5DII: what backup/second body??

Best (2nd) body for about $1500-$1700? I know this has been asked a hundred times, but also a hundred different ways, which makes it hard to digest.

I have a 5DII that I love. I like a second body for a backup, but also to keep lenses on both bodies for quick flipping with attached lenses (and a body to share when I go with my wife or daughter). I shoot primarily street art these days, and my needs are for large prints for galleries in Beijing.

I used to own 1DI and 1DII bodies (primary and second bodies, then the 5D series bumped those out one at a time-- the weight and bulk were more important than the weatherproofing. A few months ago I re-purchased my second 5D (not II) for this purpose. I just sold that second 5D; the dust was killing me, noise at higher ISOs not great, and I sold it for a profit.

From my research and talk with friends, a 7D wasn't going to have the IQ I wanted. I was also interested in a 1DIII and somewhat excited to use the 1.3 crop factor to "alter" my lenses. But maybe I'm a full-frame snob.

So I'm wondering what my best option is today. Another 5DII would be ideal, maybe a bit redundant, and the prices are still high. 7D? 1DIII? Anything else with the IQ and res I need for 50-80 inch prints?

I'd get a 7D. The IQ is pretty darn close to the 5Dii, from the examples I have seen. With the advanced AF and having a 1.6x factor, I think it would make a nice 5D companion. You get the best of both worlds.

Well, for me a great combo is the 5D Classic and the 1D3 -- you have the 5D2 and the 1D2, if the 1D2 doesn't see use because of the size and weight, then you are the only one who can answer whether the 1D3 will see use. Otherwise, the 7D, assuming it's in your budget, would be a logical move because it has high performance for AF and such and is at the same time smaller than the 1D bodies.

The 7D fits the bill for 1500-1700 range. And it will use same type of battery, give you a bit more reach and faster AF if you need.

I bought a 7D. If the 1DMKIII had more resolution I would have jumped on that. I didn't want to spend the money on a 1DsIII. I also wanted a no out-of-pocket solution so I figured I'd get a 7D. I wouldn't need my 300 F4IS which would pay for most of it.

I haven't actually used the 7D other than putzing around so it's still too ealy to tell if I made the right decision. I will say, thinking how I will line up my lenses, having 2 different sensor sizes is going to be a PITA on a shoot picking lenses to go on which body during a shoot and no time to "think" about it. This will slow me down.

Now, with the little I have played with the 7D, I am not convinced it is "close" to the 5DII in terms of handling noise. To be honest, the mid ISO noise levels are astonishingly high, imo. A few shots at ISO 800, showed me that. Before anyone jumps on me, yes, the images were properly and well exposed. The resolution is there, though, and the noise may not show up in prints.

It will be awhile, probably, before I take it out for a "real" shoot (I get lazier as the weather gets colder). If it doesn't work out I'll sell it and get another 5DII.

When I'm packing the two bodies I typically have a longer lens on the crop (1D3) and there's no confusion! If I'm just carrying one body, well, I just pack the lenses that work. Of course, if you are trying for identical framing between the two, well, you have to do the juggling act, but that's pretty rare for me. I often have the 24-70 on the 5D and the 70-200 on the 1D3 and that is usually very sufficient (unless I want to pull out an 85).

my understanding is that the weight of the 1D3 is much less than the 1Ds2 I had. so I'm open. 10 mp on a crop seems weak for my big print needs.

and, yes, I agree that the crop sensor will give me more options, but I doubt any improvement.

a year ago in Mongolia. a friend raved about his new 7D. he also has a 5D2. It felt nice, but I sorta off-handed it because of the crop. 4 months ago (prior to my 2nd 5d purchase) I asked how he felt about it then. he said that after my dismissal, he looked at it more critically and it is now relegated to non-important things. (so I bought that 2nd 5D which I just sold for 300$ profit).

but, yeah, the price is right. and I hear the 1D3 is actually better iq than the 5D (orig) due to the digics. I don't need the speed of it, and I like the larger sensor than the 7D. aren't there af issues with the 1d3? and I like the idea of sharing 5d2 and 7d batteries.

