out4life2016 Loc: Bellingham, Washington

I for the past 4 months have been researching and watching reviews on three different canon cameras. Currently I am shooting with a Canon T3 and several different lenses none of which are L series lenses. I shoot mostly landscape and wildlife, however I am crossing over into some portrait and street photography, and even setting up a studio in my home with lighting and soft boxes. I still want the ability to shoot all these things in my travels. Currently I am looking at three cameras that are in my price range since I want to spend money on good glass im keeping the budget down to about 2000 dollars. Im not looking to buy second hand if possible. Three cameras that im looking at are the Canon 6D mark ii which doesn't get the best reviews but mostly due to its video quality which I care nothing about. The Canon 7D mark ii which Canon claims is there best wildlife crop sensor camera and gets great reviews. Or the Canon 80D which is another crop sensor and so far have been impressive in the reviews.
Please give me your opion and your reason why you feel I should go with a certain camera. If you own one then I would love to compare unedited files also. Ive only been shooting a year now and I really feel my T3 is holding me back due to several reasons, one is the weather sealing and I live in the Pacific Northwest, second is the speed of the camera since I do like to shoot eagles and other birds of prey, third is the low light capabilities however that can be tweaked with better glass and fourth is resolution since I tend to blow most my work up to wall hanging photos up to 42x72 print. All help and advice is appreciated.

Three examples of my work will be listed with this post not for critising since i know whats wrong with the photos but to show what typed of things im shooting.
Gear includes T3 camera, Canon18-55 EFS kit lens, Canon 75-300 IS USM lens, Canon 50mm 1.8 USM lens, Canon 24mm 1.8 USM lens, Tamron 28-300 VC DI Aspherical lens and a Godox 680 Speed light with remote.

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jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

If you've spent four months researching, you have all the information you need. Relying on someone else to make your decision at this point would be a mistake, in my opinion. You have the information, so it's up to you to decide.

LessN2 Loc: Texas

Perhaps you can rent the 6d, 7d, 80d cameras locally.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The 80D is really the best all around Canon body right now - especially if money matters - and Tony Northrup agrees. Yes, I have one.

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Bullittjon Loc: Minnesota

I also have an 80D, great camera. But if you are still undecided, checkout lensrentals.com and rent a camera you are thinking about. Very easy to do. I rented an M5 and a 6D Mark II from them. I have since purchased an M5, love it.

Jolly Roger Loc: Dorset. UK

If low light is a factor I would exclude the 7D. I have the 7DII, whilst it is a little better than the MkI which I had previously, it still suffers with excessive noise when using higher ISO numbers. One of my sons has a 6D, whilst its frame rate doesn't match the 7D it handles noise much better.
I used the 7DII a couple of weeks ago, early in the morning. It was supposed to be a bright day but in fact was overcast for quite some time. I started off the morning shooting at ISO 3,200. When I viewed them in Lightroom later, I deleted all of them due to noise. Later shots with lower ISO numbers became acceptable.
Hope this helps.
Roger

Selene03

You have done your research so you know the strengths and weaknesses of the models you are looking at. Reviews, especially of Canon cameras, are not always the most reliable. Canon cameras do lack some features you can find on other cameras, but they work incredibly well to produce good photographs. You have lights, flash, etc that all works seemlessly with Canon bodies. Saying this, even though the reviews were weaker than most, the people I know with the 6D II are very happy with it. I might have gotten one had the 5d mk iv not come out first. I have seen fabulous wildlife and bird photos from the 7d mk ii and have thought about getting one. However, it is pretty old technology right now. I was waiting for the new version to come out, but the mirrorless hype has apparently diverted attention away from upgrades to older model cameras. Still, the 7d mk ii is a terrific camera. The 80 D is newer and probably terrific too. I mostly use ff cameras so I have not looked at that one, but I do use a Sl2 for bird and wildlife photos from my kayak. It has, I believe, the same sensor as the 80D but is stripped down with few features. Even without the features, I have taken some of my best photos with the Sl2. Again, Canon cameras simply work well, and the entry level Sl2 is no exception.

