Should I do it?! Should I make the switch???

NOT to Nikon but I have been contemplating a change in my current body. This time last year all I was shooting was sports. I was away at a paintball tournament somewhere every other month and really wanted the durability and speed so I bought a Mk2N. Don't get me wrong, I love this camera. The best I have ever owned. However, now I am not shooting nearly as much(read: None) paintball. I still shoot BMX but thats usually indoors and with flash and the significant drop in fps isnt that huge to me(plus I still have my 20D).

Lately I have been kind of changing my focus. In school Im studying photojournalism so Im shooting alot of documentaries, and on my own im changing my direction to focus on portraits/fashion, bands, and product work. SO I'm contemplating switching to a 5D.

The only hitch I'm having is the fact that I may end up in an internship at a newspaper in the next year or 2 where I may end up(I have NO idea!) sports again.

Theres always the idea that IF I do go back to sports at some point, I would be able to add a 1d3 since it wont be anytime too soon.

What do you guys think? Do I sell the mk2n and go for the 5d?

I've got the same dilemma, although i've never really shot sports and i'm considering swapping my 5D for a 1dmk2n. Wouldnt a 1 series be more suited to photojournalism- what is that you feel the 5D will offer that your current camera does not?

the 1series is very well suited for photojournalism, but most of the documentary type stuff I have shot thus far has not been something where I really need a ton of speed. And honestly, past college and maybe an internship, I dont know how much PJ type work Ill be doing. The things I mentioned are what I would like to focus on more, commercial things.

What makes me lean towards the 5D is the image quality, high ISO capabilities(the 1d is very good, but I find myself shooting in low light ALOT) and the big viewfinder. The last one is a huge one for me.

The things that Im not crazy about the 5D are the 3fps(5 would be better, but i still have my 20D), and I absolutely LOVE the construction/size/feel of the 1series.

I think its time for an eye exam! Which sucks because im only 22 but poor eyesight runs in my family.

You could change if you wanted. It really depends on what your clientèle is going to want from you in terms of files. If they want full frame shots at higher resolution, than a 5D may be your best choice. BUT, I would wait until the update to the 5D is officially released let alone announced. You'll see the market flood and the cost go down. I bet the 5D you could get now for $1600 would drop to $1300 or so with people just trying to get out of them so they can have newest greatest and latest.

Your better option may be trying to get rid of the 20D while you can for a decent price and put that towards a 5D. You could potentially sell your 20D now for ~$600 and you'd be on your way to a 5D and still owning the 1DIIN.

My 20D has been through HELL. haha. Honestly, it wont sell for 600. I have had it for a long time and it shows some signs of serious use! It was my workhorse paintball camera(only used the 1d for 2 tournaments, so it didnt get beat up at all) and it shows it!

What brought me to this dilemma was thinking more about what I want to do long term versus what I have been doing. Shooting paintball/sports/photo​journalism kind of fell into my lap. Don't get me wrong, I like it alot, but it's not really what I want career wise. Portraits/commercial photography is where my heart is and thus I think something with the better image quality, larger files, etc is what would be best for me.


I have thought about waiting for a revision of the 5D to come out, but the value of my 1D will only continue to go down now. Plus im impatient

Sounds the opposite to me still, think I want to go towards more PJ style than commercial. How about we just swap?! Lol, I would like to see good proof of MUCH better high iso on the 5D before I make the change (that might stop me). Cosworth is going to be doing a test very soon. I love the viewfinder so much on the 5D, did a test side by side with my 20D last night and they're leagues apart- I thought the 1D was similar though? I don't really need the speed but the ergonomics, build and feel of the 1D are perfect.

I think if I were you I would keep the 1d just for the versatility it provides. For noise the 5d isnt leaps and bounds better. From a 40d to 5d is a very big jump though in noise handling. I never take the 40d somewhere if I plan to shoot low light.

If you can grab a 5d as a second body. It is awesome at a lot of things but speed isnt one of them. The 40d isnt 1d fast but wow it is a serious difference even if I'm not in burst mode. The shutter reflex is so much faster it allows me to pull off a lot of frames I would otherwise lose with a 5d. In the end its all personal preference, get what you need to do the job best. There is never a right answer.

Chris