Advice on a Canon 5D Mark II

[toxic]

Let's say i have a SLR with a 1.6x factor. You have a FF sensor, or even a film camera (same difference). I have a 600mm lens, as do you. We are rich, I know. Now, we are shooting wildlife, for National Geographic, while we are at it. The lens/body combo I have will have a longer reach than you will. Yes, it is cropped in camera, no? I have read lots of stories where wildlife photogs sometimes will prefer the crop factor of the xxD series over the 1D series, as it is crop 1.3, thus having more "reach". I think we are talking about the same thing, but you are scientifically saying the same thing i am. A 50D "crop" out the edges of a scene, where as the 5D wont. Just look at the diagram on the right side of the link

yes, but you have to keep in mind that the focal length does not change between formats. a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens on large format, medium format, 35mm, or APS. the only difference is the angle of view.

the reason why cropped sensors are thought of as having more "reach" is because they generally put more pixels in the same area - a 50D has 15MP over its sensor area, but a 5DII only has 8MP over the same area. you also don't have to crop all your images to make the subject larger, since it's already been "cropped" by the camera.

 

[jake.f]

I have to say go the 5D MKII. Seeing as you have good lenses and its FF. Also ive seen a 1D, and compared to a 5D MKII with a battery grip they are massive and bulky.

^^Couldn't you just crop a picture taken with a 5 or 1D??? I mean the 5D MKII is 21 megapixels.

 

[JFreak]

^^Couldn't you just crop a picture taken with a 5 or 1D??? I mean the 5D MKII is 21 megapixels.

Yes, exactly.

And if you want to compare, then that 21 MP is roughly 21/1.6=13 MP which means it slightly outperforms 40D and then again 50D slightly outperforms 5Dm2

What this really means bigger sensor just captures more detail OUTSIDE the small sensor. That can be cropped away if you want to compare, and doesn't mean much if tele is what you're looking after; but if you want it wide, you struggle with crop sensors.

OP is doing weddings which most often are crowded with lots of people in small space. I'd want to get that wide angle in those situations, therefore full-framer would be a good choice.

 

[joro]

Thank you all again for all the comments, this thread has been quite the read. As mentioned in a previous post, I was leaning towards the 50D and getting another L Lens which is what I have decided to do at this point. I may invest in a full frame next year but for now I don’t think I’m going to see a noticeable improvement from what I can and already have done with the 50D. Plus, next year I’m sure the price of 5D Mark II will probably fall with any new Canon body releases which will make it a more profitable investment.

Thanks again for all the advice, I appreciate it!

 

[toxic]

Plus, next year I’m sure the price of 5D Mark II will probably fall with any new Canon body releases which will make it a more profitable investment.

unfortunately, i doubt it will until the MkIII comes out in 2-3 years.

 

[HBOC]

Usually Canon's product cycle is about 18 months for the xxD/rebel series. They usually release in August, and then February, 18months later. So I would expect something in a month or so...

The 5D, and 1D series of course have a longer shelf life. 3 years I think. So as someone mentioned, we wont see another 5D variation for 24 months, or another 1DS for quite sometime. Just pick up a 1DSMKII. They are less than what a 5D2 goes for.

 

[luminosity]

Thank you all again for all the comments, this thread has been quite the read. As mentioned in a previous post, I was leaning towards the 50D and getting another L Lens which is what I have decided to do at this point. I may invest in a full frame next year but for now I don’t think I’m going to see a noticeable improvement from what I can and already have done with the 50D. Plus, next year I’m sure the price of 5D Mark II will probably fall with any new Canon body releases which will make it a more profitable investment.

Thanks again for all the advice, I appreciate it!

I don't think you'll see the price of the 5D Mark II fall before late 2011 or so. It's already priced aggressively against the D700 and D3, and many believe that the reason it basically kept the same autofocus system is because otherwise, it would start to completely cannibalize sales from the 1Ds Mark III. It's more likely you'll see some kind of small price increase. The 5D still sold for over two thousand dollars early in 2008, three years after it was released.

While I've read people who prefer a crop sensor to full frame, they're far outnumbered by those who would never go back to a crop camera.

If you don't do much high ISO work, the 5D II may not shine for you the way it would if you do a lot of high ISO work, where the 50D just can't follow.

 

[jbernie]

I was leaning towards the 50D and getting another L Lens which is what I have decided to do at this point. I may invest in a full frame next year but for now I don’t think I’m going to see a noticeable improvement from what I can and already have done with the 50D.

Ultimately you are the man with the $$$ being spent, if people followed everything we said on here you would have two 1DmkIIIs by now...or even would have been converted to the dark side (Nikon)

You made a rational decision based on many factors and ultimately you only need to please yourself with your decision. Go for it.

Which L lens did you decide to get?

 

[joro]

Ultimately you are the man with the $$$ being spent, if people followed everything we said on here you would have two 1DmkIIIs by now...or even would have been converted to the dark side (Nikon)

You made a rational decision based on many factors and ultimately you only need to please yourself with your decision. Go for it.

