Needing help picking a new Canon - T6i, T7i, 70D or 77D?

[C855B]

Camera shopping gives me a headache! 

We are planning a trip in a few months primarily to shoot photos of the areas I am modeling on the GC&W. My trusty 15-year-old Rebel may be enough and it's produced some fine images, but it's showing it's age especially in the resolution department - a mere 6MP. It's time to get something newer, and consign the 300D to backup status.

So I need help from folks familiar with Canon's recent models. I have a small investment in EF lenses, obviously, so whatever I get is going to have to be a Canon. Canon's website is full of marketing BS when it comes to camera features and is absolutely no help in ferreting the differences between the lower-end DSLRs, namely the T6i, T7i, 70D and 77D. Even their "compare" feature doesn't work.

The primary mission is landscape photography, followed by normal railfan stuff. Occasionally I get into serious architectural work, and of course there's the need for model RR photos. Video is a "nice to have" but certainly not needing any whiz-bang there, just basic 1080, which I think all these models have. Oh... stitching together panoramas is also on the menu, but I already know those will have to be processed externally, and Canon includes software to do it with.

24MP seems to be the state of the art at consumer prices, so that's the target. Camera controls need to not put-up a pitched battle every time I want to use manual modes. Advanced user control may be one of the things that separates the T*i and 7*D models... but I can't seem to get a clear reading on that. All the connectivity tech is wasted on me; my m.o. is to yank the memory card out and plug directly into the desktop.

TIA!

[Ztrains]

The number of these Canon models that are actually very close as far as the end results they produce is almost too much in terms of choice.

Just my opinion, but I think the two big differentiators in all these models are:

1) Some have dual pixel auto focus (great video feature) and,
2) The number and type of focus points, and how many are cross-type (more cross-type good for capturing faster action stills).

Since these are all crop sensor cameras with relatively similar DIGIC sensors, most of the models you listed will get very similar results. Aside from the regular marketing stuff from Canon, the biggest changes I see in these cameras is tilted towards video work. They'll all be fairly similar in low light situations too.

I still use a 18MP T5i (700D) and shoot tethered to the computer with controlled lighting, and as much as I try to find a reason to buy something like the new 80D, for stills I just can't justify making the change... and I often try to talk myself in to it because new stuff is always fun

You can play with this online tool to compare different cameras in a studio setting:
https://tinyurl.com/yby2s2fc

And of course, load up watching YouTube videos using search terms like "T7i vs 77D vs", etc.

It really is a maze the camera manufacturers make for us and I think many of the models listed will all take similar stills, you're really shopping camera features on these models.

John
http://www.raildig.com/

[C855B]

Thanks, John. Yeah, that's the conclusion I was coming to. All of them seemed to be an equally-vast improvement over what I have, although I certainly have no issues with the quality I get with the now-antique 300D other than the low resolution. The most noticeable difference was the auto-focus sensor array. Given that I lean towards manual modes anyway, the benefits are largely lost on me.

At the moment I'm actually leaning towards Canon's lowest-priced 24MP DSLR, the SL2. With video a low priority I don't see spending $150-200 more just to get internal video stabilization.

But we'll see. No rush at this point, other than learning the camera itself the need is four months away. Besides, I want to see if there will be any price promotions 'tween now and then.

[Ztrains]

I forgot about the SL2, seems the reviewers really love this camera too. I also shoot all manual and raw, so the majority of model-specific features aren't of much (if any) value to what I'm doing. I've really become used to using a 24" monitor instead of the flip screen to view all images and control the camera. In all honestly I think it's tough to make a bad choice in the Canon crop sensor field today.

John
http://www.raildig.com/

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Very late to this party...

The SL1 is very small which I like, but can get cramped over extended use. The sensor is older and not that great at low light.

I am using an 80D, which is almost the same as the 77D. Both have better sensors, but the 80D has a few features the 77D lacks. It can also be less expensive as it is older (by about 6 months). I bought mine with the 18-135mm IS STM lens (which is good for about 70% of my daily shooting) and the 55-250 IS STM which does great zoom work in daylight. I think the Total for the kit was something like $1600.

On vacation, I use a battery grip with two extended capacity LP-E6 batteries. This gives me enough juice to shoot over 1500 photos.

If I want to go light, I use just the body with a 24mm pancake or the newer 50mm STM

[C855B]

Actually, no, not late, and appreciate the input. I haven't bought it yet. But soon.

