Upgrade from T2i to 7D?

I know you're talking photo speak, but if you ever get into the video side of things, the t2i has seen some REALLY cool advancements in the past month or so.

Meet Magic Lantern. This firmware replacement makes the t2i comparable to cameras in the $2k range...

Cool stuff, just checked it all out.
But ya, that would be a "bonus" since my 90% focus is on the photography side.

instead of a 7d, i would save for a 1D series. buying a used 1D III or IV makes more sense for true sports photography than a new 7d, especially if AF is your concern.

Honestly, I've kinda aimed my sights at the 7D and no higher at the moment. It is enough of a splurge, and finding a used 1D even if its a couple hundred more, isn't in my budget.
Am I even correct in thinking that the 7D has a good AF system? especially over my T2i, I thought it was definitely better.

And a quick general question, do most of you pro's shoot manual focus a lot, like pre-focusing and what not, over AF anyway? I've been trying that with my T2i, since I'm not super happy with its AF, and the results have been varying for me. But if MF is kind of the trick of the trade for shooting MTB, I'll just keep practicing and stick with the T2i.

I haven't shot manual focus for anything but my fisheye for years. I've had pretty good results from my 1-series/5d bodies doing AF tracking. If I miss focus on a shot, it's rarely ever from the camera, it's from my sloppy aim.

The 7d has a pretty good AF system. It's certainly better than the 40/50/60d bodies.

What I would suggest is what Shawn said- keep saving and find a 1 series (maybe a 1d2 at this point) for a little more than the $1,400 the 7d would run you. It's going to be a better body and will open up more doors for you. If you're serious about getting better with sports shooting then the 1 series body will help you and will be worth the extra saving up. I can't speak for everyone but for most folks but there is still a hell of a lot to learn from a t2i as far as style and general photography technique. Getting faster focusing lenses to use on the t2i might be a better investment than just a new body, depending on what lenses you already own.

I did upgrade my kit lens to a Canon 70-200 f/4 (couldn't afford 2.8 and wanted to stick with Canon), but I'm thinking that pairing it with an upgraded body would really make it shine more.

I see that the 1 series is a better body for sports, hands down. But even used, I cant afford it right now. I would rather put that extra couple hundred towards another flash hopefully later on.

i know it's hard to be patient, but a 7D won't work miracles for you just because you have it. technique, practice and experience in the field for an extra few months will be worth more with a 1D down the line than a 7D right now.

Alright, getting the general consensus that the 7D isn't really worth the upgrade

1D could happen, but by the time I do get the extra money, I'll be off to university, where little shooting time will be had. I'll be at the US Open and Canada Cups, and Moto races this year, kind of wanted to get a bit of a system refresh for those, since I shot them last year and and since then have seen room for improvement (not saying my personal skill is awesome, but equipment could definitely benefit me).

Hell, I could look for a 1D after using a 7D for a year, just dont want to be under-prepared for this year, especially if a 7D would be a noticeable and good upgrade.

If its not going to be much of an upgrade to the T2i at all, just say so, and I'll forget about it and focus on strobes and other equipment.

Cheers!
Matt

All the video dorks are keeping the used market prices for 7d bodies pretty high- which sucks for your desires.

With the t2i being a very capable camera, I'd want to invest in flashes and other lenses and stuff like that before investing in a 7d. Just my opinion.

After having used a 7d to shoot some things, I'm very impressed at how well it works for a camera that runs $1400.

After looking through some good photo blogs and publications, I'm much more impressed at what a t2i can pull off in the right set of creative hands.

Fair enough, that may be the better route. Here's a few photos i took on a bike trip last week, as you can see, some are good, but some have some serious focus issues.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50521964@N02/sets/72157625831865375/with/5408606677/

If it matters, the difference between the 2 cameras for me (sell t2i, buy 7d) is only $300 flat. plus new CF card. but i suppose that $300 could buy other important things aswell!

k.shiz wrote: All the video dorks are keeping the used market prices for 7d bodies pretty high- which sucks for your desires.

With the t2i being a very capable camera, I'd want to invest in flashes and other lenses and stuff like that before investing in a 7d. Just my opinion.

After having used a 7d to shoot some things, I'm very impressed at how well it works for a camera that runs $1400.

After looking through some good photo blogs and publications, I'm much more impressed at what a t2i can pull off in the right set of creative hands.

good advice.
i have the 7D and its good.. but jumping from the T2i to 7D? not sure i'd spend the extra dough since i believe the image quality is basically the same.. kinda like me shelling out a bunch of dough to upgrade my tundra from a 5.7 V8 with out the JBL package and parking sensors, to a 5.7 V8 with all those bells and whistles.. feel me? i know its a piss poor analogy

spend that dough on lens's and stuff that kinda holds its value and is more usable as you upgrade bodies in the future.
i get impatient too with waiting to buy stuff so i understand.. you have the power to upgrade your body and its like an itch you wanna scratch.. but try and hold out for the bigger upgrades, the pay off is far greater.

bturman wrote: I know you're talking photo speak, but if you ever get into the video side of things, the t2i has seen some REALLY cool advancements in the past month or so.

Meet Magic Lantern. This firmware replacement makes the t2i comparable to cameras in the $2k range...

Bringing an old post back to life ..... Can someone explain Magic Lantern? I have a T2I and tried recording some video footage... seemed pretty challenging.

You tried with or without Magic Lantern installed? It's trickier with Magic Lantern than with the stock firmware.

Stay away from Magic Lantern unless you kind of know what you're doing with the video end of those cameras. I think the ML firmware makes some great improvements over the stock stuff but only if you're using it mainly as a video camera and have been using it unhappily that way for a while with the stock firmware.