Going Full Frame

EspressoJunkie

EspressoJunkie

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Greg
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At some point in the next few months, I intend to move to Full Frame set up.

One of the main reasons being that I am planning on starting to do some paid photography work, although it's purely at a part time level for the moment. I intend to do as many varied types of shooting as possible, with the aim of building up a good portfolio.

Although I currently shoot with a Nikon (D300) I have no particular brand loyalty, and seeing as all my stuff is DX it will all be sold to fund a new set up. I have some money to put towards it as well which will probably give me a budget of around £2,500 for a body, flash, and single lens to begin with. Realistically this leads me to either the 5Dmkii or the D700(I was hoping the D800's release would bring the D700 prices down, but I fear it may have the opposite effect). I'd rather buy a new body, but I don't mind S/H glass.

I've done my homework, and am currently drawn more the the Canon as it's features and plus points appeal to me more. The only thing that concerns me (and I'd love to hear from 5Dmkii owners on this) is the autofocus perfomance with moving subjects and in low light. The reason I ask is that this will also be used for pictures of my children, and I'd like to know the AF will cope!

I know there are a few threads like this one, and I have done plenty of searching, but I really do value people on this forums opinions. I also understand that there are hundreds of people like me (the enthusiastic amateur with a dream of going pro) and that just by getting a FF camera I won't magically improve overnight. Quite the opposite really, I realise the work and effort that have to go into this, but I am also ready to give it my all.

So I'd really appreciate anyones detailed input or opinions, on both prospective equipment and any other advice. As I said I've watched the videos and digested reviews, what I really want is hands on opinons.

Thanks in advance guys, I really do appreciate anyone who takes the time to reply :)
 
What paid work do you plan to do? Not a lot wrong with the d300, the 24-70 is great on it. Where do you feel you are missing out?

Second hand you will be able to get the 700, 24-70 and a prime or sb900.
 
cambsno said:
What paid work do you plan to do? Not a lot wrong with the d300, the 24-70 is great on it. Where do you feel you are missing out?

Second hand you will be able to get the 700, 24-70 and a prime or sb900.
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I'd like to begin by doing portrait work, and also covering corperate events. I've seen some professionals work which is, to put it bluntly, bad, and while I know that I'm still learning, I genuinely believe that I can produce a better quality of image.

The general attitude I seem to find is that Full Frame is just a better quality of image, and in any personal experience I've had ( I use a D3x in work, and I've shot with a D3s on occasions to) this is definitely the case. I know that I can be guilty of pixel peeping to though. Also from talking to a few working pros they say that although it shouldn't be the case, you can be judged on the quality of the kit you use.

Also I have the money to do this now, and realistically I don't know when I will again, so I'd like to get what I know will do me as a more pro set up as I develop. I do like my D300, but it's a case of do it now while I can.
 
If you are doing paid work then you will need backup so I would actually say add something to your current kit rather than sell everything. If you don't have a backup of the body, lens/es you need to use as well as flash and anything else key to shooting then you risk not being able to shoot, that won't go down well when being paid. You would be better off with adding a D300/s, D7000 etc than only having a D700 with no backup.

As for which way to go, that's totally down to you, I wouldn't like to choose currently, I shoot Canon as at the time it was the best for sports, when I switched to weddings I stayed with the brand as the 5D was there.... if I started only a couple of years ago I would have gone Nikon for sure...... now things are not so clear cut and honestly both systems have advantages and disadvantages so pay your money and take your choice. The good news is that you can get the results needed by a pro with either option.
 
Thanks for the replies so far guys.

kokakaste2 said:
Don't over think about it, if you can afford it go for it! :)
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Lol I do have a tendancy to over analyze things like this! I just want to make the right choices because its something I'm so passionate about doing and getting right, and also as I said it might be a long time before I can afford it again!
 
