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Upgrade 60D > 6D: Right Now or Rather Later??

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db.

db.

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1) A dream of mine has come true:

I always wanted an FF-camera light-

er and smaller than those so far avail-

able: now, the 6D has arrived offering

practically all I had wished for. I don't

need a better AF: my subjects (mainly

architecture and city-scapes) don't usu-

ally move around fast :-) And I probab-

ly will be able to live without a swivel-

screen (though that feature—despis-

ed by so many "professionals" (?)—

most often comes in very handy as

I do take my pictures usually with

a tripod).

2) OTOH, my 60D is less than two

years old and still in mint condition.

And I have an EF-S 10-22 and an

EF-S 17-55 f2.8 lens that I won't

be able to use with FF, as well as

a 70-300 f4.5-6 USM IS (*not* L!)

that gives very good image quality

on APS-C but not on FF (accord-

ing to the reviews I read, especial-

ly the one by, IMO, trustworthy

<photozone.de>).

3) Therefore, I would have to buy

a full set of new lenses, e.g. a

24-70 f4 L (the 24-105 seems to

have too much distortion for my

taste at 24mm), a 70-200 f4 L

(with an 1.4x extender?) and one

or two primes (one TS-E among

them) to start with: that's quite

an investment! In addition, I

take most of my images at base

ISO 100, so—I imagine—the high

ISO image quality of the 6D is of

little importance to me; the im-

provement of of image-quality

at base ISO may not be as big

over all? Or is it??

4) All that said, I wonder what

those of you familiar with such

a dilemma think: should I up-

grade right now, as what I had

been looking for for years is

now, finally, obtainable? Or is

the image quality gain not big

enough to warrant an immedi-

ate upgrade? To put it different-

ly: would I rather regret later

not having upgraded right now

(if I wait a year or so) or—if I

buy today—having spent that

sum of money "unnecessari-

ly"...?? Thank you for stating

your opinions on the subject!

[ATTACH alt="Skyscrapers like NYC's Bloomberg-Tower don't run around fast: a "simple" AF-system is good enough... ;-) "]121352[/ATTACH]
Skyscrapers like NYC's Bloomberg-Tower don't run around fast: a "simple" AF-system is good enough... ;-)
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db.
 

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I would suggest you make a list of what the 6D will give you over the 60D and then see if for you it makes sense with what you shoot and the additional cost.

I am considering the same thing except that I am looking to add a second body and am deciding between the 60D and the 6D. Currently I have the 50D and am thinking of the adding a second body as I shoot with prime lenses more and 2 bodies would come in helpful. Also I want to have the ability to shoot video if the need arises in a single body.
I shoot mostly landscapes, architecture and the kids and though the first two do not usually require great low light ability, I do sometimes shoot old indoor architecture shots.
I only have one EFS lens (10-22) which I plan to keep for my 50D in case I need really wide. My other 5 lenses are EF so nothing to sell trade off.

I have made a list of pros for each and the only really swaying point I see is the 2.5X cost.

6D Pros:
  1. Full frame (get lower noise and the ability to get 2 POV/FL out of my EF lenses with this and the crop body. Ex: 28mm= 28 FF and 45 Crop / 85 FF and 135 Crop, etc)
  2. Better build quality
  3. GPS and WiFi - I see these as assets as I currently track my photos (iPhone/Lightroom 4)
  4. Micro Lens adjustment; I use this on my 50D.
  5. Video AutoFocus (though DLSR Focus in video is still not great from whayt I hear)
  6. Nice compliment with the 50D/Crop camera ( 1 FF and 1 Crop) best of both worlds.
60D Pros:
  1. Cost - can easily pay this without going into debt. $700 for this capable camera is a very good price (body only)
  2. swivel screen - I take a decent amount of low to the ground shows and this would make it easier.
  3. Wireless sync strobes
  4. Faster max shutter speed
  5. Can get more glass with the $ difference over time
  6. Extra reach on my long lenses
  7. Crop sensor use the sweet spot/center of the lens.
 
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Thanks, rob_Il, for answering!

