CF or FF for Macro

Hi
I'm new here as well as digital photography, please go easy on my dum questions.
I'm currently looking for an upgrade of my camera and I do some macro shots and am wondering if either CF or FF body will fare out.
Also, I'm thinking of either the 50D or 5D II as I like the live view magnification for aiding focus. Does 40D's live view as good as 50D?
Thanks in advance.

When the pictures from a CF and an FF (same lens, minimum focus) are viewed at the same size as each other, the CF's image will appear to be a higher magnification, or "closer in". To get the FF to capture an image that seems as close-in as the CF, you'll get less DOF by having to have been closer.

Not sure on the live-view comparison between 40D and 50D. The 50D has a LCD that is far more high-resolution than the 40D's, so for narrow-DOF work I'd give the 50D the edge. The issue as I see it is that anything you'd want to use live-view for would involve fine-focus adjustment on a tripod, which sort of negates the advantages of the 50D's better LCD. I certainly wouldn't consider it a selling point for the 50D. You'll probably be wanting to use the viewfinder anyways.

Thanks John.
I do have a macro rail and am planning on combining the manual focus and the rail then using live view for determe the best focus point(s).
Sounds like 50D would be a better choice given IQ about the same as 40D, right?

Hi vincent,

If you mean the 50D being a better choice than the 5D2, then I agree. I'm sure that the 5D2 would do very well just about anywhere you put it, but for primarily macro usage I don't think it's worth the extra money. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if, having both, you used the 50D for all of your macro work.

If you're torn between the 50D and 40D, I can't really provide any input; I'm sure either would be great. At this stage, lighting and technique are quite a bit more important, as I'm sure you already know.

John,
That's correct. For macro, I'm sure that 5D II is capable but 40D and 50D will do just fine at much lower cost.
Although I do have plan to move to FF eventually, my current investment will be on good glasses.
Happy shooting.

Won't make a difference. I shoot mostly macro on a Mark IIn (1.3x crop), many of the really good photographers in the macro section shoot with Canon's 1.6x crop cameras (40D/30D/20D etc).

I personally wouldn't touch a 5D Mark II for a variety of reasons.

Dave

Obviously you need more magnification to fill the frame with a full frame (or 1.3X crop) than with a 1.6X crop.

On the other-hand, if you are working with ambient light at higher ISOs the larger formats should give better noise performance.

Cancelling that out slightly is; because the larger format needs more magnification this causes more light loss.

So seat of the pants analysis:

The light moss due to magnification is approximately, (M+1)^2, so taking the case of FF (crop factor 1) and a crop factor 1.6 camera like the 50D, then we get the below plot showing the additional light loss in stops for full frame over 1.6X crop.

For the same technology a FF camera will have almost a 0.7 stop advantage in noise performance [log(1.6)/log(2)], so all being equal FF might be worth it for subjects that need less than 0.8X magnification on a crop camera.

Hopefully this is helpful and not bewildering!

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With the 5d II you are looking at being able to blow-up , crop , magnify more .
Depends on what you are shooting , where , and if you are going to upgrade to FF sometime . A 60 macro is efs where a 100 macro is EF .
A 5D II will hold more value the the 50D .
Always go for this best you can afford .

r.morales wrote in post #6858097
With the 5d II you are looking at being able to blow-up , crop , magnify more .
Depends on what you are shooting , where , and if you are going to upgrade to FF sometime . A 60 macro is efs where a 100 macro is EF .
A 5D II will hold more value the the 50D .
Always go for this best you can afford .

By this logic he's best off buying a 1D3 or a used 1Ds2.