mrjames
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Some of you might remember my 'esoteric leica thread' a while back, and i'm still not loving the 1d's size/weight. I've concluded that I'm just not loving it because it is my one and only camera, so a second smaller body would mean my 1d is used only for pro stuff, allowing me to shoot in the streets without anyone asking what newspaper i'm shooting for- I want to look like a tourist, I want people to leave me alone- but I want the quality there in case I happen to be witnessing a pulitzer moment (I also need a camera that can go everywhere with me and not make me look like a dork)
anyway
I can conjure up about 2200 to spend, this would involve making some sacrifices and selling off some gear I don't really use any more (most of it music making equipment...)
the 550/600d is out- I am using one this week and I don't like the small viewfinder, and no joystick to change AF point. I'd also like to go larger with the sensor rather than smaller, shooting the 1d against the 7d/60d/600d sensor I found the 1d3 to have better noise/detail, and the 10mp files could be up-rezed to 18mp and still look better, so in prints up to billboard sizes the larger sensor would still win out. I shot the 5d2 against the 7d and found the 5d's pixel level sharpness to be greater- after applying USM the 7d files were close, but noise was also exagerated. In short, the bigger the sensor the better the files (in terms of noise and IQ), but the difference is not all that much (only visible in truly large prints)- so the full frame advantage i'm looking to buy into is the ability to isolate a subject at range, and to be able to shoot at f2.8 for better sharpness and get similar depth of field to a crop camera shot at 1.4.
I shot the 1d3 against the 550d and in my testing f2 on the 1d gave the same depth of field (on a 50mm lens with the distance to subject the only variable) as 1.4 on the 550d, although the difference between f1.4 and f2 is marginal anyway if the background is a reasonable distance away
the x100 is out until they fix the manual focus issue, and f2 APS-C is too limiting for the shallow depth of field at a reasonable distance look, I want 35 1.4 on full frame but the same size as the x100- I guess that's the leica m9...
I played with an m9 in store, and found it surprisingly bigger than the x100- but it felt nice to hold- like a gun. I've not used the x100 in anything other than daylight so I couldn't see how the af stacks up in the dark
I don't shoot sports, I don't go out in the rain, I rarely shoot landscapes (although I have shots from mountain treking in the snow, so weather sealing did come in handy once). I mostly shoot studio/fashion and like to take the camera out into the city to train my eye so the 1d is largely wasted on me. I do shoot gig's regularly, and 6400 iso gives good results in reasonable low light but when you're bordering on underexposure there is an awful lot of shadow noise. 3200 is about the useable limit in total darkness with 2.8 lenses. I understand the 5d2 will give me maybe 1 stop better results? But how about the 5d classic- I know it only goes to 3200, but if pushed in post, how does it compare to the 5d2 at 6400. My current gig lenses are 85 1.8 and 150 f2.8, the 135mm f2 would fit in nicely and allow me to keep shooting my 1d at 3200. The 5d classic could be a good second body if it's high ISO is at least as good as the 1d3
I think the best option is the 5d2, as no live view, and no flash control with my st-e2 are going to limit the usefullness of the 5d1 as a studio camera. But if I was to get the 5d2 the 1d would have to go to replace it
But...
the 5d2 might still be too big for a take-everywhere camera, and a crop sensor is not something i'd like to buy into, and canon don't offer any crop sensor specific L quality lenses in the way that pentax do with their limited primes (pentax could be an option), and the x100 wasn't pushing my buttons, and a big SLR might make me look like a dork if I am at a house party or at a nice restaurant (i'm serious about this, I don't want my camera to undermine my GQ styling
)
so i'm putting serious though into keeping the 1d and using a leica m8 for my street/fun shooting and use the 1d as my studio/events/getting paid camera. Although I can see the advantage of the m9 over the m8, the price is just insane.
I'm liking the thought of shooting with the leica (and with zeiss/voigtlander lenses on the used market it's not as expensive as you'd think!) as the 1.4 lenses are apparently usable at 1.4, where as my current canon 1.4 is really an f2 lens with delusions of grandeur, and I don't think I like the eos system enough to want to spend that much money on multiple bulky SLR lenses. Paying money for SLR gear you don't really want is like paying a gas bill- no fun at all. Fortunately I am in the position where my shooting environment is under my control and we can keep shooting until everyone is happy with the results. As an artist photographer the hand-holdability of the leica speaks to me, I can shoot at 1/15 and get sharp shots, this allows better low light shooting but more importantly it allows me to use motion blur in my shots without a tripod. The pentax in body IS would offer me the same freedom, (but APS-C sensor), canon IS lenses would do the same, but IS lenses are large and would not allow me to remain invisible like shooting the leica or a pentax with a small lens.
