Camera upgrade – Canon style

[U-Man]

I’m presently using a Canon 20D and I’m happy with it. Of my four lenses (17-85, 70-300, 100 macro and 50) only the 17-85 is an EF-S.

I’m an amateur who is gaining experience and knowledge. I’m interested in learning more about photography in general, but life is busy and I’d rather take photos with my ‘camera time’ than learn more about how to use it.

I’m pretty comfortable with the ol’ 20D but I’ve got an itch for something new and better. I’ve been eyeballing the 5D and 40D. I don’t know if the Mark III is right for me. It may be like putting grandma behind the wheel of a Ferrari.

If you were me, what would you do if cost wasn’t an issue? How about if cost was moderately important? I was getting geared up to buy a 5D and the guy at the camera store thought that the 40D was an overall better camera. dpreview compares the 5D to the 20D and the 40D to the 30D but it doesn’t compare the 5D to the 40D.

Is the 5D replacement coming out soon? Will it be everything the 40D is plus full frame 16 megapix?

Should I just say screw it and get a Mark III 1Ds?

Desicions, decisions. I’m going to go outside and take some pics.

[Analogy]

Lenses and lighting will make a far greater difference to your photography than a new body will. Take what you’d spend on a 5D and buy some L glass and a couple strobes. Unless you’re making money at this, you don’t need anything fancier than your 20D.

[schnee]

If cost weren’t an issue, the Mark III 1Ds is the way to go. Just stay away from staplermofo.

Unknown about the ‘5D mark II’.

At this point, unless you have a very specific need for a new body (e.g. big print size) or you just really want to get a new body, I echo what Analogy said. Get some L lenses and move your light off-camera.

[staplermofo]

If money is no object, get a eleventy billion megapixel Leaf back and a Mamiya. Buy out Leica, Hasselblad, Canon, etc, and tell them to all work together, exclusively for your camera. Screw lighting, bribe the photons en masse to go where you tell them. You can bribe the physics police to look the other way.
When you’ve done that, then come to me. I have delicious, photogenic cake for you.

[Elsinore]

The good points about lenses and lighting aside, if you really want to upgrade your camera body, I think the real question would be whether wide angle or telephoto is more important to you. If you shoot more wide angle, then a full frame camera might be better, but if you like telephoto, the 40D is going to give you more on the long end.

The 5D is due to be replaced sometime soon (I’d guess this fall), and I’m kind of wondering if they’ll do something like Nikon did with their full frame where they allow you to mount EF-S lenses but automatically crop down to the smaller crop-factor sensor for those lenses. The Mark III 1Ds is sexy, but might be a little overkill if you aren’t a pro. But hey, if money’s truly no object, who cares?

If you go full frame, however, consider the glass you have and/or intend to get. The crop bodies use the sweet spot of regular EF/EF equivalent lenses, so if the lens you’re using has lower performance at the edges, you don’t see it. But mount that same lens on a full frame, and you might see more vignetting or edge softness if the lens you’re using is prone to those problems.

Just random food for thought…

[Analogy]

Oh, and if money is truly no object, get a Hasselblad. The sensor’s about twice the area of full-frame 35mm. Of course the body alone will set you back $25k, but money’s no object, right?

But just remember above all that it’s not the gear, it’s the person driving. Hasselblad or Digital Rebel, your pictures will come out looking about the same.

[U-Man]

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Wow. People took that “if cost was not an issue” thing and ran with it. I particularly like ‘mofo’s suggestion of bribing the photons.

But, of course, price is an issue. If it wasn’t, I’d just go buy a bunch of stuff and if I didn’t like it give it to the kids to play with.

I spent too much time today cruising around the net – reading conflicting reviews, checking prices, reading more reviews, adding pages to my favorites etc. I’ve come to one conclusion. I like the Canon 10-22 f/3.5-4.5. Beyond that…I don’t know.

I don’t need any of the stuff I looked at today. I know that. I just want it. Given that recognition, I’ll probably let it bounce around in my head for a month or two before doing anything. Maybe I’ll sit on the fence long enough for the new 5D to come out.

What I got from your comments…lighting and glass. As far as the other ‘suggestions’, I smiled.

[XenPix]

I have a similar dilemma regarding whether I should upgrade my 400D to a 40D. And then I get all bogged down in whether or not there really IS any difference that matters, and how I shot perfectly fine pics on my A70, and then start looking at lenses and lighting. End up all confused and give up. 🙂

Although I think I might stretch to a macro coupler, and try to stop getting camerabody envy.

[Killerclaw]

I have a similar dilemma regarding whether I should upgrade my 400D to a 40D. And then I get all bogged down in whether or not there really IS any difference that matters, and how I shot perfectly fine pics on my A70, and then start looking at lenses and lighting. End up all confused and give up. 🙂

Although I think I might stretch to a macro coupler, and try to stop getting camerabody envy.

That’s cause the A70 is magic.

[FutherMucker]

Maybe I’ll sit on the fence long enough for the new 5D to come out.

I think that would be wise..It’s only a matter of time before Canon & Nikon incorporate IS into their bodies. The next full frame camera, I’m sure, will have the newer Digic III processor inside, and probably a few other bells…I like to read the latest PopPhoto reviews on the Canon & Nikon cameras. They make it WELL known that the newer bodies are still lacking built in IS…Let’s hope they take these hints….When the XSi comes out, I plan to buy one to have modified for IR so I can take advantage of my wide glass.. They’re supposed to ship this month..Groovy !

[Analogy]

It’s only a matter of time before Canon & Nikon incorporate IS into their bodies.

Not really. Keeping IS in the lens allows the stabilization to be tuned for the characteristics of that particular lens.

The next full frame camera, I’m sure, will have the newer Digic III processor inside, and probably a few other bells…

It’ll probably be the same feature set as the 40D… Only in a fullframe.

[FutherMucker]

Not really. Keeping IS in the lens allows the stabilization to be tuned for the characteristics of that particular lens.

Sure….But several of my lenses would GREATLY benefit from an IS body:

To name a few: 100mm f2.8 macro, Tokina 12-24mm, Peleng 8mm Fisheye, 500mm mirror & MP-E 65mm macro.

Indeed, the next full frame camera from Canon will mimic the 40D, but if fps isn’t an issue, why splurge for that ?…..It’s really just HYPE…Yes ?..For all we know, the next Rebel will give us all that + 5fps.

[soosh]

you have the MP-E? I really really want one of those.

But honestly, IS isn’t going to help you that much with serious macro. For detail in close, IS isn’t going to be good enough to make the difference. I turn off IS on my 100-400 when it’s on a tripod, because the image is sharper without it.

[FutherMucker]

you have the MP-E? I really really want one of those.

But honestly, IS isn’t going to help you that much with serious macro. For detail in close, IS isn’t going to be good enough to make the difference. I turn off IS on my 100-400 when it’s on a tripod, because the image is sharper without it.

You’re supposed to turn off IS when using a tripod…That’s a given, dude….Yes, I have the MP-E…It’s a freak of nature, and Nikon has yet to match it !…With a ring flash at the end of it, nothing compares !…..Check out this tiny jumper ready to launch from an expired/abandoned wasp nest.

[soosh]

but see, IS won’t help with a moving subject. It can only compensate for camera movement.

[Author]

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