Crossroad: Stay with 50D o go 5DC or 5DMK2

Hello,

I am standing on crossroad. Bought Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM Lens and it is awesome. Primarily I shoot sports (basketball, bicycles (road race, MTB), car race. And of course do all other sort of things. I feel that sometime mine 50D lacks IQ on higher ISO. I have one 1700 mm lens which is f/17, and I am shooting airplanes in 12 km altitude handheld at 1/640-1/800 handheld on ISO 800.
Now in our country 5DMk3 is still not available. I want to upgrade to magical FF, which everyone faves. But I don't think that investment in 5DMk3 is wise. So I prefer 5DMk2. On the other hand everyone says that is is slow. My questions:

1. Will 5Mk2 AF will be slower than current 50D?
2. It is slow because it has weak continuous shooting? If it is only one reason, I won't care because even in sport events I shoot in single photo mode, I don't like shoot in series, and than choose one photo from bunch.
3. Maybe don't throw money and stick with 5D Mk1? But after reading this forum, I understood that it is even slower, and will be step back from 50D?
4. I don't look on 7D, because in comparison it has almost same ISO noise in compare with 50D.
5. What will be your advice? Maybe stay a bit with 50D (only problem, that it already has 56000 shutter actuation and wait until 5DMk3 will kick in the market, and 5DMk2 prices go lower?
6. Or save money, save nerves, and upgrade ONLY to 5DMk3?

Equipment:
Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens - almost useless after I bought Canon EF-S 15-85mm
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens - briliant lens!
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM Lens

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash
Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash
Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash
Flash triggers
Lambency diffusers

Kenko Extension Tube 12mm
Soligor C/D4 DG tele-convertor 1.7X C/AF

1. Yup
2. The 5D/5D2 have slower, and less accurate AF points than the 50D. So the differences isn't just in FPS.
3. The 5D/5D2 share the same AF system, and I believe the 5D2 is only like 1-2 FPS faster. The main differences between them are in MP, Liveview, Video, MA, etc.
4. I never owned a 7D, but by what I read it has improved ISO performance over the 50D. Same with the T2i, T3i and 60D.
5. I would look deeper into the 7D. By what I've read it has an amazing AF system that you would benefit from, along with a slight bump in IQ and ISO performance over the 50D. Someone who has used it would be of more help though. Or cough cough buy my 1D3 cough cough :P

Always go with the biggest sensor, in this case, full-frame 5D Mark II.

The 50D is garbage at high ISO (I used to own one).

I wouldn't worry about the slow AF. Learn to adapt to your equipment and bend it to your will. Machines can't do everything for you.

Respectfully, I disagree with Razeus. Get the the tool that's best suited to your style.

FF is fantastic, and, yes, the 5D2's IQ is better than that of the 50D, 7D, and the rest - but really great out of focus shots are still garbage. You can definitely use a 5D2 to shoot sports, many people do, but you'll simply get more keepers with a better AF system.

On another note, I'm sure you already are, but just in case, are you aware that most of your lenses would be incompatible with the 5D/5D2?

I was in more or less the same place, but had a 7D and was spoiled AF-perfromance wise. I waited for the 5D III to arrive, but will not pay that price.

After long deiberation, I bought a second hand 5D (classic). I have been using it a few weeks now, and I can honestly say I so far do not miss the 7D, or it's AF performance. What I do see is much nicer image quality in the 5Dc files.

As for your questions:

1. Yes, I think so. Not a problem for planes at 30.000 feet. Not even for moving subjects in my opninion:

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Shift7 wrote in post #14282386
Hello,

I am standing on crossroad. Bought Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM Lens and it is awesome. Primarily I shoot sports (basketball, bicycles (road race, MTB), car race. And of course do all other sort of things. I feel that sometime mine 50D lacks IQ on higher ISO. I have one 1700 mm lens which is f/17, and I am shooting airplanes in 12 km altitude handheld at 1/640-1/800 handheld on ISO 800.
Now in our country 5DMk3 is still not available. I want to upgrade to magical FF, which everyone faves. But I don't think that investment in 5DMk3 is wise. So I prefer 5DMk2. On the other hand everyone says that is is slow. My questions:

1. Will 5Mk2 AF will be slower than current 50D?
2. It is slow because it has weak continuous shooting? If it is only one reason, I won't care because even in sport events I shoot in single photo mode, I don't like shoot in series, and than choose one photo from bunch.
3. Maybe don't throw money and stick with 5D Mk1? But after reading this forum, I understood that it is even slower, and will be step back from 50D?
4. I don't look on 7D, because in comparison it has almost same ISO noise in compare with 50D.
5. What will be your advice? Maybe stay a bit with 50D (only problem, that it already has 56000 shutter actuation and wait until 5DMk3 will kick in the market, and 5DMk2 prices go lower?
6. Or save money, save nerves, and upgrade ONLY to 5DMk3?

Equipment:
Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens - almost useless after I bought Canon EF-S 15-85mm
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens - briliant lens!
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM Lens

Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash
Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash
Canon Speedlite 420EX Flash
Flash triggers
Lambency diffusers

Kenko Extension Tube 12mm
Soligor C/D4 DG tele-convertor 1.7X C/AF

amoda wrote in post #14282533
On another note, I'm sure you already are, but just in case, are you aware that most of your lenses would be incompatible with the 5D/5D2?

