6D vs 5D Classic

I'm torn...having spent a long time putting together a good glass collection as I am a believer in the 'Glass First' philosophy it's about time I looked for a replacement body.

I currently have the original 5D that I bought when they first came out as I couldn't get on with the 1.6 crop factor of the 10D/20D bodies...I guess because I cut my teeth on the A1 & T90 back in the day.

I bought a 7D before a trip to see the last Shuttle launch in 2011 to gain some extra 'reach' but never really liked the pictures that came out of it compared to the 5D and have hardly touched it since.

There is something about pictures from the 5D that just does it for me...possibly due to the full frame sensor I think.

My ideal body would be the 5D MKIII but it is expensive and possibly due to be Canon's next replacement according to rumour so I am not keen on spending that sort of money only to have the latest & greatest announced within six months or so.

The 7D MKII looks nicely specced but of course is a crop and so probably not for me based upon my MKI experience although it has some lovely features.

That leaves the 6D (and 1DX of course) and so I was wondering how the 6D compares image wise with the original 5D?

I like the idea of having Wi-Fi built-in as I never could get the WFT-transmitters working reliably and in the case of other bodies except the 7D you still need to plug in cables to get it to work...even on the 7D II it would appear?

The apparent 'focus limitations' of the 5D never really hampered me and I have taken some great, in-focus pictures of fast moving jet aircraft etc. with little issue. In some instances the lack of complexity is better for me as it doesn't get in the way of taking the photo.

I am also not a 'machine gunner' type of guy preferring to wait for the moment instead of spray & pray. The thought of trawling through hundreds of photos looking for the one fills me with horror as does the thought of spending hours in PP although I do prefer to shoot RAW.

My interests are varied and cover most aspects of photography but macro, aircraft, still life & birds are my main focus although I would like to expand into portrait & try my hand at Motorsport.

I guess a 1DX should just about cover it then!

I would be interested to hear of anybody who has been down this same path when looking for an upgrade to the 5D and ended up with a 6D.

How do they compare?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

I recently upgraded from a Rebel XTi to a 6D after playing wth a 5D classic and 5D2 for a while ( a friend has both) and decided that the 6D was the way to go.
Its low light shooting capability alone is worth it. Live view is another one of them. It has a higher true resolution 20.9MP vs 12.7MP, weather sealing and a bunch of other features that totally made the selection process pretty easy. Oh and the LCD screen on the 6D was another winner...my sight is poor and not having to struggle with the menu etc was another important point.
Of course I had a bunch of L series glass so now I'm enjoying my new camera ver much.
I suggest you read some articles as this one here http://snapsort.com …on-EOS-6D-vs-Canon_EOS_5D

Heya,

6D all the way. Has everything you'll need. Does everything you want, without the mint price tag. The only alternative, in my book, if you like the look of the 5D, is possibly an old 1D-s MKII or 1D-s MKIII (the full frame versions). In the same price range, robust, great autofocus, great performance, and they still have that look' that seems to have been lost on the newer 5D bodies.

I still shoot a 5D classic as well. There's something about it's files. As much as I want the ISO performance of the 6D, I'm waiting, because the 5D isn't holding me back on anything other than ISO, and even then, I just work with the limitation for now. I'll probably wait it out and either wait for a 1Ds MKIII to become the price I want it at, or possibly in a few years pick up a 6 at a much lower price than it is now. Can't really decide. I'm leaning towards the 1Ds series though. I already shoot 1D II and the 5D as it is.

You can't go wrong with the 6D though. It's an IQ monster with great ISO performance. Great for what you're doing.

Very best,

I would also vote refurb 6D

I had a 5Dc and sold it shortly after buying a 6D. As an all-around camera, the 6D is hugely better. The auto-ISO features, flash control, and the uncanny ability to focus in near-total darkness were well worth the cost. Completely useable IOS 25,600 comes in handy, too. Some folks decry the AF performance of the 6D. Bull-pucky! The 6D's AF is quite an improvement over the 5Dc/5D2 almost useless peripheral points.

If I only shot in bright daylight at low ISO, I would regret selling the 5Dc. It did that job quite well, producing fantastic results. For everything else, the 6D is superior. The only complaint I have about the 6D did not surface until I started shooting fast primes. The max shutter speed of 1/4000 has gotten in the way from time to time. An ISO setting of 50 accomplishes much the same thing as 1/8000. All the same, I'd rather have the motion freezing ability of 1/8000 as opposed to the artificial ISO setting.

I think the 6D is one of the great bargains in Canon's stable. Hopefully the 6D2 will have 1/8000 and 1/200 (1/250?) sync-speed. I am happy with it other than those minor annoyances.

the glass before body thing works well in the film days as all sensors (films) were the same for every camera. 5D vs 6D represents almost 10 years of leap in technology. the biggest difference is going to be felt in high ISO performance (limit on 5D is about 1600 for usable file), rear LCD, live view, video, auto focus, etc.

of course 5D is still a very capable machine if you can work within its limitations. it's also super cheap

I've had both as well and like others the advancements (sensor cleaning, high ISO, and LCD being the most important to me) of the 6D are worth the upgrade. That being said, I wish I still had my 5Dc. You're right there was something about the files that made them special and very film like.

GlynH wrote in post #17432594
I was wondering how the 6D compares image wise with the original 5D.

The 6D arguably has better image quality than any other Canon camera.

And no, I'm not joking.

mclaren777 wrote in post #17433823
The 6D arguably has better image quality than any other Canon camera.

And no, I'm not joking.

This is believable. I know a lot of folks don't agree with the DXoMark values but they do rate the 6D one above the 5Dlll with ratings 82/81. I believe the 1Dx is rated just a few points higher. While this (and DXoMark) may or may not be 100% it does give a good viewpoint - it tells me all three have comparable sensors and thus comparable image quality. NOTE: the DXoMark rating rates sensor not camera. the features on the 5Dlll or 1Dx would bring both cameras well above the 6D, but bottom line all three will produce extremely high quality and comparable images.

Lumens wrote in post #17434064
I know a lot of folks don't agree with the DXoMark values but they do rate the 6D one above the 5Dlll with ratings 82/81. I believe the 1Dx is rated just a few points higher.

last time I checked both the 1DX and 6D are rated an 82 by DXO.

I haven't checked myself, but I believe the 6D has better shadow recovery than the 1DX.

6D is a major upgrade over the 5D and definitely worth it. The extra ISO capability, proper LCD, new processor, AF, video, flash transmitter, sensor cleaning etc...
The 5D still takes stellar images (I've been happily using mine) but you will certainly appreciate the modern features of a 6D.

Have you considered a used 5D2? It's goes for less than a 6D and it still a major upgrade to the 5DC.

MalVeauX wrote in post #17433033
6D all the way. Has everything you'll need. Does everything you want, without the mint price tag....

You can't go wrong with the 6D though. It's an IQ monster with great ISO performance. Great for what you're doing.

Ditto to everything Mal says. You will love the 6D.
Now if you can wait a bit and save some coin you might consider the 5D4.

Some coin? the heavily discounted price of the 6D at the moment would be around 1/3 of the release price of a 5D4 (assuming a camera to replace the 5D3 will be released).

Not what I meant by "saving some coin". Should have said "saving up some coin". Sorry, my bad.