lukan Loc: Chicago, IL

Get the absolute best Canon (80D or 7D MKii) that you can afford and shoot as much as you possibly can.

Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end

Your T3i is a great camera, I have had one since they were introduced. It is very capable and with the right lens and operator skill will produce truly outstanding photos. I still use mine for product shoots. And on the advise of several UUH'ers I also added a 80D, refurb from Canon. It does take slightly better pictures than the T3i, though it can be hard to tell with product shooting. I went with the 80D rather than the 70D as it is newer and has a larger sensor. It also has a touch screen controls that I absolutely love.

Ken

cjbarnett

I have been doing photography for a long time and have had several different brands of cameras. When I was new to photography I got some good advice. The camera is not the most important part of the equation. I have seen some very good work done with home-made pinhole cameras made out of the round Quaker Oats boxes! The cameras used by the early shooters did not even have shutters. They reomoved the lens cap from their cameras to make exposures that ran to minutes in some cases as required by the slow emulsions used on their glass plates. I do not necessarily recommend returning to those days, and I use only modern equipment now because it is much easier and less time consuming to do.

I have Nikon digital SLR cameras now so can't specifically advise you about Canon. But I would recommend that you follow the advice given earlier in this forum thread and ask yourself what your present camera is preventing you from doing. I do not know of any good quality camera made in the past 50 years that is not capable of making very good images in the hands of a knowledgeable and perceptive person. Lenses, to me, are a greater determiant of picture quality than the camera itself once the problem of exposure is taken care of. Computer processing of the digital image opens a practically infinite variety of possibilities for altering the finished photo so if you haven't tried it I would give that consideration before abandoning your present camera. Charlie Barnett

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

BebuLamar

My suggestion is don't ask and don't listen to anyone suggestion for a new camera. You decide for yourself.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

You have received some good Canon recommendations. I will add that a good upgrade would be the newest T7i, along with the 80D. The T7i would be a Rebel Series upgrade to the camera you already have. Good luck.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

First, welcome. Are you married to Canon (many canon lenses). It's a matter of what you want vs what you need. If you are staying with canon and you are serious about photography, take the opportunity to go full frame, and use the current camera as second body. A refurb 6d or 5d3 might be the way to go. If you want to stay crop frame, go right to the top with a 7d2. If you are not married to Canon, take a serious look at the Pentax K1. A pro level full frame camera at a crop sensor price. My .02 cents

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

You are off to a good start by taking photography classes. I will give you my take on upgrades.
I tend to upgrade when my camera is unable to do the job I have at hand. An old camera to me means nothing since I am the photographer and the camera will perform if it is within factory specs.
Many times we act on impulse and many times we simply need something better to improve on our photography and modern cameras are full of features, many of them very useful like faster AF, faster firing rate and better image processors.
Selecting a camera is a very subjective matter. I can recommend a camera but that does not necessarily mean that the person that will buy the camera upon my recommendation will be happy with it. Go to a camera store, ask to have the camera you plan on buying in your hand. Look at its ergonomics and features and if possible shoot with it. Does it conform to your needs? If it does that is the camera you should buy and I do not care if it is new or used.
Many times asking for opinions on what to buy elicits lots of different responses according to the taste of those responding. Their taste could be different to yours and you could end up confused.
Holding the camera you want in your hands and looking at its features is a good way to know if that is the camera you need for you photographic style.

cthahn

If you feel that you have to have a new camera, buy one. No one can tell you what to buy. Just remember, the photographer takes the picture, not the camera. Buy a new camera will not improve your photography.

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

6D. Unless you want to shoot mostly sports wildlife it is very hard to beat the image quality of the 6D for anywhere near its price.

MikeC

I just upgraded to the 80D. It is a fine camera, easy to operate in the manual mode and I'm totally pleased with my new Canon.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Welcome!

It really depends on what you want to photograph, and why. 80D for everything but sports and birds in flight. 7D II for sports and wildlife.

However, unless you already have some expensive Canon glass, before buying an 80D, I'd look at mirrorless cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Fujifilm, and Sony. That's where most of the innovations are happening in the camera market.

Do note that knowledge and experience, plus having a vision and a point of view, are more important than gear!

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Longshadow, I got my T1i when my first grandson was brn, G7 wouldn't do the job anymore, 7.5/ 8 years now, still works fine, back up for my T4i, Bob.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Welcome to the HOG!

crphoto8 Loc: Anaheim, California

I believe the Canon M5 does have a viewfinder. There's also another model where you can add a viewfinder.