rthompson10

You people are killing me! -My first post on this informative site
I WANT to upgrade my Canon 30D. Have taken some decent pictures with the kit lens(18-55) as the only lens but now want to make photography a serious hobby. So major analysis paralysis after doing lots of reading on here and other sites.
My thoughts so far,,,,and by the way want to buy by this weekend as Canon has some rebates IF I go Canon.
So the choices so far are Canon 70D, Canon 6D, maybe even Nikon 7100 or 610(have a flavor of Canon camera for over thirty years- causing me to be a little shaky :) )
Of course your going to ask me what I'm going to shoot- Answer a little of everything. Most of my thousands of pix are people at parties, travel photos, informal event photos- weddings, proms. I'd like to play around with sports photography as there are lots of kids in the 'hood who play sports
Here is what my reading is telling me- While I'd like to plunge into a full frame budget is an issue. On the Canon side the 6D probably isn't best for sports- low FPS, and I need to see the focusing in action.
Concerned about Nikon on 2 fronts- one quality issues on 610- dust on sensor? and then concerned with how people look vs Canon- a bit "cooler", not as warm?
Going to camera store today to touch and feel and maybe rent. Again too much reading, not enough doing.
Gut lean right now is 70D but with an EF lens in case I go FF in future. Do need to touch, play with Nikon.
Or punt, keep the 30D and get better glass plus off camera flash. Or....
I apologize for my on-line brainstorming- losing sleep over-analyzing. Any thoughts would be appreciated
RT

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

You can study until you are blue in the face and just get more and more confused. You are on the right track. Go to a good quality camera store in your area and actually look over and feel the various models available. It could be love at first sight with one of the cameras you pick up.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Canons and Nikons are both great cameras. The D610 does not have a spot problem. That was the D600 and Nikon backed up their recall very well...even those out of warranty. You need to please yourself. I went to Best Buy and held all the cameras so I could see what felt good in my hands. I chose Nikon and I have been happy from day one. You won't go wrong with either brand. Good luck.

Brian45 Loc: Melbourne, Australia

With the Nikon D7100 you'll really look "cool"

plumgecko

70D for shooting everything.

plumgecko

RegisG Loc: Mid-Tennessee

Love my 70D but, chose the same path as you're thinking with the lens. My deciding factor was that I don't do portraits and the 6D would be better for that. I like outdoors and think that alonge with dabbling in short video pushed me to my 70D

Best of luck and as far as I know/read, all of your choices are great!

RegisG

ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

I'd suggest you go mirrorless.

Google mirrorless camera reviews and go from there. Mirrorless is the wave of the future.

jbmauser Loc: Roanoke, VA

Any of the cameras you listed will not disappoint you. Feel is important but they all feel good in the hand. I will introduce another variable to either further confuse you or clinch a deal. Since you have been working with a single lens for some time and you may have been yearning for change. The D7100 will accept all F mount lenses going back to the 70's. It will meter them and provide focus indication. If you still remember how to focus manually and work an aperture ring you can pick up excellent classic glass for little cost as well as all auto focus film era lenses.

You may find as I did that there are great lenses to be snapped up as obsolete that the D7100 can deploy.

Best of luck.

anotherview Loc: California

This review of the Canon 6D may help you decide:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/6d.htm

But a good idea to rent to try before you buy:

www.lensrentals.com

www.borrowlenses.com

Good luck.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

My opinion... Don't go FF unless you are a "Pro". The bump in performance or capability doesn't justify the significant (to me) extra expense for most folks. Save that cash for great lenses.

So, that narrows the field to crop sensor cameras, and, saves you a bunch of money! I recently purchased a Nikon D7100 and can report that it is an excellent camera that has way-more capabilities than I have talent. I also have a Sony A580, which does a great job. Canon has great cameras, too.

Personally, I think that Canon, Nikon and Sony all have very fine and capable DSLR cameras. You really can't go wrong with any of them. Go to the camera store and try each in your hands. See how it feels and learn what it can do for you. Pay attention to what buttons, switches, screens, etc. do and how they function. Choose one that suits your performance expectations and that feels good in your hands.

As for the differences in photo capabilities, colors, etc... There may be slight, very slight, differences between manufacturers. All can be compensated-for through post processing. So, the door of opportunity is wide open for you... Good luck! :D

Dick Z. Loc: Downers Grove IL

Ken Rockwell's report on the 6D is is covered quite well along with photos. I would recommend anyone interested in the 6D to read it, it's very complete.


:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

I'm a Canon user and honestly if I going to start over I'd go FULL FRAME and go NIKON. Get the D610....better sensor than anything Canon offers. Shoot raw...problem solved on the "coolness" of people.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I tried that, but I kept cutting my face. Maybe mirrorless and a safety razor. What do you think, should I upgrade to the Gillette Fusion ProGlide? :wink:

But if it is an all around camera for a variety of needs in an APS-C DSLR, 70D all the way.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

All around, the 6D is hard to beat. It's only real weakness is if you are trying to shoot sports professionally, or at least going for the real stand-out shots that require more focusing capability then the 6D has. You can take good shots of sporting events with it, but the more your subject is moving the harder it will be to get "THE" shot. For demanding sports shots the 7D is what you want. The 6D excels just about everywhere else, especially in low light. The 70D is a good compromise of price and capability. I had one and was very favorably impressed, but have sold it now that I have a 6D. The only sports I plan to shoot with it are NASCAR and skydiving and I don't anticipate any problem with either.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

In the beginning I splurged on a 30D and chimped on the glass. Over the years I saved and forked over the cash for 1 lens with good glass, 70-200 f2.8L IS. I noticed a huge improvement almost immediately and my keeper rate jumped by almost 200%. I then went the route of the 24-105 f4L IS and once again the improvement was dramatic. I then sold all my cheap glass, well, except for the wide angle zoom kit lens which will be sold when the boss allows me to get my new L series wide angle, after my 300 f2.8L IS, after my 100-400 f4L, after my 100 f2.8L macro.

Long story short, I still use my 30D as my go to body and am very happy with my results. I have printed 30x40 from this with excellent results.

So in my opinion, you should punt. :-D