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EspressoJunkie said:
..I do have a tendancy to over analyze things like this! I just want to make the right choices because its something I'm so passionate about doing and getting right.
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Best way to be on occasions..
Hahaha, I was exactly the same when looking to upgrade in late 2010.
I ended up going full frame with the Canon 5D MKII & I haven't looked back since!
:} Best wishes.
 
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I went full frame at xmas...

Did I need to? no. But I could so I did...

I spent a long time weighing up the merits of Nikon and Canon as I was a Sony user (A100). I have no brand loyalty at all.

My heart wanted a D700, but in the end value for money, quality and sheer variety of lenses lead me to the 5dmk2 'kit'...

I'd heard bad things about focus issues with it, but so far I'm enjoying it. Center spot is very sensitive as well. And with only having 9 af points to worry about, means I can easily select the one I want.

I also bought the 85mm 1.8 as well...I was shooting with it last night in my house at iso 3200 trying to nail a few kids...

For £2500 you could get 5dmk 2, 24-105 L and a flash.

It's more camera than I need, but I'm loving it.

I'm no pro, but here's a pic from last night only adjusted for colour iso 3200 with the 85mm 1.8...


IMG_8301 by D3RON, on Flickr
 
I'm a happy 5D2 owner :) I came to digital quite late in the day, being a 35mm film user for many years, and I decided from the outset that I had to have a full-frame camera - I wanted to preserve the field of view and large viewfinder I was used to (i.e. I didn't want a 50mm lens to behave as if it was an 80mm on a crop body), and I wanted the best quality possible. As it is, shooting with the 5D2 is probably as close as you'll get to a "film on digital" experience, in terms of the handling, the characteristic depth of field of a 35mm camera, and the lovely rich colours and sharpness it produces.

As for the AF, it works fine for me and many others, and I for one don't have a problem using it in low light. Granted it's not as good as the D700 - apart from anything else it hasn't got as many AF points - but to say it's poor is like saying the Ford Focus is rubbish because it's not as good a car as a Porsche. For most people it will do the job fine, and if you need professional-grade AF you should be looking at a 1D series (or perhaps the 5D mk III... :nuts: )

AF performance aside, most people agree that the 5D2's strong suit is the sheer quality of the images it produces... if you want a portfolio of great shots with that lovely full-frame quality, you've come to the right place :)

A.
 
EspressoJunkie said:
At some point in the next few months, I intend to move to Full Frame set up.

One of the main reasons being that I am planning on starting to do some paid photography work, although it's purely at a part time level for the moment. I intend to do as many varied types of shooting as possible, with the aim of building up a good portfolio.
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why on earth do you think full frame will make a difference? if your only reason to go full frame is because you want to make more money and go pro... sorry but i dont see how full frame has any bearing on the plan at all?
 
KIPAX said:
why on earth do you think full frame will make a difference? if your only reason to go full frame is because you want to make more money and go pro... sorry but i dont see how full frame has any bearing on the plan at all?
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Its not only because I intend to start getting paid work. Part of it is because I'm in the rare position that I can! We all suffer from gear lust sometimes, and 99% of the time I have very little money to spend on camera stuff.

I also prefer shooting on full frame, and the results it gives. I use a D3X in work, although I do realise its a different camera entirely from the 2 I'm debating.
 
100% get a FF or 1.3 crop for corporate events, when it's dark and you can't use a flash (as is the case sometimes, especially when trying to be stealth for candids) then not even a 1.4 lens will help much if you can't use 3200 ISO (i.e without it being terribly grainy).
 
What dose FF bring to the picture ?? The only thing I see about FF is it makes some lenses redundant .Do you get more of a picture compared to a crop sensor .
 
Darkstar said:
What dose FF bring to the picture ?? The only thing I see about FF is it makes some lenses redundant .Do you get more of a picture compared to a crop sensor .
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You get a wider area of view, and a better quality of image (although some would argue otherwise), with less noise at higher ISO.
 