Judging from your discussion and photographs, I think you might be happiest with the 6d ii. One option I have been using a lot is buying from Canon refurbished--lower prices and they come with a one year guarantee. I look for sales, which come at odd moments. I think I got one of my best deals on St. Patrick's day. Also check Canon pricewatch. You let them know what you want and you can then buy the camera for reduced prices. I have gotten quite a few items from the same place I would have bought it from at full price.

This is just my two cents worth, but I have to say, I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the cameras on your short list.

lorvey Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

i agree with Jerry, you need to sort out what is most important to you, and then make a decision. But I will add a few comments.

I think you need two cameras. You say you shoot landscape, portrait, street photography, and that you are setting up a studio. Those items point to a full frame camera, so I would get the Canon 6D Mark II. It will give you more megapixels for blowing up photo and better shooting in low light conditions.

You also say you shoot wildlife. Often when shooting wildlife, it's hard to get close to the object, so the more reach you can get, the better. A crop-sensor camera will give you a closer look at the eagle, for example. The two cameras you mentioned, the 7D or the 80D are both good cameras for this purpose. The 80D has a few more megapixels, so if creating big wall hangings is important to you, maybe the 80D is preferred. But again, both are good.

Lastly, if you are on a limited budget, look at used, refurbished, or older model cameras. I used to own the Canon 6D. It was a very good beginners full frame camera, and very good in low light. Also, in the crop sensor area, you could look at the Canon 70D, the predecessor to the 80D. It would be a good replacement of your T3.

Just some of my thoughts, but the final decision, of course, is up to you.

PeterBergh

Assuming the "about $2000" is a little flexible, you may want to consider the EOS R ($2299 plus a $99 adapter; ~15% over budget). The big advantage to this approach is that you would be able to use all your EF and EF-S lenses while you're acquiring better glass. Bottom line is that you gain flexibility at the cost of 15 % over budget.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I own and love my 80D. When I upgraded, it was between that and the 7D mkII. I wanted APS-C for the reach and liughter weight. The 7DmkII is faster and therefore better for sports where the frame rate is important. The 80D has a touchscreen, is better weather sealed and less expensive. It has almost the same number of mega-pixels as the 6D so resolution is about the same. The 6D MK II is full framed and should be better at high ISO.

You can compare at: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Canon_80D_vs_Canon_7D_Mark_II_vs_Canon_6D_Mark_II/BHitems/1225875-REG_1276208-REG_1346734-REG

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

We all go through this craziness when looking to buy new/different equipment. Research helps, but hands-on can make the difference. Maybe you have a friend that might let you work with one of the models you are interested in.

Good luck!

out4life2016 Loc: Bellingham, Washington

I want to thank all who have taken the time to reply to this forum. .I have decided to go ahead with the full frame Canon 6D mark ii. I know it has gotten some bad reviews and mostly they are about the video quality and lack of a headphone jack which I really care nothing about. Im not real impressed with the one card slot but unless im willing to spend about 3 thousand then I will have to make some compromising. If it wasn't for the fact that it is a full frame then I would have went with the 80D since its basically the same camera just crop sensor and it is about 500 dollars cheaper at the moment.
Happy shooting to all and thank you again
Thomas

steve49 Loc: massachusetts

They are all very capable cameras.
Get one and get out there with it.
Some of this stuff is wildly overthought.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Canon user here.
Both choices are excellent.
Only you can make the final decision.
7D MII is the faster of the two.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

You certainly have a small delemia in that the full frame Canons are better for your street photography and the crop sensors simply because of the crop factor are better for your wildlife. Wildlife on a full frame really requires a lot of reach in most situations which would leave you wanting for bigger and better lenses. Personally I would suggest to you that an 80D would be a good compromise but if you are actually making 6 foot prints, well then you may also want to consider the Canon 5DSR, I have one and have no complaints.