My turn for a what camera thread!
Discussion
It seems that time has caught up with my trusty 300D as it's coming up for 50,000 shots in the last 18 months. I've been running it for a year with a bent pin in the card reader slot but 3 of my CF cards work fine in it 
I've never cleaned the sensor once, or ever looked behind the mirror. Any dust spots have been easily remedied in photoshop when they rarley show.
Yesterday it totally locked up and refused to turn on or anything (very embarrasing with the model waiting) I took the battery grip off, lens off and card out, put it all back together and luckily it came back to life.
My biggest gripe is the buffer speed though, when working with models and shooting raw, it can create annoying gaps while waiting for the buffer to clear and previewing images is a nightmare.
I'm doing a wedding (brother in law) in September and need to get myself a replacement by then as I don't think I can run the risk of failure. It would be great to have a backup too (albiet a little knackered) in the shape of the 300D - maybe a good service is in order.
Now comes the tricky bit, I've been eyeing up the 5D with the 24-105 F4 IS L kit lens for a while now and was definatley going to get one BUT as my biggest gripe with my current camera is buffer should I be going down the 1D MkII N route like Martin? Considerations other than the camera are the upgrades that would be required to my laptop to handle the much larger images from the 5D in photoshop (I regularly end up with 150 Meg layered images already with even a 5 meg start image!). You've seen the stuff I normally do, mostly static but I want to do more model work in the future that seems to be a scatter gun approach to getting expressions exactly right etc. I may also want to join the Stock Library Club with some of my model shots.
So let's hear the case from users of both...
I've never cleaned the sensor once, or ever looked behind the mirror. Any dust spots have been easily remedied in photoshop when they rarley show. Yesterday it totally locked up and refused to turn on or anything (very embarrasing with the model waiting) I took the battery grip off, lens off and card out, put it all back together and luckily it came back to life.
My biggest gripe is the buffer speed though, when working with models and shooting raw, it can create annoying gaps while waiting for the buffer to clear and previewing images is a nightmare.
I'm doing a wedding (brother in law) in September and need to get myself a replacement by then as I don't think I can run the risk of failure. It would be great to have a backup too (albiet a little knackered) in the shape of the 300D - maybe a good service is in order.
Now comes the tricky bit, I've been eyeing up the 5D with the 24-105 F4 IS L kit lens for a while now and was definatley going to get one BUT as my biggest gripe with my current camera is buffer should I be going down the 1D MkII N route like Martin? Considerations other than the camera are the upgrades that would be required to my laptop to handle the much larger images from the 5D in photoshop (I regularly end up with 150 Meg layered images already with even a 5 meg start image!). You've seen the stuff I normally do, mostly static but I want to do more model work in the future that seems to be a scatter gun approach to getting expressions exactly right etc. I may also want to join the Stock Library Club with some of my model shots.
So let's hear the case from users of both...
Nothing wrong with the buffer rate of a 5D, and for absolute quality and the type of shooting you do, would probably give you the best results. The 1DmkIIN suits me because I very rarely set up a shot, any shot. I just turn the camera on, spend a couple of moments looking, then start shoooing. It's just the way I like to work...the complete opposite to Matt (gravy). And to be honest, both these cameras are te dogs 8ollocks and you'll be chuffed with either.
Martin.
Martin.
in the studio you have the pause between the lights charging, I've never ran out of buffer with my 20D shooting raw. the 5D and mk2n are completely different beasts, I would prefer the mk2n purely from a action sport point of view alsothough I would kind of miss the 16mm type shotsI've done in the past. the 5d does have the FF sensor which provides less noise and a larger image. I think which ever one you get you'll wish you had got the other
You've got several options.
5D and 24-105 is a very nice set up, but do you really NEED full frame? Has the 1.6x sensor on the 300D caused you any problems so far?
If not, then you could go for a 20/30D and spend the money saved on lenses or other kit.
5D and 24-105 is a very nice set up, but do you really NEED full frame? Has the 1.6x sensor on the 300D caused you any problems so far?
