New Camera

[kat]

I tried the 5D and 5DMark 2 - I'd say both are near perfect for landscape.

But I am NOT a fan of the autofocus of these 2 cameras, and for sports and portraiture the autofocus is important.

Don't get me wrong, the autofocus is good, but not great.
Nikon has much better autofocus in their higher end models imo.

See..I knew it! Back to nikon I look

There are just so many too choose from! I'm not sure what to look for..it's like this camera I got now. If I knew now what I did when I got it I would of looked for something else. I don't want to end up doing that when I spend lots of money on the next one.

[Mad Aussie]

Yeh Kat ... Marko and I both shoot Canon and you know how bad our focus is

[jumpinjimmyjava]

I agree Marko. The Canon autofocus leaves much to be desired! I now try and use manual focus when possible on my 40D. I get better results! My son is just now switching over to Nikon because of the poor Canon autofocus performance. I hope he has better luck with the Nikon system - jimmy

[AcadieLibre]

I never have an issue auto-focus issues and I use it a lot when I do concerts, it focuses in extreme low lighting conditions even. When I am doing studio or outdoor shots I use half manual and half auto all depends what I am shooting and what I want to get from the photo. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, etc. all have good qualities as well as flaws. Read reviews on the Cameras you are considering and think of Glass also because in the end that will be your most costly expense. If you look at Lens Quality and use that as part of your consideration, good glass is always good glass, bodies are replaced every 2 to 3 years,

[kat]

Thanks for all the replies.

I haven't figured it out yet..but you'll know when I do. And like you all said..I'm going to be spending more picking out/money on the lens so that I will definitely take in to consideration. Also believe I'll wait till I'm in the city so that I can actually see the camera/lens.

[Bambi]

ha ha Kat you are beginning to sound like me!

[Fortytwo]

It's true that the current Nikon autofocus is better that the one Canon uses. But the Canon one isn't bad in my opinion. And I'm not really a big fan of switching systems. First of all, it'll cost you extra money. Almost nothing is interchangeble between Nikon and Canon, so you're starting over again with all your gear. Second, it's a whole new process of learning camera controls. Which takes time.

And things change. A few years back, Nikon was way behind anything Canon made. Who knows, given another few years, it might be Sony who makes the best gears. Then you're stuck with Nikon and need to change again. Always wanting the "best" stuff will cost time and money and in my personal opinion doesn't really improve your pictures. I've never heard anyone say "that's sportsphoto is really nice, must be a Nikon". If the camera is the decisive factor of how good the picture is, then you've bought the wrong camera. It should be you who's learning from using the camera. The camera isn't going to learn from your superior skills. So buy a camera that can do everything you can and then some. So a 7D or 5D don't sound that bad, even for sports. If sports is 'just' third, I'd go for a 5D. Just take a look through the viewfinders of both and you'll know what I mean.

Hope this helps.

[dulvari prestige]

I'm probably wrong, but could it be the lenses that are the main reason with the bad focus reports on the 7d, i'll get a lot of misses when shooting moving subjects with the 50 1.8, sigma 17-70 non HSM and tamron 28-300, but with the canon 70-200, sigma 70-200, and sigma 10-20 i get a much much higher success rate, as these lenses seems to be able to keep up with the 7's fast focusing.

[JAS_Photo]

When you first got the D40, you did not know much about photography. It has served you well. Just look at your photos. You may want to keep the D40 and just add to it with a higher end Nikon. It's often more convenient to have two cameras with different lenses then to change lenses frequently and having a second camera offers the flexibility. Whichever camera you do decide on, you can expect to 'grow' with that brand.

Regarding the Canon autofocus, I was under the impression it was superior to Nikon's? I do not know better by experience but just look in the sports pits or press pits at concerts and see how many shiny white Canon long lenses are in there.

[kat]

Yes, I won't part with the d40. It's small and compact and perfect for some situations. I was, at one point of time going for the d300 or 700. I may, depending on how I like it.. go to the 300s. I don't know. I guess it will all come down to when I have the money in hand to buy one..and then off I go. This time, I do know what to ask for, except for lens. I know there are d,f,g's. Not to sure what they all mean but will search that up too.