Upgrade dilemma: 50D or 5DMKII?

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stellarbeam

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Jessica
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Whilst I've decided that I definately want to upgrade from my Canon 400D I'm in a quandry as to what to upgrade to.

Part of me wants to splash out and get a 5DMKII but the sensible part is saying "Why do you need more than a 50D?"

I borrowed a colleagues' 50D yesterday and liked the feel and weight of it. The 24-70L makes my 400D front heavy, straining my wrist, whereas the 50D was nicely balanced and was easier to get a firm grip of. I've not had the oportunity to handle a 5DMKII.

Other than being full frame and having HD what are the benefits of having the 5DMKII over the 50D? Certainly a huge price difference.

As I'm about to embark on a 2 year HND course whatever I buy will be getting a heavy ammount of use, shooting all sorts of things. I ideally want a camera that can take me through the course and beyond.
 
also consider a 40d, for a very small diference to the 50d, youd have an extra 200 or so pounds to spend on lenses...:)
 
The 40d is good value, especially if you buy a used one that has had low usage. From the 400d this would be a realistic upgrade.

Enjoy your HND.

John
 
I'm going to have a look at the 40D.

I'm nervous about buying 2nd hand or non UK. I'm always worried that something will go wrong and I have no warranty etc.
 
Go for the 5D - full frame delight - you know you want to :LOL:

I think it was Weddinghack who, when referring to the benefits of full frame on the 5D said something along the lines of, "you stop wondering how good it is..."
 
The 5D mkII is obviously a very sexy camera, but you can get 3 40D's for the price of a 5D mkII.

and....

I find that I actually quite like the cropped sensor because of the extra 'length' it give your lenses (and yes, I realise it spoils things at the wide end) but I just can't see that it is quite worth all that extra dosh. I take loads of golfing shots and the 200mm lens with a 2x converter on it makes for one long lens.

But its one of those; if the dosh is of no consequence to you, and you don't crave for longer lenses like I do, go for the 5D. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Good luck with your choice.
 
Im always needing a wider view which is one of the reasons I'm considering a 5DMKII. At thinks like small gigs or clubnights I hate not being to get everything in shot. I love it when I put the 24-70L on my Canon 300 (film camera) It's so tempting to get the 5DMKII, but it's so much money. I think I may try and see one tomorrow at Calumet to get a feel of it (ooh err!)

I think I'm swaying towards the more expensive option at the moment. I'll soon be a skint student unable to afford anything. Only fair I have one last (rather big) treat.
 
I've had a 400D, then a 40D and all along mostly used the 24-105L, but I did find myself grasping for extra "wide"-ness (which the 10-22 provided when required) at times when I was just carrying the one lens for various reasons.

I've just plumped for the 5D Mark II, and that paired with the 24-105 is a match made in heaven. I actually thought it was a 15MP camera for ages, until shortly before making my decision to buy it, (thanks mpbphotographic!), but neither 21MP nor video were was I was aching for... was just full frame.
 
5D/II.
Why buy a "crop sensor" camera when you already have one? You'll end up with a choice of 2 formats and a good 2nd body.
 
5D II is a big upgrade. I think the 50D will do everything (and more) that you'll require in all honesty. You really need to get a wide angle lens like a 10-22, you'll open a new world of photography and you won't worry about full frame! It's a great lens.

I'd sooner a 50D with another decent L lens over a 5D II and a single L lens.
 
I've just had this dilema and gone for the 5D Mk ii, but have also gone for the 24-70 2.8 as one of the things people told me is that the 5D ii is that good, it will show up poor glass. So I am currently selling my non 'L' glass to fund the new lens!!!!

You would therefore probably not benefit hugely from your upgrade to a 5dii if you were using your 18-55 kit lens. I am not sure about your nifty fifty as I've never used one, but have always heard good things about them! Would you therefore end up only using your 24-70 all the time?

As Kryptix has said the option of a 50D and another piece of glass (with a suitable focal length to expand what you have already) may well give you more flexibility if you are going to be shooting a wide range of subjects in your future photography.

The other consideration however, is the 21.2MP of the 5dii if you are going to be printing larger format prints for a portfolio as part of your course????
 
