Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Customer Review: D300? 5D? Hard choice for every people
Summary: 4 Stars
Actually, at first, I wanna buy D300+17-55mm f/2.8G. I think the D300 is a really good camera with a lot of advanced function. But the problem is you have to deal with the crop factor, that's how your 17-55mm become 24-80mm. So when you join in the family of full size sensor camera 3 years later,(the ASP size sensor camera will definitely be disappear) you will find your lens which actually is the most important thing for you can not suitable for the full size sensor, like 17-55mm. Nobody will use 17-55mm on your D3 or D3 mark2, right? So, I change my mind. I choose 5D+24-70mm f/2.8G. That means I do not have to buy everything new after 3 years when I change into 1Ds mark3 or something else.
But, you have to know what is the meaning of 5D. 5D is 3 years old. Do not expect too much on some fabulous function. Please just foucs on the real image quality.
And do not wait for the 5D mark 2. Everybody knows that the price will exceed $3000 in the first 6 months.
Customer Review: Don't Be Fooled, the 5D is THE Way to Go
Summary: 5 Stars
There are tons of raving reviews about the amazing 5D, so no repeating all that. There is one reason the 5D is THE choice: the full frame sensor, hands down. The image quality is umatched and is super low noise BECAUSE of the larger sensor. You see it in the top end cameras costing up to eight grand, but the difference is, you get it for this incredible price. Sure, there are things that people aren't happy with on the 5D like menus and no weather sealing, but in the end, image quality is what it's all about. For landscapes and nature shots and anything else where the rich look of a medium format camera is desired, the 5D does it at a great price.
Important things to know:
-No pop up flash. You'd need to buy a real flash for it. Or maybe set the ISO to 1600 and get natural light images (yep, 1600, and it looks good due to: the full frame sensor!).
-Flash sync at 1/200, not 1/250. If you do sports photos and hook up to the wireless flash systems in arenas, this might be an issue. For everyone else, you may not notice.
-Get some big CF cards, the RAW files can get up to 15MB each.
-The JPEGs don't come out all that great. Be prepared to use the RAW files and your results will be phenomenal (note: the 5D has built-in "Picture Styles" for JPEGs... you may get good results with that. I only use RAW).
-No EF-S lenses on this camera. It only uses EF lenses (the better but more expensive ones).
I can't rave enough about the image quality on this 5D. To get full frame for this price is insane, I can't imagine using cropped sensor cameras ever again. BTW, your cropped sensor cameras (20D, 30D, 40D, etc) don't turn a 200mm lens into a 320mm lens, it just crops it. Big difference in the way the background looks. You can crop your 5D image to look the same and still have the image quality of the 10MP cropped cameras. Get the 5D, you won't be disappointed!
Customer Review: A Nikon convert
Summary: 4 Stars
It was hard (and expensive) to go from Nikon to Canon, but worth it. I always felt my Nikon could be sharper. I went to Canon for the Lenses and I'm not disappointed, nor will you be. The D5 with the 24-105 L series lens is a beautiful setup, extremely versatile. This is not a compromise camera. Is it perfect, no, but a very, very good camera and lens.
Mainly I use this camera for photographing artwork. I use strobes, and sometimes available light or the 580ex flash. So the lens is plenty fast for my purposes. In fact I try not to go below 5.6 for sharpness. Be warned, if you use the widest zoom, don't fill the frame, there is definite fall off at the corners. The color rendition is beautiful, and nearly flawless right out of the camera, very little post processing is necessary. This was the most frustrating thing about Nikon. Sitting in front of Photoshop fixing bad photos simply sucks.
Then why a rating of 4 and not a 5? I would like to give it a 4.7, because it is not perfect, no camera is. I sometimes use a Hasselblad with a Phaseone digital back and that's not perfect($30,000 setup). The D5 with canon lenses is not a Hasselblad, but at a 10th the price, it is damn close. Did I want the 1ds mark iii? You bet. But for less than 1/3 the cost it is a much better value.
Things I like a lot:
Full frame, L series lenses, true wide angle, reasonable size body, good weight, buttons laid out well, easy menu, beautiful lens, great color, diopter adjust is great, high resolution for the price, good battery life, ergonomic, and a very reasonable price for a great camera.
Things that could be better:
Timer needs to be adjustable (Like a 2 second delay for tripod work), one or 2 buttons for custom settings (instead of the stupid print button). Easier white balance setup and control, confusing resolution descriptions, a pop up fill flash would be very useful in a pinch, time lapse control would be fun.
Things others find missing that I don't care about (but you might):
Not weatherproof, modest multiple capture speed, slow(ish) lens (F-4 isn't bad, and you can get very, very fast Canon lenses if you need them), weight of the lens, slight crop of the image in preview, no live viewing on the lcd, no fill flash, grainy at very high ISO (I found the camera quite impressive up to about 800).
Things that are unacceptable:
None.
