7d or 100-400

[jacobmabb]

i have a 450d and the stock 18-55 + the 55-250
i am looking at buying either the 7d and the 100-400
i mainly shoot surf and at the moment the actual surfer is blury and almost unidentifable
i want to be able to know who the surfer is by looking at the photos
i have about $500 at the but i will have enough money in about 6months
any suggestions
ive seen a post like this but they had a bigger lens already so yeah
thanks

[Cris]

Not much help, but just get both, for birds, sport and wildlife the 7D and 100-400 is a great combo.:)

[Wayne63]

Welcome to AP, Enjoy the site, join in on the forums and look forward to seeing some of your pics

[ricktas]

Nice Intro, How about telling us something about yourself? I am moving your thread to the Camera Gear forum!

Oh and post some of your surf shots (into the Photo Forums), it may not be the camera or lens, rather your technique or settings, with your current gear.

[KeeFy]

If it's surf photos get the 100-400. You will have ample light and won't go above 800ISO. 7D gives and avantage of tracking and FPS. With the 100-400 you'll be able to get the photo but 7D and a 55-250 is a little short for surf and won't be able to get the photos you want.

[Tannin]

A 7D would be about 20% better than your current camera. Maybe as much as 30% for some things, or as little a 5% for some others. A 7D will get used 100% of the time that you use your camera. A 7D will not do anything you can't do with your existing camera.

A 100-400 would be about 200% better than your existing lenses. Maybe as much as 1000% for some things if they are far away. A 100-400 will get used less than 50% of the time that you use your camera, but you can use your existing lenses the other 50% of the time and be no further backwards. A 100-400 will not do many things you simply can't do at all with your existing camera, and do many other things better.

Is there even a question? Get the 100-400.

[William]

Bet I can get a clear shot with the gear you have :D

[Tannin]

:) There'll be a nice little 35/1.4 to add to it tomorrow, I hope, William. I can't afford it but I've wanted one for ages and the other day I spat the dummy and ordered.

Or do you mean the OP's gear? Sure you can - but not at the longer focal lengths unless everything else is perfect. Once you go past about 150mm, kit lenses just don't compare, and beyond 400mm, the difference is larger still. In contrast, the difference between a landscape shot with an 18-55 and that same shot with a 24-70/2.8L is quite small.

[Bennymiata]

Bodies last for a year or 2, but lenses are good almost forever.

The 100-400 is a great lens. I love mine, and this lens was for me the clincher to go Canon instead of Nikon.

[James02]

[QUOTE=jacobmabb;1006126]i have a 450d and the stock 18-55 + the 55-250
i am looking at buying either the 7d and the 100-400
i mainly shoot surf and at the moment the actual surfer is blury and almost unidentifable
i want to be able to know who the surfer is by looking at the photos
i have about $500 at the but i will have enough money in about 6months




Don't understand the blurry statement, is it because you are too far away or not using the right shutter speed? I own 500D, 7D, 55-250 and 100-400 and the 55-250 is not blurry at all, it is quite sharp and easily matched the sharpness of the 100-400. The 100-400 is much better color and contrast and slightly faster to focus. Could you clrify what you mean?

James

[Tannin]

Hi James!


the 55-250 is not blurry at all, it is quite sharp and easily matched the sharpness of the 100-400

Something is wrong here. The 55-250 does OK up to about 150mm or so - not great but OK - but becomes very blurry beyond that length. The 100-400, in contrast, starts out sharp and stays excellent all the way through. There are some who say it's a it soft wide open at 400mm but compared to the 55-250, we are talking minnows and whales. Simply, the 100-400 is a vastly better lens. I have seen this for myself (I have owned two 100-400s and yes, at one time I owned a 55-250 - it was a good lens for the price, which is not at all the same thing as a good lens) and it is confirmed by any number of reputable reviewers. So something doesn't add up.

James, if you are getting similar sharpness at (say) 200mm out of your 55-250 and your 100-400, there are only three ways I can explain it. (1) There is something wrong with your 100-400 and it should be sent back to Canon to be fixed. It should be lots sharper than a 55-250. (2) You aren't comparing very carefully. (3) There is something freakishly good about your 55-250. I can't really see how (3) would happen, so it must be (1) or (2).

Maybe it would be good to start a new thread and post some test shots - follow the usual routine: good tripod, mirror lock-up, timer release, same subject, same lighting. By looking at the tests, we can get a handle on whether your 100-400 is faulty or not.

[darylcheshire]

The Canon 400mm f/5.6 prime might be lighter and better for surf photos. Ask yourself "when will you use anything less than 400mm". It will be a slight improvement over the 100-400. Not cheap but you want the good stuff and the prime will be slightly cheaper than the 100-400.
My point is that some people who use a 100-400 find them using it on 400mm all the time.

[James02]

Hi Tannon

Sorry but I've had two different 55-250 lens over the years and both were very sharp at 250mm. My 100-400 is also very sharp. Both produce excellent pictures and no I don't need my eyes checked. I am not new at photography and my 100-400 does not need to be fixed.

No I'm not going through all the trouble to prove to you what I said. If you don't believe me fine.

James

[Tannin]

Pffft ..... http://the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=456&Camera=474&Sample=0&FLI=5&API=1&LensComp=113&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=4&APIComp=0

[KeeFy]

55-250 is not sharp at the corners and vignettes at the long end like someone with a sleepy eyelid.

[phild]

I have to agree with Tony, the 100-400 is the only real choice bewteen the two. That said if I were buying I'd opt for the 400mm F5.6 as Daryl suggests, I doubt you would ever want anything shorter for surf photography, plus the 400mm prime is lighter and marginally sharper.

Having long glass isn't the only thing you need, if you're not already using one, a good tripod and head is a must have.