I'm closing in on the SL2 due to price and size. Might pick up the 50mm STM lens you mentioned while I'm at it. I saw it as a "featured accessory" earlier. I was a long-ago fan of fixed-focus, fast lenses with film and it's cheap enough to explore how that philosophy works with digital. I just looked for the first time in a couple of weeks and it appears I missed out on a great deal last month at B&H where they offered a 3-lens kit for only a couple hundred more than than just the normal kit wide-angle zoom. I'll wait until April and see if there are similar deals to be had.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm going to make this more difficult for you.

I think mirrorless is the way of the future. In a digital world, there's no need for all the mechanism of an SLR.

I'm eyeing up the M5 or M6 right now.
https://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/canon/eos-m5/vs/canon/eos-m6/

I'm also thinking of being truly radical and going with one of the smaller models too:
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-m100-review

[DKS]

I think mirrorless is the way of the future. In a digital world, there's no need for all the mechanism of an SLR.

QFT

Although, without having an actual image in an actual viewfinder, I can imagine countless "real photographers" having apoplectic fits. I can sort of identify, but I've gotten over it. (Well, I was forced to, truth be told.)

[C855B]

Mirrorless is a step too far at this juncture. I'm comfortable with viewfinder and manual lens manipulation being 1:1 (no adjustment latency). Besides, I'm going to have my hands full learning the basic controls, with the learning curve needing to favor shorter since the serious need for it is in six weeks.

[MK]

For what we use it for, MRR, mirrorless is fine.  For other purpose, not there yet.  I shoot sports at 10 fps with my Nikon D500.  You need a "real time" optical viewfinder to track the subject properly at that frame rate.  Too much delay if you are relying on an EVF.  But, mirrorless will get there one of these days.  I think Sony has a full frame mirrorless but I don't follow Sony much.

[C855B]

... Too much delay if you are relying on an EVF. ...

This I knew. Railfan photography is very close in requirements to sports action photography - moving subjects where you're trying to frame, zoom and focus all at once in composing "the" shot. To the tech aspects, I spent several years designing and deploying digital networked video, and from that know entirely too much about conversion latencies. Mirrorless is fine for portraiture, casual, and some architecture and technical work, but fast action, like you said, we're not there yet.

[Ron McF]

Last year I decided to replace my Canon 550D (or Rebel something to North Americans.) I wanted a DSLR with WiFi and a flip screen. But after spending 3 weeks lugging the 550D around China, I also wanted something smaller and lighter. The Canon 200D (SL2) filled my needs perfectly.

My daughter has a Canon M5 mirrorless camera which is very nice to use. After reading that it can use my EF lenses via an adapter, I was tempted to spend the extra money on one myself. However, when I tried that on my daughter's camera I was less than impressed as the lens was constantly trying to focus even when I wasn't taking photos.

Regards,
Ron

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Last year I decided to replace my Canon 550D (or Rebel something to North Americans.) I wanted a DSLR with WiFi and a flip screen. But after spending 3 weeks lugging the 550D around China, I also wanted something smaller and lighter. The Canon 200D (SL2) filled my needs perfectly.

My daughter has a Canon M5 mirrorless camera which is very nice to use. After reading that it can use my EF lenses via an adapter, I was tempted to spend the extra money on one myself. However, when I tried that on my daughter's camera I was less than impressed as the lens was constantly trying to focus even when I wasn't taking photos.

Regards,
Ron

Thank you for that last paragraph. I had been wondering about that myself, and I think I was just dissuaded from doing it.

[C855B]

My SL2 arrived today. Played with it a bit once the battery was charged. Very straightforward, including video modes. Also picked up the 50mm STM lens mentioned previously.

After downloading a bunch of the Canon utility software (no more CDs!), discovered they no longer offer PhotoStitch. That was the #1 reason I wanted a new camera, to take high-quality panoramas for the layout! Well, crap. Called Canon tech support, and they linked me to the SL1 software bundle download, which was the last - and apparently final - version of PhotoStitch. It looks like it will do the job, though there were defects in the stitching. Backup will be the iPhone and panning in movie mode on the SL2 for frame grabs to stitch if the JPEGs don't work.

We'll get what we need one way or another.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Amusingly, I just got a T7i. It's on the way now.

I looked at it compared to the SL2, and while the margin was slim, the frequency of time I spend on the Northeast Corridor made me think it was worth it.

I feel like I made the "boring" choice, but it's probably the wisest.

I just want to get some photos done in the basement and be able to move on.