Should I upgrade because of my new landscape obsession?

Guys and Girls,

I have a dilemma. I'm currently shooting a 30D. I absolutely love the camera, great for sports and everything else (mostly) that I shoot. The one problem I have with it is that I am now shooting a lot of landscapes that will be for sale in a store in town (hoping to make something from this!).

Its not my favourite for landscapes. I am having the photos printed at 16x24in and maybe even larger in the long run. I know that taking viewing distance in to account most consumers probably wont be able to tell the difference. At the moment I am having to use Genuine Fractals to up size the photos, which isn't a problem.

The main reason I want to go full frame (or at least a larger format than the 30D) is so I can get more of the wide angle from my 17-40L. I don't find the 27mm FOV wide enough for my needs.

What do you think I should do? Upgrade to the 5D now. Wait for however long for the upgraded 5D. Or find a extremely reasonably priced 1Ds Mk II second hand?

By the way, I am not looking to get the 10-22mm, as I want to keep everything EF, because in the long run I will upgrade anyway.

I can probably spend, at the moment around $2500-$3200, I might be able to go a bit higher.

Thanks for your help.

If you're selling landscapes now, then upgrade now. When a successor to the 5D comes along it'll be around $1000 more than the 5D's going for now, at least for the first several months; and it won't get down to the current 5D prices for a good year or more.

Cheers for that Jon. Looking for others opinions also!!

Depends how deep your pockets are or how much extra income you'll generate and how soon. If you want the wider field of view right away, in addition to the options you listed, you could also:

get a 5D now and change over to the new model when it's released (probably next year).

get a 10-22 EF-S now and sell it when you buy the new 5D replacement.

My guess is that the 5D replacement will have many of the latest technologies (DigicIII, 14 bit, enhanced sensor etc). It might have a pixel count increase but even so, the IQ should be at least as good and probably better than the current 5D (going by the 40D improvements). It will also cost more than the current 5D, but probably less than the original release price of the first 5D.

Cheers Miriam. Im not looking to get the 10-22 at all. Selling it would be a pain for me.

Ill probably get the 5D in the next week or so, and when the upgrade comes out, Ill sell the 30D and use the cash to purchase the new one.

Get the 5D if you are shooting landscapes. Big difference with fine detail compared to the 30D. With the 5D, I have no problem going 24x30...but with the 30D, the most I would push it is 16x20. Anything bigger than that and detail starts to blur.

Cheers Hogloff.

I'm looking at getting the 5D in the next week or so. I'll probably buy it from the US as the Aussie dollar is getting stronger against the US. The cheapest legit place I can find it for here is over $3000 AUD. My brother in laws Mum lives in the states, so I should be able to send it through her for warranty if it needs it, I don't think it will though.

The sensible choice is a EF-S wide angle and I fail to see the 'hassle' involved. You could throw it away and still not lose much, if you buy at a good price, because the depreciation on a 5D bought today will be large.

When the 40D arrived the 30D SH prices went through the floor, dropped £100 almost overnight; the 5D will be the same except they will drop more. I don't agree that the 5D mkII will cost considerably more then the current model either The 40D currently retails at less than a new 30D only 3-4 months ago. Wait a month after release and then buy a mkII once the more ego/money than sense early adopters have reported any problems or not. Use the 30D as your backup.

I got a 5d not too long ago and I am amazed at the IQ and smoothness out of it, no wonder landscape photographers use them so much. I didnt really mind getting it now and not waiting on the updated model as I have a 40d also and the update from the 30d didnt do a lot in my eyes.

Michael,

What dpi are you printing large at that you feel you need to upsize? I recently had some 30x20s done from 30d files at native resolution. Doubt you could tell.

For landscapes, if you need a camera now, get the 5D for under $2200 US. If you wait a few months, hoping for the 6D or whatever to be released, you may may upgrade then as well. Even if the market floods with used 5Ds, they are a great camera.

Thanks for the advice! The reason I really want to upgrade is that I need the extra MP, and on top of that the wider FOV of the 17mm on the 5D would be nice. My printer needs (wants) 300DPI resolution, and that means I need to up sample all of the ones I get printed.

Condyk, I understand what you mean about the EF-s UWA, and i will have to think about that.

I'm going to go over what I want to end up with and work something out.

Cheers for all of your help, everyone!

At the current prices of the 5D, I'd go for it. It is a wonderful camera and will still take fantastic pictures when the upgrade comes out. Your lenses will be great on it. I'm surprised at how low the 5D is selling for because it bumping close to the 40D. Must be the competitive pressures of Nikon.

Cheers Rick. I know its a great camera for a great price. And I will probably go for it. I have been looking at the 1Ds Mk III though and it looks like a great camera. Maybe that can be my next upgrade, and I'll skip the 5D Mk II. I guess we'll wait and see.

Another question. Hows the IQ of the 1D Mk III(not the 1Ds). Its not at too high a price point for me, and I was wondering if it would be any better than the 5D for landscapes. Only asking because I might be shooting a bit of action stuff too. I would really like the 1D build.

I know several wedding photographers that went to the 1DMKIII and have not looked back. The 10fps wasn't the main reason, the value of a 1D series is nice. But you want ff, not 1.3x crop. You can get the 5D at half the price and you can spring for some wonderful L lenses in the meantime.