upgrading....50D vs. 5D mkII

Kevin CTMP

After a few years in the business, I'm considering upgrading my cameras. As of now, I have a 40D and a Xti as my back-up.

However, I've been doing more shooting with 2 camera bodys during an event in lieu of 1 (ie: wedding ceremony) and would like to retire my 40D as my second camera, and sell my Xti. My question is what camera should I get?

I LOVE my 40D, so much that I've actually considered getting another one off e-bay. But I would almost rather upgrade to the 50D instead. On the other hand, I know the 5D mkII is an AWESOME camera, but its also coming in at about $1500 more than the 50D, which right now, I cannot afford (would have to wait until I book a few more weddings). PLus, a friend of told me that the 30D, 40D, 50D, are more for "advanced amateurs" and if i'm going to call myself a professional, I should really be using the 5D mkII, though I've always thought my pictures looked good on my 40D, especially with higher end lenses. I also don't plan on doing any video shooting, so that ability on the mkII would not be a selling point for me

so basically, is the 5D mkII worth the upgrade?, or should I put that extra $$ toward better lenses, which in my opinion can make a better image over a camera. I've never had a complaint from clients, and have been happy with the XXD series.

....also, has anyone had a chance to use the new 7D yet?

thanks to all

-Kevin

www.ctm-photography.net

ziggy53

I absolutely love the 5D MKII for formals. The results are entirely worth the price of admission. Remember that the 5D series are FF bodies and EF-S lenses will not fit. If you need to purchase new lenses, factor those costs into your plans.

Plenty of folks use the 50D and 40D for wedding work. I often use the 40D for candids.

The 50D has (I believe, don't have one myself) a greatly improved LCD display that I think you would appreciate. The 5D MKII also has an excellent display, for that matter.

I do suggest using an ST-E2 transmitter with either a 40D/40D or 5D MKII just for the AF assist light when you cannot use flash (ceremony, for instance). If you think of it as an AF improvement that can move between bodies, it's worth the money. Of course it also works well for indoor use as a remote E-TTL II flash transmitter too.

GadgetRick

I think the 50D is an excellent camera. I know it's sort of their prosumer level but it's certainly pro enough to use for pro shooting. Nobody is going to come up to you at a wedding and tell you your 50D isn't pro enough for the wedding.

I'd love to have a 5D MkII though....

Swartzy

Once you shoot with a full frame, especially weddings/portraits, you will never go back. The image quality of the 5d blows the doors off the 40D & the 50D. In fact, the IQ is much better than the new 7D. More pixels on the same size sensor (no matter what they tell you) adds noise and degrades the IQ. I own the 40D and quite honestly comparing images side by side to the 50D (especially higher ISO), I prefer the 40D. There is a distinct "look" to the 50D and can't quite put my finger on it but is troublesome.

The 5D MKII is a wonderful camera but probably will not upgrade from my MKI as the focus is just as slow in low light. Many using the 5D MKI for the past 4 years are published everywhere, worldwide. I think you'll find the full frame a remarkable advantage. My 40D has a lens on it and flung over the other shoulder during events/weddings...but really don't shoot with it much...unless I'm after a close up (think ring exchange from the back of a sanctuary).

Just a couple of thoughts to consider. BTW, I've shot all these cameras many times and compared.

heatherfeather

I have both the 5D classic and 5DMKII... and one of the biggest differences that I have noticed is that the light meter in the MKII seems quite a bit more accurate to me. I always shoot with the histogram to judge exposure, but I use the meter as a place to start and then adjust from there. I have been pleasantly surprised at how close the meter gets on the first shot compared to the adjustments I would have to make using the MKI.
Of course I haven't done side by side testing of that, it is just my impression after enjoying the MKII.

Good luck with your choice! New equipment is always fun to get!