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Darkstar said:
What dose FF bring to the picture?
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I asked the same question when undergoing Jessops training.
The full frame sensor is larger & can pick up both more detail & light. It produces better quality photographs at a higher ISO producing much less grain. Wide-angle lenses designed for full-frame 35mm retain that same wide angle of view. Wiki said "..full-frame DSLRs intended mainly for professional use include more features than typical consumer-grade DSLRs." The cameras do usually tend to have more manual capabilities. The need for a full-frame camera depends entirely on the needs of the individual photographer.
 
IamAshlyRose said:
full-frame DSLRs intended mainly for professional use include more features than typical consumer-grade DSLRs." The cameras do usually tend to have more manual capabilities. The need for a full-frame camera depends entirely on the needs of the individual photographer.
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so my 4 thousand pound crop 1dmkIVs arn't profesional cus they are not full frame.... good grief ..
 
@KIPAX Woah NO that's not what I meant at all!
I've heard that full frame cameras are ideal for portraiture & architectural work but that's not a rule in the slightest.

The quote said that the cameras are intended for professional use, not the only professional camera out there.

IamAshlyRose said:
The need for a full-frame camera depends entirely on the needs of the individual photographer.
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Not every professional photographer will want a full frame & not every photographer with a full frame is a professional.
I have a full frame body but I'm not a professional, I guess I'm just an enthusiast.
 
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It depends what gear you got already. You have D300 and some lens. What lens are you using atm and flash etc?

I use D300 and D7000 and i shoot events with no problem. Altho i don't get paid because i do it for free.

To be honest if you have £2500 to blow i would suggest buy a used full frame body and a used quality glass if you don't have one.

With that budget i would say a used D700 because all your accessories on your D300 can be use this include batteries, grip etc. Also look for a decent flash if you don't have one or a used nikon quality glass, i.e 28-70 f2.8 or 24-70 f2.8. Also 70-200 f2.8 will be handy then you pretty much cover most stuff you want to shoot.
 
The only lenses I have are the Tamron 17-50 and a 35mm(dx only). There's nothing I would keep if moving to FF, as I only have a basic flash and no extra batteries or anything.

I do like the D700, but the 5Dmkii is appealing to me more at the moment, I know the AF isn't as good, but video is a huge draw as we don't have a dedicated video camera at home, and I'd love to be able to get some nice movies of the kids as they grow up.

I've still got a lot of thinking to do, but I definitely know that the move will happen fairly soon.
 
mark1616 said:
I mentioned it but seems not to have been picked up, if you are doing paid work make sure you've two of everything so don't blow your budget on just ending up on one body etc.
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I meant to say, that whichever brand I end up choosing I will be able to borrow a body ( crop though ) to use as a back up.
 
like i said with £2500 i will get a used D700, used SB800 or even SB700 then a used 28-70 f2.8 if you can or get the best deal of a used 24-70 f2.8.

then you will have your D300 as backup and use all your DX lens.

If you want to do abit of both then a D7000 will do the trick, that means you can get the body new for £800-900 and have plenty to blow on flash, and couple of lens.

If full frame is the only thing you want then take my advice on the D700, but it seems like you settle with the canon 5d mkii.
 
badboy1984 said:
like i said with £2500 i will get a used D700, used SB800 or even SB700 then a used 28-70 f2.8 if you can or get the best deal of a used 24-70 f2.8.

then you will have your D300 as backup and use all your DX lens.

If you want to do abit of both then a D7000 will do the trick, that means you can get the body new for £800-900 and have plenty to blow on flash, and couple of lens.

If full frame is the only thing you want then take my advice on the D700, but it seems like you settle with the canon 5d mkii.
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The £2500 includes selling the current kit. I am defiantly swaying towards Canon it just seems to offer more that I'm interested in, especially the video and I could see the price coming down with the release of the mkiii .

I'm not discounting the D700 though,but I feel the release of the D800 will actually push the price of it up rather than down.
 
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