Canon 350D or KM 5D

[Eyesthruthelens]

Hi,
I've been eyeing on the 350D for a while.. until this new camera from KM 5D arrived last month..
With better pricing.. antishake build in the body.. it seem to be a better buy..

Anyone from Canon forum can give me a good reason on why I should stick to 350D.. and not to KM 5D..
I'm looking for DSLF that has good performance on noise level at high ISO and must be light.. (that is why Nikon DSLR is out..)
I prefer Canon colors as compare to Nikon.. from review read, seem like KM color is more towards to Canon..

[majere2sg]

Originally Posted by Eyesthruthelens Hi, I've been eyeing on the 350D for a while.. until this new camera from KM 5D arrived last month.. With better pricing.. antishake build in the body.. it seem to be a better buy.. Anyone from Canon forum can give me a good reason on why I should stick to 350D.. and not to KM 5D.. I'm looking for DSLF that has good performance on noise level at high ISO and must be light.. (that is why Nikon DSLR is out..) I prefer Canon colors as compare to Nikon.. from review read, seem like KM color is more towards to Canon..

Yes the Canon definitely has good performance at high ISO. Not too sure abt KM 5D performance. It is indeed a good buy for the AS feature and the cheaper pricing. Why not look at the system as the whole, the amount and quality of lens/accessories each system is offering ?

[Thermalcoil]

the KM5D promotion with additional sgd99 for 1gb CF and a 75-300mm sure is tempting..

[dEthANGeL]

The KM5D is a good choice *canon users please don't bash me * ...though lower Mpixel count ... the build of the camera is better than the 350D.

But the problem lies in the lenses. Minolta lenses are rarely found in shops and you have to place an order or go 3rd party.

[Eyesthruthelens]

Originally Posted by dEthANGeL But the problem lies in the lenses. Minolta lenses are rarely found in shops and you have to place an order or go 3rd party.

Is this really a big problem.. I've seen Canon or Nikon users going for 3rd party lens as well.. Leica.. Tamron.. etc.

[Xing]

For the 2.5" LCD monitor and anti-shake technology, its a worthy buy I'm quite tempted myself. The kit lens looks pretty impressive too, in terms of reach 18-70mm. ISO sensitivity up to 3200, but performance not sure (compromised by the anti-shake).

However, its only 6-mega pix compared to Canon's 8-mega pix.

If you have no "legacy" system to begin with, why not give this a try

[dEthANGeL]

Originally Posted by Eyesthruthelens Is this really a big problem.. I've seen Canon or Nikon users going for 3rd party lens as well.. Leica.. Tamron.. etc.

It really depends on what you're shooting.

As for canon ... 3rd party lenses are little more expensive due to the nature of the focus switch on the lens rather than on the body. Canon has their L series of lenses (its a disease!! once you start.. you can't stop ) ... where they produce great colours even without image manipulation.

Don't get me wrong, but 3rd party lenses are also able to produce almost as good or even better results eg. Tamron 90mm Di F2.8 Macro or a good copy of the 70-200 Sigma F2.8

[jeff49er]

The 350D is made of plastic but it is solid plastic - this is a pleasant surprise to me. Coupled with the grip, it fits snugly into my hands. It is a compact camera and weight wont wear you down over the hours.

SInce I have canon lenses so getting the 350D was an easy choice. If you have any canon lenses, it would cost u more to change system.

[Eyesthruthelens]

Originally Posted by Xing For the 2.5" LCD monitor and anti-shake technology, its a worthy buy I'm quite tempted myself. The kit lens looks pretty impressive too, in terms of reach 18-70mm. ISO sensitivity up to 3200, but performance not sure (compromised by the anti-shake). However, its only 6-mega pix compared to Canon's 8-mega pix. If you have no "legacy" system to begin with, why not give this a try

2.5" LCD monitor - largest LCD size for DSLR.. but I think the resolution not as high as KM7D.. wonder if it makes any different when viewing..

[Zplus]

I agree with dEthANGeL that the KM 5D is a good camera. The AS function alone saves you a lot of money. Basically, the comex offer would equip you with a range of 18mm to 300mm with AS technology all the way.

If you check out canon's equivalent of AS, which is IS, you'd be spending much more. To get the equivalent you'd need to add a EF-S 17-85 IS and a EF 75-300 IS to the Canon 350D. These lens are not cheap and also not the best in canon's arsenal of lens.

But for Canon, you do get more lens selection and also more 3rd party lens options and also better noise control.

So you gotta consider and weigh the advantages of both systems.

