Welcome to the club! And mind you, this is a big club with members from all over the globe, each from a different background in media, with varying levels of expertise and knowledge.We're all asking ourselves: Do I spend $1,600 on a great HDSLR that has proven itself in the trenches, or do I spend half that amount on a new model, with the same video specs as it's bigger brother, but that few people have used yet, and then put that extra $800 towards a really good lens or stabilizer?
I was ready to buy my 7D when the Canon's announcement of the EOS 550D/Rebel T2i was made, and at that time there weren't any T2i users to learn from. All I knew was that, on paper, the video specs looked almost identical to those of the 7D. Oh yeah, and it was half the price.
This sparked what my wife refers to as the "psycho" phase in my HDSLR research. I spent HOURS every day hunting for opinions, specs, side-by-side comparisons, everything I could find that would help me decide on one camera or the other. And I found it. Lots of it. All over the web are forums and blogs and videos from people who are out using their HDSLR's right now, shooting amazing (and sometimes less than amazing) footage, and sharing it all with people like me. All that research led me to 2 conclusions: First, the 7D was the way for me to go, and I would not be disappointed. Secondly, there ought to be a place where people after can go to get the same info I found, without having to filter through a lot of unnecesary reading along the way. Hence the birth of this blog, and the 7D that is in the mail as we speak!
Before you decide one way or the other, there are some things you must decide:
1. First and foremost, look in your bank account. Can you afford to go for the more expensive camera and still be able to purchase at least one to two good lenses? Because as all the forums will tell you, there's no point to getting a DSLR if you're just going to use cheap crap lenses with it. (check the links section above for some really great articles about this).
2. What exactly will you be using this camera for? Do you plan to shoot both video and photos? Video only? Will you be shooting primarily outdoors? Indoors? Both? Will it be a cash cow for you (meaning, do you plan on using it for professional gigs, or just your own personal projects)? If so, what kinds of jobs will you be doing? Be as specific as possible here, and know that there are a number of video applications for which the HDSLR line are not well suited.
3. Do you already own an HDSLR for video (like the 5D MarkII, or the 1D MarkIV) and are looking for a good B-cam?
4. What is your budget for other gear, like support, lenses, and audio gear?
There are a lot more questions you could ask yourself, but these are the most important. Once you've got that figured out, click here and read this excellent comparison of the two cameras by Ron Risman of CameraTown.
Once you decide which to get, come back here and let us know your reasons! Good luck!
I ended up going with the 7D for a number of reasons. I like the build quality, and I've seen enough cameras drop to know that quality counts. I also plan to shoot stills with it, and understand that there's more to a good digital picture than the # of megapixels it has. I have seen enough test footage to know that the 7D is tried and true. And personally, I like the larger size and the extra weight. Those were worth spending the extra $800.
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