Scott_Quier

I have the with all the above ... especially with Swartzy (any surprise there?) about the differences between the 5DII and the 50D. The difference in IQ is like night and day. The last two weddings I shot, I had both of these cameras and I hardly touched the 50D. As to the difference in IQ for images from the 40D as compared to the 50D - I not so sure I agree with that. There is a difference, but I don't think it's terribly significant. There is one difference that makes all the difference (at least for me) between the 40D and the 50D .... AF Microadjustment. AFM turned a but of so-so glass into a kit of exceptional performance - well worth the price of admission. Even my 70-200 f/2.8L IS and 24-105 f/4L benefited from a small amount of AFM.

Ziggy is right about the 50D LCD - it is in a whole new class when compared to that of the 40D.

Finally, the 5DII has ISO performance that the xxD cameras just can not touch. Shooting receptions with the xxD cameras, ISO 800 was about as high as I was comfortable with. With the 5DII, 1600 or 3200 is a quite comfortable place to work - especially if you nail the exposure (of course ).

Heather's comments about the metering on the 5DII - I don't have a classic with which to compare, but I do find the metering of the 5DII to much more accurate than that of the 50D. A very noticable difference in performance.

All this to say .... if you can swing the $$, the 5DII will rock your world!

Shima

When I got my first 5D Mark II over a year ago, I noticed that I always preferenced that body over my 40D since there was just something magical about it and the way it performed. And truly, once you go full frame, you won't go back. As soon as I was able to afford a 2nd 5D Mark II body I quickly ditched the 40D so that I could do weddings w/ two 5D Mark II's on my shoulders. I just love how all my shots come out on the full frame camera's, the IQ is incredible and since I'm mostly a prime shooter, I find some awesome magic around f2 on the 5d Mark II's w/ my high performing lenses

jmphotocraft

There are a lot of whiners out there who trash the 5DII for its AF. While the AF is inferior to a 1D or 7D, it is actually slightly better than the 40D. I upgraded from the 40D to the 5DII, and the AF was a pleasant surprise.

Admittedly, it is wrong that a $2800 camera like the 5 series doesn't have an AF at least as good as the 7, but the 5DII is a year older than the 7D. I have to assume the 5DIII will have the 7D AF. That will be one killer machine. If you can afford it, you might wait to see if it gets announced next month.

GadgetRick

jmphotocraft wrote:

There are a lot of whiners out there who trash the 5DII for its AF. While the AF is inferior to a 1D or 7D, it is actually slightly better than the 40D. I upgraded from the 40D to the 5DII, and the AF was a pleasant surprise.

Admittedly, it is wrong that a $2800 camera like the 5 series doesn't have an AF at least as good as the 7, but the 5DII is a year older than the 7D. I have to assume the 5DIII will have the 7D AF. That will be one killer machine. If you can afford it, you might wait to see if it gets announced next month.

I'm guessing the 5D MkII has the same AF (or similar) to the 50D? If so, I can't really complain about it as it's quite good. My friend's 7D is better but the 50D is no slouch on the AF front.

I still want a 5D though...

jmphotocraft

GadgetRick wrote:

I'm guessing the 5D MkII has the same AF (or similar) to the 50D?

Not really. It has 9 visible points like the 50D, but it also has 6 invisible helper/expansion points around the center point. IIRC, they only activate in servo mode if you have them enabled. Only the center point is cross-type. The rest are line-type. Like the 50D, the center point kicks into high precision mode when using an f/2.8 or faster lens.

I've found that using servo mode with only the center + 6 expansion points is better than the 40D was in servo mode. It's no match for my 1D, but it's good.

GadgetRick

jmphotocraft wrote:

Not really. It has 9 visible points like the 50D, but it also has 6 invisible helper/expansion points around the center point. IIRC, they only activate in servo mode if you have them enabled. Only the center point is cross-type. The rest are line-type. Like the 50D, the center point kicks into high precision mode when using an f/2.8 or faster lens.

I've found that using servo mode with only the center + 6 expansion points is better than the 40D was in servo mode. It's no match for my 1D, but it's good.

Ah, so it's better than the 50D. Thanks for making me want one even more....

Nice shot there.

jmphotocraft

GadgetRick wrote:

Ah, so it's better than the 50D.

Yeah, that's what I said in post #8. 40D and 50D AF are the same.

Kevin CTMP

Thank you for your insight....as I figured, the most common response was save for the 5II.... I think I may go that route, but it'll have to wait until next year ...I barely have enough now, and I'll have to buy new lenses to fit the FF....my 70-200 2.8 is the only EF I have right now.

jmphotocraft

Kevin CTMP wrote:

Thank you for your insight....as I figured, the most common response was save for the 5II.... I think I may go that route, but it'll have to wait until next year ...I barely have enough now, and I'll have to buy new lenses to fit the FF....my 70-200 2.8 is the only EF I have right now.

Yeah, you will need a 24-70 or 24-105 to go with it. On the bright side, I would think the 5DIII (or 5DIIN?) could be out by then. It would be criminal if that camera did not have the 7D AF. Or if it doesn't, hopefully Canon will release a D700 killer.

Kevin CTMP

jmphotocraft wrote:

Yeah, you will need a 24-70 or 24-105 to go with it. On the bright side, I would think the 5DIII (or 5DIIN?) could be out by then. It would be criminal if that camera did not have the 7D AF. Or if it doesn't, hopefully Canon will release a D700 killer.

yep, my wishlist for lenses is the 24-70 2.8, 17-55 2.5, and the 50mm 1.4, maybe i should get some of those first that way at least I'll have good glass to shoot while i save for the mkii

GadgetRick

jmphotocraft wrote:

Yeah, that's what I said in post #8. 40D and 50D AF are the same.

Are you sure they're the same? I've read some things indicating they did some things to upgrade the AF on the 50D. I don't remember exactly what. I think Ziggy even mentioned something about it.

Either way, doesn't change the fact that I want a 5D!

ziggy53

GadgetRick wrote:

Are you sure they're the same? I've read some things indicating they did some things to upgrade the AF on the 50D. I don't remember exactly what. I think Ziggy even mentioned something about it.

Either way, doesn't change the fact that I want a 5D!

The 50D is reported to be faster than the 40D in single shot mode (but not dramatically faster). It is presumed that most of the improvement is due to the 40D having a Digic iii image processor while the 50D has a Digic IV image processor. The actual AF sensor appears to be very similar between the 2 cameras.

AI-Servo mode is less definitive now and I'm not as satisfied that the 50D is much different than the 40D in use. I see reports of various conclusions but the reports from those with a large sampling of images seem to not find much difference. Lots of controversy to be sure but the AI-Servo on the 50D is certainly no worse than the 40D.

AF sensitivity is likewise very similar between the 40D and 50D and they both struggle in very low light. A flash with AF assist or the ST-E2 transmitter is a very welcome accessory regardless of whether flash is actually used.

GadgetRick

ziggy53 wrote:

The 50D is reported to be faster than the 40D in single shot mode (but not dramatically faster). It is presumed that most of the improvement is due to the 40D having a Digic iii image processor while the 50D has a Digic IV image processor. The actual AF sensor appears to be very similar between the 2 cameras.

AI-Servo mode is less definitive now and I'm not as satisfied that the 50D is much different than the 40D in use. I see reports of various conclusions but the reports from those with a large sampling of images seem to not find much difference. Lots of controversy to be sure but the AI-Servo on the 50D is certainly no worse than the 40D.

AF sensitivity is likewise very similar between the 40D and 50D and they both struggle in very low light. A flash with AF assist or the ST-E2 transmitter is a very welcome accessory regardless of whether flash is actually used.

Perfect, I knew you'd know the definitive answer. I guess it was just such a step up from my Nikon D50 to the Canon 50D I feel very happy with the AF.

But I still want a 5D MkII.... Did I mention that?