another which camera question.

Hello,

I have recently had success as a professional photgrapher quite by accident. I helped my fiance with a project for work and they liked me better than their regular photographer. Then someone else saw my work and hired me elsewhere.

Trouble is I only have a 20D which has been fine up to this point. I'd like a second body and like to make the 20D the backup. Spending 3K on a 5dMKII might be a little much or then again, maybe not. I have made about 3K on gigs so far this year--not much in the grand scheme of things.
I love my day job and photography is more of a hobby. Keeping that in mind, any help on my gear would be appreciated.

(Just saw a gripped 30D for about $550!--choices, choices).

Get a fresh 40D or a 50D with a good battery grip and 24-70mm =)

Thanks! People seem to love the 40d and that won't break the bank. I suppose if I suddenly get a lot more gigs I will come get another camera then.

yeah 40d would be good... nothing beats the look of 5d though consider a 5d classic - go so so nice with your 2 L lenses... and yeah youd need to complete the trinity to fill the gap on FF.... nothing pops like thin DOF when you frame the same on FF... then you will have a FF cam and a 1.6x crop cam for longer focal lengths

something worth considering.

Super Nicko,
Thanks. I have strongly considered the 5d Classic. I might still go that way but if I do spend the money I might as well go "all the way" and do 5D MKII and have a camera that will last me for a few years without need to upgrade for a while.

But if I find a 5d classic for say 1100 I would snap it up. I have often wondered what my 16-35 would look like full frame.

The 40d is always a solid choice at that price point

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I also vote 5D. It would give you 2x the FL options having FF...

16-35 or 26-56
70-200 or 112-320

so basically you'd have 16~56 and then 70-320 covered. I'd do that first, then upgrade you cropper to a 40D if you find it lacking in comparison to a 5D. But the 20D would also play perfectly with the 5D as it's got very similar menus and handling.

Thanks! I am looking for 5D's as we speak. My only complaint with the 20D has been the small screen. My eyes aren't what they used to be and having a big screen in the back would help.

If the bottom line is the driving factor, then I would get the "older" bodies...and the 5D is a great choice IMO. I wouldn't put too much stock on the larger screen on the 40D. It sucks. The ones on the 50D and the 5DMKII are great though...I only say this b/c your eye's aren't what they used to be. I don't really rely too much on the LCD screen, but it's certainly nice to have the hi-res one.

Yes, it took me a while to realize that it's not only the size of the screen but the resolution as well. As you say, I try not to rely on the screen but there have been times when an image has been ever so slightly soft which a hi-res large screen might catch.

On the bright side the 20D has made me a much more careful, deliberate photographer.

Trackerxx wrote in post #8473908
Yes, it took me a while to realize that it's not only the size of the screen but the resolution as well. As you say, I try not to rely on the screen but there have been times when an image has been ever so slightly soft which a hi-res large screen might catch.

On the bright side the 20D has made me a much more careful, deliberate photographer.

I'll admit that with the latest LCD screen on the 5DMKII, it's become infinitely more useful checking for sharpness as well as composition. So it is a difference maker if you look at it that way. But then again, we've shot without a hi-res LCD up to this point, so really, to me, it's just a nice-to-have feature and nothing essential.

I think the 30D and 5D...and even the 40D are all good options as a second body, being that you seem to be doing really well with your 20D and getting you the bottom line.

Trackerxx wrote in post #8473815
Thanks! I am looking for 5D's as we speak. My only complaint with the 20D has been the small screen. My eyes aren't what they used to be and having a big screen in the back would help.

is the 30D's screen bigger than the 20's? I'm pretty sure it is and maybe that makes it worth the upgrade? Used to used that can't be too much of a price difference anyway. Personally I always felt the 5D's screen was a nice compromise. I had it and a 40D at the same time, the 40D had a bigger screen but with the same pixels which looked pretty bad. Basically, you noticed the pixels more as they grew.

So yeah, 5D and maybe upgrade your 20 to a 30 for the larger screen?

jacobsen1 wrote in post #8473933
is the 30D's screen bigger than the 20's? I'm pretty sure it is and maybe that makes it worth the upgrade? Used to used that can't be too much of a price difference anyway. Personally I always felt the 5D's screen was a nice compromise. I had it and a 40D at the same time, the 40D had a bigger screen but with the same pixels which looked pretty bad. Basically, you noticed the pixels more as they grew.

So yeah, 5D and maybe upgrade your 20 to a 30 for the larger screen?

Yep, the 30D's LCD is much nicer than the tiny on in 20D.

^ yeah, just looked it up on dpreview:

camera		5D	20D	30D	40D​	5D Mark II
LCD     	2.5 "	1.8 "	2.5 "	3 "	3 "
LCD Dots     	230,000	118,000	230,0​00	230,000	920,000

jacobsen1 wrote in post #8473963
^ yeah, just looked it up on dpreview:

camera        5D    20D    30D    40D    5D Mark II
LCD         2.5 "    1.8 "    2.5 "    3 "    3 "
LCD Dots         230,000    118,000    230,000    230,000    920,000

the 20D is the same as the 10D (which I owned). It's also similar to the 1D which I've owned as well. The 5D/30D screen is the best 2.5" display IMHO. When you go to the 3" of the 40D w/o the pixel increase, you can clearly see each pixel which I did NOT like. I honestly preferred the 2.5" 5D screen to the 3" 40D's. The newer 3" screens are amazing, but w/o the pixel increase they're not worth it IMHO.

100% agreed. I was really disappointed with the 3" screen on the 40D. I have the 1DMKIII which has the same screen and compared to the one on my 5DMKII, it is utter crap!