Think my camera is lunched

[tenohfive]

Managed to fall over yesterday whilst my 400D was strapped to me. Thought I'd protected the camera fairly well, but it's now not switching on. Tried a couple of different batteries, cleared the CF card slot as best I can, removed some crud in the battery compartment that's been there nearly a year (wax...long story) and I'm currently waiting for the shops to open so I can replace the CR2016 that I didn't know was there until I did some googling.
Any other tricks I can try?

If it is broken it's not worth sending away for repair and I have been considering upgrading the body. I had been set on the 70D but the 760D also seems worthy of consideration - 2fps and weather sealing seem the key advantages of the 70D over the 760D, whereas the 760D is a chunk lighter. Fair summary or something else I should consider? Family photo's, landscapes (in Paul's stomping ground) and occasional astro are the intended uses.

Missus will kill me if I do upgrade now but I need a camera one way or another before Christmas, be that through a repair or new camera.

[Podie]

Consider secondhand?

Try mpb photographic - stick to Mint or Exc+ would be my advice

[tenohfive]

I'll either be buying second hand or grey, the 760d is £380 through Simply Electronics and the 70d £474. If grey (through someone reputable) is cheaper or the same price as used I don't mind.

[brman]

Podie said:

Consider secondhand?

Try mpb photographic - stick to Mint or Exc+ would be my advice

mpb have changed their labels. Previously I would agree, Exc and below translated as well used. Now I think everything above good is ok cosmetically (just going by the pictures).

I 2nd the advice to try mpb for 2nd hand though, I've got a few bits from them and they have always been exactly as described. A bit more expensive than ebay but worth it for peace of mind!

edit:btw I am not sure I would class simply electronics as reputable gray market suppliers. Too many complaints around for my peace of mind. Panamoz, HDEW and (at a real push) digital rev would be my prefered gray market suppliers. Their prices are higher than simply electroncs though although that might tell you something about simply electronics.....

Edited by brman on Sunday 25th October 09:20

[tenohfive]

Fair enough, will do some more digging on Simply Electronics and potentially ignore them. Given the choice of iffy grey vs. used, would I be right in thinking that worst case I've got no warranty either way?

On a lighter note, the missus was surprisingly chilled out about it and actually suggested an upgrade if it can't be fixed as it's used so much for family photo's, and approved the upgrade essentially.

If it can be fixed, bonus, but my eyes are starting to light up at the prospect of an upgrade. So...70D or 760D?

[tenohfive]

At risk of turning this thread into a monologue, I can pick up a 70D for £519 at HDEW or a 760D at DigitalRev for £439. £80 difference between the two sounds like the norm.

I'm happy paying the extra but I'm not sure which is actually going to be suited to my needs. Think it's Digic 5 vs. Digic 6 (no idea how much difference that makes) and the weight (200g less) in favour of the 760d, weathersealing, 2fps and AFMA (I know nothing about the latter) in favour of the 70d. I do want sharp AF as with the 50mm f1.8 I do find a fair few shots are OOF.

Edited by tenohfive on Sunday 25th October 12:42

[DibblyDobbler]

Funnily enough I bought a 760D from Simply Electronics just recently. I stupidly ordered a 750 by mistake then had to cancel and reorder - they handled it all fine so I would use them again (just be prepared to wait a couple of weeks!).

[brman]

I could be wrong (I have not used them myself) but I was put off simply electronics because of the number of people saying they are not good at responding to a problem. So if you get a good camera, no problem, but if you have problems, that is when you want a good supplier. On the other hand I've read nothing but praise for how HDEW and panamoz deal with problems.
I think it really depends on whether rock bottom price or peace of mind is more important to you. I doubt you will get both

mpb give a 6 month warranty on their 2nd hand stuff I believe although I have never had to use it.

I'm a nikon man but from what I have read I would go for the 70D over the 760D anyday. The 70D is that much closer to a pro camera- more buttons, better battery, more robust body.
There are quite a lot of comparisons on the net. eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MQpaFLuAkU

[Pickled]

tenohfive said:

AFMA (I know nothing about the latter)

Auto focus micro adjustment - you can fine tune your lenses to the body, takes a while to get spot on the first time you do it.

[tenohfive]

Fair enough.

Think I'm settled (once again) on the 70D. Now I just need to watch a few eBay auctions to see what they're selling for at the moment, and see if it'll be cheaper to get one grey from either HDEW or Panamoz for £530. From what I've seen so far grey is looking cheaper. MPB is well over that used.

[DibblyDobbler]

Depends on what your priorities are of course but the 70 is a fair bit bigger and heavier, and also has the older sensor compared to the 760

oh and I have used Panamoz a fair few times (again including a return) and they were fine

Edited by DibblyDobbler on Sunday 25th October 21:03

[brman]

you know ebay will tell you previous selling prices? You don't need to wait for actions to end....
(click on show->completed listings bottom left and look for the green prices)

[Tony1963]

OP,

Have you handled a 70D yet?

I couldn't get on with the three digit Canons as they're just too small for my hands, and too menu-driven. I prefer buttons. I had a 40D for years, and when that was stolen last year in a burglary, I upgraded to a 5D3. A 700D etc always feels like a toy to me.

Handle one and see what you think.

[jurbie]

I have a 70D that is surplus to requirements so if you wish I can PM some details.

[tenohfive]

brman said:

you know ebay will tell you previous selling prices? You don't need to wait for actions to end....
(click on show->completed listings bottom left and look for the green prices)

Thanks, that's given me a better idea.

jurbie said:

I have a 70D that is surplus to requirements so if you wish I can PM some details.

PM sent.

Tony1963 said:

OP,

Have you handled a 70D yet?

I couldn't get on with the three digit Canons as they're just too small for my hands, and too menu-driven. I prefer buttons. I had a 40D for years, and when that was stolen last year in a burglary, I upgraded to a 5D3. A 700D etc always feels like a toy to me.

Handle one and see what you think.

No, although I tend to be fairly flexible where controls are concerned - I tend to adapt quickly. I've handled a 50D and wasn't overly put off by the bulk (which appears similar) so I don't think it would be a major issue. And the 400D that whatever I get will be replacing is tiny and light and I didn't have any problems with that.

Might pop into a local camera shop tomorrow and see if I can try them both out but I'm not overly concerned.

[tenohfive]

Just a quick update. I am now the very happy owner of Jurbie's 70D. I'm still getting to grips with the more basic options but I'm very, very happy that I fell on my arse and was forced to upgrade. The menu systems are intuitive, the controls all within reach and rarely require a look and the actual camera performance is just streets ahead.

I know the done thing is to upgrade glass before the body - and that was always my plan - but the better low light and AF performance is already having a big impact on my keeper rate. I do think I'll need to do some reading up to get the most out of the advanced features (coming from a 400D even basics like Live View are novel) but it does the basics so much better that I'm in no rush - I'm just enjoying my photography

[RobDickinson]

tenohfive said:

I know the done thing is to upgrade glass before the body

IMo nope, get good glass but upgrade the body often.