From 7d to 5d MK1?

danny_bhoy

danny_bhoy

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Hi all.

Looking for a viable way into full frame and was wondering if there are any drawbacks I'll suffer from switching from my current 7d to 5d MK1?

Don't use the video function on the 7d so that won't be a miss and the extra reach I get with a crop sensor doesn't really benefit my type of photography.

The fewer frames per second isn't an issue either as I'll be doing portraits and the odd landscape.

Any thoughts on what I'd be gaining or losing with the switch would be a big help!

Thanks
 
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The obvious fallback would be the autofocus system.

Like Frames per second, the AF won't be an issue for portraits and landscapes.

Lenses and flash will need consideration though.
 
dinners said:
The obvious fallback would be the autofocus system.

Like Frames per second, the AF won't be an issue for portraits and landscapes.

Lenses and flash will need consideration though.
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Yeah I'm not into sports or wildlife so the AF shouldn't pose a problem.

If got a nifty fifty (prob won't do a FF body justice) and a 70-200 f4 which will both work on FF. I'd have to get rid of my trusty Tamron 17-50 2.8 though - shame as it's been a real workhorse.
 
Having had the 5D Mk1 and the 7D and now the 5DMk2 and the 7D , personally I would go for the Mk2 over the Mk1,ignoring AF system ,Frame rate, self cleaning etc I found the Ergonomics and the menu of the Mk2 a lot better than the Mk1 , but the killer for me was the lack of live view on the Mk1.
I have T/S and macro lenses and the ability to zoom in and focus using the rear screen is invaluable.
The only thing is the cost to change from a 7D to a Mk1 you should make a few bob which will go a fair way to funding a lens change while to go to a Mk2 will cost a few bob and you still have to fund a lens change
 
troutfisher said:
Having had the 5D Mk1 and the 7D and now the 5DMk2 and the 7D , personally I would go for the Mk2 over the Mk1,ignoring AF system ,Frame rate, self cleaning etc I found the Ergonomics and the menu of the Mk2 a lot better than the Mk1 , but the killer for me was the lack of live view on the Mk1.
I have T/S and macro lenses and the ability to zoom in and focus using the rear screen is invaluable.
The only thing is the cost to change from a 7D to a Mk1 you should make a few bob which will go a fair way to funding a lens change while to go to a Mk2 will cost a few bob and you still have to fund a lens change
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You've hit the nail on the head in the last paragraph. Budget is a factor at the moment and with the sale of a mint condition gripped 7d and a descent lens I could get a mk1 and have something to put to an L lens.

I'd get the mk1 gripped as that's what I'm used to but I'd still like to have a play with one to see how it handles.

On the other hand the lack of live view and just the fact that it's an older body concerns me.
 
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danny_bhoy said:
Yeah I'm not into sports or wildlife so the AF shouldn't pose a problem.

If got a nifty fifty (prob won't do a FF body justice) and a 70-200 f4 which will both work on FF. I'd have to get rid of my trusty Tamron 17-50 2.8 though - shame as it's been a real workhorse.
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Minus the nifty 50, I've the exact same lenses and a 50D. Considering the exact same dilema. I've decided its my only option into FF so I'm going for it.

Never really use Live View, AF may be an issue but I will work around that.

Considering a nifty fifty as a stop gap but have seen the Sigma 50mm f1.4 and think that would be amazing, just budget is an issue.

Be interested to see what you go for Danny.
 
nickjohnwatson said:
I thought about flogging my 550D and lenses to find the purchase of a 5D1 but the lack of live view has deterred me. I think itd frustrate the hell out of you mate.
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To be honest Nick it's not something that I use. I don't shoot Macro or anything that live view is traditionally used for but the smaller screen definitely does concern me.

That and just simply the fact that the camera itself is quite a bit older than a 7d.
 
Sko77y said:
Minus the nifty 50, I've the exact same lenses and a 50D. Considering the exact same dilema. I've decided its my only option into FF so I'm going for it.

Never really use Live View, AF may be an issue but I will work around that.

Considering a nifty fifty as a stop gap but have seen the Sigma 50mm f1.4 and think that would be amazing, just budget is an issue.

Be interested to see what you go for Danny.
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Glad I'm not alone :)

I'm desperate to scratch the full frame itch and as it stands the MKII is just a little too much of a stretch.

Would be ideal if I could test a MK1 on few shoots and see what I'm missing....or not. I'm just wondering how much better an older FF 12mp body can be over a newer 18mp crop. Does it justify the hassle?
 
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Don't worry about all the things you are missing, look through the viewfinder, take the shot and then enjoy the excellent results

Yes the screen is a bit small, the menu rather long without sections to tab through, no live view or sensor cleaning.

It's beauty is in the simplicity of it all, more like using a camera than operating a computer
 
danny_bhoy said:
Glad I'm not alone :)

I'm desperate to scratch the full frame itch and as it stands the MKII is just a little too much of a stretch.

