new camera

[bullskin]

I don't know much about cameras. Not long after I purchased a 60D for my wife, I asked what sort of lens I should buy to get high quality wildlife photos and was told to get a 70D, lenses, etc. At the time, it didn't seem likely, but I am now going to make the leap. Do I get a 70D or even an 80D? What are the advantages to the newer camera, are they significant, and what is the price differential?

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[c3]

The 80D does 1080-60p video which I think is a huge advantage of the 80D if you're into doing any sort of video.

From there capturing wildlife is all about lenses.

My buddy has this lens and for the money it is a great buy. Image quality on his T5i is pretty impressive. The 80D is a nice jump in image quality vs the T5i and you should be pretty much able to get anything the big boys can do except for those few minutes and dawn and dusk that you might get with a 1DXII and 600mm L for $20K.

http://cameralandny.com/spec-sheet.html?catalog[name]=Sigma-150-600mm-F5-6.3-DG-OS-HSM-Contemporary-for-Canon-EF-sigma-150-600&catalog[product_guids][0]=1159518

Just understand that this sort of combo of cam and lens will take a monster tripod as well. The weight of carrying it around is prohibitive when hunting.

I went with the Panasonic GH4 and their 100-300 lens because it's 1/3rd the weight with a much better video image. I'm into doing video so that is way more important to me. Canons are way better at doing stills though.

Anyway that's my take.

Cheers,
Pete

 

[BIGHORNtracks]

"I don't know much about cameras."

Do you want to?

Buying an 80 D with no lens will set you back at least $1,000.00 probably $1,200.00
Add a decent lens to that and you are going to be spending some money.

If you don't want to know much about cameras, thats a lot to spend.

I will tell you to go out and buy the 80D, its a killer camera.
But thats me talking to myself.

For a guy who opens with "I don't know much about cameras." I may have different advice.

Listen to C3, he is speaking in logical words.

I will repeat one of his sentiments, ITS ALL ABOUT THE LENSES. Thats where most of your money will end up, its where you will be happy with your results, or disappointed with your results.

Do you understand what lens focal length is and what it does?
If not, look into that before you buy anything.

Wildlife photography is frustrating if you cant get the frame filling shot you have in your mind.

This is a focal length visual aid.
Starting with a 70mm focal length lens, moving to a 400mm lens.

This is 600mm to 1200mm focal lengths.

Every persons opinions about lenses are going to be different, but for me, with big game photography, anything less than 400mm is going to be not enough, 90% of the time.

A 400mm lens at 100 yards is going to look like this.

Think about it.

Like C3 said, wildlife photography is all about the lenses.

Getting closer always is better when quality is of concern.
The less atmosphere you have between you and the subject, the better off you will be.

The 80D is a great body. But you are going to need more than the stock lens that comes in the box if you want to get good at wildlife photography.

 

[SHEDYGAGA]

Hey, about the 60D vs 70D vs 80D question.

The 60D is an old camera.
Think along the lines of computers, cell phones, ect. The 60D came out when digic 4 processors were still current.

There have been several processor upgrades since then.
Digic 5, Digic 5+, Digic 6.

The processor is what the camera uses to generate the end image.
The sensor interacts with the light waves to turn create electronic information, but the processor is where the information gets turned into the end result.

Cell phone cameras are all about the processor, the brain, the software, the transforming of information into an image. Cell phone cameras 15 years ago are not what cell phone cameras are today. Thats due to advancement in processors.

The lenses are still tiny, the sensors are small, and would never be useful without the serious advancement in processor technology.

So, think about it that way.
the digic 4 processor that is in the 60D came out in 2008.
The 60D is still sold with the digic 4 processor even though there have been several upgrades since then.

The 70D is using digic 5+

The 80D has the latest and greatest processor, digic 6, that technology will improve your photos.
Plus, your camera is limited to how fast it can perform by how long the processor takes to di its job. Newer processors are typically faster than older ones. One of technology's improvements.

One other thing that has changed is the auto focus systems.
The 70D and the 80D have the new dual pixel auto focus system, the 60D does not.

All are aps - c size sensors, so that is equal. All have the same lens mount.

As one of the others said, the 80D has better video with the option to shoot at 60 frames per second in one of the 1080P modes, the 70 and 60 are limited to 30 Frames per second.

The 70 and 80 should have a larger ISO range than the 60. The increments should be better.
The 60D has better increments than the rebel cameras like the T5i and T6i, but the 80D should have a much better range.

 

[bullskin]

LAST EDITED ON May-19-16 AT 00:09AM (MST)[p]Thank you guys. I did spring for the image stabilized Canon 100-400mm lens to accompany the 60D, and have kept that lens for whichever (70D or 80D) camera I purchase next. While my wife may one day undertake the education necessary to utilize the capabilities of these cameras, I will probably just "point and shoot." I am interested in long distance stills (or, at least, the longest distances I can achieve with the lens mentioned), and video at my sons football games, family gatherings, etc. Am I correct in concluding that the autofocus of the 70D and 80D are equally capable, but that the faster processor of the 80D allows better video quality? Also, I have opted not to purchase an extender because I was concerned about light loss. Does the 80D processor or sensor reduce such concerns relative to 60D or 70D?

 

[tx_packmule]

For sure don't do the extender with a crop sensor if you're concerned about lighting. You'll want to tinker with the camera too in manual mode vs. point & shoot to get the right exposures in low light.