Photo quality differences with different camera bodies?

[superdave]

If I plan to shoot in full-manual, will there be a difference in photo quality between using a lower-end Canon SLR body such as the EOS Rebel GII and a higher-end EOS-3 body, assuming that I use the same, good quality EF lens on both?

Thanks for any advise....

 

[sehsuan]

only the ergonomics, weight (aka stability) will matter. for some bodies, there may or may not be a particular metering, and/or focussing mode.

 

[Ah Pao]

Photo quality? Strictly no difference. Both in essence are just light-proof boxes with a shutter mechanism.

The difference between different classes of SLR bodies lies in (what Sehsuan has mentioned above) the handling and response. Eventually it does not degrade nor will enhance your picture quality (unless, say, you need to take that 1/4000s shot that low-end gear cannot handle).

Speaking of that, the choice of lens will make a noticable difference in your picture quality instead.

Lastly, it's the eye behind the viewfinder that will make all the difference.

 

[ST1100]

The lowest end bodies have lower QC, and you are more like to end up with random issues that may affect picture quality: unwanted film curvature, shutter speed not so accurate (affects exposure), etc. i believe the middle-range cameras ($400-$800?) should be a safer bet than the absolute cheapest bodies.

Other small things can indirectly affect picture quality: in full manual, a 100% viewfinder helps, as well as having a real prism instead of a mirror-prism; for landscapes, having mirror lockup helps when the mirror damping mechanism is shoddy. (Won't mention AF, since you already specified manual focus.)

Oh yes, the metering: i've used a midrange (EOS 50) body and a higher end (EOS 3) body before - the higher end body has much better metering in a wider variety of situations, esp backlit photos. Of course, if you meter manually/externally, then it doesn't matter. The EOS 3 also has spot metering, which gives more control for manual metering.

 

[justdoit]

Other features that differentiate high end and mid/low range camera body is flash sync speed, maximum shutter speed which could be crucial when taking photo in a bright environment or when you need freeze the action.
TTL for more accurate flash exposure.
and other good-to-have features like multi-exposure, AE lock, AF lock, weather proof, prism brightness, build quality.

Sadly speaking, having all these features can cost you a lot.

 

[Ian]

If I plan to shoot in full-manual, will there be a difference in photo quality between using a lower-end Canon SLR body such as the EOS Rebel GII and a higher-end EOS-3 body, assuming that I use the same, good quality EF lens on both?

Thanks for any advise....

Apart from the metering and flash control issues discussed by others in this thread there are a few major issues that should also be taken in to account:

1) Camera shake/vibration
2) Mirror slap
3) Shutter bounce.

All three are directly related to the quality and weight of a camera and it's shutter and mirror system. Cheaper cameras tend to have elevated levels of internal vibration, mirror slap and shutter bounce. These can cause noticable degradation to image quality under critical conditions. Sadly the methods employed to reduce these three factors are expensive to implement and generally speaking higher priced bodies have lower levels of each than a cheaper body.