Canon 5D VS 30D For Sports Photography

[Killer Angel]

Between the Canon EOS 5D and EOS 30D,which camera is better for sports photography?And why?
THANKS.

[wood]

1 - 5D

2 - Quality


Wood

[BernardLanguillier]

You might also want to consider second hand 1DII that should be cheap as soon as the 1DIII becomes available.

Cheers,
Bernard

[MikeMike]

I would have to say the 30D. You get 5 frames per second and also have the 1.6x multiplication factor which is important in sports because no matter what lense you have, its never long enough  

Hope this helps:)
Mike

[CatOne]

What sports?

The 5D, at 3 FPS, is pretty slow for sports.  That's not its forte -- it's a landscape camera.

The 30D does 5 FPS so it would be better.

But, frankly, I strongly echo the other comment about getting a used 1D mark II.  I have one -- its autofocus will blow both of those out of the water.  It's not even a fair fight, and it does 8 FPS.  If you want sports, the 1D mark II is the best camera in the world at it.  Well... until the 1D mark III ships, that is :-)

[elkhornsun]

Consider for a moment that the camera that Canon makes for the professional sportshooter is the Mark II which is a fast APS-H sensor camera. Having the crop of the APS sensor is a plus. With the 30D a 300mm f2.8 lens has the picture angle of a 480mm f2.8 lens which is great for sports photography.

A used Mark II should be a good buy and worth considering. With the Mark II N out and the Mark III about to be released, prices for the Mark II should be falling.

FF buys you nothing with sports photography. Yes the 5D has low noise but that is a function of the CMOS sensor and Digic II processor. The Mark III according to Canon will produce 50% less noise than the Mark II N and that puts it right alongside the 5D in that regard and it does it without FF, just the new CMOS sensor and dual Digic III processors.

[Mac1z]

Hello all. New member here, thought this would be a good place for a first post.

I shoot mostly sports from D1 college hockey to Little League baseball (I'd shoot 2 ants wrestling for bread crumbs if they were competitive). I use a Mark II N and a 30D.  My answer to this question, if the 5D and 30D were my only options, would be the 30D. Speed would be my main reason but if I did not have the lenses I have the 1.6x conversion factor would also be another reason.

But, I agree with what others here have advised. Get a Mark II. A Canon refurbished 1D Mark II would cost significantly less than a 5D and would outperform a 30D by a mile. My 30D will be retired in May when the Mark III shows up and if the Mark III was never developed I would already have replaced the 30D with the 1D Mark II.

Mac

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I agree with the other posters here. I have (and love dearly) a 5D, but I use it mostly for landscapes. As a sport camera it might be good for turtle races, but not much else. Between the 30D and the 5D I would certainly choose the 30D. And if price were no object, I'd get the new 1DIII.