Btw, I am a canon user.

[dEthANGeL]

Originally Posted by Eyesthruthelens 2.5" LCD monitor - largest LCD size for DSLR.. but I think the resolution not as high as KM7D.. wonder if it makes any different when viewing..

Suggest you give the KM 5D a run .. see whether you'll want the canon as the 350D's body isn't to everyone's liking especially so to some of us who prefer bigger bodies when we attach on big lenses.

Its a handling and stability issue i guess... no offence though ...

[goering]

Originally Posted by Eyesthruthelens Hi, this new camera from KM 5D arrived last month.. With better pricing.. antishake build in the body.. it seem to be a better buy.. Anyone from Canon forum can give me a good reason on why I should stick to 350D.. and not to KM 5D..

The KM 5D is indeed a better buy in terms of value.

But if you are asking for advantages of going for the 350D then

a) Buying dslr means buying into a system. Buying the body/kit lens is only the beginning. Besides the kit lens, you'll need more lenses and accessories later. That is where Canon has an advantage. It has a very wide selection of lenses. Moreover, for Canon, it's much easier to get lenses and accessories 2nd hand whereas for KM, in all probability you'll have to get them new. The resulting savings can be quite substantial

b) Since you like it to be light, the 350d is lighter and smaller. You can add the grip later if you want

c) The 350d has 8MP vs KM's 6 MP. While 2 MP isn't a lot, it's still 2 MP and will be useful for cropping and enlargements.

d) I believe the 350d has better noise although I can't be sure of this

e) You can be a member of the Canongraphers . OK I've run out of reasons, so this was just half in jest

[Russ]

Think resale value will not be as good for KM.

When Minolta was making film cameras they had a decent market share after Canon and Nikon (along with Pentax, Yashica/Contax et al). But with DSLRs, Canon and Nikon are still leaders with KM a long way behind - the gap is much bigger than in the film days.

Can they catch up?
Can they get enough critical mass so that they can be competitive and survive? Esp if they have to price lower than C or N.
What happens to your system if they cannot survive?

With film, you just carry on shooting. With DSLRs, who knows? You may need to change the sensor - parts still available? You may want to upgrade - if KM stop DSLRs, you are stuck with a large lens investment that it hard to sell.

Just my 2 cents here - must think long term (i.e. say 5-10 years). I made the mistake of buying Sigma lenses for my EOS film cameras - I would have been financially better off with Canon EF - my 2 Sigmas saved my $200-300 compared to Canon, but now they are worthless and useless - with Canon, I can sell for much more or at least can use them.

[Eyesthruthelens]

All,
Thanks for the feedback.. just wonder, if Canon ISO noise performance is good at high ISO.. do we still need Antishake features??

BTW, KM5D can support ISO3200 (don't really know if noise level is acceptable) while 350D only for ISO1600..

[goering]

Originally Posted by Eyesthruthelens All, Thanks for the feedback.. just wonder, if Canon ISO noise performance is good at high ISO.. do we still need Antishake features?? BTW, KM5D can support ISO3200 (don't really know if noise level is acceptable) while 350D only for ISO1600..

good high-iso performance and antishake are two completely separate issues. both are desirable features to have.

good high-iso performance means less noisy pics. it allows you to use higher iso and hence buy more shutter speed while keeping the noise acceptable.

antishake compensates for handshake and other vibrations and thus allows you to take pics handheld at relatively low shutter speeds. take note antishake does not freeze motion so it is useless for stopping motion

However, these two features combined allow you to take handheld pics in dim lighting with acceptable noise performance

The KM 5d has the advantage of antishake in the camera - for Canon, you can still get antishake if you buy those lenses with IS (Img stabilisation). This is a much more expensive option but the advantage is that you can actually see the image being stabilised in the viewfinder. Moreover, it appears that having image stabilisation on the lens is more effective where it matetrs most - in the long telephoto lenses

[user111]

to be very frank, KM doesnt have much lenses for you to play with. EOS has a better range

[dragos]

more and different lens make photography fun...

[TMC]

A larger range doesnt necessary mean more fun in photography. KM is limited in SG but price wise is still comparable to Canon or Nikon. Most of the lens that you need are still available in the shops. If not can always ask any CSer who is making a trip to HK to get one for you.

[Xing]

If not KM lens, get 3rd party lens. I'm sure most CSers have their favourite 3rd party lens

[Eyesthruthelens]

All,
Thanks for the feedback..
today after work, I dropped by Comex and purchased KM5D..
I'm in the DARK side now...