cliff Hilbert Loc: Plano, TX

Years ago I owned a Canon Ftb which I absolutely loved. I took many pictures with it and and many enlarged and framed to decorate my house and office. Unfortunately, about 15 years ago it was stolen in a home burglary. Two years ago I decide to get back into photography and bought a Canon EOS Rebel T7, thinking it might work for my needs. But, after a couple of years I realized that I needed a better camera because this one wasn't taking the quality of pics that I wanted. So, I'm in the market for a new one.

The photos I take are of landscape 95% of the time, wildlife 4% of the time and the other 1% of various things. I don't take videos so the speed of the camera is not very important. I tend to shoot on the Manual setting most of the time and I do bracket my shots. I'm not into all the technical aspects of DSLR cameras and don't want to be. I want a camera that will take sharp, clear pictures of landscapes without having to go to the menu and spend 15 minutes adjusting the camera settings for each shot. Most of my shots are taken while driving in the mountains of Colorado and other scenic areas; I stop the car, get out and set the f-stop, the shutter speed, the ISO and shoot. I do use a tripod for a lot of my shots. At the most I spend 5 minutes setting up a shot and I will take multiple shots at a location.

The only apps I use for my pics are the ones Canon puts on their website, DPP-4 and some basic other one. I plan to use HDR processing now that I found it on the Canon DPP-4 app. I have no plans to use Lightroom, Photoshop, etc. in the future, all I want to do is bring out the natural colors, tones, and clarity in pics which the Canon apps do very well.

So, with all that said, what Canon camera should be my next purchase later this year, something in the $2000-3000 range? Oh, I want a full frame camera and not a mirrorless. I have purchased a couple of good lenses because they are the most important thing to have. My pics are used to decorate my home and office and to give away to friends who like them. Thanks for your help!

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Your words "full frame", "not mirrorless", "Canon" and "$2000-$3000" narrow it down to the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV . Why are you asking for help when you've already decided?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your EOS T7 should take awesome images, especially with your use of a tripod. For landscape photography, this 24MP digital wonder should be all the camera you need.

You really should stop and consider the following:

1, What lens(es) are you using? This may be the issue, not the camera.

2, Have you posted some example images presenting your disappointment and asked for free feedback?

Dropping another single penny, and especially not another $2000+, without addressing the two questions above will just lead to a lot more frustration, with no actual improvement.

Regarding feedback, I browsed your posting history. You have not stored your image files so the pixel-level details and the EXIF data can be reviewed. It looks like you'd get more out of your camera with better post processing, but that's just a guess from the thumbnails, where seeing actual image files will be more effective. Software titles in the $100 - $150 range might be what is needed, not $$$$ of more camera equipment.

bkwaters

I hope this reply isn’t offensive, but I thought the OP was being facetious. Blaming a T7 for poor quality landscape photos is ridiculous. Shooting a landscape with all manual settings is foolish. And wanting a DSLR and not a mirrorless is like preferring a VCR over streaming.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Difficult to tell for certain from thumbnails, but you have some nice landscape shots. It doesn’t appear to be a camera problem or you would never be able to reproduce those good ones. I suspect a better lens and a little more technique (where your focus point is set for hyperfocal distance, e.g.). But if you want to drop the $$, I hear a 5D mark 4 is a fine camera.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Why is shooting a landscape in all manual foolish? I shoot everything from wildlife to landscape in manual. I see it as more mastering your equipment than foolish.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Cliff--I think I understand what you are asking for. While I am not specifically familiar with your Canon, I do know that the common problem with consumer grade cameras of all makes is centered in their operating system and user interface. They are optimized for automatic operation, and while they support manual operation, they are sometimes not friendly to making quick and easy adjustments.

I live in Plano also. Perhaps we could meet at Starbucks (or somewhere of your choice) and talk through how you might address this. Alternatively, the Plano Photography Club meets this Thursday night and we could meet there. (This is our special year-end meeting and may not be conducive to conversation, but we could get a start.)

Bill_de Loc: US

From what I have read so far I don't think a new body is what you need, particularly shooting landscapes.
If I were you I would first upload an image and check 'store original' as CHG_CANON recommended.
If possible, I would take Larry up on his offer for a face to face ... bring your camera.

Good Luck!

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zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

It makes no sense doing a major upgrade and then get a full-frame DSLR. The Canon 5D IV is a fine camera but its technology is dated. Furthermore, there never will be another DSLR camera or lens. This is a dead-end strategy.

BebuLamar

OP! Just buy what you want.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If that's the "help" the OP wanted, hopefully they've noted a full-frame EOS DSLR requires / accepts only EF-mount lenses. Others have offered the "help" the OP needs. How will the coin land?

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

What Paul said. And I’ll add that dropping $2000-3000 on a DSLR in 2023 is not a great investment.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I, too, think the T7 is capable of excellent landscape and wildlife images. we NEED to see photos with your comment as to what you find lacking. It may be lens or technique rather than camera.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I second Paul's sentiments.

The T7 is very capable. High quality lenses do make a huge difference. Canon and third parties like Tamron and Sigma make excellent lenses for landscape work.

Technique is also extremely important. It's good to hear you use a tripod. But:

> Are you stopping down the lens too far? Diffraction visibly limits sharpness, starting at around f/8 and getting progressively worse as you stop down more. Most lenses perform best when stopped down two or three stops from wide open, but there are some exceptions. You can determine the sharpest aperture range on your lens through testing.

> Are you using a Depth of Field Calculator on a smartphone or laptop to determine precisely the best aperture to provide the depth of field you want in a scene?

> Do you calibrate and profile a decent monitor, monthly, with a hardware/software kit from Calibrite or Datacolor? This is the first step to achieving color nirvana with ANY post-processing software, including DPP. If your monitor is not calibrated and profiled correctly, lab prints and prints you make on a photo inkjet printer will look "off," "mediocre," or even "awful." With a properly calibrated and profiled monitor, your prints will be a close match for your screen. Perfect matches are darned nearly impossible, but very close is feasible.

> Are you capturing raw files, then making all your adjustments in raw, and only then exporting a finished JPEG in sRGB color space for display or printing?

tgreenhaw

I strongly advise you to reconsider not wanting a mirrorless camera. They are better in every respect.

The R6 is the obvious choice in your price range.

If you really want to stick with a DSLR, I suggest you consider a used 5DS. It's is a 50 megapixel camera that takes tremendous photos and is perfect for everything you list. It leaves room for a good selection of used EF lenses in your price range.

In fact I plan to sell my gently used 5DS for $1k so let me know if you are interested as I have a R5 and Rp and never use the 5DS anymore.