Which L lens did you decide to get?

Thanks

In terms of the lens, I ended up getting the 17-40mm f/4 L. I have the 24-70mm f/2.8 L and I need something a tad bit wider. I figure I can't go wrong if I only buy L glass, it makes it a lot easier once I decide to spring for a full frame because I don't have to worry about shedding any EF-S lenses.

Plus, I ended up getting the 50D body, extra battery, battery grip, 2 8gb cards, and lenses for just shy of what I would have spent on the 5D II alone.

 

[FX120]

Thanks

In terms of the lens, I ended up getting the 17-40mm f/4 L. I have the 24-70mm f/2.8 L and I need something a tad bit wider. I figure I can't go wrong if I only buy L glass, it makes it a lot easier once I decide to spring for a full frame because I don't have to worry about shedding any EF-S lenses.

Plus, I ended up getting the 50D body, extra battery, battery grip, 2 8gb cards, and lenses for just shy of what I would have spent on the 5D II alone.

I am confused.

You bought a 17-40, because you needed something wider than your 24-70?

Maybe you should have just gone full frame , and ended up with a wider feild of view with your existing lens, while being faster, having better high ISO performance, better dynamic range, better SNR, and a much much higher resolution to work with in your captured images.

Sorry, but I really feel that it was a stupid move on your part to buy another 50D.

 

[joro]

I am confused.

You bought a 17-40, because you needed something wider than your 24-70?

Maybe you should have just gone full frame , and ended up with a wider feild of view with your existing lens, while being faster, having better high ISO performance, better dynamic range, better SNR, and a much much higher resolution to work with in your captured images.

Sorry, but I really feel that it was a stupid move on your part to buy another 50D.

Well everyone's entitled to their view.

Ultimately was my decision to make and I made what will be the best decision for my company at this point, I'm not ruling out a full frame - and I will eventually get one - but at the moment it wasn't right for me for a variety of reasons.

 

[sangosimo]

5dmk2 shoot video,full frame, and i a low light monster. The 50d is a 40d with more megapixels.

 

[luminosity]

Can't say I agree with this one either, though of course I respect it .

The 50D basically gives just a few things over the 40D:

Five more megapixels
Better viewscreen
AF fine tuning

That's really about all. Beyond that, the 40D beats it in terms of high ISO noise. A new 40D is among the best deals out there right now.

Getting a 17-40 gets you about marginally better wide coverage at a rather high price. Everything else in the range is redundant with your 24-70mm.

Overall, I don't really understand the move. If you want wide, I'd have gone more with a Tokina 11-16 or 12-24, both of which are outstanding pieces of glass, even if they're not "L" lenses, though the 11-16 would be, if Canon made it.

For moderate telephoto, the Tokina 50-135 has an excellent reputation, though of course it is an EF-S lens for Canon. Can't forget about primes either, as Canon has a host of those. The 24 1.4 and 35 1.4 are currently peerless lenses, as Nikon does not have equivalents at the moment.

Thinking about this more, it makes me feel like the 17-55 2.8 was the right choice for me on the Nikon side. Wide enough for most applications, but short enough to make my 85 1.8 all the more valuable. Of course, it cuts me off from full frame, but I'm sticking with my D300 for now.

At any rate, I think standing pat may not have been a bad idea.

 

[kentamcolin]

I shoot with a 5D and think it's a fantastic camera. The MK2 is even better, and although you may not buy it for the video capability you'll likely end up using it some just because you have it. I doubt you'll ever need to upgrade from the 5D. That camera along with you L series lenses and your set, period. Since $$ is not the issue, go for it.

 

[HBOC]

17-40 is considered wide on a crop, it is NOT UWA. The 24-70 is considered wide on a FF.

 

[Grimace]

The 17-40mm on a 50D will yield an effective 27.2mm focal length at the wide end, so yes, sticking with the already-owned 24-70 on a 5D would have gotten a wider field of view -- but let's keep in mind that he already made his decision and we should support him. When he does move to full-frame, he'll have a nice ultra-wide-angle lens. For now, it will just be a wide-angle on the 50D.

 

[Obsidian6]

I am shooting with the 5DmkII and a 40D right now. If I was shooting weddings I would absolutely want to have the 5D. Not just for the full-frame, but for the outstanding IQ. I've shot with so many different canons over the years and this one really is exceptional. I will however be buying another 1DmkIII when I get the chance. I greatly miss that camera. (I wouldn't mind having the 1DsmkIII either )

 

[akdj]

Same setup here Obsidian.

I am shooting a 5d2 and 40d. I shoot primarily weddings which made the 5d2 mandatory. I can never count a proper lighting, but I can always count on poor lighting it seems This 5d2 is a God-Send. The low light capability is unreal. I am in Alaska as well. 7 or 8 months of the year we're dealing with dark Couldn't be happier.