Canon 70 - 200mm F2.8 IS with 2x conv

[Jamie Douglas]

I have a rebel xti and I am using a Canon 70 - 200mm F2.8 IS with Canon v II 2x conv. Will upgrading to the 7D help speed up the AF lag?

I am not looking for advice on alternative lenses as this lens was a wedding gift from my wife and I can hardly turn around now and say oh I need a new lens. I am brave but not that brave.

Thanks

Jamie

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Both, 50D and 7D should be faster-focusing. I'm not sure how much used 1D Mark IIn are but it might be worth looking into.

[Jamie Douglas]

Thanks Axel, I would love to go for the 1D but being realistic until I earn the big bucks I want to stick with the 7D for the time being. Going to a 1D will then mean upgrading my lenses because I need the extra reach and at the moment I can't afford a 500mm let alone convince the wife I need it.

At the end of the day I need faster AF, better ISO performance, and fps and the 7D should do this. My only wish is they sell an option without the video option (A 40d an HD video camera would be cheaper if I wanted a video camera). I thought about going for the 40d as that is a fine camera but in two minds so anyone with any advice please fire away.

[Jamie Douglas]

Why'd you have to go mention the 1D Mark II. Just reading the reviews and seen a few decent used ones for sale. It means upgrading my 17 40 walk around as this will be too wide I think on the 1.3 sensor.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks Axel, I would love to go for the 1D but being realistic until I earn the big bucks I want to stick with the 7D for the time being. Going to a 1D will then mean upgrading my lenses because I need the extra reach and at the moment I can't afford a 500mm let alone convince the wife I need it.

At the end of the day I need faster AF, better ISO performance, and fps and the 7D should do this. My only wish is they sell an option without the video option (A 40d an HD video camera would be cheaper if I wanted a video camera). I thought about going for the 40d as that is a fine camera but in two minds so anyone with any advice please fire away.

40D is a very good camera I made lots of nice flight shots with it but 7D is certainly better, it is faster and has a lot more new features as well as more reach. However you need to be warned that a 18 mpixel APS-C sensor puts a lot of burden on the lens, since you will be using a zoom lens with a heavy teleconverter my advice is to rent the body and use it in the field with your lens and TC to see if it meets your needs.

[Jamie Douglas]

Thanks Arash, I need to really think this one through, hopefully I will get some more advice in this thread.

The 40D does have decent ISO performance and 6.5fps is sufficient I think.

[Jamie Douglas]

40D is a very good camera I made lots of nice flight shots with it but 7D is certainly better, it is faster and has a lot more new features as well as more reach. However you need to be warned that a 18 mpixel APS-C sensor puts a lot of burden on the lens, since you will be using a zoom lens with a heavy teleconverter my advice is to rent the body and use it in the field with your lens and TC to see if it meets your needs.

What issues am I likely to encounter using the 7D with a zoom and 2x? My main concern is better AF, fps and ISO 1600 perfomarnce as I often have to shoot in wet cloudy weather.

I am going towards to 7D as I need the weather sealing that the 40d or 50d wont give me. The canon 1D Mak IIn looks great but I loose the reach and I often find myself fully extended and not in a postion to upgrade my lens at the moment so the 1.3 crop factor and lower mp isnt a great solution (or is it?)

[Jeff Donald]

Canon, by design, slows down AF performance on all lenses when you add a Canon Tele-convertor. A 1.4x TC is slowed down about 25% and the 2x TC is slowed down around 60%. This is done to aid AF accuracy, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, this is very frustrating for BIF, sports and other types of photography. Consider getting the 1.4x TC and a body with faster AF, so the loss of speed is not as noticeable.

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

Good morning this is a great thread as i'm in the same boat. I have a 50d ,and i'm stuck on where to go from here... 5dMKII, or the 7 D. To be honest i like outdoor birding, but i'm interested in all types of photography. So is it better for the long run to go and have a full frame in the bag, for other stuff. How would the 5D vs the 7d effect me in the field, i understand the 7D is slower FPS... just checking with the folks that have already gone down this road.
Maybe i should start another thread.
Cheers:
Don