The advantages of a Canon 5d...?

[mollycusack]

I am a student studying photomedia, I currently have a Nikon but after playing with Canons, i want a canon.
the problem is, which canon? I am hoping to get a canon 2nd hand, and after speaking with professional photographers they seem to beleive the 5d is the way to go.
I was just wondering is there any advice or information anyone can provide for me regarding the canon 5d
Ta,
Molly

[marcmccalmont]

5D or 5DII?
Marc

[mollycusack]

um yeah now im confused, i don't know whether to get a 5d mark 1 or mark 2 now.... of course i am still only a student and i dont know whether to save up for the better one or if the mark 1 is all i will need at the moment

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I have the Mark I and I love it. Before the 5D I used a 10D (and before that various film cameras from 35mm to 8x10 for forty years), and I upgraded mainly to have an optical viewfinder that didn't seem like looking down a long tunnel.

My biggest complaint about the Mark I is that I need to dust off the sensor fairly frequently.

The Mark II, from what I've read, has a few main improvements over the Mark I:
   A way to vibrate the sensor to shake dust off it (that would go some way to solve the issue I mentioned above),
   More megapixels (nt enough more to make a huge difference, IMHO),
   Perhaps better weather-proofing (but I haven't had any problems with my Mark I, keeping it under a rain cover if it is raining hard), and
   "Live View" (which some people like a lot but which I have no use for).

90% of my shots these days are on the Mark I using a 24-105mm L Image Stabilized zoom lens. I think investing in a good L-series lens that includes the ranges you expect to use the most and finding a good Mark I will give you better results than a Mark II with a lesser quality lens. Just my two cents.

Eric

[JeanMichel]

Hi,

I agre with Eric's comments. I have a 5d2 which I find to be much better than my original 5d -- mainly because it does not collect dust, my 5d loved eating dust! I would not consider a 5d (mark 1) given the real advantages of dust reduction, live view, larger files... of the 5d2. Oh yes, allegedly the video capture is great, but i never use itjavascript:void(0);

Since you own a Nikon, and one or more Nikon lenses I presume, you should consider staying with that brand. That way you already have a backup camera and lenses.

If you find that a Canon fits better in your hand, save your money until you can buy a new or used 5d2, lenses, batteries, and so on. Until then use what you have.

Jean-Michel

[mollycusack]

hm, thankyou for your advice.
My nikon d40 at the moment is super basic and i don't have any extra lenses for it. I never understood lenses and so it is super super basic and i'm finding that its not doing what i need it to do for school purposes. i mean i could go out and get a awesome lens, but nikon d40 is still in need of an upgrade. plus, i have been assisting with a photographer who said he could lend me his canon lenses to practise with, so that was another advantage.
my issue is, i need a new camera soon. Im thinking of getting one next week in fact, and i have rang camera exchange in melbourne and it seems that you just dont get 2nd hand mk2s. however mk1 is there and is available for $1200 2nd hand, the body only. the 50mm 1.8 lens is $100 which is the lens i want.
so all up i can get the mk1 and lens for $1300 rather than going off and getting a brand new mk2 for $3,500. as im a student it seems that im still learning and maybe in my situation the mk1 would be the way to go, economically and plus once i hope to be a professional maybe i could upgrade then.
that is the direciton im leaning towards, however now you have brought to my attention this dust issue, i will need to learn how to fix that.
any extra advice or thoughts?

[stever]

you don't say what you need to do with the camera (which is typical of others asking similar questions) - makes a detailed response more difficult.

however, if you're thinking you'll use just the 50 1.8 (keep in mind that you'll need to stop down to f5.6 -11 for good edge quality - if you want to shoot larger apertures the 50 1.4 is a better choice) dust is not such an issue

a search on sensor cleaning will give you lots of info.  i have found that sensor swabs with Eclipse solution works best - good to blow out the camera first - if you buy used from a dealer, get them to clean the sensor and show you the technique

by US market the price sounds a slightly high - try to negotiate - nit-pick condition

a used 5D is far and away the best image qualty/$ you can buy

[mollycusack]

thank-you.
I would want to take mostly interior shots, shots of people inside, lifestyle type shots.
I want to try and shoot the type of image where the background is blurred out quite a bit and looks all soft and dreamy.
sorry i know that is really vague. So do you think the 5d mk1 and lens 50mm 1.4 will help capture this type of image?
if the pixel difference between the mk1 and mk2 dont make too much of a difference, then i may as well go the cheaper option, mk1 as i dont' need the camera for video either.
i will suss out the 2nd hand camera and get them the show me how to clean it, etc.
Thankyou for your help.

[marcmccalmont]

I had a 5DI and now a 5DII and Pentax K5 + 18-135mm
The Pentax has by far a better sensor than the 5D and a bit better than the 5DII
As a student buy a new Pentax K5 and a lens that suits your needs
apsc sized sensors mean you can find one zoom lens to fit your needs instead of 2
$1200 is too much for a used 5D
Marc

[stever]

marc, please define "better sensor"

for the use described, a full frame sensor and large aperture prime lens is required to obtain shallow depth of field - one reason that the 5D and 5D2 have been so popular with wedding photographers

the 1.4 is better than the 1.8, particularly at larger apertures

[Robcat]

I've had a 5d1 since they came out and also used a 5d2 a bit. If $ no object, go with the Mk2 but given you are a student and what you're shooting, the Mk1 will do everything you need. Agree with the 50 mm 1.4 vs 1.8. I pretty much leave my 24-70mm 2.8L on all the time (but again the $$) but borrow this from your friend .
Rob P

[hjulenissen]

however, if you're thinking you'll use just the 50 1.8 (keep in mind that you'll need to stop down to f5.6 -11 for good edge quality - if you want to shoot larger apertures the 50 1.4 is a better choice) dust is not such an issue

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/415-canon_50_18_ff?start=1
"The center performance is very acceptable at f/1.8 whereas the borders are relatively soft. There's also a lack of contrast at this setting. The quality increases continuously towards medium aperture settings. The lens achieves very good levels around f/4 and the excellent peak is reached at f/5.6. At f/8 there's already the usual (minor) decrease due to diffraction effects."

[Ken Bennett]

The Canon 5D Mark I and the 50/1.8 will be an excellent combination for a student learning photography. Don't worry about edge performance and megapixel count and better sensors -- just go out and shoot lots of photos. Then shoot more photos. Pay attention to the camera settings, but don't be a slave to equipment. Then shoot some more.

You'll eventually want some more lenses. There are plenty of good ones out there that will fit the 5D Mark I, and won't cost a lot. You don't need professional-level equipment when you are starting out as a student, on a student budget. After all, you are out shooting photos and not comparing edge pixels on an internet forum.

Good luck.