ZenShadow ([info]zenshadow) wrote,
@ 2005-10-23 13:00:00
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Current mood: calm
Current music:The Calling - Could It Be Any Harder

Another day, another new Canon
For anyone who's thinking about buying the new Canon EOS 5D, you should check out this review. It's got a tremendous amount of useful information (including one particular image that, for the first time that I've seen, visually explains the difference between APS and full-frame sensors.

My personal inclination, based on what I read in that review, is to skip the 5D and wait for the next generation (for reasons entirely aside from the fact that I just updated to the 20D to begin with).

Quite possibly the biggest surprise to me about the 5D is that it does not have a built-in flash (neither, it turns out, do any of the models in the 1D(s) line, near as I can tell -- something I didn't know until now). Until I get ready to do really and truly serious photography, that built-in flash will remain pretty useful to me, and would be sorely missed. I'm not a pro, and I don't want to have to lug my 420EX everywhere just in case I need to use a flash.

That said, the full-frame sensor would be really REALLY nice. But I really don't want to pick up yet another camera body -- not until the end of 2006 probably, unless Canon releases something miraculous. Gotta get some use out of the 20D, and may as well do it while they improve the cameras that much more...

--S


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[info]kcm
2005-10-23 01:25 pm UTC (link)
what do you need that the 20D (or for that matter, the 10D) doesn't give you? is it really holding your photography back to the point that $3-4k on a new body is worth the investment over making 10% on that money in the bank?

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(Anonymous)
2005-10-23 02:11 pm UTC (link)
Two things:

(a) increased resolution. The 5D doesn't quite meet what I want (the 1DsMk2 comes "close enough", but it's well beyond my price pain point). As I like to have poster-sized prints made, this matters a great deal and the 10/20D just aren't good enough to satisfy in this realm.

(b) If you've ever shot with a real 35mm camera, then you know exactly what the full-frame sensor represents. For one, you can actually handle real wide-angle photography without using a practically fish-eye lens. As I do a lot of landscape work, this is important to me. Actually, this is what I've wanted since the dawn of the DSLR. I'm just not willing to spend $8K on a body.... yet.

You can rest, however, safe in the knowledge that the 5D doesn't have what it takes, and my money is snug and unmolested in its home at the credit union.

BTW, please tell me where you're making 10%. BofA gives you half a point on regular accounts and one-and-a-half on the "interest maximizer account." I get slightly better with my credit union, but not by much.

--S

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Whoopsie.
[info]zenshadow
2005-10-23 02:11 pm UTC (link)
Thort I was logged in.

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[info]kcm
2005-10-23 02:27 pm UTC (link)
don't get me wrong, I don't mean to snark (but I did).

but, I see a LOT of people spending many thousands of dollars on equipment they really could do without .. or, I did, when I still read the dpreview forums (mostly when new bodies were in the wings ;) ). I HAVE to think that the marginal enjoyment or even financial benefit from the cash outlay cannot outweigh the necessity of putting $5k into a nice index fund somewhere and letting it sit for even a year or two. there's the answer to your question, too. :)

and yeah, I do remember FF from my 35mm SLRs. I miss it. but, my 10D will continue to work - sans AF slowness - until it really needs replacement at which time I hope FF 8MP bodies will be $1k or so. same thing with my car -- it's hard to find the balance between driving a $100 beater because who NEEDS any more and spending $800/mo on a nice new 6-Series.

shrug. noodling for thought. I've just been happier to see those digits in my investment accounts go up *for free* because I chose not to buy Yet Another Unneeded Toy.

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[info]zenshadow
2005-10-23 05:44 pm UTC (link)
No big thing. :-)

A year ago I probably would've bought the 5D without thinking about it (much as I did the 20D). My goals have changed since then though, so I'm not likely to spend on another DSLR body until the right one becomes available (which, based on what I've seen, is still at least a year or two away).

I also have virtually no living expenses right now, so the amount of "disposable" income I have is actually more than usual :-) I also have no debt (at least, I will after next week :-). The point of doing this was to save for a house, though, so I'm trying to be careful about what I spend my money on.

When Canon comes out with a reasonably priced (read: sub-$4K) FF DSLR with 20+MP resolution, then we'll be talking. :-) I would've at least considered the 5D, but 16MP is about my lower limit for a new purchase (and the lack of an internal flash kills it outright for what I like to do).

As an aside, I don't read dpreview regularly -- I came accross that while I was hunting for info on the 5D to see whether or not it was The One. :-) Interesting site. It's now in my RSS list just so I can keep up to date.

--S

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