what to buy

Photoskipper

Worked very hard for 6 month in a new job and rewarded a fat bonus. Consider very lucky at this time. Thinking to reward myself with some gear. Not sure what to buy.

Wanted to upgrade the 3 years old 5D to something -
1. 5D MKII - not much new, only better ISO, HD movie, dusty cleaner
2. 1D MKIV - really fast, good for the bird photo but 1.3 cop and 10 MB only.
3. 1Ds - dream baby, a bit stiff, but still within the budget. May not have enough time to play with it.
4. ? 7D as back up body????, not sure it is useful??
5. Hold on to wait for something new in next few months or use the bonus to pay the new car downpayment???

Need some advise.

ziggy53

I regard the 5D MKII as a pretty significant upgrade to the original 5D. I truly enjoy my copy.

Besides the extra pixels, a visible improvement but not as much as many folks think, the Live View and slightly improved AF are significant, and the Micro Focus Adjust can tune marginal lenses into great performers. ISO 6400 is truly usable. Highlight Tone Priority adds around 2/3rd stop of usable highlight information. Deeper shot buffer and UDMA support for faster throughput.

I would suggest that a 5D MKII would render your 5D to a nearly perfect backup status (I do wish the batteries were compatible). Compared to a 1D MKIV or 1Ds MKIII the 5D MKII is a great value and very nice tool. You would still have money leftover, compared to the 1Ds MKIII, that could be put to other use.

craig_d

The "new car downpayment" option seems like it might be important. If you really need a new car, then that might be the sensible choice. A big downpayment can go a long way to making the pain of monthly payments more tolerable.

I've never used the original 5D, but I love my 5D Mark II. I considered saving a little money by buying a used 5D instead, but improved high ISO quality, micro-focus adjustment, and the sensor dust removal feature persuaded me to go for the new model.

Whether the 7D would be a sensible backup body depends on what you want it for. If you want the fast burst mode and you don't mind the cropped sensor, it might be a reasonable choice. Otherwise, I agree with Ziggy that your current 5D would make a great backup for a 5D Mark II.

My guess is that there will be a 1Ds Mark IV announced within the next three to six months, so this may not be the best time to buy a 1Ds Mark III.

Photoskipper

Thanks all for the kindly advise.

I did consider all those factors, that is the reason I put the 5D MK II as first choice. Frame rate is one of my concern. I missed couple of bird action shoots in the past years. Thinking a fast frame rate body may be something as new feature.

Just entering mid-age crisis, got some money and eager to get more toys. My job does not allow me to stay home. 80% of my time is flying around Asia and US. Car is just the giant toy for me. I really do not need a new car, still in love with my 5 years old CRV.

May wait for another 2 - 3 months to see anything new. If not, will just go to get a 5D MK II.

catspaw

Since you have time, you also have time to rent the bodies you are considering and play with them. One way to know if you REALLY want it or not

bloomphotog

What about a Leica M9? If I had some disposable "fun" cash that would be WAY up on my list.

Photoskipper

bloomphotog wrote:

What about a Leica M9? If I had some disposable "fun" cash that would be WAY up on my list.

Sorry, it is hard earn money.:cry Work 20 hours a day, lost count how many working weekends and how much radiation I got from the plane. Need something to comfort myself

I just has too much Canon gears and difficult to switch camp. Did consider the medium format before but just too far for me.

Serious about the 5D MkII with battery grip.