Replacement Kit Advice - Canon SLR

[Starfighter]

OK, Long story short - I had my main kit bag stolen and lost my Canon 40D, Grip, 17-40L, 24-105L and 550 Sppedlight. I am looking to replace and the budget is around £1000 so I can't go for new kit.

I still have the 70-200 2.8, 50 1.4 and 100 macro glass in my other bag along with my old 20D so I want to stick with Canon. I have shot some sport / aircraft but nothing recently. Most use in the last could of years has been landscape.

Option 1 - Replace like for like secomd hand kit. 40D, 17-40, 24-105 and 580EX. I may push to a 60D.

• Good - I know it and it is a direect replacement.
• Bad - I have spent a lot of time swapping glass in the last couple of years.

Option 2 - Go full frame 5Dii and 24-105 pls grip and 580EX

• Good - More likely to use this as I can take a single lens and not have to carry a bag. The 24mm full frame is wider than 17mm on a crop. Image quality is better than the 40D
• Bad - Loss at the long end (I could still use the 20D). I would be dropping a lens from the bag.

Some nice options at MPB.com on some of these.

Advice appreciated.

[Moominho]

Can't offer much advice, but sorry to hear about your kit bag getting stolen - that's awful.

[Tony1963]

In your position, I'd go full-frame every time. The improvement in image quality is astounding and will rejuvenate your enthusiasm.

[RobDickinson]

If you use the whole frame the 5d2 will be far better quality and 21mp to boot.

But its an old body, wont feel any more modern than the 40d, similar AF performance, fps, ergonomics. Bigger files by a bit. Better viewfinder and LCD.

24-105 will indeed be wider on 5d2 but IMO the 24-105 isnt that great at 24mm on ff.

Instead of the 5d2 consider a 6d, better IQ, better AF, better build faster and more modern. Should be a similar kind of cost used?

For anything sports/wildlife either full frame option will give you a lot less reach than the 40d, you will need twice the focal length realistically for the same image.

[Tony1963]

Even used the 6D is well over £100 more than a 5D2.

The 40D multiplies the focal length by 1.6, but the image quality is pants compared to a 5D, not very different to the 20D (I had both).

Edited by Tony1963 on Tuesday 28th June 23:01

[RobDickinson]

Might be a £100 worth spending though.

40D was 12mp and ok , far better at higher iso than the 20d which crapped itself at 800

[Craikeybaby]

Since moving to full frame I've sold my 17-40 as it just wasn't getting any use, it was too wide.

I have also kept my 20D for when I need the extra reach on my 70-200, but as I also mainly shoot landscapes these days it rarely comes out.

[JulianHJ]

Get the 5D2, I much prefer mine to my previous 40D. Prices are on the slide as the 5D4 is imminent. Skip the 17-40 and find the extra £200 for a 16-35F4
- lovely lens.

[AJB]

If you only want 1 flash, you could consider a 430 instead of a 580. It won't work as a master, and is missing a few features, but it's cheaper and smaller and I like mine.

If you want more than 1, the 430 makes a good slave unit.

[satans worm]

Not wishing to hijack, but I notice people are adding using a crop sensor when wanting extra tele.
But would it not be better to use the same lens on a full sensor and just enlarge in Lightroom after?
Or does a crop sensor beat enlarged full sensor?

[RobDickinson]

satans worm said:

Or does a crop sensor beat enlarged full sensor?

It all depends on the sensors pixel density.

Take the 5dkm2 and crop to aps-c size and you end up with an 8mp image. The same image you would get if you shot a 350d/20d. Crop sensors are 20mp+ now.

If you shot with a 5Ds (50mp) then you would get the same 20mp image a 7dmk2 or 70d would give you.

Its easier through to keep an object tracked with a crop as it fills more of the viewfinder, not sure the actual AF sensors really care, and often a crop will have a better spread of sensors than a FF ( relativity)