Yes I know: 10-22, will be changed to 17-40. 15-85 to 24-105 which I already have ;] 18-55 IS is used for macro shots (reversed)

I just got a 5D2 and was using the 50D (still do)

The ISO is so much better on the 5D2, the AF is a tad slower on the 5D2 and is the light is low it can hunt a little but not been too bad.

If funds allow keep the 50D as well, the FPS is much better if you need that.

And of course some of your glass will not work but I'm sure you know that.

I use a 5D - and a 7D sometimes. 5D produces wonderful images. Given the cost, try a 5D.
Here's a 5D shot of a bee I took Sunday.

The 5D/5DII both have a fantastic image quality..
I personally love my FF cameras .. but again it is dependent on what you are shooting..

I use a 7D for birds because of its' speed and quick AF.. I don't feel that a single camera body can be all things to all shooters.

I upgraded from 5dc to 5d2. really was torn about buying 5d3 because I wanted that AF. Finally I couldn't justify the price of 5d3. Once it comes down, I'll gladly buy one in the mid 2000s. But in the meantime I find the 5d2 AF reliable. You probably have to work harder for it than on the 7d or 5d3, but you get accurate shots. I've been really testing AI servo and I'm getting a lot of keepers, and that's at very short distances where the focal plane is changing drastically. If you're further away at infinity, I think you'll have no problem.

weegee wrote in post #14282923
I upgraded from 5dc to 5d2. really was torn about buying 5d3 because I wanted that AF. Finally I couldn't justify the price of 5d3. Once it comes down, I'll gladly buy one in the mid 2000s. But in the meantime I find the 5d2 AF reliable. You probably have to work harder for it than on the 7d or 5d3, but you get accurate shots. I've been really testing AI servo and I'm getting a lot of keepers, and that's at very short distances where the focal plane is changing drastically. If you're further away at infinity, I think you'll have no problem.

Not to hijack the thread but are finding this success with the AF assist points enabled or disabled?

I disable because I'm shooting at close distances, basically my kids running around the house or at me. So I found with it enabled, the spot area was too big because I was trying to nail the eyes dead on and sometimes it would lock on to the brow, or cheek, or nose, even though the focal point was spot on the eye. I suspect if you have more distance or the subject is larger, the enabled would be beneficial since it gives you a bigger target.

amoda wrote in post #14282492
1. Yup
2. The 5D/5D2 have slower, and less accurate AF points than the 50D. So the differences isn't just in FPS.
3. The 5D/5D2 share the same AF system, and I believe the 5D2 is only like 1-2 FPS faster. The main differences between them are in MP, Liveview, Video, MA, etc.
4. I never owned a 7D, but by what I read it has improved ISO performance over the 50D. Same with the T2i, T3i and 60D.
5. I would look deeper into the 7D. By what I've read it has an amazing AF system that you would benefit from, along with a slight bump in IQ and ISO performance over the 50D. Someone who has used it would be of more help though. Or cough cough buy my 1D3 cough cough :P

I beg to differ. Amoda, I don't know where you get your information from. I had a 50D, so I can speak from experience.

1. The 50D has 9 AF points. All of them are cross-type for lenses of F5.6 or faster.
The 5D2 has 9 AF points + 6 additional "Invisible Assist AF points". just the center is cross-type for lenses of F5.6 or faster.

2. the speed of focus of the 50D, 5D2, 7D ... is driven by the battery. That is why the 1D line is faster, as it's got more juice and can drive the lens motor faster. You might say that the 50D has a slight edge on the outer focus points over the 5D2 as it has cross-type points, but the 5D2 has the Assist AF points.

4. The 5D2 has larger sensor receptors, so they can capture more light with less noise. So even though the 7D is newer than the 5D2, it has more noise.

5. The major edge that the 7D has over the 5D2 is the AF points (it has 19 cross points), and a 1.6x crop factor if you need a tigher FOV from your lenses. But the crop factor is also a negative as it makes the wide angle harder.

mjmackinnon wrote in post #14283185
I beg to differ. Amoda, I don't know where you get your information from. I had a 50D, so I can speak from experience.

I fail to see where we disagree, care to clarify? Yes, the 5D2 offers better IQ, but the 50D's cross-point AF points offers it an advantage when it comes to locking focus. I've owned a 5Dc and I LOVED it, but its AF system left much to be desired.

All I'm saying is, the increased IQ you get with the 5D2 will come at the price of getting less keepers IF you're taking a lot of high-speed photo stuff. I'm not saying it's impossible to do, it's just more difficult. If the OP was taking pics of statues I'd overwhelmingly vote for FF, but he mentions basketball and biking - things a faster AF would help with.

The 7D still offers a bump in IQ compared to the 50D, not as great as a move to the 5D2 but still a bump, and yet offers a top-notch AF system. It's the first non-1D (5D3 now has it) to have a separate AF processor - which is key to the 1D series' AF performance.

Razeus wrote in post #14282512
Always go with the biggest sensor, in this case, full-frame 5D Mark II.

The 50D is garbage at high ISO (I used to own one).

I wouldn't worry about the slow AF. Learn to adapt to your equipment and bend it to your will. Machines can't do everything for you.

50D, 3200 ISO RAW file shot in very low light, "standard" NR, converted with DPP.
Pure garbage.