Advice for beginner - new body or new lens?

[Zorg]

Hi

My son is slowly falling into photography as an hobby : he is more interested in portrait, macro and birds. He inherit my old Canon EOS 7D when I switched to the R8.

I allready have quite a lot of EOS EF/EF-S lenses, he is actually using essentialy two lenses
- EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro
- EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM

He is actually enjoying it, and is considering to go for next step ...We were wondering what would be the better move?

1. Glass, glass, glass ... buying an used Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM version 1 ... there is also the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary to consider (but it is quite heavy)

2. Going for an R10 ... or better a R7 ?

By going for the R7, he will gain
- IBIS
- new focusing system (IA)
- better ISO management
- better overall body compared to the 7D
But ... he is still beginning, I am not sure all this new stuff will benefit to him, since he allready do not use 100% of the 7D features ... the time he will master them, new body will appear and/or the price of the R7 will fall.

By going for the 100-400, he will gain
- a new fantastic range to play with
- a great lens that will benefit him for a very long time

And on my side, with the R8, I have the EF/RF ring ... so even if he choose to go with R10/R7, he can benefit from all EF lens.

What do you think ?
Better go to the R10 / R7 or the lens?

 

[AntonLargiader]

Static birds or BIF? If not BIF, then I think I would go for the 100-400. And even with BIF, I might.

The R7 is great, but without other lenses you aren't gaining that much capability. And R7 prices are only going to go down more, as new models are introduced, whereas the 100-400 has probably settled in value since the RF equivalent has been around for a while.

That said, I haven't used the 7D so I don't know the limitations. I used a 7D2 for a year and developed a lot of respect for it. For relatively static subjects, I think I'd rather have the 7D2 + 100-400 than the R7 + 70-200/4.

 

[RedCobra]

You should upgrade the body. If it was the 7DMkII, the decision would be harder.

ps: For APS-C bodies, I have owned the 7D, the 7D2, and now the R7.

 

[Grahamk]

I’ve used the EF 100-400 (both versions) on various cameras for BIF and it works very well. It will give more flexibility than the 70-200 for both static and flying birds.

 

[Zorg]

You should upgrade the body. If it was the 7DMkII, the decision would be harder.

ps: For APS-C bodies, I have owned the 7D, the 7D2, and now the R7.

Hi
Even if he is still a beginner at photography ?
He considers photography as an hobby, and is still learning the basis, would it be better to wait and learn on the 7D, buying the 100-400 for better versatility and once ready change the body for a better one ?
We have still the R8 at home with the Canon Ring EF/RF.

 

[Dean Wilson]

Personally, I make my decisions as:

Features = Camera Body
Photo Quality = Camera Lens

 

[RedCobra]

Hi
Even if he is still a beginner at photography ?
He considers photography as an hobby, and is still learning the basis, would it be better to wait and learn on the 7D, buying the 100-400 for better versatility and once ready change the body for a better one ?
We have still the R8 at home with the Canon Ring EF/RF.

The noise and poor AF of the 7D may be very frustrating for a newbie. The 7D2 was/is miles ahead in noise and AF. You can buy a 7D for $100 and for $200 more you can get a 7D2.

 

[Archibald]

Your son should continue with the gear you already have and let his photographic interests develop a bit more. Then he should decide how the current gear is limiting him. What can't he do easily with the gear that he has? That will allow a good decision about what gear he should acquire.

By going for the 100-400, he will gain
- a new fantastic range to play with
- a great lens that will benefit him for a very long time

Back in the olden days, lenses were forever. You expected them to last indefinitely. Some people even had their names etched onto the body, so sure were they that there would never be a need to replace it.

Those days are gone. The EF 100-400mm is old technology and had to be replaced by the EF 100-400mm II, which was much sharper, built better, and more consistent in IQ. And now it has been replaced too, by the excellent RF 100-500mm. The improved lenses are needed for the high resolution sensors, which keep getting better. So, "a very long time" might end up being a few years.

 

[Dave Williams]

When your son is hooked on then hobby and will definitely continue to enjoy it for years to come I would certainly recommend moving in to the mirrorless world. It's usually been the case that glass is a better long term investment than a camera body but in this particular case the leap forward from a 7D to an R7 would be gigantic in all so many ways. It might also encourage his love of photography all the more too. The old EF lenses do work brilliantly with mirrorless cameras and you don't lose functionality using the adaptor, in fact you gain some. I remember that my 7D2 only allowed single or expanded centre point focussing when using my 2x TC on my 600mmf4 lens which was very limiting. When I bought the the R5 I was amazed that nearly all the AF points were available when I stuck the 2x on the EF 100-400 at f11.
What would I buy right now?
Well I sold my 100-400 and bought the Rf100-500 despite the improved performance of the former. 20% more reach is not to be ignored!

I can see the logic of your question without a doubt but for me it would be the R7. If your son loses interest it's yours to play with too!

 

[ctitanic]

I would give him the R7. He will be learning about a new technology instead of practicing photography with an old technology.