Time for a 5d (Full Frame), or...?

[JustSAN]

Yes, this is my first post but I have been reading for quite some time.

My question, full frame or not? I am moving in to the wedding photography arena and need a professional grade camera; right now I am shooting with an Xsi...

Do I step up to a 5D right away and go full frame, or do I stick with the cheaper 7d or even the 50d?

All thoughts and opinions welcome.

Thank you!

[GadgetRick]

In a perfect world...full frame. However, you will get excellent shots with a 50D or 7D. You have to understand they're crop bodies though and plan accordingly for wide angle shots.

[inkista]

...or get a used 5D MkI. Cheaper than a 7D these days.

[JustSAN]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

you will get excellent shots with a 50D or 7D. You have to understand they're crop bodies though and plan accordingly for wide angle shots.

Yeah..that's something I haven't learned yet...and how to multiply to see what you are really shooting with. Any thoughts on how to do this?

Of course, with full frame I wouldn't have to worry about this? :-)

Are there any wedding photographers out there that are shooting with a 7D and still getting quality results?!

[CaptainNH]

Originally Posted by JustSAN

Are there any wedding photographers out there that are shooting with a 7D and still getting quality results?!

There are a few wedding photogs who are using 7Ds - including this one who was thoughtful enough to provide us with some first impressions.

I'll preface my next comment with acknowledging that I have never used a 7D....but....personally, I would prefer a 5DII as my primary body (due to better IQ and low light capabilities) with a 7D as a second body. This also acknowledges that I already have a bag of L glass.

Had I replaced my secondary body two months later than I did, I would have had a 7D over my 50D The timing of my equipment purchases sucks

There has been a lot of discussion about Canon cramming 18MP into a crop sensor, with suggestions that they went too far with pixel density, with a resultant loss of IQ.

Realistically, and having seen some of the quality images coming out of the 7D, I don't think this is going to be an issue until you're looking at large prints.

As with all these decisions, it often comes down to budget. Depending what lenses you have in your arsenal, you might find yourself better off going for a 7D (or 2nd hand 5D/5DII) and putting the rest of the money into some gLass.

[GadgetRick]

Originally Posted by JustSAN

Yeah..that's something I haven't learned yet...and how to multiply to see what you are really shooting with. Any thoughts on how to do this?

Of course, with full frame I wouldn't have to worry about this? :-)

Are there any wedding photographers out there that are shooting with a 7D and still getting quality results?!

The 50D has a crop factor of 1.5x and the 7D has a crop factor of 1.6x. Just means, multiply the focal length by the crop factor to get the true focal length. i.e., on a 50D a 50mm lens is actually more like a 75mm lens (compared to a full frame) and it's more like 80mm on a 7D. Easy peasy.

Oh, there is no problem with the IQ on a 7D. My friend has one, shot weddings with it, and it's pretty awesome.

[CaptainNH]

Originally Posted by GadgetRick

The 50D has a crop factor of 1.5x and the 7D has a crop factor of 1.6x

All the Canon entry level & prosumer cameras (including both the 50D & 7D) use APS-C sensors - the crop factor of 1.6x applies to all Canon bodies except the 1D range & 5D range.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by JustSAN

My question, full frame or not? I am moving in to the wedding photography arena and need a professional grade camera; right now I am shooting with an Xsi...

Do I step up to a 5D right away and go full frame, or do I stick with the cheaper 7d or even the 50d?

You have some experience with the crop sensor in your XSi, presumably you have experience doing some kind of event work and portraiture. So what would full frame offer that you're missing now?

You probably won't be printing larger than 11x14, but correct me if I'm wrong. You're not going to notice much of a difference in image quality from any new camera you buy at those print sizes. So your decision should be based on things like lens selection and ISO performance.

Do you have a collection of lenses already? If you do and they're EF-S, add the cost of new lenses to the price of a full frame camera.

Most importantly, you're going to want two bodies. You can use your XSi as a backup, but in the unfortunate but plausible case your main camera fails in the middle of shooting, say, inside a church with flash prohibited while a volcano is erupting and a UFO is doing a low altitude flyby, the XSi may not cut the poupon.

It's also good not to overlook the convenience of your cameras sharing the same batteries and memory card format. Having three SD cards when you need a compactflash is like running out of condoms in Amsterdam.

With that in mind, and considering you'll also be spending some extra money on lenses, lighting, a good tripod, etc., I'd say just buy 2x T2i or 40/50D. The 5DMkI is also a really attractive option right now but you're taking a chance on buying well used equipment that you're going to be relying on. The factory warranty could end up saving you a lot of hassle. The T2i and more recent xxD bodies have good high-ISO performance and are all around solid cameras.

Start off by mounting a 24-70 f/2.8L to one and an 85 f/1.8 or 100 f/2 to the other. Good luck.

[FormElement]

Really, it comes down to how much you can invest, and what you own. I assume that since you made no mention of lenses, then glass is another big investment you need to make.


5DII Base Investment: $7300
Body with 24-105: $3400
70-200 f/2.8 IS: $1800
16-35: $1600 (optional)
Add extra batteries, CF cards, etc etc: $500

7D Base Investment: $5700
Body Only (the kit lens will not do); $1700
10-22: $700 (optional)
17-55 IS USM: $1100
70-200 f/2.8 IS: $1800
Sundries: $500

The 5DII is a better camera for what you want to do. The 7D or 50D would both be excellent alternatives. The ISO performance of the 5DII is about two full stops better than any other canon body below the 1Ds MKIII. Two full stops is four times as fast! That's not chicken feed. The 7D is about 2/3 stop faster than your XSi and infinitely better in so many ways, but it is definitely not a low light blazer. Check my flickr stream. I shot a play rehearsal the other evening at ISO 1250 and even though I got the shots, the noise is there. Minding that I pulled shadows about two stops out of the black and skipped my normal NR processing so the background noise is hugely exaggerated in these shots!

One fair warning, when you go up the scale with your camera body, you wil also find that your computing and storage power go up too. Handling the file size and quantity that you will get with weddings and a new high res body will really load up your system fast.

[BCampbell]

Originally Posted by FormElement

One fair warning, when you go up the scale with your camera body, you wil also find that your computing and storage power go up too. Handling the file size and quantity that you will get with weddings and a new high res body will really load up your system fast.

+1

Also it'll be vitally important to have a wide gamut monitor and get a calibration tool, since you'll ultimately be delivering prints.