Upgrade....should I wait?

[William Michael]

>>> By the way, I share your irritation that, almost alone among the software that I use, photo.net doesn't understand anything beyond ASCII 127 in plain text mode. Pathetic. I know I can use HTML, but I shouldn't need to. So I use the international standard currency codes, with GBP representing pounds sterling. <<< (RS)

 

 

You think you English have it bad?

 

 

Spare a thought for the Anal Retentive Pendants of Grammar (ARPOG)

 

 

Not being able to easily use the apostrophe of possession, which comes out thus: ['],

 

 

requires me to use this: [`],

 

 

which is worse than Pathetic, it actually disturbs my sleep.

 

 

WW

[andy_shukie]

I think that i've come to realise that full frame is where I want to be, considering that landscape is about 80 per cent of my interest. In doing so, I can avoid the purchase of a 10-20 or similar lens from either canon or sigma and use the very fine 16-35 L lens which I already own (however, I have read that there could be some problems with this lens on a full frame to confuse matters a little more)

 

So the matter has come down to whether I purchase the 5d now at a cost of GBP 1200 or there abouts (still neading to replace the 70-200 L lens which I've destroyed) or wait for it's replacement which is inevitable, as evolution always does.

 

What holds me back is that the replacement may have such nicities, which I think are important, as sensor cleaning, possibly upto 15Mp, I don't hold my breathe for a built in flash which I would miss for a bit of fill etc (due to the prism and the full frame if I understand it correctly), and a nice big rear screen (not bothered about live view)

 

I had the idea to buy a cheap older 20d to put me on, but they have sold for nearly GBP300 on e-bay over the last few days and of course, we've all bought donkeys at some point.

 

So that is the thing now, do I buy or wait. I feel that the 5D replacement may make me feel disappointed with a purchase of over a thousand pounds on the old one, and having looked at the second hand market, it's a little scary. Maybe it makes sense to puchase another 400D to put me on and then get the big one in late winter. With no other FF on the market in this price, why would Canon release an upgrade when they don't need to, so who knows when that will be. Maybe I would be totally happy with the superb 40D and an additional lens.

 

I guess you can tell that i'm running around in circles confused, at the same time, I have no camera and the mountains of the Lake District are beconning me with the frost and snow.

 

When I decided to go digital last May, I had a budget which I have increased five fold as I've progressed unexpectedly. I didn't bank on this and I'm scared of these escalating costs. If anyone reading this can learn one thing, insurance is a must.

 

So thanks again to all who have replied, I find myself with new conclusions every hour. Maybe it's the reality of having no camera, I feel like I have lost a limb!

[mark u]

Buy a film body and some Velvia while you make your mind up.

[andre_stull]

The current 5D is the answer. The price is excellent and with it being full frame it uses lens the way they were designed. The viewfinder is excellent and IQ is better than any crop camera at any iso. All you have to do is crop your image to match a crop body's image. However, Canon crop bodies only have one slow lens to go wide. Why limit yourself to that when you can be limitless with the 5D? It's all about quality glass and the 5D can take advantage of them correctly.

[m_barbu1]

<p><I>Not being able to easily use the apostrophe of possession, which comes out thus: ['],</i></p><p>This one:  ’  ? ;-) It's ’ in HTML.</p>

[andy_shukie]

Finally made a decicion thanks to all the responses

 

I have just got a second hand 20D off e-bay for GBP300 and will purchase a new 5D body this comming weekend.

 

Thanks again to all who contributed.

[jim_larson1]

Huh. A used 20D. Who saw that coming?

 

So with a new (to you) camera in hand. .. tell me again why you need a 5D?

 

BTW: Buying a 5D now would be a solid choice. A 5D-II will surely be 50% more expensive than the current model when (or if) released.

[andy_shukie]

The 5D has many things over the used 20D which I have just bought.

 

Principally, the full frame lets me benifit from the 16mm L zoom which I already own as it is that very thing which I need. The other solution is to use the 20D and purchase a lower quality and slower 10-22 lens, thus saving GBP500. remembering that Landscapes are my main interests.

 

The 20D was purchased on a closing bid on e-bay when I still wasn't convinced that the 5D was the way to go and desparatly needed a camera to replace mine for the time being, a short term solution.

 

Within hours of that winning bid, i was in town and ended up with the 5D and 40D in my hand with a 16mm zoom lens, enough said and a decision was made, so the 20D is a bit surplus.

 

But I have now clearly realised the benifits of having the two bodies.

 

Firstly, I can now benifit from the crop factor on the top end of a 200mm zoom on the 20D and benifit from the full frame when using the 16mm end of my zoom.

 

I can benifit from the pop up flash for fill in flash on the 20D, I can feel a bit more at ease in vunerable positions with the 20D when doing night time shots in the city as I do many times or on the beach when doing costal shots (as per my reason for been in this position in the first place) and a really big one is having a second/spare body. I have been quite obsessive about my camera since I got it, never knew that I would feel like I has lost a leg since I lost it!

 

Then there are the frequent times I have been at an event and have to change the lenses quickly and then back, having two bodies would be great, especially if you can then avoid getting dust in the sensors with minimal changes.

 

Yeah, I know, these are two different cameras and that this is just a simplified statement. I first thought to then resell the 20D on, but if you read all the replies above, it all make perfect sense to have both. The more I read, the more it makes perfect sence to have a 40D and a 5D if I could squeeze out a few more hundred pounds from my account, hence keeping the second hand 20D