7d vs. 50d for sports/skiing/snowboarding

[Jeff Peterman]

I agree with the other poster - the depth of field for this lens is pretty wide, so use this and shoot in manual focus, pre-focused at roughly the right distance. I suggest you experiment by setting different apertures and then focusing on about 5 foot and seeing how much of the image is in focus.
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Jeff Peterman

Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.
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[Jeff Peterman]

Well, with the example posted, there's no need for good autofocus anyway, just pre-set the focus at roughly the right distance with that lens.

The fact is that he needs both a faster camera AND better glass, and it would be a tough call as to which to get first.
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Jeff Peterman

Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.
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[gustabod]

exactly what I was thinking as I read this!
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gustavo

http://www.pbase.com/gustabod

 

[surfingringo]

Woah, go back and read my post. Never said anything about af speed. I haven't even used the af yet because I'm shooting all the action in manual focus. The only time I use af is when I reposition myself on the jump. I'll throw a jacket or a hat on the ground as an estimate of my distance to subject and autofocus on that then switch back to mf. As I stated in this practice the lenses autofocus is often less than accurate. Could be the cold, could be a struggle for the lens with that much snow around. I don't know, but it hasn't affected my shooting in the least...just making an observation.
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[PaulRivers]

Well here's what you wrote - "but I am less than impressed with the auto focus, especially in very cold conditions".

I guess I assumed that you were talking about autofocus speed, but that's not specifically what you said. But it sounds from what you wrote like you were using autofocus...

 

[zoooming]

I can't work some people out - you've gone back to shooting sport where a fast AF is pretty much a prerequisite but decided to get better IQ by just buying a lens even though you thought you would make enough $$ to justify an upgrade of body and glass and now you find out it didn't work out so well.

You even said "Maybe I'll just go crazy and get the 5D which is the camera that I'd really like to own".

The 5D ain't really a sports camera either.

Look like you've got it wrong on all accounts. You should have started with a 7D and worked you way back up from there.

Remember - sport = fast AF/fps. Lens comes next.

Zoooming

thanks for the help,

Well here's what you wrote - "but I am less than impressed with the auto focus, especially in very cold conditions".

I guess I assumed that you were talking about autofocus speed, but that's not specifically what you said. But it sounds from what you wrote like you were using autofocus...

 

[Agent00687]

Hello all, I need a little input here. My first move into digital photography was the 20D about 5 years ago. I shot surfing for a few years and was happy with the 20D and a canon 100-400. After I sold that camera I eventually replaced it with a xsi, as I was no longer shooting sports and only wanted something to accommodate my hobby. Well, I'm up in the mountains this year doing some contracted ski/snowboard photography and I feel like I'm making enough $$ and selling enough photos to justify an upgrade...both body and glass. What I'm wondering is do I go with the 50D or the 7D....or possibly even the 5D??

Here's what I'm thinking. I'd like something more rugged than the Rebel especially for snowy days. Faster fps is nice, but really not a huge deal. Higher Resolution. Better ISO performance...especially at 400 and 800. BETTER AUTOFOCUS is a biggie. Video is not important to me. I'll take it but it's not the kind of thing I would pay an extra 700 or 800 dollars for. Mainly I want to see a difference in overall IQ over what I'm shooting. I am aware that most of that is going to come from my glass upgrade, but given my wishlist, I would like to hear any recommendations from those who have used both cameras. Maybe I'll just go crazy and get the 5D which is the camera that I'd really like to own.

thanks for the help,

ski/snowboard type photography does justify getting a 7D over a 50D. If you look at the specs of the 7D then you will see how great it is for your type of photography.

I'm not sure what type of lenses you have, but the 7D is weather-sealed far better than the 50D.
Here's an review on the 7D's weather-sealing:

http://canonfieldreviews.com/7d-1-weather-sealing/

 

[Agent00687]

Lol, this thread is hilarious - person after person after person recommends the 7d, partly because of its fast autofocus performance. OP first decides that the 50d is the way to go, then decides to buy a new lens for the xsi - which turns out to not autofocus fast enough.

Wish I had one of those smiley faces eating popcorn emoticons. Would be perfect.

i completely agree :-O

 

[SHillphoto]

If you are getting paid and making money get the 7D hands down for action, speed, meetering, higher iso, everything....

If you want to save money the 50D is a great camera with many good features but the 7D is just so nice to shoot with that if this is how you make money it is worth it..........

 

[surfingringo]

Thank you all for your pertinent advice. There is no question that the 7D would typically be the camera of choice for what I am doing right now. Since my current job entails shooting mf and me, I figured I would get the most out of my money by first upgrading to a wider sharper lens and I have not been disappointed. The lens almost paid for itself in the first day of shooting. As I make a little more $$ I will probably upgrade my body. Because 80 - 90% of my shooting is non-sports, I would like to go for the 5D. It's limitations in the "sports" field are non issues due to the technique I am using. Sorry for the confusion about my comments on the af performance of the lens. I was not clear in my assessment. Most all of the misunderstanding in this thread is due to my lack of clarity. Thank you all nonetheless for your valued opinions.

lc
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