A Hands-On Field Report = 5D

[maxim]

hi richard

thanks for a good and fair writeup

although i would like more details like shutter lag etc
( measurements or otherwise )
it does review the camera from the users' perspective
Thats the kind of review we need
( you are one lucky @!#% to get to field test cameras like this  )


so, viewfinder, fullframe, user prog ( or something )
are the main advantages of the 5D over the 20D......
maybe battery life too..

what really got me thinking as i read the article is that
you REALLY like that 75-300 DO IS lens......this there somewhere that you post more pics from your trip to athen???

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE shots with 75-300 DO
( i have seen the bangaladesh article   )

[Jonathan Wienke]

Who is Richard? The primary author of this site's content is Michael Reichmann.

[maxim]

Who is Richard? The primary author of this site's content is Michael Reichmann.

oops

i mean richmen....riechmann

If you look at the photographs which I took in Bangladsh last January you'll see that most of them were with this lens as well.

It's advantages for travel are that it's light weight and small. Optical quality suffers, but there are many shooing situations where a larger lens simply couldn't be be used due to cultural issues, and simple size and weight.

I'd much rather have a shot, even if it's a bit soft, than no shot at all.

Michael

[Mark Rogers]

Michael,

I too would like to add my thanks for a sensible and balanced review of using the new 5D.

Regards

Mark

[copious_ken]

Hi Michael.  Very informative and helpful review.  Thank you very much.

Did you have the chance to try out any of the different focusing screens with the 5D?  I figure you did not or you would have written about it, but I figure it can't hurt to ask.   One issue I have with my 10D is the fact that I find it very difficult to manually focus.  I miss the manual focusing aids in my old film camera, though it is not often that I need it since autofucus works so well these days.

Thanks again.

No, none were supplied.

I like grid screens, and look forward to using one on the 5D.

As for AF / MF, I usually set the camera so that the rear star button sets autofocus, and also set the camera so that it just uses the single center spot (unless there's action going on). Used this way I then don't have to worry about the camera focusing on the wrong thing, and I find that it almost always does a better job of hitting correct focus than I can by eye.

Michael

[copious_ken]

Hi Michael.  I actually do the exact same thing.  It works very well.  I guess the primary situation where I need manual focus is when shooting macros.  Autofocus sometimes doesn't work (or doesn't work well) in this situation, and with the slight depth of field it becomes very critcal to manual focus accurately.  Not sure if the screens will even help in this situation, but was looking for some better solution.

I would be interested in a grid screen as well for Landscapes.  Are these screens easily interchangeable?  Are there any downsides to using these screens?  I have read some things about the screens reducing in coming light, as well as hampering autofucus, but people may just be talking about 3rd party screens in this regard.

Thanks again.

[jimkahnw]

Could Canon be developing full frame cameras to enhance it's lens sales? Now that I've invested in short zooms, and the 10-22 for the 1.6x sensor, I'll have to buy full frame lenses to use the new cameras! I'm a Nikon convert and have no legacy Canon lenses. Nikon has stated it's continued committment to the APS size sensor and I have dutifully purchased the appropriate glass. But with no replacement for the D100, I bought the 20D. Where do we go from here?

[jani]

Could Canon be developing full frame cameras to enhance it's lens sales? Now that I've invested in short zooms, and the 10-22 for the 1.6x sensor, I'll have to buy full frame lenses to use the new cameras! I'm a Nikon convert and have no legacy Canon lenses. Nikon has stated it's continued committment to the APS size sensor and I have dutifully purchased the appropriate glass. But with no replacement for the D100, I bought the 20D. Where do we go from here?

You realise that your question is almost identical to those raised when Canon introduced the EF-S system?

That it was to increase lens sales?  

[boku]

Could Canon be developing full frame cameras to enhance it's lens sales? Now that I've invested in short zooms, and the 10-22 for the 1.6x sensor, I'll have to buy full frame lenses to use the new cameras! I'm a Nikon convert and have no legacy Canon lenses. Nikon has stated it's continued committment to the APS size sensor and I have dutifully purchased the appropriate glass. But with no replacement for the D100, I bought the 20D. Where do we go from here?

You realise that your question is almost identical to those raised when Canon introduced the EF-S system?

That it was to increase lens sales?  

And it did - from my viewpoint! I acquired a 10-22 and a 17-85 IS.

If I get the 5D, I will be springing for a 400. Even if I dump the 20D and sell the EF-S lenses at fair market price, Canon still made the original sale!

[jd1566]

The 5D is now sitting where the D30 was in 2000.. Same price.. similar breakthrough.. By that comparison we should be able to buy a 2D in 5 years time for $1300... :-)

Sorry about the EF-S lenses... I bought a 10-22 10 days before the 5D was announced, shot a wedding and it's now on the block waiting for a new owner..