My current lens line-up is very uninspiring, I sold most of my lenses with the intention of buying better lenses, but it suddenly occurred to me that now I am so devoid of canon native equipment it is a good time to consider a switch, so I could be fully willing to sell the rest and totally change how I photograph, all I have left is:
yongnuo st-e2 clone and 430ex/550ex and some manual flash guns with radio triggers
pentax 28mm f2.8 close focus, which cost me £5 and i'm not a huge fan of it
canon 50mm 1.4, which i'm not a huge fan of either
Helios 58mm f2, which is soft until 2.8 but has a very special rendering, although feels like junk to focus with- worth about £4 so no point selling
canon 85mm 1.8, which i'm not a huge fan of as it's basically the same lens as the 50mm but 3 steps backwards
zeiss 135 f3.5, my favourite lens, a bit slow, but has the zeiss 'look', very compact for a tele too
sigma 150mm 2.8, which i'm not a huge fan of either because of it's weight, naff ergonomics and the flatter perspective compared to a 100mm lens
When i'm taking my time to photograph I like to use manual focus lenses, although with the small viewfinder of the 1d I ended up getting rid of most of my MF glass as it proved to be too difficult- i'd like to get back into MF so a 5d with an EE-S would be much better
Seeing as my lens lineup leaves a lot to be desired in terms of IQ and enjoyment I could happily get rid of most of it. My thinking at the moment is:
1) Sell almost everything: the 1d, the sigma 150, zeiss 135mm, canon 50mm and the 85mm, pentax 28mm and buy an older body with great glass and upgrade to the 5d3 in time:
5d classic + zeiss 21mm distagon, zeiss 100mm f2 makro planar, and a MF 50mm (or keep the 50mm canon/get the zeiss 50mm f2 makro planar and the 100mm IS) and an MPE-65 down the line for serious macro
IF THE ST-E2 CAN STILL BE USED WITH THE 5d
2) Sell most of my current lenses and use the 1d with 17-40 and 150mm macro and get a leica with fast wide/normal/short tele primes. Maybe keep the 85 1.8 for shorter portraits or sell it with the 150 and get the 100mm IS
3) Sell the 150, 50 and 85mm Keep the 1d and get 17-40 + 135L + 100mm macro IS, and a 5d classic for the 28, 50 (manual focus) and 135
Basically either I go 5d2 and keep most of my current lenses and don't make sacrifices, or I keep the 1d and current lenses and get a 5d classic (and use it as a leica) with some new lenses, or I actually get a leica with some great fast primes and use 2.8 zooms with the canon.
I'm also under the impression that the 35L is sharper at 1.4 than the 50mm at 1.4 (which I consider unusable until f1.8), so for serious low light hand held work I may think about the 35L
My professional requirements are:
full length fashion shots at f8 or with shallow depth of field on location
interiors at f8
close up/detail- jewelery etc
portraits at f8 or with shallow depth of field on location
gigs at high iso and fast lenses
most of this can be done with a 17-40, a 24-105 and a fast tele that can also do 1:2 macro and shallow depth of field portraits (hello 100mm f2 planar)
If I need 1:1 or higher I can always reverse a lens if needed, and I might pick up a mpe down the line
my personal requirements are:
has to be a joy to use
has to be inconspicuous, light enough to travel with and retain good IQ
A fast wide angle, a sharp normal lens and a lightweight tele
Should I trade in the 1d3 for a 5d2?
50% of my brain tells me to do so and i'd use it for everything, but the other 50% says I still wouldn't be happy with the size of a 5d so I should build a leica system for discrete prime use and use the canon with zooms (either the 5d2 or keep the 1d3)
I feel a bit guilty holding on to the 1d, I think there's a lot of people who would appreciate what it has to offer more than I do.
my only questions about dropping down to the 5d2 are whether flash sync will be too much of a problem- i've tried shooting the 1d at 1/200 and I haven't noticed a problem yet as I can always shoot faster with HSS, but is that going to be an issue further down the line?
I'm not sure if the st-e2 is compatible with the 5d classic
and i'm not sure how live view works on the 5d2. On the 1d live view flips the mirror up and it stays up, on the 550d i've noticed that the mirror flips down again before the shot is taken- introducing mirror slap; i've tested the 1d against the 550 and I can shoot a 50mm lens at 1/20 on the 1d and get consistant sharp images on live view, but when not using live view the images are much blurrier- I would like to know if the 5d has the silent shooting option of the 1d in live view as it is much quieter and actually does give you sharper images at slow speeds
speaking of noise, even on quiet shutter mode the 1d is extremely (and distractingly loud), is the 5d2 any quieter?
