Home Forums Gear Photography Stepping up from the point and shoot units??

The wife wants to step up to a decent camera as she is fond of doing wildlife stuff. Would the following be a reasonable deal at $1749.00? I can not swing a really big lens this year, but want her at least up and running to start with. Feedback really needed, as we live in the sticks and it's a 5 hr drive one-way for us to get to a camera store for comparison shopping.

Canon EOS 5D
1 GB card
EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM Zoom Lens and
28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM lens

Other much more experienced Camera guys I'm sure will respond but compared to my local store that doesn't seem like to bad a deal. My store had a used 5d with a battery pack and 2 batteries but no lenses for $1599. You package with 2 lenses for just a little more sounds like a better deal to me but the $1599 deal might not have been that good to compare too............................DJ

Happy Thanksgiving
Sounds like the perfect camera would be the new Nikon D90. It comes with a 18-105 VR zoom and is a 12.3 MP with a self cleaning sensor and is the only SLR under 2500.00 that shoots high Def video!!
As a member of 24 HR campfire we can get you a kit with that kit and a Nikon 70-300 VR with a case, 2 UV filters a 2 pack of 2 gig SD cards and an extra battery for only 1575.00 shipped
Contact me if you have any questions. This deal is open to every memebr of this forum, and can expect similar great deals on anything on our website
Happy Thanksgiving

Comparing a 5D to a D90 is a bad joke. Those two cameras are not even close to each other in value or IQ capabilities not to mention one is FF and the other is a crop camera.
BTW B+H is one of the few dealers that have 5D's left. If you can't afford the 24-105 buy the kit, sell the lens for $900 or so and then buy a different piece of glass. This way you will have a factory new body with a full warranty.
Used values on the gear listed by the OP;
5D $1300
I assume you meant EFS 70-300 which BTW will NOT work on a 5D. the glass value in that kit for a 5D is zero. Beware of any one trying to sell you that.
Here's a link to the best remaining buy I know of on a 5D.
Hope this helps.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484816-REG/Canon_0296B113_EOS_5D_Digital_Camera.html

PS if you are after a great buy then consider a Canon 40D which is an absolute steal right now at $850. Add a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 at about $400 and you have a great kit. Don't get talked into card readers or tri-pods. Just buy the body, lens and card then go from there. The Canon comes with great software.

What exactly is "IQ" when referred to talking about cameras? I've seen the term but not a good definition....................DJ

IQ = Image quality
BQ = Build quality

I think Joel was saying, for the money... The camera of which he speaks is awesome.

In addition to the camera, you are buying incredible customer service. We have had amazing service from Cameraland. They truly stand behind their products. There is a great deal to be said for great customer service.

M

There is nothing "awesome" about the D90 compared to the 5D. Those two cameras shouldn't even be mentioned in the same thread. Super zooms and low end filters are best avoided no matter where you buy from or what brand. I agree good customer service is a plus but only if the "kit" is what you want.
BTW prices on the 40D are still dropping!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518207-REG/Canon_1901B004_EOS_40D_SLR_Digital.html

I think any digital camera is awesome. The technology is amazing and the ease of use, the learning curve and all the other stuff is incredible. Most people would be very happy with the D90, especially considering the price difference.

I guess we'll have to agree to dissagree. I seriously doubt any one after a FF body would be the least bit happy with a D90 and a low end super zoom.

Stetson, I'll have to disagree with you as well.


Richard

Inane.

1minute
Joel's suggestion makes a bunch of sense from a whole bunch of different angles. You are talking about stepping from a Point and Shoot all the way to a full-frame camera, yet looking for a big bargain. The better money is always spent on the best glass.

Full frame lenses will be useable on reduced size bodies so later upgrades to FF will be no issue.

The 5D is a full one third heavier than the smaller Nikon. Miss T has problems with the weight of my camera over her smaller Rebel XT.

The 5D has no built-in flash and would require an extra part to be carried and hung on the camera and that would get old when all you need is a little fill. And that would increase the weight considerably.

The same number of pixels in half the space is not going to generate enough noise to be worth worrying about in anything short of huge enlargements. And programs are out there to reduce that greatly.

Watching Doug play with the Nikon he brings up every year has left me wondering if Canon was the right answer for us. We have
too much in lenses to swap now, but it is tempting. Some of the split-frame, in-camera, strongly back-lit images he took last year were amazing. The flash is incredibly user-friendly and did things on deck in the dark, inside the cabin and in harsh daylight that blew away my Canon 20D.

I would love to have a FF body and will someday, but I do not see it replacing the cropped image bodies for all of the above and more.
art

Stetson:

Do you walk around every day with that chip on your shoulder?

Grow up, people disagree, get used to it!

Richard

What are you 12? I could care less if you dissagree however it's completly inane to just post you dissagree. At least have a reason. Apparantly some here can't quite grasp the fact that the OP was asking about a Full Frame camera not a crop body with kit lenses. Dissagree all you like but the fact remains those two systems are worlds apart. As far as value goes a used 5D is currently $1300 and if the OP is patient they will likely be under $1000 in a few months. No comparison between the IQ from a 5D and a D90 or even a 40D for that matter. I'm starting to wonder if those who dissagree have ever owned any of the above.

I don't understand why the lady is going from a bicycle to a corvette. We haven't even heard from her on what she wants to do. Canon, Nikon, Pentax what does it really matter? What matters is the lense's she get's. I have a Nikon D70, it's a lot better picture taker than I am or probably ever will be. I use after market lense's on it and am happy with what I get. If I were to up grade today, I'd probably go with the D80. I have no real use for professional cameras. Why would this lady that has only used point and shoot so far?

You may want to read the OP again. Just a thought.
They are asking about the price on a Canon 5D. The 5D is not a "professional" camera. It's FF. Big Difference. Beyond that why worry about what some one else wants to buy?

Assumptions:
Making a step from a point and shoot to a SLR is a big one.
The 5D is a professional grade, heavy camera and as such it would be limiting how much it gets carried.
It lacks certain basics a new user would probably prefer, namely the flash.
Question:
Is it unreasonable to suggestion options outside the OP's original statement? The average buyer of a 50D or a D90 is not going to use the camera even close to its full optential. No one will use the 5D to its full potential.

The lens is the big difference, not the body. Spending the money on glass makes a lot more sense.
art

I just attended a Canon sponsored seminar (which was essentially an infomercial for Canon) and the Canon rep said for must of us, don't get the 5D. He thought for the average ameteur, the 50D was much more versatile.

You know what they say about azzumptions right?
You have no idea what the OP's experience is and he or she may have years of film experience. The 5D is not "professional grade". That's an ad for GM. Canon pro series are the 1Ds and 1DMKIII etc. Lets try NOT to give people false information. It's pretty obvious you have no experience with either the 50D or the 5D.
5D 4.4 x 6 x 3 28.6 oz
50D 4.2 x 5.7 x 2.9 25.7 oz
If you wouldn't carry the 5D over an extra 3 ounces then you need to eat more wheaties!








Agreed. That's exactly WHY that Nikon kit is a poor deal. Low end glass. As far as making suggestions outside of the scope of the original question indeed that is reasonable but it would help to actually have some experience with the cameras you are talking about or at least an opinion based on fact.