New body for low light

Please move if wrong section.

As the title says I'm looking for a new camera body that handles low light situations a little bit better. I currently have a t3i and I can't stand anything above 800 iso from this body. #teamcrispy

I do some serious automotive photography usually around dusk and later with tripod and I also do no flash indoor candids with my family.

So my question is should I go full frame (5d) or should I get a newer rebel (t6i)? or do you have any other suggestions.

Canon 80D, full frame, or maybe Nikon.

ThrillaMozilla wrote:

Canon 80D, full frame, or maybe Nikon.

Thanks, after looking it seems like that is an excellent option. I'll compare it to the different 5d models and see what deals I can find. Of course any other options are welcome.

Not all the full frame cameras are equal. Some are much more equal than others. But the 80D has Canon's best APS-C sensor without doubt. It's supposedly about equal in dynamic range to Nikon D5300.  I think that translates in this case into equal noise at high ISO, but I'm not entirely sure.

Looking around I found that The 80d is more or less the same price as the full frame 6d. I like the 6d but I just have one concern about AF points. Like I said i love crispy photos and I do rely on autofocus 99% of the time. Does the fact that the 80d have 45 AF points and the 6d had only 11 make a big difference?

People who photograph action and wildlife like a lot of focus points.  The 80D also has some quite advanced focusing capabilities.

ThrillaMozilla wrote:

People who photograph action and wildlife like a lot of focus points. The 80D also has some quite advanced focusing capabilities.

Ok so it doesn't really make a difference with mostly still shots? Ill probably go with the 6d then because full frame, larger pixels, and less noise at higher iso.

TheOriginal wrote:

Ok so it doesn't really make a difference with mostly still shots?

In my experience, 6D owners have no problems with their AF.

Ill probably go with the 6d then because full frame, larger pixels, and less noise at higher iso.

For what you want to do, that would be my choice within the Canon range.

WilbaW wrote:

TheOriginal wrote:

Ok so it doesn't really make a difference with mostly still shots?

In my experience, 6D owners have no problems with their AF.

Ill probably go with the 6d then because full frame, larger pixels, and less noise at higher iso.

For what you want to do, that would be my choice within the Canon range.

Thanks for the support guys, I still don't understand Canon's names but with your help I feel good about my options.

WilbaW wrote:

TheOriginal wrote:

Ok so it doesn't really make a difference with mostly still shots?

In my experience, 6D owners have no problems with their AF.

Ill probably go with the 6d then because full frame, larger pixels, and less noise at higher iso.

For what you want to do, that would be my choice within the Canon range.

+1 For the 6D.

I'd recommend using only one AF point at a time, and they are very good.

R2

You might try shooting RAW at a high ISO and converting with DxO 11 Elite, using its PRIME noise reduction, and see what you think. I've been amazed how it removes noise without spoiling detail. As an extreme example, here's an ISO 12,800 shot from my 650D/T4i.

ThrillaMozilla wrote:

Not all the full frame cameras are equal. Some are much more equal than others. But the 80D has Canon's best APS-C sensor without doubt. It's supposedly about equal in dynamic range to Nikon D5300. I think that translates in this case into equal noise at high ISO, but I'm not entirely sure.

Dynamic range as has been discussed ad nauseam is almost exclusively at base ISO. High ISO performance isn't directly related. You can see this in the DR vs ISO charts here...

http://photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

Where some Canon cameras lose the DR battle at low ISO but win it at higher ISO.

Anyway, the 5300 seems slightly better a noise performer to me than the 80d, but they are both pretty good aps-c sensors and they both will get trumped by say...the 5Dmk3, 6D, or 5Dmk4.

Low light usually means bad lighting, I'm a fan of pointing out that you can have low light that is compelling and creates shape, or you can have low lighting where no attention is paid to lighting. In the former you want a camera like the 6D or 5Dmk4, etc...to keep noise under control, in the latter you want to add light. Honestly I'll add light whenever possible anyway, and I'm shooting a 5D4 at the moment.

If OP wants to stay in Canon-land, and the 6D can handle the types of photography required, it's a good option right now.

Also looking at the lenses listed for OP, perhaps some faster lenses (primes) would help out quite a bit. while you can get 1.5 or so stops of improved noise performance by changing bodies, if you are shooting at f4 and an image would work at f2, that's 2 stops right there.

Keith Z Leonard wrote:

ThrillaMozilla wrote:

Not all the full frame cameras are equal. Some are much more equal than others. But the 80D has Canon's best APS-C sensor without doubt. It's supposedly about equal in dynamic range to Nikon D5300. I think that translates in this case into equal noise at high ISO, but I'm not entirely sure.

Dynamic range as has been discussed ad nauseam is almost exclusively at base ISO. High ISO performance isn't directly related. You can see this in the DR vs ISO charts here...

http://photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

Where some Canon cameras lose the DR battle at low ISO but win it at higher ISO.

Anyway, the 5300 seems slightly better a noise performer to me than the 80d, but they are both pretty good aps-c sensors and they both will get trumped by say...the 5Dmk3, 6D, or 5Dmk4.

I thought I posted that chart. Another thread, apparently. Performance at high and low ISO are quite well correlated on the 80D, but you're right, that isn't true of all cameras.

Notice that I did also recommend a Nikon or a full-frame camera.  I agree that the 6D is quite good--and among the best--at that price level.  The Nikon full-frame cameras are also quite good, albeit at a somewhat higher price point.