The one thing I would miss about the 1d (other than the kudos) is the ability to do hand-held 3 frame exposure bracketing and not have any camera movement (and not having to worry about breaking it, the awesome AF, and the look on peoples faces when you do a 10 fps burst...), I wish the 5d could match the d700's 8fps with battery grip, and had the af, and the low light...
anyway
I can conjure up about 2200 to spend, this would involve making some sacrifices and selling off some gear I don't really use any more (most of it music making equipment...)
the 550/600d is out- I am using one this week and I don't like the small viewfinder, and no joystick to change AF point. I'd also like to go larger with the sensor rather than smaller, shooting the 1d against the 7d/60d/600d sensor I found the 1d3 to have better noise/detail, and the 10mp files could be up-rezed to 18mp and still look better, so in prints up to billboard sizes the larger sensor would still win out. I shot the 5d2 against the 7d and found the 5d's pixel level sharpness to be greater- after applying USM the 7d files were close, but noise was also exagerated. In short, the bigger the sensor the better the files (in terms of noise and IQ), but the difference is not all that much (only visible in truly large prints)- so the full frame advantage i'm looking to buy into is the ability to isolate a subject at range, and to be able to shoot at f2.8 for better sharpness and get similar depth of field to a crop camera shot at 1.4.
I shot the 1d3 against the 550d and in my testing f2 on the 1d gave the same depth of field (on a 50mm lens with the distance to subject the only variable) as 1.4 on the 550d, although the difference between f1.4 and f2 is marginal anyway if the background is a reasonable distance away
the x100 is out until they fix the manual focus issue, and f2 APS-C is too limiting for the shallow depth of field at a reasonable distance look, I want 35 1.4 on full frame but the same size as the x100- I guess that's the leica m9...
I played with an m9 in store, and found it surprisingly bigger than the x100- but it felt nice to hold- like a gun. I've not used the x100 in anything other than daylight so I couldn't see how the af stacks up in the dark
I don't shoot sports, I don't go out in the rain, I rarely shoot landscapes (although I have shots from mountain treking in the snow, so weather sealing did come in handy once). I mostly shoot studio/fashion and like to take the camera out into the city to train my eye so the 1d is largely wasted on me. I do shoot gig's regularly, and 6400 iso gives good results in reasonable low light but when you're bordering on underexposure there is an awful lot of shadow noise. 3200 is about the useable limit in total darkness with 2.8 lenses. I understand the 5d2 will give me maybe 1 stop better results? But how about the 5d classic- I know it only goes to 3200, but if pushed in post, how does it compare to the 5d2 at 6400. My current gig lenses are 85 1.8 and 150 f2.8, the 135mm f2 would fit in nicely and allow me to keep shooting my 1d at 3200. The 5d classic could be a good second body if it's high ISO is at least as good as the 1d3
I think the best option is the 5d2, as no live view, and no flash control with my st-e2 are going to limit the usefullness of the 5d1 as a studio camera. But if I was to get the 5d2 the 1d would have to go to replace it
But...
the 5d2 might still be too big for a take-everywhere camera, and a crop sensor is not something i'd like to buy into, and canon don't offer any crop sensor specific L quality lenses in the way that pentax do with their limited primes (pentax could be an option), and the x100 wasn't pushing my buttons, and a big SLR might make me look like a dork if I am at a house party or at a nice restaurant (i'm serious about this, I don't want my camera to undermine my GQ styling
)so i'm putting serious though into keeping the 1d and using a leica m8 for my street/fun shooting and use the 1d as my studio/events/getting paid camera. Although I can see the advantage of the m9 over the m8, the price is just insane.
I'm liking the thought of shooting with the leica (and with zeiss/voigtlander lenses on the used market it's not as expensive as you'd think!) as the 1.4 lenses are apparently usable at 1.4, where as my current canon 1.4 is really an f2 lens with delusions of grandeur, and I don't think I like the eos system enough to want to spend that much money on multiple bulky SLR lenses. Paying money for SLR gear you don't really want is like paying a gas bill- no fun at all. Fortunately I am in the position where my shooting environment is under my control and we can keep shooting until everyone is happy with the results. As an artist photographer the hand-holdability of the leica speaks to me, I can shoot at 1/15 and get sharp shots, this allows better low light shooting but more importantly it allows me to use motion blur in my shots without a tripod. The pentax in body IS would offer me the same freedom, (but APS-C sensor), canon IS lenses would do the same, but IS lenses are large and would not allow me to remain invisible like shooting the leica or a pentax with a small lens.
