tinkerbell2 Loc: Charleston, South Carolina

I upgraded from a T3i to an 80D, and couldn't be happier. It's been easy to learn, and I like its features.

badapple Loc: Twin Lake, Michigan

Several months ago I moved from a t3i to an 80D. I am very happy. Still use the t3i with a different lens to save on lens changes. Burt

RWCRNC Loc: Pennsylvania

Depends whether you want to stay with crop sensor or go full frame. Also depends on what you shoot. I upgraded my T2i to a 70D. There is now the 80D

rtb220 Loc: O'Fallon, MO

I went from a Canon T1i, my first digital camera, to the Canon EOS 80D. I am very happy with the 80D

Ralph/rtb220

Dan Mc Loc: NM

Dan Mc Loc: NM

After much thought and battling the GAS thingy, my T2i is fine...I see little coast/benefit ratio with any T series upgrade.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Your question about the upgrade leaves a lot out in the wind. How much supporting equipment do you own for you T2? Do you own a few "L" quality lenses? How has your photography progressed through the life of you T2i? The 80D would be a logical upgrade, and still keep you in the realm of the Canon EF-S lenses. The latest camera from Canon is the T7I, it may offer some pricing advantage. Has you shooting style changed over the years, is a factor too. You'll have to decide this on your own. My money is on the 80D.

B

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

It entirely depends upon your use of the camera....

If you travel a lot, you might want something smaller, in which case the mirrorless EOS M5 might be ideal. You'd probably need some new EF-M lenses to complement the camera, but there are adapters that allow use of EF and EF-M lenses on the M-series cameras.

If you shoot sports, a 7D Mark II would be your best bet and will work with any lenses** you already have... unless your budget is unlimited, then the 1DX II along with a some big, fast super telephoto lenses.

If you shoot landscapes and architecture, a 5Ds or 5Ds-R might be the best choice, but would require high end full frame-capable lenses to complement it.

General purpose with emphasis on wide angle: 6D (entry-level) or 5D Mark IV (more advanced). General purpose with emphasis on telephoto: 80D, which will work with any lenses** you already have.

General purpose with emphasis on more affordability, a T6i or T6s or the new 77D may be a good choice that leaves some $ in your budget for other things. All three of these will work with any lenses** you already have.

Most affordable of all, a T6 or the smaller SL1 are pretty basic, not much different from your T3i, might be more of a downgrade than an upgrade. But either of them will work with any lenses** you already have.

**Important note regarding lenses: All Canon EF and EF-S lenses will work on these "APS-C crop sensor" cameras without problem. Depending upon what you have and what you shoot, lens upgrades may be in order for better image quality, faster autofocus, adding image stabilization or other purposes. Sometimes lens upgrades give more bang for your buck than upgrading the camera. If you have any in your kit, any older third party lenses may not work properly with a new camera. Over the years there have been some compatibility issues with third party lenses. Full frame Canon cameras (6D, 5D-series, 1D-series) require full frame-capable lenses: Canon EF or third party equivalent. Full frame cameras cannot use EF-S Canon or "crop only" third party lenses.

Compared to T3i...

APS-C models:
- T6i and T6s have a higher performance 19-point autofocus system and 33% more image resolution (24MP vs 18MP).
- 77D and 80D have much higher performance 45-point autofocus system and 24MP sensor.
- 7D Mark II has ultra high performance 65-point AF system and can shoot up to 10 frames per second with 20MP sensor.
- T6 and SL1 are the least expensive and use 9-point AF system and 18MP sensor that are both very similar to T3i.

Full frame models:
6D has 11-point AF system that's similar to T3i's, except it can focus in lower light conditions (center point only). This 20MP camera is considered by many to be one of the best low light shooters.
5DIV and 1DXII respectively have very high and ultra high performance 61-point AF systems. They are 30MP and 20MP respectively. 1DXII can shoot as fast as 14 frames per second. Both are excellent for low light.
5Ds and 5Ds-R are have slightly less high performance 61-point AF. Their emphasis is on sheer resolution: 50MP. This makes them a bit less capable for low light shooting or video.

oldgeezer3 Loc: SoCal

I, too, have been looking to up-grade from a T3i. The question is: do I go to a FF or stay with a crop-sensor? FF--I am looking at a 5D-IV; crop-sensor--I think the 7D-II is just about tops.

I'm sure there will be disagreement, but that's my not-so-humble opinion!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Full frame cameras are bigger and more expensive, of course.... And so are the lenses for them. FF also limits lens selection a bit and you may need to replace any "crop only" lenses you already have.

If you shoot with powerful telephotos a lot, you may be better advised to stick with a crop sensor camera. But if you do a lot with wide angle lenses and not much with long teles, then FF might make more sense.

I'd argue that lot of folks who think they need FF actually don't see much benefit from it in their end results. Unless they make really big prints from their images, the photographer is likely to be the only person who ever sees any difference... while they are "pixel peeping" their images at ridiculously large magnifications on their computer monitor. A 20MP image "at 100%" on most monitors is like making a five foot by three foot print, then viewing it from 18 or 20" away. That's just plain silly and overly critical of the image quality for most "real world" uses.

By the time the image is finished into a usable size for prints up to 13x19"... possibly even 16x24"... or especially for online display... there's little difference that anyone else would see. FF are better for low light shooting... larger pixel sites and less crowded sensors make for less noise at high ISOs. And a FF image can make for a little bit smoother tonal transitions. But the latest generation or two of crop sensor cameras are quite capable in these respects, too. Better lenses and greater care taking their shots might actually make more difference, for most people.

Personally I use both formats: About 90% of my shooting is done now with a pair of APS-C 7D Mark II.... The other 10% I do with a full frame 5D Mark II (which eventually will be upgraded to a 5DIV, but I ain't in any rush to do so).

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

There is no perfect answer, it depends upon your situation and desires. I currently have a T3i, and I'll be buying more lenses before I upgrade the camera unless I have some kind of windfall.
That said, if I did want a new camera body, and depending upon budget I would first go for the 80D (a step up from the 77D in my opinion), I don't need the robustness of the 7D mk II, or if it was a complete system upgrade (lenses and camera) I'd go for the 5D mk IV. Next year my choices might be different.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Since you are used to the operation of the T3i you would fit right into the newer T6i. It works similarly to your body and all the attachments (lens, flash, etc.) will work on the T6i.

Go to your nearest big photo store and try one out before plunking down a lot of dollars.
To give you an general pricing idea Amazon has the body only for $650.00

Michael G

Al Freeedman

Greg,

The T6i has 24+ MP, touch screen and live view. a perfect step up.

Captain AL

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Here's my question; since any camera of the last 5 to 7 years is really good...why specifically are you planning to upgrade? In other words..what does your T3i not do that you keep asking it to do?

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

Al,

It also captures video, and the videos are not too shabby.

Michael G