T2i to 5D upgrade?

I have all the stuff listed in my signature (T2i, 18-55, 55-250, 50 1.8) and I've been thinking hard about possibly upgrading to a 5D. I never use the movie mode on my T2i, or any of the preset settings. I just shoot in manual and with the noise of the T2i at high ISO, I never really go above 600. I like shooting more landscapes/wide angle stuff so I think the Full Frame adjustment might help me out with that as far as losing the crop factor goes. Whenever I'm out with my camera, I find myself using the kit lens because with what I have, it allows me to go wide.

Has anybody made the jump? Any likes/dislikes about it?

You'll definitely get a bump in ISO quality, and if you don't need the reach, then you won't miss the crop. We say go for it.

Some of your lens dont work on FF

kevkong wrote in post #14336187
Some of your lens dont work on FF

I'd be selling them to fund the purchase


The bump in ISO is looking pretty good to me, the only thing really holding me back is having to buy another lens other than the 50 to get some range, possibly the 24-105, which is another chunk of money for a college student

Russo09 wrote in post #14335670
I have all the stuff listed in my signature (T2i, 18-55, 55-250, 50 1.8) and I've been thinking hard about possibly upgrading to a 5D. I never use the movie mode on my T2i, or any of the preset settings. I just shoot in manual and with the noise of the T2i at high ISO, I never really go above 600. I like shooting more landscapes/wide angle stuff so I think the Full Frame adjustment might help me out with that as far as losing the crop factor goes. Whenever I'm out with my camera, I find myself using the kit lens because with what I have, it allows me to go wide.

Has anybody made the jump? Any likes/dislikes about it?

I made the switched from T2i to 5D2. I LOVE MY 5D and wouldn't want to go back to crop DSLR. Since I had the 5D2, I notice my pictures doesn't have much noise in the image. It was a nice change for once and I love my 5D2. Also sell all your EF-S lens since they won't be useful for the FF camera. good luck! my next goal on lens is the 70-200mm maybe in 2-3 years lolz...

there is the tamron 28-75 2.8, which I believe works on ff, and it runs around $300. There's one for sale here for that price now.

Russo09 wrote in post #14336247
I'd be selling them to fund the purchase


The bump in ISO is looking pretty good to me, the only thing really holding me back is having to buy another lens other than the 50 to get some range, possibly the 24-105, which is another chunk of money for a college student

It's a worthy upgrade if you have the funds for it, that is. 24-105 is an amazing lens, again if you can afford it.

I went T3i to 5D and will never go back to crop after this. Love the images the 5D produces, and the noise performance is great. Shooting with a 50mm on FF is really a lot of fun. I say go for it.

going from a fairly recent body like the t2i to an older body like the 5dc might take some time to get used to. you will immediately notice the display screen is smaller and has much less pixels so image preview will not be as good on it. you do get better ISO performance, but i believe 5dc only goes up to 1600 expandable to 3200. you will also lose movie, and other features the t2i has over the 5dc.

if you're only after the image quality and not the equipment, the 5dc might suit you. but it will be a huge transition so if you can, i would strongly suggest testing it out before you make the jump to see if it really is worth sacrificing all the modern technology just for the sake of having FF.

Going to a 5D what? Classic, Mark II or Mark 3?

I went from a 550D (t2i) to a 5D3 for the following reasons

-ergonomics
I loathed the ergonomics of the 550D after 4-8 hours of shooting. After going to the 5D3 I just simply never get frustrated. The joystick, rear and front dial make things sooo much easier. I never shot much in M with the 550D because it simply sucked trying to control everything. Now I always shoot in M mode and wouldn't want to change.

-AF
The AF is workable on the 550D, but the AF on the 5D3 is just amazing. I don't have crappy single type AF points and can nail keepers far more often. It's also a lot easier IMHO to select AF points with the joystick than the front dial.

-noise
I shoot indoor events sometimes and I was amazed how much noise I get. Going to the 5D3 eliminates a LOT of the noise I was getting. Not to mention I can now shoot at insanely high ISOs.

-IQ
The 550D has the IQ of the 7D and it's pretty good when combined with nice glass. The 5D3 is even better. I shoot 90% portraits at times and a 5D is the best for portraits IMHO.


Not big reasons on my list, but nice

-viewfinder
Going from a pentamirror to a pentaprism is a very welcome change. The viewfinder is so much brighter and clearer.

-dual slots
So nice to have a backup of images when shooting in case one card decides to die. It's also nice to have the option of shoot RAW on the CF card and .jpg on the SD card if I need to give someone the .jpgs immediately after shooting.

-custom controls
You can set almost any dial or button to control any aspect. So much nicer to have the shutter tied to the back dial and aperture on the front. Just so many ways to configure everything.

Just realize that the 5D (classic) is pretty old technology. The screen sucks and the performance may feel "clunky" compared to your T2i.
There isnt any automatic sensor cleaning. Leads to you possibly having to do manual cleanings more often.
Also there is no Auto ISO.

But since you shoot in manual anyway, you probably wont notice it much.

Oh also you'll have to switch to CF cards, no SD card slot in a 5Dc.

Nick,

You have no lenses! If you go to FF you will have even less!... Good lenses cost more than the body 'upgrade'...

May I suggest that you look into the wide range for a good lens?

I've seen your photos of the neighborhood (the one of Manhattan from near the LI pier of the Triboro bridge had me searching for our appartment building). You are doing great with landscapes.

If you didn't mind staying with crops for the longer term, the 10-22 would be the lens for you. Of course you can buy it now and sell it later for minimal loss.

Otherwise, the FF zooms 16-35 f2.8 (at $1699+tax... probably will ruin the college fund) or the EF17-40 f4 ($839).

Alternatively, you could look at a couple of primes, EF 24 f2.8 @ $374... EF 28, EF 35...

Buying an obsolete body and the nifty fifty is not a versatile combination IMO...

My personal plan is to acquire L-quality glass from 16-24 to 200 (OK to 70 since I already realized the first stage of the plan) while improving my technique.

My next step will be either the 16-35 or the 24-70 (MKII will implode my budget for a year...).

Now for your ISO problem, in landscapes, can't you use low SS to keep ISO requirements down? Software doesn't help?

which 5D are you considering? I've got the 5D (usually called the 5Dc here), it's a very good camera. My only complaints are the menu is dated - let's be honest and call it very dated - and it lacks the auto sensor cleaning. Pluses are the IQ is amazing, images have a dreamy like film look.

Russo09 wrote in post #14335670
I have all the stuff listed in my signature (T2i, 18-55, 55-250, 50 1.8) and I've been thinking hard about possibly upgrading to a 5D. I never use the movie mode on my T2i, or any of the preset settings. I just shoot in manual and with the noise of the T2i at high ISO, I never really go above 600. I like shooting more landscapes/wide angle stuff so I think the Full Frame adjustment might help me out with that as far as losing the crop factor goes. Whenever I'm out with my camera, I find myself using the kit lens because with what I have, it allows me to go wide.

Has anybody made the jump? Any likes/dislikes about it?

I don't think anyone would dislike a full frame upgrade for landscapes but the 5D is old, be sure to factor potential repairs in the budget. Also, (like others have said) you would need to upgrade your lens.

^ I was worried about repairs as well.

I won my 5Dc on ebay though, so I ended up getting a squaretrade warranty, 2 years for $140 or so. Covers up to the full price I paid, $750. So I basically get to save $610 on repairs should I ever need it.
Its definitely a gamble though, but I wanted the peace of mind.