My current lens line-up is very uninspiring, I sold most of my lenses with the intention of buying better lenses, but it suddenly occurred to me that now I am so devoid of canon native equipment it is a good time to consider a switch, so I could be fully willing to sell the rest and totally change how I photograph, all I have left is:
yongnuo st-e2 clone and 430ex/550ex and some manual flash guns with radio triggers
pentax 28mm f2.8 close focus, which cost me £5 and i'm not a huge fan of it
canon 50mm 1.4, which i'm not a huge fan of either
Helios 58mm f2, which is soft until 2.8 but has a very special rendering, although feels like junk to focus with- worth about £4 so no point selling
canon 85mm 1.8, which i'm not a huge fan of as it's basically the same lens as the 50mm but 3 steps backwards
zeiss 135 f3.5, my favourite lens, a bit slow, but has the zeiss 'look', very compact for a tele too
sigma 150mm 2.8, which i'm not a huge fan of either because of it's weight, naff ergonomics and the flatter perspective compared to a 100mm lens
When i'm taking my time to photograph I like to use manual focus lenses, although with the small viewfinder of the 1d I ended up getting rid of most of my MF glass as it proved to be too difficult- i'd like to get back into MF so a 5d with an EE-S would be much better
Seeing as my lens lineup leaves a lot to be desired in terms of IQ and enjoyment I could happily get rid of most of it. My thinking at the moment is:
1) Sell almost everything: the 1d, the sigma 150, zeiss 135mm, canon 50mm and the 85mm, pentax 28mm and buy an older body with great glass and upgrade to the 5d3 in time:
5d classic + zeiss 21mm distagon, zeiss 100mm f2 makro planar, and a MF 50mm (or keep the 50mm canon/get the zeiss 50mm f2 makro planar and the 100mm IS) and an MPE-65 down the line for serious macro
IF THE ST-E2 CAN STILL BE USED WITH THE 5d
2) Sell most of my current lenses and use the 1d with 17-40 and 150mm macro and get a leica with fast wide/normal/short tele primes. Maybe keep the 85 1.8 for shorter portraits or sell it with the 150 and get the 100mm IS
3) Sell the 150, 50 and 85mm Keep the 1d and get 17-40 + 135L + 100mm macro IS, and a 5d classic for the 28, 50 (manual focus) and 135
Basically either I go 5d2 and keep most of my current lenses and don't make sacrifices, or I keep the 1d and current lenses and get a 5d classic (and use it as a leica) with some new lenses, or I actually get a leica with some great fast primes and use 2.8 zooms with the canon.
I'm also under the impression that the 35L is sharper at 1.4 than the 50mm at 1.4 (which I consider unusable until f1.8), so for serious low light hand held work I may think about the 35L
My professional requirements are:
full length fashion shots at f8 or with shallow depth of field on location
interiors at f8
close up/detail- jewelery etc
portraits at f8 or with shallow depth of field on location
gigs at high iso and fast lenses
most of this can be done with a 17-40, a 24-105 and a fast tele that can also do 1:2 macro and shallow depth of field portraits (hello 100mm f2 planar)
If I need 1:1 or higher I can always reverse a lens if needed, and I might pick up a mpe down the line
my personal requirements are:
has to be a joy to use
has to be inconspicuous, light enough to travel with and retain good IQ
A fast wide angle, a sharp normal lens and a lightweight tele
Should I trade in the 1d3 for a 5d2?
50% of my brain tells me to do so and i'd use it for everything, but the other 50% says I still wouldn't be happy with the size of a 5d so I should build a leica system for discrete prime use and use the canon with zooms (either the 5d2 or keep the 1d3)
I feel a bit guilty holding on to the 1d, I think there's a lot of people who would appreciate what it has to offer more than I do.
my only questions about dropping down to the 5d2 are whether flash sync will be too much of a problem- i've tried shooting the 1d at 1/200 and I haven't noticed a problem yet as I can always shoot faster with HSS, but is that going to be an issue further down the line?
I'm not sure if the st-e2 is compatible with the 5d classic
and i'm not sure how live view works on the 5d2. On the 1d live view flips the mirror up and it stays up, on the 550d i've noticed that the mirror flips down again before the shot is taken- introducing mirror slap; i've tested the 1d against the 550 and I can shoot a 50mm lens at 1/20 on the 1d and get consistant sharp images on live view, but when not using live view the images are much blurrier- I would like to know if the 5d has the silent shooting option of the 1d in live view as it is much quieter and actually does give you sharper images at slow speeds
speaking of noise, even on quiet shutter mode the 1d is extremely (and distractingly loud), is the 5d2 any quieter?
The one thing I would miss about the 1d (other than the kudos
) is the ability to do hand-held 3 frame exposure bracketing and not have any camera movement (and not having to worry about breaking it, the awesome AF, and the look on peoples faces when you do a 10 fps burst...), I wish the 5d could match the d700's 8fps with battery grip, and had the af, and the low light... 
