WARNING!! Long story ahead!
I'm in between cameras at the moment. I sold my 1Ds about 5 days before the 5D became official, I'd believed the rumours and hence got a far better price than a week later! I've been surviving on the 10D in the meantime as I wait to buy my next camera, a I'm out of action due to an operation on my right foot until mid December, I've let the cash sit in the bank so as to get the best price on the 5D. To date waiting has paid off, the 5D has dropped in price by ~£600 (over $1000) here in the UK from when it first became available apparently due to slow sales.
I'm not looking to start a Canon/Nikon war, those who know me know that I'm not a troll. When I first expressed interest in the 5D several respected members of this board forced me to be open minded and to consider the D2X as well. Dragged kicking and screaming I actually tried my best to be open minded and worked it out.
To say that modern pro level cameras have little between them in the way of differences would, I think, be an honest statement. Certainly the top Canon and Nikon cameras are both extremely fine picture making machines. Compared to pro cameras of 20 years ago, either camera would be better than the wildest Sci-Fi dreams of pros then (OK they are far heavier ).
The main difference for me between the Nikon and the Canon was the Full Frame (35mm) sensor. Canon has no fast 'pro' normal zoom for the crop sensor cameras, the 16-35 is too short, the 17-40 also short and slow. This was the main reason I went FF with the 1Ds, I wanted the 24-70 focal length in a 'L' zoom. The Nikon however has the extremely good 17-55AFS which is both pro and fast but more importantly covers the required focal length. The 12-24 f4 would be available should I need super wide, and has had excellent reviews.
In the end and at the time the economics of changing my legacy lenses and flashes to Nikon outweighed the pro build advantages the D2X has over the 5D. I put in my order for the 5D. The initial reviews made me happy enough with my choice and I still had the money squirreled away.
Then Nikon announces the D200. In the meantime I've found out that my two Metz 54 MZ-3 flashes are not fully supported with ETTL II on the 5D. I need two new flashes. I use both TTL and auto flash and other than the Metz, no other such flash exists for canon save the horribly expensive, huge and heavy Quantam 5D.
But Nikon has an auto sensor in the SB-800.
Added to that, the D200 seems to be rather more 'camera' in it's build and features than the 5D. Weather Sealing, MLU switch, AI Servo switch, far better AF point spacing, built in grid, faster frame count, double battery life. If the AF is similar to the D2X then for low light it will beat the 5D and 1Ds. Oh and did I mention that it will retail at list price of £1300 while the 5D still costs £2375 street. Yes it has less megapixels but the D2X gives the 1Ds mkII a run for it's money apparently and I don't print bigger than 18X12". I also don't shoot over iso 500 often and remember that I'm used to, and mentally benchmark by 1Ds with it's horrible noise so I'm not spoiled.
When I worked out the economics, I could sell my canon gear and the two Metz's, buy a D200, 17-55AFS, 70-200VR, 50 1.4, cable release, 2X SB-800 and still have enough money to buy a D70 as backup. That becomes a powerful argument, one camera and lenses with no working flashes vs two cameras with 2 flashes. Yes I have more DOF than I like but the fast prime as a portrait lens plus two f2.8 zooms should be good enough.
On the flip side, I know canon, I know nothing about Nikon, there would be a considerable learning curve. I would not get the Nikon until late December though I still have a 10D to keep me going. I lose a couple of megapixels (the 1Ds had all the resolution I needed) and I lose the better high iso noise that the 5D would have given me.
The 5D's price has since dropped in the UK (£1991 at Jessops) and will probably drop further when the D200 comes out. I don't think that it was a coincidence that the biggest price drop coincided with the announcment of pre-orders for the D200 at £1250. The 24-105L with its IS is probably the biggest thing holding me back to the canon camp, not for landscapes, I only shoot on a tripod, but for weddings which is where I earn my bread, that lens is extremely attractive. I have an 85 1.8 for shallow DOF stuff.
There is a lot of speculation as to whether the replacement for the 20D, in having to 'one-up' the D200, will be better features wise than the 5D in every way save FF, and whether or not that will push the mid-level FF DSLR into a niche market. That is not what interests me. I'm wondering if these two cameras are making other pros go 'Hmmmm'.........
