400D to 5D

[theroo]

Hi

I dont really want to talk about the thought of the new 5DmkII or whatever, besides even if it did come out today i'd still probably buy the 5D due to price diff, but I'm wondering really about IQ and the thoughts of those who are using the 5D.

I'm current using a 400D, and i played around with the 40D and honestly besides the weight, and some other functions like 2sec timer, liveview, i dont really see an improved difference in IQ at all. Yes, the 40D is faster (but i don't do sports photography anyway) and has a wireless grip but i dont see the point in buying a brand new camera which quality wise, is so similar to my 400D (they have the same sensor after all).

So I'm toying with the idea (quite seriously) of getting a 5D - however, i realise the other investment I must take which is with L lenses. But the thought of FF photography and what i have seen in galleries etc of FF photography leaves me speechless sometimes.

In a way i suppose im answering my own question here, but im just looking for other comments from people who are using the 5D and just how much a difference it makes compared to a 400D/40D and honestly whether i should wait a couple more months in anticipation of the 5DmkII (though that's really a pointless issue since pple have been speculating and asking that question since last year already) given that the 5D is 3 years old, and the 40D apparently has comparable IQ (is this really possible?? how true is that)

Cheers

[lumin008]

I bought a 5D recently, having owned the 40D, 30D, 350D and 300D previously (as well as a number of Nikon and Fujifilm bodies).

There is a significant jump in IQ to had by moving to FF, but why do you need to buy L glass right now?

[theroo]

well i've heard that non L lenses do not do justice to the 5D due to the FF and that there is warping at the sides of the frame with non L lenses? Other than a 10-22 EFS lens, i use three other lenses very frequently which could be used on the 5D and all are not L lenses, a 28-135, 85 1.8, 35 2.0. I guess im worried that buying the 5D, i will render these lenses rather... defunct? How true is that?

anyway i realised that this debate of 40D versus 5D has been ongoing... whoops

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361501

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321101

but instead let's shift the topic to the lenses :P cos i realise FF is better, it's just whether you're willign to pay the extra for the FF>... which is all subjective anyway. im just sick and tired of the crap noise control in the 400D.

[Headshotzx]

Your primes are still very useable, just that they aren't *maxing* the potential of the 5D technically, but who cares if it isn't doing justice or not.

As with every other lens advice thread, we have to understand your shooting trends. You said you don't shoot sports right?

Here's the best of the best zooms (Trinity):

f/2.8 Trinity
16-35mm f/2.8L
24-70mm f/2.8L
70-200mm f/2.8L IS

f/4 Trinity
17-40mm f/4L
24-105mm f/4L
70-200mm f/4L IS

Non-L Primes still offer very good optics and give very sharp pictures. Your 85mm f/1.8 is one of them. Don't sell it or think it's not up to standard! Your 35mm f/2 is also *doable*, unless once you get the 5D and you complain about it.

I say, if you're going the way with primes, get a 50mm f/1.4 (~S$550) for the 'what you see is what you get' kind of lens. Your 28-135mm is still very usable. If your require a longer telephoto zoom, get the 70-200mm series (Any of the 4 variants will do, as they all offer great image quality).

What is your budget cap?

Cheers~

[theroo]

Originally Posted by Headshotzx Your primes are still very useable, just that they aren't *maxing* the potential of the 5D technically, but who cares if it isn't doing justice or not. As with every other lens advice thread, we have to understand your shooting trends. You said you don't shoot sports right? Here's the best of the best zooms (Trinity): f/2.8 Trinity 16-35mm f/2.8L 24-70mm f/2.8L 70-200mm f/2.8L IS f/4 Trinity 17-40mm f/4L 24-105mm f/4L 70-200mm f/4L IS Non-L Primes still offer very good optics and give very sharp pictures. Your 85mm f/1.8 is one of them. Don't sell it or think it's not up to standard! Your 35mm f/2 is also *doable*, unless once you get the 5D and you complain about it. I say, if you're going the way with primes, get a 50mm f/1.4 (~S$550) for the 'what you see is what you get' kind of lens. Your 28-135mm is still very usable. If your require a longer telephoto zoom, get the 70-200mm series (Any of the 4 variants will do, as they all offer great image quality). What is your budget cap? Cheers~

I do basically street/wedding photography style stuff.