Reading your post and the list of different

advantages (for you) of each of the two

models, I realize that I should have put

my question much simpler (as most of

your points are of lesser importance to

me):

I mentioned in my Original Post prac-

tically all that is indeed significant «in

my book»: and what I really want to

know is how much of an image quali-

ty improvement at base ISO I can rea-

sonably expect: that—and only that—

would definitely warrant the upgrade

for me.

bf793ae136024e0cade00b1d3d2104f9.jpg

I took that image in 2004 with a 300D. Would it look significantly different if I shot it nowadays with a 6D?


--
db.
 
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If I was shooting base ISO tripoded shots at narrow apertures I wouldn't say its a huge difference however you would open yourself up to being able to use more interesting wide angle lenses such as tilt-shifts at intended focal lengths.

IMO the 70-300 IS is *better* on FF than crop. Sure it doesn't really maximize or squeeze out everything you can get out of a FF sensor, but the results are pleasant.
 
Every model that has been released hence has posed the same question. The fact is that there will always be cool and exciting technologies on the horizon, being "beta tested" on cheaper models, or featured only on models way above your price range. At the end of every review of every new camera there is a line that reads "if only the camera had [x] and [y], THEN it would be the Perfect Camera!" Just an ugly fact of tech life. The truth of the matter is that you need to make a list of the shortcomings you find with your current camera and see if the latest model covers 75%+ of your wish list without any major shortcomings.
 
Hi there

I recently upgraded from 40D to 6D, and I am quite happy, but I do not think I would be that happy had I upgraded from the 60D. What I am most happy about is image quality, but I also could also get really pics with my 40D. But the 6D has something my 40D didn't have: VIDEO! So, for me this has been a good upgrade.

From the 60D til 6d? I dont now... I think I would wait if were you, and buy better glass instead

:-) Rune
 
Long read. :D
 
Thanks, StoopidMonkey81,

for answering. My 60D has

no real shortcomings for me.




But if the 6D's Base ISO im-

age quality were noticeably

better thanks to the FF sen-

sor (that's what I wonder!),

that would warrant the up-

grade for me. My question

boils eventually down to

this.

--
db.





StoopidMonkey81 said:
StoopidMonkey81 wrote:

Every model that has been released hence has posed the same question. The fact is that there will always be cool and exciting technologies on the horizon, being "beta tested" on cheaper models, or featured only on models way above your price range. At the end of every review of every new camera there is a line that reads "if only the camera had [x] and [y], THEN it would be the Perfect Camera!" Just an ugly fact of tech life. The truth of the matter is that you need to make a list of the shortcomings you find with your current camera and see if the latest model covers 75%+ of your wish list without any major shortcomings.
Click to expand...
 
Timbukto said:
Timbukto wrote:

If I was shooting base ISO tripoded shots at narrow apertures I wouldn't say its a huge difference however you would open yourself up to being able to use more interesting wide angle lenses such as tilt-shifts at intended focal lengths.

IMO the 70-300 IS is *better* on FF than crop. Sure it doesn't really maximize or squeeze out everything you can get out of a FF sensor, but the results are pleasant.
Click to expand...



Thanks, Timbukto. A TS-E lens

would definitely be in my bag

if I had a FF camera.





OTOH: Are you sure about

what you say about the 70-

300? Please compare

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/200-canon-ef-70-300mm-f4-56-usm-is-test-report--review

to

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/558-canon70300f456isff

(Both reviews are three

pages long.)
 
I was toying with the idea of upgrading from 40D to 6D, or adding the 6D as a FF to complement the 40D...do you use the high ISO senstivity on the 6D and the higher pixel count/quality for crops that you couldn't get with the 40D? Also, does Live View eat up less battery power on the 6D? I find that shooting with Live View (or IS mode, especially in cold weather) drains the batteries very quickly in certain situations using the 40D.
--
wildplaces

http://www.pbase.com/wildplaces/galleries & http://www.wildplaces.me
 
wildplaces said:
wildplaces wrote:

I was toying with the idea of upgrading from 40D to 6D, or adding the 6D as a FF to complement the 40D...do you use the high ISO senstivity on the 6D and the higher pixel count/quality for crops that you couldn't get with the 40D? Also, does Live View eat up less battery power on the 6D? I find that shooting with Live View (or IS mode, especially in cold weather) drains the batteries very quickly in certain situations using the 40D.
--
wildplaces
http://www.pbase.com/wildplaces/galleries & http://www.wildplaces.me
Click to expand...
Yep, Live view and video drains the battery fast. Yes, I use the higher ISO sensitivity, but I have realized that high ISO ain't everything. Light is crucial. So I also use my external flash, probably more than I thougth I would have to. But in pleasing low light, the high ISO is waaaaaaay much better than on the 40D. On the 6D you can use ISO 3200 - no worries. On the 40D ISO 3200 is crap. So, yeah, to 6D was a good upgrade from the 40D :-)

Cheers!

