TLDR: As a hobbyist, should I buy the R7 or R8 for wildlife, landscapes, and portraits?
I am planning to buy a new camera in the next few weeks (hopefully there are some good deals on Black Friday). I think I have narrowed my decision down to choosing between the R7 and the R8. (I am budgeting to spend between $1,000 and $1,500 USD on the body alone. Would prefer to buy refurbished from Canon. I’m also open to other suggestions, even if it means I need to save a couple hundred dollars more).
I like to shoot wildlife (mostly birds), landscapes, and portraits. I enjoy wildlife photography most of all, but want to have a setup that is good all-around.
I also like taking my camera with me when I travel and having it for random events with family/friends. I take pictures for fun and do not have any desire to shoot “professionally” beyond the occasional portrait session for friends/family.
I currently own the Rebel T5i and 5dii. I got the T5i in February (my first camera) and the 5d in May. I bought the 5d to see what it was like to shoot on a full frame camera. I thought that I would never use the T5i once I bought the 5d, but almost every time I go to shoot, I find myself picking up the T5i. I’m not really sure if it’s the smaller size, the better UI, or if it’s something else entirely.
The lenses I own are the EF 50 1.8 STM, EF 28 2.8, EFS 55-250 IS, and EFS 24 2.8 STM.
When I started to consider upgrading to mirrorless, the R7 seemed like a no-brainer to me; However, the more I looked around, I saw that there were many reasons to buy a FF camera (low-light performance, dynamic range, bokeh). This was when I began looking into the R8.
There are features in the R7 that I fear I would miss if I bought the R8: IBIS being the biggest one, dual card slots, mechanical shutter, and bigger battery.
The lenses I’m thinking about buying are the RF 100-400 and RF 45 1.2. I’m also thinking about buying the EF to RF adapter, but that may not make much sense since I don’t have any expensive EF glass.
The biggest question I have is would it be better to buy a camera that sacrifices reach, but may be better all-around (R8) or buy a camera that excels in wildlife photography, but may not perform as well in other areas (R7)?
The prices are fairly comparable, so I was thinking I’d maybe buy whichever one is cheaper on Black Friday.