A word about RAW. There are many resolution settings on this camera. From medium jpeg to Raw, and Raw with jpeg. This is mainly a studio camera for me, so burst mode is not something I use often. So I won't comment on the speed of capturing multiple images. Maybe if I do portrait work, I'll be glad it's there. But I use RAW with everything I shoot, you should too. As much as possible, anyway Yes the files are larger, but so what. A $40 extreme III card can hold hundreds of images. A 500gig hard drive can hold over 30,000! Here is the upside of raw. It gets better with age. Raw processing has improved from Photoshop cs1 to 2 to 3. Old raw files I have actually look better in the new versions. So if you keep your old raw photos untouched, you may actually get better photos in the years to come. RAW allows amazing adjustment. With jpeg or even tiff, you can't go back. They are what they are.
Summary: A camera cannot take good photographs, that is the photographer's job. That is why I like this camera so much, it gets out of my way easily, so I can do my part. This is a beautiful camera, with a beautiful lens at a GREAT price. Do buy a good UV filter to protect your lens, and a few CF cards and you are good to go.
Customer Review: The best camera I've ever owned!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Canon 5D is the best camera I've ever owned, hands down. I've owned Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and Minolta cameras and this is the best. The size, weight, build quality, everything is just right. Most of all the image quality is unparralled. The Full frame sensor really does make a big difference. The pictures are sharper, with better color and less noise than any camera I've ever used. There is enough resolution to make gorgeous 24x36 in. prints that look better and sharper than 35mm film. I took some shots at ISO 3200 and underexposed by one stop and pushed them back in RAW, and they noise was invisible on a 8x10 in print, you still probably wouldn't see it unless you were looking from an inch away on a 16x20 in print. I love the viewfinder and its great big view, no more tunnel vision for me. I can't even stand to look in a olympus viewfinder anymore, let alone try to manual focus on it. With the 5D the view is so big manual focus becomes easy and enjoyable again. this camera has really brought back the joy of photography for me. I was getting tired of all the photoshopping with other cameras to get what i wanted. But with the 5D I shoot and print, not worrying about post processing anything,it's that good. Try one out, rent or go to the local Wolf camera and play with one you will fall in love with it, guaranteed. Customer Review: My New Best Friend
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched a number of digital slr cameras recently, and evaluated a number of factors before taking the plunge and going with a system. I looked at Nikon and Canon seriously, and thought about:
1. full-frame v.s. crop sensor
2. build quality
3. pixel size
4. cost-benefit ratio
5. lens availability
When I purchased the Canon 5D it was the only full-frame sensor at a reasonable price point. It still is! The Nikon full-frame 12 megapixel is astronomically costly, and the professional-series Canons are way, way outta my range. My verdict? Good cost-benefit ratio.
(What does full frame mean? For me it meant silky, creamy images with a big dynamic range and no visual noise. Within an hour of opening the box, I had breathtaking results. My ugly dog looked charming and loveable. The flowers on the patio looked wedding-worthy. My freaking lawn furniture seemed so inviting...! I'm telling 'ya that a camera should be able to show you the world...even your familiar world in a new and exciting way...and it seems like magic that, even while learning to use the 5D, it allowed me to re-discover the beauty of my world!) Full-frame also means no conversion factor with lenses. If you loved your old 35 slr film experiences, this will be like falling in love all over again. You can get for-real wide angle, and an 85 mm portrait lens shoots true. (As for Vignetting...schmingetting...get yourself some darn software if it's a problem. You're gonna shoot the good stuff in RAW anyway, so spring for Photoshop CS3.)
2. Build quality-feels substantial. I understand there aren't the weather seals that exist on the pro series, so be a little kind to your camera.
3. Pixel size: the 12 plus megapixels make for amazing quality images.
4. Cost-benefit: best price for the features!
5. Lenses: Canon has a wide range of lenses, including the excellent fixed focal length primes. My personal faves are the 50mm and 85mm. The first gives you a "transparent" view of the world. The lens sees pretty much what you see, but records every detail crisply. The 85mm wide open gives the soft out-of-focus background blur called "bokeh" that makes everything you shoot look tender, and focusses on the details you want to capture: the whiskers on a kitten, the bright eyes of a child...all in an environment of softness. Great lenses and a lot of bang for the buck. And, Canon has a huge and growing number of image-stabilized lenses, as well as "l" glass super-high quality lenses.
I love my 5D. It's my new best friend for gadding about town, and for "seeing" my world in a new way.
The downside of the 5D: I wish that I were more quick and adept at changing settings. It may be partly product design, it may be partly me, but it is difficult for me to get to a comfort level with making quick decisions and changes. Fumbling with controls is not creativity. I guess though, that if I practice enough, and get familiar enough, that I will gain more competence in making quick adjustments and getting those golden shots.
Final Analysis: 5D rocks. Yes, they will be developing cheaper, smarter, easier-to-set cameras with more megapixels...technology is improving all the time. But, there is such a thing as a "sweet spot"-and 12 plus megapixels on a full-frame seems to get it almost every time. So, go ahead, do the research, and while you are at it, consider the 5D. It's a beaut!