My budget i guess, would be about 1K-1.5K for the first lens, I think once I get that i'll figure out where i want to go after , at least that's what happened with my 400D anyway. I suppose i could always play with the 28-135 first on the 5D and see if it does, or doesnt suit my needs. I think buying a 24-105L lens might be a bit pre-emptive?

Of cousre i would also like to stay to the low f-stop lenses. im a bit of a sucker for low DoF...


thanks for the reply, btw, realise this topic has been covered umpteen times over.. hah

[lumin008]

Originally Posted by theroo well i've heard that non L lenses do not do justice to the 5D due to the FF and that there is warping at the sides of the frame with non L lenses? Other than a 10-22 EFS lens, i use three other lenses very frequently which could be used on the 5D and all are not L lenses, a 28-135, 85 1.8, 35 2.0. I guess im worried that buying the 5D, i will render these lenses rather... defunct? How true is that? anyway i realised that this debate of 40D versus 5D has been ongoing... whoops http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361501 http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321101 but instead let's shift the topic to the lenses :P cos i realise FF is better, it's just whether you're willign to pay the extra for the FF>... which is all subjective anyway. im just sick and tired of the crap noise control in the 400D.

To a large degree you are right. You need good glass to make the most of the 5D, but good is not limited to just L lenses, as mentioned earlier. Certainly the primes you have in-hand will work well with the 5D.

[Headshotzx]

Do you have an external flash? The 5D doesn't have an inbuilt flash, so you'd need to get / use an external flashgun. I recommend a Speedlite 430EX or 580EXii if you don't have one.

For your lens though, you'll definitely want a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 prime, or maybe the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 that's just about to be released in stores (not sure when it's out).

So that'll set you back by about S$1k (430EX w/ stofen bounce + 50mm) or S$1.3k (580EXii w/ stofen bounce + 50mm). This is the best cost-effective way to go for now.
After that, depending on your shooting styles, you might want to get a 24-105 f/4IS or 24-70 f/2.8 and sell your 28-135 since you keep talking about just 'playing around' with the 28-135mm.
And after that, you might want to check your shooting trends (wideangle vs telephoto) and get a 17-40 or 70-200 accordingly.

Do not worry about the slow f-stops because the 5D has rather good noise control, and couple it with a good external flash, you'll get clean images.

So, going the 50mm + ext flash way, it'll give you primes covering:

35mm
50mm
85mm

+ general purpose 28-135mm
+ External flash (Much needed at times)

You wouldn't need to any better than that for general street photography / weddings (comprehensive but not-too-good setup for basic wedding photog), so the shots will then be based on technique instead.

Hope this helps =)

[Garion]

Originally Posted by theroo I do basically street/wedding photography style stuff. My budget i guess, would be about 1K-1.5K for the first lens, I think once I get that i'll figure out where i want to go after , at least that's what happened with my 400D anyway. I suppose i could always play with the 28-135 first on the 5D and see if it does, or doesnt suit my needs. I think buying a 24-105L lens might be a bit pre-emptive? Of cousre i would also like to stay to the low f-stop lenses. im a bit of a sucker for low DoF... thanks for the reply, btw, realise this topic has been covered umpteen times over.. hah

For budget of 1k-1.5k, and given you like low f-stop and low DOF lenses, I'd advise to keep your current primes and add the following fast primes to complement your setup for FF:

50mm f1.4
135mm f2L

So basically you're covered from 35mm till 135mm, these lenses are all reasonably fast and give good to excellent IQ, you can prolly dump your EF-S 10-22 in future and go for a 17-40L or 16-35L, when you have more funds available.

