Canon 30D or Canon 5D

Here's one for the photographers and photographengers.

I'm getting around a tax rebate of around £700 and am selling off some of my worldly possessions to buy a Canon dSLR.

Originally I was going to get a Canon 30D and an EF 50mm f/1.4 and save the rest but I really like the idea of a full frame sensor and am now considering a 5D.

A 30D and 50mm f/1.4 can be had for around £500 all in but a 5D and 50mm f/1.4 stretches me to about £850 (which I'll probably not get to).

The other option is to get the 50mm f/1.8 and the Canon 5D with a view to upgrading the lens pretty quick (you don't loose a whole lot on lenses on eBay).

In response to the heckles of "Don't you know that 50mm is effectively 80mm on APS-C sensors" I want a fast lens. I've used 50mm on a dSLR and liked the focal length however I also like it on film bodies. an 85mm f/1.8 or a 28mm f/1.8 can come at a later date or even be covered by a zoom. (I have an EF 28-80mm kit lens from an old film camera which will do as a stop gap for zoomyness)

Sorry for the dribble. Hopefully you can decipher what I'm asking from here.

if you are only looking at images on flickr or small prints 10x8/a4 or smaller then get the cheaper camera.

Get the cheaper one and spend the difference on a more flexible lens(es) (unless you're thinking of getting really serious).

I've got a Nikon D40 and TBH it's pretty bloody capable bit of kit at a fraction of the price of a full frame.

Obviously, if you've got your heart set on a full frame then that matters not a jot- in which case go for it. Just my 2p worth.

Either way- enjoy!

get the best you can afford.
i would get a 5D, i haven't used one personally, but i have used a nikon D700 full frame, and the difference between that and my D200 APS-C (or cmos?) is vast.
i wouldn't consider buying a DSLR without a full frame sensor now.
But then again i'm a wide-angle fanatic!

1. I'm not convinced you'll get a 5d and 50 1.4 for £850...

2. get the 30d (or better, the 40D now that the 50d is coming out), and 50mm and 28mm primes. No question, unless you shoot very seriously or have a lot invested in glass, FF is a waste of money.

I'm not a fan of the 5d (mk 1 anyway, I've not used the Mk 2). FF sensor but I hate the joystick and cant get on with 9 AF points...

if you are only looking at images on flickr or small prints 10x8/a4 or smaller then get the cheaper camera.

I think you're right. I'll go for the cheaper body and invest in glass. (I inferred that's what you meant).

I think I'll buy a Canon 30D and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 for now and start saving towards a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L.

those crop cameras viewfinders are like looking through a loo roll tube.
once you have looked through a full frame viewfinder there is no going back.
:-)

buy a medium format film camera and a decent scanner lol.

or.... buy Nikon.

Where can you get a 5D for that price?

5Ds are going for quite cheap on eBay. One went for £500! Most are going for around £750-£850.

Wait until the 5D mk2 comes out and is available (normally later than the official release date going by canons past release history). The market should become some what richer with old 5D's sold off/traded by people going for the new version.
Also that 50mm f1.8 is a damn fine lens, probably the best value for money lens canon have ever produced, if you have get lens the f1.4 isn't really worth the extra. So that could mean 5D + 50mm f1.8, save for a while then shell out for the proper decent f1.2L, the lens that will rock your low light high speed world.

5Ds are going for quite cheap on eBay. One went for £500! Most are going for around £750-£850.

5d shutters are only rated to 100k. A cheap one is a false economy as you'll need to replace the shutter sooner. I'd wait a coupla weeks until the 50d is out and then get the 40d. there's a huge difference between that and the 30d.

you can check the number of exposures on a second hand camera from the exif data - get the current owner to email you a jpeg.

have you seen the video modes on the new 5d? looks quite incredible.

i would also recommend the 50mm f1.8. Both canon and nikon do them, and they can't really be faulted on either (especially at the price).

5d shutters are only rated to 100k. A cheap one is a false economy as you'll need to replace the shutter sooner. I'd wait a coupla weeks until the 50d is out and then get the 40d. there's a huge difference between that and the 30d.

you can check the number of exposures on a second hand camera from the exif data - get the current owner to email you a jpeg.

50D is already out.

get a nikon, you know you want to

• rep for chris
  

+rep for guerilla, but i cant because i +repped him today

neg rep for both of you - get a fucking room :p

Your cameras are shit.

Instamatic FTW!

5d shutters are only rated to 100k. A cheap one is a false economy as you'll need to replace the shutter sooner. I'd wait a coupla weeks until the 50d is out and then get the 40d. there's a huge difference between that and the 30d.

you can check the number of exposures on a second hand camera from the exif data - get the current owner to email you a jpeg.

pretty much why I brought the 5D new, serve me better in the long run.

either way 5D for the win, even thought it´s 3 years old it still held up remarkably well (and shooting at 1600 ISO is bliss).

On a 30D, the 50mm F/1.4 will have the view of an 80mm and a depth of field of F/2.2 despite the speed of F/1.4.

Since the 50mm F/1.4 depth of field will be quite large at F/2.2 on the 30D, you might as well get a 5D and a 50mm F/1.8.

those crop cameras viewfinders are like looking through a loo roll tube.
once you have looked through a full frame viewfinder there is no going back.
:-)

Having using 35mm all me life, it´s weird using cropped sensor DSLR, it just like using.. half frame camera actually, we all know half frame camera are shite despite being able to offer twice the exposure in one rolls and it never become popular despite some brand name one surviving (olympus for one) end up getting a full frame DSLR instead.

This is crazy. First I was going to be spending about £250, then £350, then £500, then £800, then £500 again, now you're trying to get me to spend £800 but wait a bit and it might be more like £700.

This is crazy!

I think my tax will take a while to come through anyway so if 5Ds are going for £600-£700 instead of £700-£900 I'll get one and a 50mm f/1.8

buy a medium format film camera and a decent scanner lol.

You joke but my Hasselblad and canoscan make 1gb files that are pretty good.

You joke but my Hasselblad and canoscan make 1gb files that are pretty good.

And a lot cheaper than a £6000 digital back.

Some scanners are fantastic quality. Insane resolutions can be had on some. I'd say for MF -> digital it'd be better to use a film scanner on film than a desktop scanner on prints. (if the canoscan you speak of is a film scanner then ignore what I just said)