Would be ideal if I could test a MK1 on few shoots and see what I'm missing....or not. I'm just wondering how much better an older FF 12mp body can be over a newer 18mp crop. Does us justify the hassle?
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From the reviews I've read crop doesnt hold a candle to FF in IQ. I've borrowed a friends FF Nikon which I will be testing thoroughly tonight with my light painting (if I can figure out the buttons!)

The 5D mkii is just too much money to justify for me.

I'm looking forward to trying an F4 L on FF, you can definately see the improved bokeh at f4.5 I've noticed so far.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Don't worry about all the things you are missing, look through the viewfinder, take the shot and then enjoy the excellent results

Yes the screen is a bit small, the menu rather long without sections to tab through, no live view or sensor cleaning.

It's beauty is in the simplicity of it all, more like using a camera than operating a computer
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Yeah I don't doubt for a second you're right - all of the reports I've read say the image quality is first rate. I'd just worry that it's too simple and outdated - if that's possible.
 
Sko77y said:
From the reviews I've read crop doesnt hold a candle to FF in IQ. I've borrowed a friends FF Nikon which I will be testing thoroughly tonight with my light painting (if I can figure out the buttons!)

The 5D mkii is just too much money to justify for me.

I'm looking forward to trying an F4 L on FF, you can definately see the improved bokeh at f4.5 I've noticed so far.
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Just a pity nowhere rents out the old bodies. Would definitely help to have a play around with one first.
 
I sold my 5dmk 1 to help fund the 6d.

One thing about the 5d, high iso isnt as good as you'd expect, even for an old FF body.
 
I've recently added a 5DII to my gear and can say I'm very glad I kept the 7D as well.

They are very different horses for very different courses.

I presume all the stuff applicable to the 5DII will apply to the 5DC your after. I couldn't rely on the AF and lack of crop that the 5DII offers, but for other things, it wipes the 7D hands down.
 
I bought a 7d a couple of years back, then was offered a 5d mark I/Classic at a good price. I have no regrets at all about buying it. The 2 cameras work excellently as a pair as they have different strengths and weaknesses that balance each other out. At this point in time I would not stop using either of them. The 5d I is a more forgiving camera that produces very nice files.
 
danny_bhoy said:
Seems like, IQ apart, there are too many drawbacks to the 5d MKI.
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I don't think there are that many drawbacks :D

The focus system may not be the flashiest but on the positive side I've never had any front/back focus issues with my 20D or 5D even with wide aperture Sigma lenses and BTW the Sigma 50mm f1.4 is a wonderful lens and their 85mm f1.4 is even better and is the best AF lens I've ever owned or used.

There's no live view or sensor cleaning and the highest ISO is 3200 and like other Canon cameras your VF will always have crap in it but you can live with these things.

If you can find a nice one at a good price I'd say go for it. If you don't like it you'll be able to sell it and hopefully not lose a great deal of dosh...

I've been happy with mine although it may be off to a new home soon as I now have a Sony A7. There's a bit of a price difference there though and for the money I think that a 5D makes a lot of sense especially over a Canon APS-C.

PS. Danny... Just spotted that you're in Sunderland. I'm just south of Middlesbrough so if you have a free couple of hours one afternoon you could always come and try mine. If you bring a memory card you can plug it into my 5D + Siggy 50mm (or one of your own lenses) fill the card and head off home to look at the shots.
 
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woof woof said:
I don't think there are that many drawbacks :D

The focus system may not be the flashiest but on the positive side I've never had any front/back focus issues with my 20D or 5D even with wide aperture Sigma lenses and BTW the Sigma 50mm f1.4 is a wonderful lens and their 85mm f1.4 is even better and is the best AF lens I've ever owned or used.

There's no live view or sensor cleaning and the highest ISO is 3200 and like other Canon cameras your VF will always have crap in it but you can live with these things.

If you can find a nice one at a good price I'd say go for it. If you don't like it you'll be able to sell it and hopefully not lose a great deal of dosh...

I've been happy with mine although it may be off to a new home soon as I now have a Sony A7. There's a bit of a price difference there though and for the money I think that a 5D makes a lot of sense especially over a Canon APS-C.

PS. Danny... Just spotted that you're in Sunderland. I'm just south of Middlesbrough so if you have a free couple of hours one afternoon you could always come and try mine. If you bring a memory card you can plug it into my 5D + Siggy 50mm (or one of your own lenses) fill the card and head off home to look at the shots.
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Thanks for the advice. I'm still not totally off the idea of a MK1 - was having a look at their flickr group last night and some of the images are just amazing. So with that said I may well take you up on your offer of a test drive in the near future :thumbs:
 
I would save up for a bit longer and go for the MkII. I had both and I've used the 7D and I don't really see that the MkI is much of an upgrade, if at all. It's VERY old technology now and VERY out of date.
 
It's VERY old technology now and VERY out of date.
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Also VERY good for certain uses, I have/had all three cameras and at low iso find it hard to see any difference between the mkI and mkii, definitely better than the 7D though
 
tijuana taxi said:
Also VERY good for certain uses, I have/had all three cameras and at low iso find it hard to see any difference between the mkI and mkii, definitely better than the 7D though
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I was running the MkI and the MkII side by side for a couple of years, and I could see vast differences at low ISO!
 
