better battery life, subjectively better noise characteristics and less noise overall, better responsiveness and a deeper buffer.

Downsides would be the extra weight, the camera has likely been used by a pro and will have worked for a living, no video, less megapixels (which is really only a problem if you are printing big), slower write speeds to the cards and a worse screen.

The shutter is not silent though but why is that really a problem? The 1D series were built for using teles and will stand up to almost anything you can throw at it. If you do get one, make sure it is outside of the serial numbers where the infamous AF problems occurred or the seller has a receipt the problem has been sorted.

In reply to chris fox:

7D has a silent mode, 3 in fact, but you need to be in live view.

In reply to Professor Bunsen:

I have a 7D with a 17-40 F4L and a 70-200 F4L. Find this a killer combination and the 7D is as tough as nails, as are the L lenses.

In reply to blackmountainbiker:

I know it has silent mode, and mirror lock-up, but you can't look through the viewfinder on live or mirror lock. As the OP want's to shoot wildlife tracking on live view is much harder than looking through the viewfinder