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Archive 2018 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?

  
 
stagates
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


I’m trying to decide on a new Canon camera for photographing birds, mostly those that are not in flight. I plan to use my Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens with a good crop sensor camera. I also own a Canon 6D and would use that sometimes, but I think I would mostly use the new one with the crop sensor for its longer reach. The new camera would not get a lot of hard use, so build and durability would not be important to me.

I realize that the 7D Mark II is very popular for bird photography, but there are a couple of newer ones that seem attractive as well, particularly for their price and sensor size (24 meg. Vs. 20) plus they also have touch screens and articulated LCD’s. These are the 77D and 80D.

The 7D mark II’s are $1500 new from B&H and about $1200 to $1300 used. The 80D is $1100 new and about $900 used while the 77D’s are $799 new from B&H. I’m thinking about buying a new 77D for birding. Does anybody think I would be making a serious mistake.?

Thank you for your help!



Jan 15, 2018 at 03:29 PM
dhphoto
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Get an 80D. Great camera.


Jan 15, 2018 at 03:32 PM
mb126
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Unless you very specifically require the 10fps and build of the 7D2, I'd just get an 80D and be done with it. The 80D sensor is superior in most ways to the 7D2 (lags slightly at higher ISO) and in most functional ways the 80D is a better camera (flip screen, wifi, etc.). At ISO <1600 I'm very pleased with how it compares to the best FF options and when the light is plentiful it has double the pixel density of the 5D4.




Jan 15, 2018 at 04:18 PM
arbitrage
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


I'd say you don't need 7D2. 80D and 77D are very similar. Sensor is the same, AF is the same. 77D rated to higher ISO but I wouldn't touch either at their max ISO anyways. 77D only goes to 1/4000 but that is rare to use IMO with birds and an f/5.6 lens. Both can focus with centre AF point if you put a 1.4TC on the 400/5.6.

I owned 7D2 and 80D and found ISO performance to be essentially equal with maybe the slightest edge to 7D2. I was only comfortable going to ISO 1600 on either body.

If you like the size of the 77D then that sounds like a good choice.



Jan 15, 2018 at 05:54 PM
Spikey131
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Refurbished 80D bodies are available frequently in the Canon Store.

A great deal.



Jan 15, 2018 at 06:05 PM
Tom In Arizona
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Hi stagates...

I'm another believer in the 80D. I've had mine for over a year and use it almost all the time with a 1.4 III extender and am very pleased with the results.

Thanks
Tom

Edit: I should have mentioned that I use the 100-400 version II with the extender.

Edited on Jan 15, 2018 at 07:13 PM · View previous versions



Jan 15, 2018 at 06:32 PM
CW100
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


another believer in crop models for birds ... (and some lens)

Untitled by c w, on Flickr




Jan 15, 2018 at 06:43 PM
Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


80D for the extra features over the 77D:

Better build and weather resistance

Pentraprism vs Pentamirror

100% VF with 0.9x mag vs 95% VF with 0.82x mag

7fps vs 6fps

1/8000 vs 1/4000

X-sync 1/250 vs 1/200

Better battery life:960 shots vs 600 shots

More custom controls and control over AF

Micro AF adjustment (77D has none)

However, 77D is much lighter, has digic 7 for better high ISO (not much admittedly), unlimited jpg buffer, slightly larger RAW buffer, five-axis Digital IS for video, better AF tracking due to more powerful digic 7

Neither have a joystick which sucks, neither have spot AF which sucks.

For me for birding I'd choose the 80D, for a more eclectic mix the 77D. But I wouldn't dismiss the 7DII which is often as cheap as 80D. It has several worthwhile advantages over 80D.



Jan 15, 2018 at 07:28 PM
Ischgl99
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


I have an 80D and if there is a chance you would be shooting birds in flight, I would go for the 7Dii. The 80D is a great all-around camera and a large part of my reason for getting it over the 7Dii was the flip screen, but I have trouble keeping the focus point on a bird in flight using a single focus point, and using the small area group of 9 points is too large and frequently focuses on the background and not the bird.


Jan 15, 2018 at 07:46 PM
stagates
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Ischgl99 wrote:
I have an 80D and if there is a chance you would be shooting birds in flight, I would go for the 7Dii. The 80D is a great all-around camera and a large part of my reason for getting it over the 7Dii was the flip screen, but I have trouble keeping the focus point on a bird in flight using a single focus point, and using the small area group of 9 points is too large and frequently focuses on the background and not the bird.


I always use the single center focus point. What would your setup be with the 7Dii--how many focus points, which ones, etc.? These are not available with the more recent 80D?



Jan 15, 2018 at 08:22 PM
MatthewK
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


80D.


Jan 15, 2018 at 08:28 PM
Ischgl99
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?




stagates wrote:
I always use the single center focus point. What would your setup be with the 7Dii--how many focus points, which ones, etc.? These are not available with the more recent 80D?


The 80D can do single point and then goes to a 9 point group that is too big for many situations. The 7Dii has an expanded single point with four points around the active point assisting with focus that many on this board speak highly of that the 80D does not have. I can't pan well enough at this point that a single point stays on the subject and it would be nice to have something between single point and the small group. If I know I am cropping the photo, I will use the center point or group, otherwise I move the point to the left or right depending on direction of flight.




Jan 15, 2018 at 09:44 PM
stagates
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


"The 80D can do single point and then goes to a 9-point group that is too big for many situations. The 7Dii has an expanded single point with four points around the active point assisting with focus that many on this board speak highly of that the 80D does not have."

That is very interesting to know! I wonder if many others have difficulty with the 80D’s 9-point focus group and/or prefer the 7Dii’s 5-point focus?



Jan 16, 2018 at 11:01 AM
TeamSpeed
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Just remember that the 80D is in a slightly lower tier than the 7D series, and the Rebel XXXD and 77D is in a tier under that yet. It is confusing with the "levels" that Canon has created in what used to be just 2 APS-C model lines in years past. There are now 5, with an argument of a 6th given the 77D, different APS-C model lines, but personally, I feel it remains in the rebel line.

7D
XXD
XXXD and 77D
100/200D (not in the XXXD line, more a mini-version of XXXD)
XXXXD


The 7D2 still has a more advanced and featured AF system (ie. more complicated) and will still do better in many fast paced moving subject material than the other newer XXD and rebel series issued since.



Jan 16, 2018 at 12:21 PM
austin.grant
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Interesting thread. I'd like to know if anyone has any real-world hands-on experience with the 80D versus the T6i.

I ended up with a like-new T6i for a ridiculously cheap price, and it's been a fun little crop camera. That said, I'd like to shoot some wildlife with it and my Sigma 150-600C lens. The Sigma is pretty slow to AF already, so I'm sure that the T6i isn't helping things. Would the 80D with this combination be a significant upgrade?



Jan 16, 2018 at 12:27 PM
stagates
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Crop Sensor Camera for Birding?


Thanks very much for your great comments and recommendations. This information will certainly help me to make a good decision.


Jan 16, 2018 at 02:55 PM





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