I was running the MkI and the MkII side by side for a couple of years, and I could see vast differences at low ISO!
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May I ask what the differences were please?
 
CharlotteM said:
I would save up for a bit longer and go for the MkII. I had both and I've used the 7D and I don't really see that the MkI is much of an upgrade, if at all. It's VERY old technology now and VERY out of date.
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I agree with some of this but I'd question the real world implications of how out dated this anchient technology is. I think it depends how you view and use the camera.

For example if you want the modern bells and whistles such as wi fi and Friend Face access and other wonders of which I know nothing the 5D isn't for you.

It's also not for you if you are a machine gunner and want to focus on each individual bullet as it leaves your gun and want the camera to focus and shoot just as fast.

The camera also isn't for you if you want a flat sceen TV glued to the back of your camera.

However the camera could well be for you if you are a single or low burst shooter shooting to a max of 3200 using the OVF with the rear screen just being used for changing menu items (I almost never do this,) formatting the card (this and "sensor cleaning" are the only things I enter the menu for) and reviewing composition and blinkies.

Personally, the only time I've found my 5D to struggle is when night shooting when f1.4 and ISO 3200 are hardly adequate (and even in these conditions I had no problem with AF.) Other than that I think that the real world performance as in focus speed and burst rate is adequate and that the image quality at low to medium ISO's is very good and even the highest ISO's are perfectly usable.

At the price I doubt there's anything to touch a 5D for actual image quality throughout its ISO range.
 
CharlotteM said:
I was running the MkI and the MkII side by side for a couple of years, and I could see vast differences at low ISO!
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tijuana taxi said:
May I ask what the differences were please?
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Well, I'm currebtly using a 5D and Sony A7 and I don't see a vast difference at low ISO and in fact I don't see a vast difference at low ISO between any FF, APS-C or MFT camera I've ever owned. Not when shooting raw and processing for best effect, if the comment relates to SOOC JPEG's all bets are off.

IMVHO older cameras tend to produce crap JPEG's and more modern ones tend to produce JPEG's which are more print ready, but personally I wouldn't be shooting JPEG from MFT and upwards and I even shoot raw with my LX5.
 
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tijuana taxi said:
May I ask what the differences were please?
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Noise and clarity.

With the 5DMkI you start to see noise creeping in quite obviously at around ISO400.

The 5DMkI is also quite viability not as clear in it's rendering of the subjects at the 5dMkII at any ISO. It is like the difference between using 35mm and medium format - I guess that's the best way to describe it. The images just feel different. The 5DMkII just produces nicer, better images in comparison.

If you only ever shoot at under 400ISO and you never make largish prints then I guess it wouldn't matter.
 
YMMV I guess.

I would and do use my 5D at any ISO and find the output even at ISO 3200 to be very good and suitable to print large. In fact if you can't get good images out of a 5D at ISO 400 I think there's summot up somewhere... even my 20D produced images at 400 that looked good at 100% :thinking:
 
Ive had mki mkii and mkiii. Below iso 800 the mk 1 renders better files than the mkii not in iso but tone. Id take mki over 7d especially if you do portaits. Mki worked fine to iso 3200 if a little noisy. I miss it and in many ways prefer it to the mkii and mkiii cant say why exactly but i think it had something special below iso 800.
 
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If you value ergonomics and autofocus, the 7D is the best choice. If you value IQ, 'proper' focal lengths and shallow DoF, the 5D is the best choice for your budget.

I agree with the above, that the 5D does have 'something' over the mark II and mark III versions at lower ISO. Incidentally the AF is identical on 5D and 5D MkII.

For those saying get a mark II, the thread starter has said its over budget, so is not an option.
 
grotty said:
If you value ergonomics and autofocus, the 7D is the best choice. If you value IQ, 'proper' focal lengths and shallow DoF, the 5D is the best choice for your budget.

I agree with the above, that the 5D does have 'something' over the mark II and mark III versions at lower ISO. Incidentally the AF is identical on 5D and 5D MkII.

For those saying get a mark II, the thread starter has said its over budget, so is not an option.
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Buying a grip for the 5d would solve ergonomics. Interesting to know about the AF on mki and mkii.
 
By ergonomics I'm referring to build, buttons, menu, screen etc. rather than adding a grip.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone - this is really giving me something to get my teeth into and ponder over.

I actually love the ergonomics of the 7d - both in it's bulletproof tank-like feel and it's menu layouts so I'd probably be taking a step back on those fronts from what I've read. I'd definitely add a grip too because, well, it's just what I'm used to.

But my main area of work now is portraits and you guys are swaying me. I know the FF will benefit me there.

Hazza said:
I've just gone from a 7d to a 1DSii. Loving it :D Are you keeping the 7D?
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The 7d would have to go the journey to fund the new body and part-fund a FF compatible lens.
 
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