Just my 2 cts.

[Headshotzx]

Originally Posted by Garion For budget of 1k-1.5k, and given you like low f-stop and low DOF lenses, I'd advise to keep your current primes and add the following fast primes to complement your setup for FF: 50mm f1.4 135mm f2L So basically you're covered from 35mm till 135mm, these lenses are all reasonably fast and give good to excellent IQ, you can prolly dump your EF-S 10-22 in future and go for a 17-40L or 16-35L, when you have more funds available. Just my 2 cts.

Can't agree anymore. It might seem just a bit trouble some for you to constantly keep changing lenses from time to time (it is to me), but that's the best way to go. 50mm + 135mm will set you back almost exactly 1.5k.

[antacid]

your lenses are good enough with the 5D. no real "need" to buy any L lenses.

i'm using the same primes you have on the 5D, together with the 24/2.8 and 50/1.8. shiokness. the improvements in image quality you get over the 40d is well worth the cost already.

personally, i only buy L lenses when i need the focal length combination and aperture. not because it's an L. my hobbies are too expensive for that sort of "L"uxury!

[HelloSeattle]

Hello joseph Ian here! 5D MK II is about 7000plus i think, the only reason i would get that is because of the ff and liveview! You got to love it man!

[IsenGrim]

Originally Posted by HelloSeattle Hello joseph Ian here! 5D MK II is about 7000plus i think, the only reason i would get that is because of the ff and liveview! You got to love it man!

still living the dream, i guess.

I agree with the pointers to get the 50f1.4 and the 135f2, i think your 28-135 is a good workhorse for your general walk about. when you have more spare cash, den think about upgrading from there. if u get a similar range L glass like th 24-105, the IQ upgrade and your increase in options wont be more than if you got the 2 primes.

[theroo]

haha. ... hi ian :P 7K? i dont think so. maybe 4-4.5k but i doubt it'll go above 5.

everyone else, thanks for all the advice, very much appreciated. I already use the 580EXII flash so no worries about spending the extra money on that.

i am, however, worried about the number of primes that i may be accumulating! though i suppose the advice was dispensed based on my love of low f-stop lenses :P in any case, im not sure how wise it would be to cover wedding photography solely on prime lenses, though of course i have seen it done before, but at least one variable focal length quality lens may be in order, as opposed to a couple of primes... so maybe a 24-105L and then one prime (135L?) though looking at the prices that may set me back more than 1.5K... heh.

thanks for all the advice though.

[cheezycool]

wow joey! upgrading to FF alredi? steady la, go for it!

[theroo]

Originally Posted by cheezycool wow joey! upgrading to FF alredi? steady la, go for it!

haha cheez you're here too eh.

yeah, tired of 400D, and i think 40D may not be worth the jump, so 5D sia! :P

[spartacus.ret]

better IQ on the 5D? yes.

regarding the lenses, i would say get the body first, then decide on what lenses to buy depending on your need. you'll know what you need as you go along.

[HelloSeattle]

Ya the 24-105 is very sharp, a very good lens to get! If not 24-70 canon f2.8 COMFIRM WONT REGRET! But it will just leave your wallet burnt with a hole. Come my shop see!

[HelloSeattle]

Yeah living the dream is good But i dont think it's much of a use for liveview. If the 5dmII is gonna be about 6k, no point buying! Get nikon D3 7200++

[cheezycool]

Originally Posted by theroo haha cheez you're here too eh. yeah, tired of 400D, and i think 40D may not be worth the jump, so 5D sia! :P

yeah no point getting the 40D unless u wanna hv a machine gun to shoot

but then, 5D is really a huge jump (in price, obviously).. and the lenses will be another issue

so if you can afford it, can liao

[Jupiter]

I upgraded from 350D to a 5D last year, and bought 40D and 400D as backups.
The IQ of FF is good, but seriously 400D or 40D with good lenses produces good results too.
Lenses are still the most important!