Home Forums Gear Photography Canon 5Ds R ??

Gents,

I purchased a Canon A1 circa 1979 and used it through say 2006. I'd say I got my money's worth.

I've been using a Canon T2i for several years ( bought it new when it first came out).

Recently my interest in photography has been rekindled. I've upgraded my lenses rather than the body. My kit includes the

Canon EF 17-40 1:4 L USM (workhorse)
Canon Macro EF 100 1;2.8
Canon EF 70-200 1:4 L IS
Canon EF 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS
Tamron 150-600 F/5-6.3

I'm not a pro. My photos are for my own enjoyment. However I do get a kick out of posting pix on different websites and forums.

A couple of old bromides,
1 the memory of poor quality or service lingers long after the joy of low price fades
2 How often have you been sorry that you went first class?
and last but not least
3 A fool and his money are soon parted.LOL


I shoot in RAW mostly these days and touch up images with Canon DPP. I purchased Lightroom 5 a while back, but do not use it on a regular basis. My computer has more than 8 gig of Ram and my OS is windows 8.

Don't do fast action sports photography, nor much "low light" stuff. I'm afield anywhere up to 80 days a year and always have a camera. Wildlife and "stills" on a tripod mainly.







the above was hand-held with the Tamron, I was surprised how well it turned out.








A nephew shoots a 5D MK III. I had thought about upgrading to this full frame body, but have been waiting for Canon's latest release, and now it is here.


So here is a question from someone that is relatively ignorant to the principles and technical jargon in regards to photography and DSLR's.

Given the foregoing, what are reasons pro/con in regards to investing in the new 5DS R.

and if not, what Canon Upgrade would you suggest?

Thanx in advance,


GWB

Hi
Personally I think you've made the right decision in putting the money into the lenses rather than the body. I think you'll get more out of that choice. As a non prfessional I think the Canon 5d III is way more camera than you need. as per your own statement. I would however consider moving up to the newer Rebel 5 TI as the focus and image stabilizer are much better. There is also the fact that simply because of time the processor and sensor have been upgraded several times making the colors and time both in taking the photo and the time between photos much faster. definitely something to consider.

I shoot proffessionally and the 5dmk3 is my work camera. The new 5d 50mp camera is something I am considering as my images could get enlarged to the point that I need it.

That said. think about the largest image you will create? Then buy appropriately. If you are looking for a top quality camera look at the 7dmk2. It has the same focusing system of the 5d. Also the 7 is a crop sensor and you will get that zoom you are used to. That said some great deals on used 5dmk3s are popping up because folks are upgrading. Nothing wrong with a good used camera esspecially if it is being replaced by an upgrade.
as mentioned the rebel 5 is a good choice too.

I echo Mark and Ken, the 5DIII is an incredible camera, especially going from a T2i! Unless you are doing huge, and I mean huge 30x40 and larger prints, I think the newer body is a little overkill. I agree with Ken as well on the idea of taking advantage of the crop sensor as well in the 7DII. However, the image quality of a Full Frame sensor is above anything on the market. The T5i is a great option as well, the build quality in the other bodies is a big step up as well.

Gents,

Thanx for the input. It is greatly appreciated.

In consideration of your suggestions and comments, I'm between the 7D Mk2 and the 5D Mk3 and leaning toward the 7D2.
I like the idea of better low light resolution and benefits of a full frame sensor, but like the built in flash and 65 point auto foucus and 10 fps of the 7D.

Oh well, guess a guy could get one of each and solve that problem. LOL

Thanks again,

GWB

PS: any additional thoughts or comments are always appreciated.

Geedubya,

HERE is a good link to the basic stats of all Canon digital cameras.

Click on the left hand column where the name is shown, and you will find even more details.

Also, click on the next column where the image processor is listed and you might be able to make a better decision on that aspect.

I find this page much quicker (and the results clearer!) than wading through Canon's product descriptions.

John

My thoughts lead to the upcoming 5DsR, if you have the money. The 50MP will yield fine detail for landscapes should you want to print large. For web presentation, 50MP would be overkill. You can shoot in 1.6x crop mode and have 19.6MP, which would be very similar to the 20MP 7DII. I do not know what frame rate and buffer you'd have in crop mode though for bif.

If $3900 is a concern, then the 7d2 and T6i are more affordable options. If you anticipate significant bird in flight shooting, then the 7d2 may be the best choice due to frame rate.

If you have interest, here is some info of Dynamic range vs ISO for various cameras
http://home.comcast.net/~NikonD70/Charts/PDR.htm

The latest Canon 5Ds are specialized cameras mainly for landscape and studio photography. These cameras don't have a fast burst rate, and the RAW image from the 50MP would take lots of hard drive room once you have post processed and saved it to TIF format, or even DNG.

The 5D3 is now an older camera that will probably be replaced by a newer model (5D4) this year, but it has a fast burst rate which is desired for sports, wildlife, and fast moving subjects in addition to landscapes and studio photography. This is a well-rounded camera designed for general photography uses, not just a "specialized" one like the two above. You can put the 7D2 in this category, except that while the 5D has a full-frame sensor, the later has a cropped one.

