Canon 70D vs 700D - worth the extra £320?

[FunkyNige]

Hi,
I'm going to be replacing my 400D pretty soon as compared to the modern cameras it seems lacking in a few areas (low light noise especially, but I would also find live view very handy!) so I'm naturally drawn to the Canon 700D at £479, but I could probably stretch to the 70D at £799 if needs be.
So the obvious question is, what's better about the 70D that makes it cost that much more? The specs seem pretty similar apart from the autofocus system but I don't really know enough about these things to make an informed decision...

[Morbid]

Haven't looked at the 700D so I can't comment on the differences. What I can so I that I moved up to a 70D from a 400D and I'm very pleased that I did. So much better in many ways, and even having the remote app and wifi have been useful (e.g. family group shot at the weekend, I was actually in the pic for a change). Perhaps the 700D is similar in spec, I don't know. Image quality is a big step up from the 400D as you'd expect. Bought mine via HK on eBay, and paid about £630 for it. Had to wait a while but didn't have to pay any import duty. Would highly recommend the 70D and buying from HK means it isn't that much more to pay.

[fido]

XXD is the next range up from XXXD .. worth the extra £s? I dunno but I bought one!

Incidentally, I'm now selling my 70D + lovely 17-55 (moving to compact system).

[Mr Will]

The XXD range's improvements are mainly in handling, rather than image quality. The top LCD, better viewfinder, extra control wheel, longer battery life, etc are all well worth having but whether they are worth the extra money to you is a question only you can answer.

[rlw]

Secondhand 7D for even less than £499.............

[JustinP1]

FunkyNige said:

Hi,
I could probably stretch to the 70D at £799 if needs be.
So the obvious question is, what's better about the 70D that makes it cost that much more?

Amazon have stocks of the 7D at £699, and these are on rotation for Lightning Deals at £629 IIRC.

IMHO, having owned the 400D, 60D and the 6D I'd say moving from the 400D to 700D is a step sideways.

[LC2]

JustinP1 said:

FunkyNige said:

Hi,
I could probably stretch to the 70D at £799 if needs be.
So the obvious question is, what's better about the 70D that makes it cost that much more?

Amazon have stocks of the 7D at £699, and these are on rotation for Lightning Deals at £629 IIRC.

IMHO, having owned the 400D, 60D and the 6D I'd say moving from the 400D to 700D is a step sideways.

I moved from an 1100D to a 7D, learning the controls of the XD (I believe XXDs are similar) cameras didn't take too long, and I hate going back to the 1100D and having to navigate the menus to make basic changes.

Keep in mind that the 7D has now been replaced by the 7DII. There is nothing really wrong with the 7D (it's a bit noisy at higher ISO), but it is 5 year old tech.

[FunkyNige]

Thanks for all the replies, the costs in my first post were the full cost at Wex (they're local), I'm sure I will look at where to get it from once I decide which one to get!

It looks like the 70D is the best choice for me then, I did look at the similarly priced 7D cameras but as has been mentioned above these are 5 year old models

[jmorgan]

My 2p.
Was/am contemplating the same but from a 350. Things that attracted me to jump to a 7D (when I buy the damned thing), second hand price of the 7D I dropped when the 7DII came out. If I read this right, stepping up from a XXXD to XXD and XD is an increase in environmental sealing each step (apart from other refinements you can compare). My 350 is a tad dusty and my use is such that I am willing to go for a well looked after second hand. Brings a whole new range of camera's within my reach.

[Mr Will]

jmorgan said:

My 2p.
Was/am contemplating the same but from a 350. Things that attracted me to jump to a 7D (when I buy the damned thing), second hand price of the 7D I dropped when the 7DII came out. If I read this right, stepping up from a XXXD to XXD and XD is an increase in environmental sealing each step (apart from other refinements you can compare). My 350 is a tad dusty and my use is such that I am willing to go for a well looked after second hand. Brings a whole new range of camera's within my reach.

As I understand it, the main step between XXXD and XXD is the refinements and the step from XXD to XD is weather-proofing and autofocus, but with the downside of increased weight and bulk.

If you aren't shooting sports or wildlife then I'd say the XXD range is the sweet-spot for most people.

[jmorgan]

Mr Will said:

As I understand it, the main step between XXXD and XXD is the refinements and the step from XXD to XD is weather-proofing and autofocus, but with the downside of increased weight and bulk.

If you aren't shooting sports or wildlife then I'd say the XXD range is the sweet-spot for most people.

I do tend to go out to the local wildlife places and hate having to tuck it all away when the rain comes down, hence I picked up on that, and it will take my lenses (cropped jobbies).

No expert here BTW .

[Mr Will]

jmorgan said:

Mr Will said:

As I understand it, the main step between XXXD and XXD is the refinements and the step from XXD to XD is weather-proofing and autofocus, but with the downside of increased weight and bulk.

If you aren't shooting sports or wildlife then I'd say the XXD range is the sweet-spot for most people.

I do tend to go out to the local wildlife places and hate having to tuck it all away when the rain comes down, hence I picked up on that, and it will take my lenses (cropped jobbies).

No expert here BTW .

In that case, a 7D sounds spot on. That's the job it was built to do.

(No expert here either though, just a bit of a gearhead with a brain that absorbs this junk like a sponge!)

[LC2]

Mr Will said:

jmorgan said:

Mr Will said:

As I understand it, the main step between XXXD and XXD is the refinements and the step from XXD to XD is weather-proofing and autofocus, but with the downside of increased weight and bulk.

If you aren't shooting sports or wildlife then I'd say the XXD range is the sweet-spot for most people.

I do tend to go out to the local wildlife places and hate having to tuck it all away when the rain comes down, hence I picked up on that, and it will take my lenses (cropped jobbies).

No expert here BTW .

In that case, a 7D sounds spot on. That's the job it was built to do.

(No expert here either though, just a bit of a gearhead with a brain that absorbs this junk like a sponge!)

Bear in mind that your lens also needs to be weather sealed too.
There is no reason to stop shoting though, stick the camera in a plastic bag or bespoke sleeve to protect it from the rain.

[rlw]

..and I know someone with a 7D who wants to be rid, having given up photography .............