The_Bulb said:
You would therefore probably not benefit hugely from your upgrade to a 5dii if you were using your 18-55 kit lens.
Click to expand...

The only 'kit lens' that will work on a Canon FF body is the 24-105L.
 
@ bulb the 18-55 kit is ef-s so won't go onto a 5d

I'd angle for the 5dII if poss, as you have the glass you want for what you need to do (I'd add fast primes to it but thats me) and gigs are your thing so the ridiculously good iso handling is gonna be useful for you.

I have a 50d as I need the extra 'apparent' length from the crop factor but dam do I want a 5dII (or even 5dI) for gig and portrait work
 
Well pointed out Ed. The Canon FF models only accept EF lenses, not EF-S.

A second hand 5D Classic would still be a very useful upgrade. The MkII adds video, more MP and better high ISO performance. (Though WeddingHack has already demonstrated that the 5D is no mean performer at ISO1600) It depends how much you value those technical advances how much they are worth to you. If it's the FF you are looking for the 5D is still a very capable camera.
 
http://www.camerapricebuster.com/Canon_EOS_40D_Body_pc.html

40d at £569. A fantastic buy at that price. To be honest, they don't go for much less second hand currently. Classic 5d's are a good buy at around half their original price. You could buy a brand new 40d and a mint second hand 5d and still have change for a nice lens for the price of the 5dmkII.

If I were you, I would spend my money on glass which will really make a difference to your photography.

Graham
 
I'd imagine the 5D Mk II with a fast portrait lens is a match made in heaven in poor light.

Results at ISO6400 are very useable, even at 12,500 they're ok as a last resort..

As others have said, it's the very latest Canon camera and technology has moved on greatly since 2005 :)

You mention you at least have access to a 24-70 2.8. So the 5D Mk II and that lens should be awesome (in the right hands of course :p).

The original 5D is no slouch though, as AliB and others have touched on.

With video capabilities on the 5DII and a forthcoming firmware update, that may be the way to go, especially if you're also going to video gigs as well. Beware though, you'll need to factor in high capacity memory cards, with 8GB as a minimum ;) If you shoot in full RAW, at 21.1mp, expect files to be in the region of 28MB each...

If you do plan to eventually go into wildlife and sports photography, then a cropped camera like the 50D will be invaluable, as the 1.6 crop factor effectively turns a 300mm lens into 420mm etc etc. With a 5D II, to compensate for the loss of crop, you'll need to invest in longer lenses than if you had something like a 40/50D
 
Still undecided* but I think it's going to be the 5DMKII. I didn't get a chance to go to Calumet this weekend to try one out but yep...I think some saving is in order. Well not so much saving just not spending any money for a very long time after getting one :LOL:

I know I'll need some new glass not so long into the future regardless of which camera I get. I use my 24-70L pretty much all the time so it sounds like it's a good match. being able to go to a high iso would also be wonderful for me.

*actually I am decided...the 5DMKII it is. Now to keep an eye out for a nice price...or get a winning lottery ticket.
 
I doubt you'll be disappointed, I love mine, but you will have to beware of the 'prime factor', it is very evident that this camera requires good optics.
 
cyclone said:
5D/II.
Why buy a "crop sensor" camera when you already have one? You'll end up with a choice of 2 formats and a good 2nd body.
Click to expand...

The crop sensor on the 50D is a good one for sport work
You get away with lighter lens and for less money plus the fast FPS
Which one you go for reply depends on what you wish to do with it.
Remember a 70-300 f4 on the 50D will be a 112-480mm f4
How much will that cost you on the 5D with out the x1.6 ?

I will be getting the 50D myself when I have the money
 
I had the same dilema when upgrading from my 350D, got given some extra cash at the same time so went for the 5dmk2. Had a play with both 50d and 5dmk2 at the LCE Southampton show and took shots on both cameras on my memory card. The image quality of the 5dmk2 just blew me away. 50d was good, but 5dmk2 was stunning but then you would expect it to be:)
 
Get the best you can afford, I got the 5dmk2 and I love it!

I have my 40d when I need to do any sport/fast action and use my 5dmk2 for everything else!

Maybe rent 5dmk2 and try it out!
 
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