5D Dilemma

[Freff]

I have a hankering to upgrade my 350D, and the 5D keeps coming up in the equation. I do a varied bag of photography from candids to 1st assist at weddings, with some field sports (increasing more), occasional events. Landscape and wildlife at the weaker end. I feel my 350D is not cutting it at times especially at 2.8 with my 70-200 (sometimes soft). I used some of my lenses on a friends 5D and found the results remarkably better. My concern mainly is the FF factor. Is it going to be better for me or a disadvantage. I quite like the idea of FF but. Also, what other issues are there with the 5D, pro or con that I should be aware of. Alternatively, what else would you recommend and why in the 5D price range.:confused:

[::John::]

Well, I have the 350D and the 5D

The first thing I noticed was the lenses actually give me a much different 'view' now - no 1.6 crop and more 'real' - like a 35mm film lens...

The second thing was related to the first - not as much reach in the long end - I just had to go get the 100-400 to compensate :)

The third thing I noticed was that the pictures were a LOT different straight out of the camera - less sharpening required and, in many instances, less colour adjustment required. (However, I may just be getting better with my pics).

I really like both cameras for different reasons - the 350D is much lighter and has advantages as a walk-around camera - the 5D feels 'real' and is a pleasure to use.

The only other thing I would change with my setup is replace the 350D with the 30D so that the controls were much the same - I still have 'memory' blanks when switching between the 2 (now, where was that ISO adjustment again?)

[Carzee]

Interesting..

Q: South Wales
A: New South Wales

[markbluemica]

freff the 5d is a awsome bit of kit but its no good for fast moving sports im saving up for a 1dmk11n but i will be keeping the 5d. are you selling your 350d or keeping it you could put that money to a 1dmk11n

[::John::]

Interesting..

Q: South Wales
A: New South Wales

Ooops, gotta change that...

[Carzee]

[Doh - thats right kiwibloke changed jobs.]

[Ephemeral]

I moved from 350D to 5D. I'm still very much a noob and learning this whole photography milarky.

What I noticed:

- View finder is much much brighter and clearer. This might not necessarily be a killer reason to get a 5D.

- Ligh fall off. Maybe its my noobishness that I'm not doing something right, but compared to my 350D I get more shots with light fall off. It's not a real problem as I can correct during PP.

- Feels more solid. The 350D is smaller. I didn't really notice it until I actually started using a 5D.

- No magnification. There are numerous Pros and Cons, but me personaly, I prefer 50mm being 50mm. *shrugs*

[Jon]

Candids, weddings and events the 5D will be outstanding. For sports, it depends on what sports. 3 FPS isn't as good as the 1D II, but if you're aware of what you're doing it you can usually live with it. And the lens reach you need will depend on what sport. If you're dealing with something where significant distances are involved, the smaller sensor will let you frame more tightly with any given lens. For wildlife the 5D wil be at a disadvantage due to the looser framing, again, with any given lens. But if you can keep the 350D as well, you'll ahve the best of both worlds (and a backup camera, which if you're getting money for shooting is essential).

[Quad]

- Ligh fall off. Maybe its my noobishness that I'm not doing something right, but compared to my 350D I get more shots with light fall off. It's not a real problem as I can correct during PP.



Not your noobishness. A lens that does not cover properly will show light fall off on full frame. I hope that a more popular FF camera will force Canon's lens design teams to pay more attention to this aspect of a len's performance.

[René Damkot]

Mostly it's simply laws of physics. These laws worked for 35mm film as well. Didn't hear half as much complains back then however...

[Freff]

Thank you all for your views. Landscapes and wildlife are not that important for now. Sports will be mainly rugby and football with some indoor events like cycling and swimming. I will be keeping the 350D as backup (resale is quite low now) and for occasions where 1.6 crop would suit. By the way, what is light falloff precisely?

[René Damkot]

Nothing scientific or 'precise', but roughly it has a few reasons; First, there is an array of micro lenses in front of the sensor. These are optimised for light hitting them at a certain angle. If a lens is extremely wide or long, the light will hit these lenses at a different angle, less then ideal so to speak. This will cause some light fall off. That is the only kind that film did not 'suffer' from.
Furthermore, if light hits the sensor at the edges, there is a much greater angle between sensor and lightbeam then in the centre. Same thing causes the differences in temperature between, say Florida and Alaska ;)
Last, there is the fact that if you look straight through a tube (take a toilet roll to visualise this), you see a circle. If you move sideways, the circle becomes a kinda oval shape. Less erea, less light. This kind get less when stopping down.