Rune
 
It depends...*respective* to image quality the 70-300 IS USM resolves more at the expense of reach. It *definitely* is not capable of getting close to the limits of a 21 MP FF sensor. But the resulting image *easily* is acceptable at the overall image level...perhaps disappointing at the 100% pixel level compared to better EF lenses. Look at the bargraphs and MTF values...they give what is excellent/good/average MTF for a given sensor size and MP.

I'd think that a 300mm on FF the picture is better than this same lens on APS-C at 190mm or so. At 300mm APS-C however if you have to crop on FF to match tighter framing, the APS-C setup wins.

But that still makes it a very cheap, light 70-300 on FF...obviously not L, but depending on needs very workable.
 
You need to move fast. Judging by your avatar, "later" may just be too late. Seriously, man, do you think you gonna live firever? Say thanks to God that your dream camera is here while you still remember your name. Taking time to make a decision has long passed. Jump in to never look back and enjoy your dream while you still can!
 
My dear colleague:




Thank you *very much* for

pointing (in this context!!)

may age out to me. Very

helpful in my decision mak-

ing, indeed! Especially since

my avatar you're referring

to is already some ten

years old... :-D
 
db. said:
db. wrote:

My dear colleague:

Thank you *very much* for

pointing (in this context!!)

may age out to me. Very

helpful in my decision mak-

ing, indeed! Especially since

my avatar you're referring

to is already some ten

years old... :-D
Click to expand...
 
For image quality, under non-challenging light conditions, you would not see the difference. Of course it also depends if you print small, large? Really big? Now, if you talk about long exposures, on a tripod, the full frame will be better, as it will handle noise better. Long exposures from my 7D (same sensor as 60D), at ISO 100, would have more noise than long exposures from the 6D. That is why I bought the 6D, it would improve my landscape shots.

Then, there are operational considerations: the 6D has a much better viewfinder than the 60D. But, it lacks the rotating screen... as for lenses, full frame will open up the true potential of some great lenses, eg T/S.

I still have my 60D, that I have kept to shoot macro, where the rotating screen is important to me.
 
Thanks a lot, Paolo:

This is exactly the sort of information

I was looking for. I have occasionally

pictures of mine printed large (sixty

to ninety centimeters, done by a pro-

fessional lab). And, yes, I do a lot of

long exposures on a tripod at night

(often 30 sec). I had not thought

about the better viewfinder so far,

that being the third thing you men-

tion which might steer me into the

buying the 6D rather sooner than

later mood. A very useful to me

post of yours: Muito obrigado!

--
db.

PD. The 60D's rotating screen you

refer to will/would probably be what

I will/would miss most for my city-

scapes and architecture shots with

the tripod...







Just for you, Paolo: a remembrance of mine of your home-town ;-)
Just for you, Paolo: a remembrance of mine of your home-town ;-)










biza43 said:
biza43 wrote:

For image quality, under non-challenging light conditions, you would not see the difference. Of course it also depends if you print small, large? Really big? Now, if you talk about long exposures, on a tripod, the full frame will be better, as it will handle noise better. Long exposures from my 7D (same sensor as 60D), at ISO 100, would have more noise than long exposures from the 6D. That is why I bought the 6D, it would improve my landscape shots.

Then, there are operational considerations: the 6D has a much better viewfinder than the 60D. But, it lacks the rotating screen... as for lenses, full frame will open up the true potential of some great lenses, eg T/S.

I still have my 60D, that I have kept to shoot macro, where the rotating screen is important to me.

--
www.paulobizarro.com
Click to expand...
 
Dream comes every 2 years. Buy now does not mean you will stop dreaming when next model come out.

Your dream only ends when you die, and you are not dying anytime next 6 months or a year. But for any reason you do, you wouldn't have time to think about camera.
 
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