Am I nuts?

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

After reading a link from a poster here I discovered something I never realised. That the 1.6 crop of the APS-C sensor in my 350D affects the ability to get out of focus (bokeh) backgrounds. I never realised this. I had, through trial and error found out that longer focal lenght and distance from subject to background has an effect (and of course ftop). I never realised how profound the difference was between the APS-C and full frame sensors though.

So I did an ebay search for Eos1DsMK11's like Pete's then decided a sanity check was in order. Noticed a brand new EOS5D with 24-105Lis lens though. It was being sold by the guy who won APOY....bidding had 2hrs to go and was at £1080....I dreamt of getting it for £1300 and then selling 350d my 10-20 sigma and my 24-70 sigma....So I waited and watched....10 minutes later bidding was at £2000+...Does anyone have an Eos5D? is it significantly better than the 350D? Should I just be thankfuLl for what I have.....

Gordon

[tontoshorse]

Yes!

Just face facts, and repeat this mantra:

The camera equipment I am looking at is far better than the kit I own.

[onefivenine]

I wouldn't get a brand new 5D these days - too close to being superceded, but I'd go for a 2nd hand one.

Full frame will leave you wanting longer and higher quality lenses. With a crop sensor your focusing through the best part of the lens.

[onefivenine]

Just over £2000 would get you a 24-70 f/2.8 L and a 70-200 F/2.8 L IS new.

They would do wonders for a 350D. And you'd have them all your life, through all future upgrades.

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

I already want HQ lenses...I have a 70-200F4L and I rarely use the 200 end of it as it is. I want a 24-70 f2.8 L next......

I had thought that perhaps there might be a 5D replacement up soon but its only a year old.

Gordon

[Kaoshan]

Originally Posted by Gordon @ Convergent AV

....Does anyone have an Eos5D? is it significantly better than the 350D? Should I just be thankfuLl for what I have.....

Gordon

In a word yes... but be thankful for what you have! Over a period of 10 months, I had a 350D which got me in the mood but was too small for my paws, gave it to my wife and got a 30D... fantastic camera, ergonomically far superior to the 350D and produces very good pictures. Started to build up a lens collection.

Then I did some IT consultancy work and had some spare cash so I decided to go for a 5D/24-105 bundle to complement the 30D. Yes, the 5D is likely to be superceded but it is a really good camera. I wanted to see why the folks on other forums raved about full frame cameras and I'm beginning to understand

One interesting thing I have not figured out yet is why my 70-300 IS DO lens which was soft on the 30D body and spent most of its time in my camera bag is pin sharp on the 5D and is rapidly becoming my preferred lens if I am travelling and can only take one.

[onefivenine]

I think you would appreciate the long end of the 70-200 more with a 5D. Hang onto it! But if landscapes are more your thing maybe less than some people. A nice 16-35 f/2.8 L and a 2nd hand 5D that's the sort of thing I would go for!

[Gordon @ Convergent AV]

I did/do suspect that I'll use the long end of the 200 alot more with a full frame camera. I like portraiture, landscapes, architecture and editorial style photography. I'm not a sport or nature photo fan. I really want to try more of the former. Like most folk here though my desire for kit is way beyond my means to afford it.

Gordon

[onefivenine]

If I had your kit and interests my upgrade path would be 5D next, then the 24-70 2.8, then maybe the 16-35 2.8, after that body upgrade to 1 series.
Over a long period of time!

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by onefivenine

I wouldn't get a brand new 5D these days - too close to being superceded, but I'd go for a 2nd hand one.

I'm not so sure. There's no real need for Canon to replace the 5D as it has no real competition in terms of sensor and price-point. It's also something of a bargain now and you can bet that Canon will be looking to reset the margin with any replacement.

I see them replacing the 1Ds Kark II and 30D before the 5D. There are rumours of big things happening on the 20th anniversary of EOS in March 2007, but they're nothing concrete.

That said, I'm holding off buying a second 5D before next year's wedding season to see if anything does look like coming. If it's a worthwhile upgrade then I'll get that, otherwise I'll still get the second 5D - a replacement won't make it any less good than it is today. There aren't many used on the market, but careful browsing of forums can get you a new UK one for under £1500 before cashback.

To my mind, for a wedding/social/event photographer willing to invest in good glass there isn't a better (in terms of value and IQ) body on the market today.

Note to Gordon though - Pete has 1D MkII N's which are 8MP 1.3x APS-H sensor cameras aimed at sports and press 'togs - they're about £2200 new. The 1Ds MkII is a 16MP FF body which retails for around £4500. They have the same body and confusing names but are very different animals inside.

[onefivenine]

Originally Posted by Radiohead

I'm not so sure.

But you know what I'm saying

Originally Posted by Radiohead

That said, I'm holding off buying a second 5D before next year's wedding season to see if anything does look like coming. If it's a worthwhile upgrade then I'll get that, otherwise I'll still get the second 5D

[Radiohead]

I do

[alphaomega16]

Whats the big deal with the full frame thing which would make you spend over £1000 just for that feature ?

[Jazz Monkey Jr]

Originally Posted by alphaomega16

Whats the big deal with the full frame thing which would make you spend over £1000 just for that feature ?

It's not just about full frame, the cameras are better overall, better quality, better chips (cleaner images), better BOKEH etc etc.

I would like a 5D eventually but only when I can afford it. I am building up some quality lenses first.

[mark800]

I've just upgraded from the Eos 350d to the 5d and all I can say is WOW!
I bought it for £1550 new (with £200 back from Canon), but made sure that I'd built up some pretty decent lenses first. It is a lovely camera to hold, gives a big and bright viewfinder and has a big LCD display. Oh and did I mention the brilliant images? You can zoom in and still get lots of detail. I'm sure it will be replaced at some stage, but I'm not convinced that I will need more than 13 Mpixels.

I find that some lenses come to life with the 5d. For example, portraits with the 135mm f/2L are simply awesome, particularly with the bokeh.