What I did a few years ago was to keep my 7D and buy a 5D2. I use the 7D primarily for wildlife photography (birds, moose, etc.), and the occasional landscape and Northern lights shot. I use the 5D2 primarily for landscapes and Northern lights, portraits, and the occasional pets, and wildlife.

If I were you I would buy a 7D2, and three to four years from now buy a Canon refurbished 5D4, or maybe the "by then upgraded" 6D+

By the way, while you don't do fast sports photography, shooting birds benefits greatly from fast-shooting cameras such as the 5D3, and 7D series. Of course a 1DX would be even better, but it's just too expensive

No idea if this will work, but it is a PDF file that shows how to set the 7D2:
EOS_7D_Mark_II_AF-Setting_Guide-p9090-c3945-en_EU-1410782521.pdf

GWB,
I think you are headed in the right direction.

Gents,

once again, sincere thanks for taking the time to make your replies.

It is very much appreciated.

FWIW, each of the lenses and filters in the kit I've assembled has been the result of input from folks here on this forum.

In consideration of the foregoing posts on this thread and google searches I've done, I'll most likely pull the trigger on a 7D MK2 within the next month.

May look for one gently pre-enjoyed first.

Thanks one again to each and every one that responded.

Best,

GWB

geedubya,

As my grandfather used to say:

You, sir, are a scholar and a gentleman, a fine judge of whiskey and women...

...and there are very few of us left.

John

Dubya,

I'm a pro and often use a 5D3. They're reliable workhorses and the prices have dropped considerably since the announcement of the 5D R and S models (which you can only pre order at the moment). I prefer the the 5D3 to the 7D2, but the 7D2 would be a big step up from your current camera. I think the 5D3 would do anything you want to do and more.

A buddy of mine is testing the 5D R for Canon now. He reports awesome resolution though slightly less dynamic range than the 5D3. The files are huge and you'd better have really big hard drives and cards and a very fast computer. I suspect the amount of data would be way more than you need and it might require major upgrades to your computer kit. You also have to process the images with the Canon software currently since Adobe softwares don't yet support the new cameras' files. That's a drag for now though that will change eventually.

I'd recommend you borrow your nephew's 5D3 and shoot it, if you can, and see how you like it. If that isn't an option, rent a 5D3 and/or 7D2 and try them out before you buy one. Some rental places will apply your rental towards the purchase price. That's a good deal as it removes any doubt about what you want.

Completely off subject, but I've never seen a road runner that was anything but a blur. Was that a stationary mount or truly a live bird? Great shot there.

Ray,

Either you've been reading my mind or my mail.

I'm purchasing the 7D Mk2. If I decide I need something more I'll cross that bridge at that time.

TexasPhotog, as I mentioned above, I'm purchasing the 7D MK2. As to the computer. I'm running an Asus Republic of Gamers, Core i7,NVIDIA Geforce STX card, 12 megs of ram, 250gig solid state "C" drive, 500 gig D drive, and a terrabyte external. Nothing yet has bogged unit down.
From my limited perspective, after quite a bit of study over the last week, I do believe the 7D Mk 2 is what will serve me best.

1 Minute.

The Roadrunner in the tree was a serendipity. In Texas there is very little public land. Being afield is my obsession. I love to get into an open air deer stand that is near the apex of one of the tallest hills on our lease. I love to get there about an hour to 30 minutes before the first inkling of brightening in the eastern sky.







I can see to the horizon for about 200 degrees of the compass.

I go to my lease once a month. Many times I'm by myself and when by myself I try to run a cold camp and make as little commotion as possible.

The roadrunner on the ground is a live wild bird. I've taken to calling him "Scraps". He will show up when I'm cleaning a turkey or hog. I make sure he always has some meat scraps to eat. I get a kick out of watching him.


The three pix below of "Scraps" were taken last December. It was my birhtday and I had shot a tom turkey a couple hours earlier.



As long as there is not too much commotion he will just about always show up for a meal whenever I've got a critter on the skinning rack.










I'm heading back up this weekend. I've got one more turkey tag and will try to perforate a porker or two. Maybe Scraps will pay a visit, Quien Sabe?

JAPPF,


GWB

Incredible view there, GWB!

The two new Canon models 5DS & 5DSR will have less performance in low light. They are really for landscape and studio shooters who need big enlargements. For SLRs, the 6D is really nice due to its light weight and image quality. 5Diii is an industry standard. Use the best lenses you can afford.

I was reading last night on DPReview about dynamic range testing of the 5DSR
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/71...canon-eos-5ds-r-first-impressions-review

Thanks for your response there. Given the downsizing needed for posts here, those look to be some spot on shots. Thanks for posting,

You are really doing yourself a disservice by neglecting lightroom. It will provide the fastest, cheapest and most significant improvement to your photography you can get. You're already doing a lot right, but lightroom will make a believer out of you if you spend some time with it. Every photo I shoot, professionally or recreationally, goes into lightroom first. This is especially important since you shoot RAW (which is a good thing, of course).

GT,

I have Lightroom 5 and downloaded it and began to use it for a while. However I did not take the time to set up folders etc. I had a hard drive malfunction and have not reloaded it yet. I plan to do it right this time. I've been engaged in other pursuits as of late and have not taken the time that should be spent to do it right in regards to setting up my system to deal with photos in lightroom.

Best,

GWB