5D MKI, 5D MKII....400D

Guys I've got a query and with fear of being shot for asking such a question .... I currently have a 400D and have had aspirations for a 5D MKII... however they are still holding at a high price..... a friend is suggesting I go for the 5D MKI ... however I'm wondering if the IQ (particularly at higher ISOs) will be *much* better than my current 400D .... what are your thoughts? Should I hold out for the MKII at some point in my life or will the MKI be a much better step up for me, especially considering it's now 6 years old and has the same DIGIC II processor as my 400D.

On the lens front I already have the 24-105L and 70-200L F4 IS lenses, so obviously I know they're better suited to a full frame camera than a crop camera like my 400D.

Many thanks

Golfboy1971

Well what do you primarily shoot?

LamontSanders wrote in post #12476110
Well what do you primarily shoot?

Can I ask how that will affect your answer?

His question was pretty straight forward:

How will what he shoots change your answer?..serious question, not being funny.

To be honest I tend to shoot all sorts of stuff. My camera tends to get a lot of use on holidays or day trips out to nice places where I can shoot lots of nice architecture or landscapes... but then I also do some messing around nearer home where I would shoot flowers, or at parties, or portraits of the missus etc.
Sometimes I like to shoot street scenes or indoors at parties where I don't want to use the flash or a tripod, hence my thought about the MKII and it's faster usable ISO speeds .... but this isn't something I do all the time and have recently "trained" myself to take my tripod with me more often (I am a bit of a lazy photographer).
So my main reasons for looking for an upgrade is to get better IQ at the higher ISOs (800/1600 or better is poss) and to make better use of my L lenses ... and to get the lower DOF effect you get with the larger sensors and hopefully just a better IQ overall.
I like the anti-dust-shake mechanism on the MKII, which is the same as what's on my 400D ... as I know friends with cameras without this facility and they do seem to have problems with dust quite often. I've rarely had that on my 400D..... but, it doesn't justify paying 3 times the price just for that!

Thanks for your replies so far.

Golfboy1971

*Jayrou wrote in post #12476196
Can I ask how that will affect your answer?

His question was pretty straight forward:

How will what he shoots change your answer?..serious question, not being funny.

If he shoots low light, he'd need higher ISO

So if he's shooting performance, anything without lighting it will make a huge difference in what he picks. Weddings.. etc.

plus the DOF in FF is sexy.

Any slr body will look half decent shot in a studio with controlled lighting.

You have two L lenses that are just screaming for the 5D2... with that being said, your tamron and sigma will have to go as well if you're not keeping the 400D.

The color and sharpness difference between 5D2 and 5D are huge to me. I went from the 400D to the 1D Mark II N, to the 5D and then to the 5D2. The Mark II N and 5D had similar characteristics, and the 400D was a little more vibrant straight out of camera with the same LR2/3 settings (RAW format, of course). But the 5D2 stands out the most from the pack.

The fact that the 5D2 is holding it's price so well should tell you that it's still a pretty sought after camera both new and used, so why not just save up a bit and get the 5D2? Sell some stuff if possible, etc.

But just know that 400D to 5D is a big jump in image quality. 400D to 5D2 is an even bigger jump imo.

For the best high ISO performance, the 5D MKII is the answer. I came from a 400D, then upgraded to 40D, then 50D, then 5D MKII.

To my untrained eyes, images of 400D taken at ISO400 is like the 40D and 50D at ISO1600, then the
5D MKII at ISO3200. That's how good the 5D2 is.

I would always go for new technology, so if you'll ask me personally I'll get the 5D MKii instead of its old brother.

*Jayrou wrote in post #12476196
Can I ask how that will affect your answer?

His question was pretty straight forward:

How will what he shoots change your answer?..serious question, not being funny.

The focusing system in the 5D is great for portraiture, but not well suited for sports. It has a slower frame rate for sports/wildlife as well. The 5D is a great camera, but it has some limitations, mostly related to how you use it and not in its IQ. So his question about use is valid and giving advice without knowing how the camera will be primarily used is misguided.

Sports/wildlife is not something I generally photograph so I'm not worried about a slower FPS.
It was interesting to read your response HeadShotzx because it seems you've been through all 3 cameras I'm talking about. So bearing in mind that the MKII is 3 times the price of the MKI, and that I could buy a used MKI now..... or a new/used MKII after about 10 months of saving .... is the MKI still worthy of a look? Apart from the higher usable ISO speeds and perhaps the better DIGIC IV processor, I'm not sure I see huge advantages to the MKII? But maybe I'm missing something?

Many thanks to all of you for your responses so far.

Golfboy1971

Golfboy1971 wrote in post #12478469
Sports/wildlife is not something I generally photograph so I'm not worried about a slower FPS.
It was interesting to read your response HeadShotzx because it seems you've been through all 3 cameras I'm talking about. So bearing in mind that the MKII is 3 times the price of the MKI, and that I could buy a used MKI now..... or a new/used MKII after about 10 months of saving .... is the MKI still worthy of a look? Apart from the higher usable ISO speeds and perhaps the better DIGIC IV processor, I'm not sure I see huge advantages to the MKII? But maybe I'm missing something?

Many thanks to all of you for your responses so far.

Golfboy1971

I have a 5D and I love it so take this for what its worth. If it were my money I would buy the 5D mkI now for a couple of reasons. The first being you can buy it now and use it for 10 months until you are ready to move up. The depreciation on the 5D is and has been much slower than other comparable models so you can easily sell it for most of your investment if you purchase wisely now and decide to upgrade in 10 months. Lastly, the announcement for the MKIII is expected sometime this fall, may or may not happen, but do you want to be the last person to pay full price for the mkII? As users upgrade some mkII's will hit the used market at better prices than now, and probably some will begin to show up in the canon loyalty program as well.

gonzogolf wrote in post #12479597
I have a 5D and I love it so take this for what its worth. If it were my money I would buy the 5D mkI now for a couple of reasons. The first being you can buy it now and use it for 10 months until you are ready to move up. The depreciation on the 5D is and has been much slower than other comparable models so you can easily sell it for most of your investment if you purchase wisely now and decide to upgrade in 10 months. Lastly, the announcement for the MKIII is expected sometime this fall, may or may not happen, but do you want to be the last person to pay full price for the mkII? As users upgrade some mkII's will hit the used market at better prices than now, and probably some will begin to show up in the canon loyalty program as well.

Gonzogolf, thanks for your response there, it's useful to know that you like the 5D so much, and interesting news about the potential release of the MKIII, I've been waiting for that for ages so it'll cause the MKIIs to drop into my price range . I'm beginning to think the 5D MKI really will be a decent upgrade step from my 400D.

Thanks!

Golfboy1971