Well, the 1D2N is 43.3 Oz, the 1D3 is 40.7 Oz, and the 1Ds2 is 42.9 Oz, so the 1Ds2 is a bit lighter than the 1D2N but a bit heavier than the 1D3...if that makes that much of a difference.

But, if you are printing large, of course, well, you have to make the call -- it'll be hard to beat the 5D2 (or a 1Ds3) of course but it really depends on how large you print. I've never used a 7D and hear good things about it, although people I've heard who have printed large with both prefer the 5D2.

So, it comes down to what you shoot and then what your output needs to be.

tonylong wrote in post #11152580
Well, the 1D2N is 43.3 Oz, the 1D3 is 40.7 Oz, and the 1Ds2 is 42.9 Oz, so the 1Ds2 is a bit lighter than the 1D2N but a bit heavier than the 1D3...if that makes that much of a difference.

But, if you are printing large, of course, well, you have to make the call -- it'll be hard to beat the 5D2 (or a 1Ds3) of course but it really depends on how large you print. I've never used a 7D and hear good things about it, although people I've heard who have printed large with both prefer the 5D2.

So, it comes down to what you shoot and then what your output needs to be.

what do you consider large?

I have two 5D's and it's great to use them both with different lenses (24-70 on one, 70-200 on the other) and I know what you mean by the dust, though to be honest, I now use the 5DMKII and the 7D most of the time together.
Plan is eventually, and I'm in no hurry, to get a refurbed 5DMKII and have the best of both bodies!

7D is a great 2nd body with the 5DMKII

I don't remember the dust as an issue in my first body at all, but the 2nd was a nightmare. Maybe it's the Contax/Zeiss I always kept on it. It's not a push/pull zoom, but I read that it's a dust-sucker. I want my second body to be the daily walkabout (without photo purpose), and that's the lens.

No, I had the 1DsII, and I do love the form. And as I just wrote, I would like this 2nd body to be the less precious, maybe bang-around. So the weather-sealing and durability of the 1D3 is interesting (but the Mp is so low and it seems made for sports, which I don't do)

I think I'd enjoy my 70-200, and Rokkor 58 on a 1.6 crop body from time to time. Certainly not my 3 Zeiss's (it would move the FL to bad lengths for me), and certainly not the 16-35. The 1.3x crop MIGHT be OK with a couple more lenses.

I wouldn't like my "daily" Contax zoom on a 7D (or I suppose the 1D3) very much. I'd lose all the wide end. On the crop bodies, even the 16-35 isn't long enough (although the 16mm end would work FAIRLY well).

I've never had a crop sensor body before, and frankly, they scare me (ultimate quality-wise). The 7D seems to be made for video, which I'll never do.

I have a 5D MkII and a 7D. I love using that combo and although the 5d handles high ISO slightly better, overall IQ at less than 800 ISO is virtually indistinguishable.

If your really are a FF snob as you claim, you could always find a broken down Canon and pick up a second 5D MkII from the loyalty program.

.

Oh yeah, I thought about that before. My 5D sold from Amazon Marketplace a month after I posted it -- selling was sort of a sudden event.

Is the only way to get the loyalty program pricing to actually call Canon? So, what kind of pricing can be had?

I was just about to write that maybe the 7D would be OK for me as emergency backup, and good primarily for my wife and daughter.

I am fighting with this decision myself and I had a 7d but as much as I liked it I love my 5d2 better.

My lenses are more in order for a FF camera but you never want to get caught without a second body, so the decision I came to is a second 5d2 which I will be ordering from canon loyalty program where they are going for $1600.

The reasoning that swayed me to just get the 5d2 was thinking I really love my 5d2 and if I get a 7d and I'm out shooting will I think man would I get a better shot with my 5d right now with this lense.

I would put my vote in for a 1D3 as well. You can pick them up used in that price range. I had a 7D and wasn't as happy with it as I was my 1D3. The only reason I sold my 1D3 was because I bought the 1D4.