If not, then you could go for a 20/30D and spend the money saved on lenses or other kit.
Edited by monkeyhanger on Tuesday 22 August 13:44
badbeachbuggy said:
Somehow the 20/30D just doesn't seem like a big enough leap, I want this to last me a couple of years.
I went 300D to 20D.
Trust me, the 300D isn't anywhere near either of them. I will have a 1DMK2 (or MK3
) next year but so far i don't recall a situation where the 20D has held me back.I concur with Monkeyhanger.
I went from a 300D to a 20D and the difference is substantial. I hanker after a 1 series camera but when I think about it sensibly, I really don't need one. The 20D with the grip is plenty of camera for what I do atm and will stay with me for a while I think.
A 30D and some new glass would be a very good step up from a 300D
I went from a 300D to a 20D and the difference is substantial. I hanker after a 1 series camera but when I think about it sensibly, I really don't need one. The 20D with the grip is plenty of camera for what I do atm and will stay with me for a while I think.
A 30D and some new glass would be a very good step up from a 300D
With reference to going from a 300D to a 30D or a 1/5D, Nick, I think that you are easily in the top 5 best photographers on this forum, and as such you will benefit from going the whole nine yards and getting one of the pro cameras. I've had a 20D, and have a 1D, the difference is night and day.
Martin.
Martin.
poah said:
you really think there is much of a difference. I know the focus is better, less noise and faster fps but is it really a significant difference?
Those are some of the tecky differences, along with the weather sealing, bigger buffer, the magnesium body, monster battery life and running it off the mains etc etc., but it's more about "feeling". It's just so "right" in your hands. For me it makes the whole "taking a photo" thing twice as pleasurable. It's the same as my car...on another forum someone asked "What's the worse thing about your car?", and the answer was easy...putting it away. I feel the same about the 1D, but never did for the 20D.
Martin.
PS - did you know,
, that as it was made for journos, it has aa microphone in it too, and that you can add 30 seconds of speech to each photo? 
I'd recommend the 5D for the following reasons:
1 - You want to be able to do some stock photography so you'll need to capture as much native resolution as you can before using interpolation to upsize the images, a 20D is OK from that point of view but its better to start.
2 - The full frame sensor will allow wide angle lenses to be used to their full extent
3 - Its a lot cheaper than a 1 but is well enough built to last until
4 - Its significantly lighter than a 1 - I have quizzed a few owners who were downsizing from a 1DSMk2 to a 5D and found it was consistently because they said the 1 was too big and heavy to lug around for a day's shooting so their work was suffering.
Here's a 12mm shot on a full frame camera to show the fun you can have exploring with wideangle lenses - taken with real film hence the nasty developing mark on the top right corner !
1 - You want to be able to do some stock photography so you'll need to capture as much native resolution as you can before using interpolation to upsize the images, a 20D is OK from that point of view but its better to start.
2 - The full frame sensor will allow wide angle lenses to be used to their full extent
3 - Its a lot cheaper than a 1 but is well enough built to last until
4 - Its significantly lighter than a 1 - I have quizzed a few owners who were downsizing from a 1DSMk2 to a 5D and found it was consistently because they said the 1 was too big and heavy to lug around for a day's shooting so their work was suffering.
Here's a 12mm shot on a full frame camera to show the fun you can have exploring with wideangle lenses - taken with real film hence the nasty developing mark on the top right corner !
V6GTO said:
poah said:
you really think there is much of a difference. I know the focus is better, less noise and faster fps but is it really a significant difference?
PS - did you know,
, that as it was made for journos, it has aa microphone in it too, and that you can add 30 seconds of speech to each photo? yeah, friends D2X has it too. I'm not jealous of this function TBH. I don't want to put my 20D away when I am taking pics.
poah said:
badbeachbuggy said:
Thanks everyone, some really good advice on here. I'm gonna sleep on it for a couple of days then make my order 
wait for photokina. you never know what may be released by canon
More likely an announcement than a release, and even if it's a release I wouldn't bank on getting one for a long while after that, demand will outstrip supply at first.
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff