Canon 5D MK I 'classic' - owners thread

No, I think you're right, it's an Ee-S, thanks ;)

Ee-D ist the one with the grid, which I normally prefer, and Ee-A is the standard screen, right?

Google brings up conflicting opinions, the official document is just as confusing to me.



 

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by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
This was the last photo I took with my 5D before I switched to Fuji. I'll definitely miss the image quality, especially when paired with my 50mm f1.4, but don't miss carrying it around!

As I guess this is the main place where 5D owners hang out - I had listed a Really Right Stuff L bracket in the classifieds, if anyone is interested.
 
Google brings up conflicting opinions, the official document is just as confusing to me.




The manual focus screen for the 5D MkI is the Ee-S screen. I had a 5D MkI and the Ee-S screen so I could manual focus my third party lenses. Lenses needed to be f/2.8 or faster otherwise the viewfinder would be too dim. Also metering wouldn't always be accurate with the Ee-S screen installed.

The Eg-S screen has the same purpose but it's only suitable for for the 5D MkII.
 
I was getting a bit depressed the other day at the often flat northern light and the featureless grey/white skies and I remembered my holidays in Kazakhstan where the light was probably the best I've seen, ever, anywhere. Even indoors the light was soooo good compared to home.

5D with Sigma 50mm f1.4 at f5. Fishing in the evening on the river Ili.

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Indoors, 5D and Sigma 50mm f1.4 at f3.2.

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You can use these in low light but for hand held shooting you're limited by the very low by todays standards maximum ISO which restricts shutter speeds even with an f1.4 lens.

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Beautiful image! What lens did you use here?
 
Beautiful image! What lens did you use here?
First thanks and sorry for the delayed answer.

I've used an EF 50 mm f/1.8 STM (f/6.3, ISO 200, 1/80)

Don't know why Exifs are "stolen" on upload, that's not cool.
 
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I would love to hear opinions from anyone who has lots of experience with the 17-40 on the 5D 1 please?

There is one up for grabs at a good price locally...what say you good people?
 
Personally I found it too wide, I ended up swapping it for a 24-105
 
Personally I found it too wide, I ended up swapping it for a 24-105

But as far as IQ is concerned? I like wide and from reviews I read (Photozone / OpticalLimits) it is quite decent from 20-40 but not so great from 17-20...

I was hoping someone in this thread could share some images?
 
I only used one once and that was many years ago and it just didn't grab me.

I can see the attraction but I've never been excited by the lens as to me it just doesn't seem to have anything special up its sleeve. In my SLR and DSLR days I had two wide angle zooms, a Sigma 12-24mm which I loved and thought was an outstanding lens and a Canon 20-35mm USM which I liked because it was cheap, compact, light and fast to focus but it did have heavy distortion. Compared to the excellent Sigma and the cheap, light and fast Canon I just couldn't see anything in the 17-40mm that excited me enough to buy it.

Having said all that if the 17-40mm is at a good price and is in good condition I'd say go for it. The lens has its fans and if you don't like it I'm sure it'll sell on.
 
I took this image about 8 years ago but the lens was a 16-35Mk1...which I also did not like much wider than 20mm because of the distortion at those focal lengths...

I think I will start collecting 5D Mk1 bodies...had 2 over the years, stupidly sold them but recently got a nice one again...it needs company...
TABLE MOUNTAIN 1.jpg
 
There is definitely something special about the files from the 5D mk1! I’m lucky that despite having sold mine I can still borrow one from my Dad.
 
There is definitely something special about the files from the 5D mk1! I’m lucky that despite having sold mine I can still borrow one from my Dad.

Absolutely!

Over the years I have owned a good number of Canon D-SLR cameras and none of them had that mysterious 5D1 “something”

And you are a lucky man to be able to borrow from your Dad!

I think I will make it my mission to buy a few more while they are still easy to come by...
 
What kind of money would a good/clean condition 5D Mk1 body sell for these days..?

They start from around 300 to 350 US dollars.

Some are advertised on eBay at prices up to double that but I doubt they will sell at that price...
 
Sorry to say this but I feel the need.

5D's are nice cameras but they are dust bunny magnets and in a big way, the back screen is small and relatively poor, they're "only" 12mp which could limit your options (cropping and printing etc,) there's no live view and they are limited to a very low by todays standards maximum ISO which will mean that if you're shooting in low light you're going to be at double digit shutter speeds even with an f1.4 lens and the ISO maxed out and being honest these days the performance of these cameras is matched and indeed exceeded by the much more flexible offerings from MFT and APS-C mirrorless which are pretty easy to find at reasonable prices on the used market and even the Sony A7 which is IMO a much more capable FF camera and far exceeds the abilities and image quality of the 5D and could be considered if you find a reasonably priced one.

Sorry to say these things and they are just my opinions but I thought it worth saying. I liked my 5D and I still look at pictures taken with it but although I too sometimes get carried away with nostalgia I just wanted to inject not a little negativity but a little reality and objective comparison to what's available today as I think it's worthwhile to realise that although the 5D is a fun camera to take pictures with it limits you in some ways and is bettered by more modern cameras for usability (in terms of low light/high ISO) and image quality.

If people go into and buy into the 5D experience with their eyes open and knowing the issues and arguable limitations then fair enough :D

I absolutely agree with all you say and I also agree that it is worth saying.

The other side of that coin, to me at least, is that I remember a time when we shot perfectly good wedding pics with 5 rolls of film, a Pentax K-1000 and a 50mm f/2 lens...ONLY.

Yes, the 5D Mk1 has a crappy rear display but to me and possibly some others it is a camera with soul.

If you know it’s limits and work inside them this camera still delivers amazing images and tremendous bang-for-buck

IMHO it is the last great camera Canon built.
 
Happy people :D 5D and Sigma 50mm f1.4. At the time I couldn't imagine better...

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I maybe shouldn't have posted but I just thought it was worth adding a little context as it's easy to get carried away and not everyone reading this can afford to try things out and perhaps end up disappointed with a product which is now showing limitations against similarly priced newer used kit as the price of a used 5D, £200-300 maybe, buys a quite capable camera these days possibly with eye/face detect focusing anywhere in the frame and very possibly with care giving useable pictures at ISO 25,600.



I'd agree with this with the caveat that you're limited in some ways by what today are basic features and abilities and limited low light capabilities if you're shooting handheld.

I'll end by saying that at the time I couldn't really imagine wanting better image quality.

Happy people :D

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But many recent features are a total waste of time for many of us and if you are going to part with a sizable wad of cash you really should do some homework?

Just saying
 
Face/eye detect, being able to focus anywhere in the frame and being able to shoot at reasonable shutter speeds in low light and still end up with 5D beating IQ for a 5D price or even less are a waste of time?

Look. I've obviously ruffled some feathers and honestly I never meant to and I now realise I really shouldn't have posted and really should have known better than to say something like this in a model/marque thread. I only meant to add some balance to the enthusiasm and possibly rose tinted influenced gas.

The net... :D and with that I'm outa this thread.
 
Face/eye detect, being able to focus anywhere in the frame and being able to shoot at reasonable shutter speeds in low light and still end up with 5D beating IQ for a 5D price or even less are a waste of time?

Look. I've obviously ruffled some feathers and honestly I never meant to and I now realise I really shouldn't have posted and really should have known better than to say something like this in a model/marque thread. I only meant to add some balance to the enthusiasm and possibly rose tinted influenced gas.

The net... :D and with that I'm outa this thread.

LOL

Don’t run away from the &@$#% you stirred now!!

But seriously, making such a fuss about face / eye recognition makes you sound very millenial...maybe you should stick with the latest Huawei?;)

Come to think of it, the face / eye recognition in my Pentax K-1000 still works to this day.

And no feathers ruffled...at least not mine. Balance, different perspectives and debate are always good things.

//off to shoot my 5D classic wearing rose coloured glasses...
 
It really depends on subject, for a portrait in a well lit location i would pick a 5D over my current Fuji set up. Likewise for a landscape shot, especially if I did not have to carry the camera! however for any action or low light it would be the Fuji.

My take on it is that the Fuji is good all the time, the 5D is great sometimes but rubbish at others.
 
It really depends on subject, for a portrait in a well lit location i would pick a 5D over my current Fuji set up. Likewise for a landscape shot, especially if I did not have to carry the camera! however for any action or low light it would be the Fuji.

My take on it is that the Fuji is good all the time, the 5D is great sometimes but rubbish at others.

Absolutely agreed on most points...in my early stupid days I chased cameras.

Nowadays I chase lenses and the actual camera body is a lesser priority by far!

I would submit that the 5D 1 is only really rubbish at very high ISO / low light subject matter BUT also only when compared with other newer technologies...which I believe is quite unfair...but times move on and nothing is static.
 
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Not quite the final edit but close to what it looked like to me...

5D Mk1 (Classic) with EF 50mm/1.4 USM
 
LOL

Don’t run away from the &@$#% you stirred now!!

But seriously, making such a fuss about face / eye recognition makes you sound very millenial...maybe you should stick with the latest Huawei?;)

Come to think of it, the face / eye recognition in my Pentax K-1000 still works to this day.

And no feathers ruffled...at least not mine. Balance, different perspectives and debate are always good things.

//off to shoot my 5D classic wearing rose coloured glasses...

Condescending clap trap.

I knew I shouldn't have come back to this thread :D
 
Not trying to make an argument but isn't the MK 2 the new MK 1 now.

I had a good one for 300 and people are still charging well over 200 for the MK 1

So the MK 1 no longer makes sense on any level to me anyway
 
One from the 5Dc still a very capable camera for any new comer to digital photography and at bargain prices its got everything you need to learn all the basics of photography
Modern Art by Philip Higgins, on Flickr
 
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Hi all,

Just picked up a 'classic' from eBay.

Would you mind if I uploaded some files this week for people to have a look over. Not for photographic merit, but for image quality?

I've not really had a chance to play with it, and I can't decide whether or not I'm expecting too much or there's a problem with the focusing.

I've just sold a 20D to part fund it, so I know the limitations of cameras of this age.

I was going to bring it in to work with me tomorrow and go out at lunch time to have a proper play before I throw my toys out of the pram and start complaining. I took some shots this weekend when the conditions were far from ideal - but I know I would have got something usable with my 80D.
 
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