5D Replacement

Like Gahspidy in an earlier thread, I've been trying to decide between the 5D and the 40D as both have great/different attributes for different purposes.

Went to buy one a few days ago and a good friend of mine whispered in my ear that the 5D replacement may be on its way within 4 months. Based on Canon's recent arrivals, I can only assume it will be full-frame, 14~16 MP, Live View, and Digic III - at least. My friend also thinks it will be 5 fps and possibly weather sealed at a price point where the 5D was a short time ago.

Just wondering if anyone else has heard anything. For me, it would be the answer to my wide angle needs which could also double for a high ISO wildlife camera with a cropped image quality possibly still exceeding my current 30D.

Will be interesting to see what/when a replacement will be announced.

Any talk of a 5D replacement is pure speculation right now. The next camera announcements will be in January, before the annual PMA tradeshow. And then there's the semi-anual Photokina tradeshow this fall in Germany. The 5D is ripe for replacement. But you never know what they're thinking. And they run a very tight ship as far as information goes. I very rarely hear anything before the public announcements are made. And even if I did, I couldn't say anything :D

I just got a 40D. I haven't used it much yet. But so far I'm very pleased. When I bought my XTi / 400D, in September of 2006, I pretty much committed to the smaller sensor. I weighed out the pros and cons and took a good look at how I shoot. I prefer to go with a smaller body and kit and I like the extra reach the smaller sensor gives me. It all comes down to taking the camera on the bike for me. Smaller and lighter is better. The XTi has been really, really good to me. I love that camera! The 40D is a replacement for my original EOS-1D. It probably won't see much bike time. It will mostly be used at events and in the studio.

Loupey, I received my 5D a few weeks ago and did my first real shoot with it. A dance company theater performance. (I had started a thread about this shoot in the Helpforum asking advice on how to approach this type of shoot) If I get an ok from the members of the company, I will post some of the images of that shoot.
I had also been wondering about a replacement for the 5D before commiting to the actual purchase. However, the reason I waited this long for the 5D is because I wanted it to come down in price to what it has, so to wait for the replacement which would most likely be the price the 5D was when it first hit the market made no sense for me. I will just wait till the replacement has been out for a while, tried and tested to be good, and then when it's price drops I could always sell my 5D and purchase that. In the meantime, I have a camera that has already a very good reputation. I find that the expanded iso3200 is very usable and would not hesitate to use it when needed.

John/Gary - thanks for the feedback. It's always nice to hear comments and opinions from someone who is actually using the equipment rather than just comparing specifications on paper. It sounds like the 40D and 5D are fulfilling their respective roles very nicely for you.

I'll let you know what I end up with and when :)

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Originally Posted by Loupey

John/Gary - thanks for the feedback. It's always nice to hear comments and opinions from someone who is actually using the equipment rather than just comparing specifications on paper. It sounds like the 40D and 5D are fulfilling their respective roles very nicely for you.

I'll let you know what I end up with and when :)

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Loupey,

These rumours were around when I bought my 5D and I keep hearing them. That was last April.

The only replacement I would get for the 5D is another 5D. I don't need anything else on this camera. Hoewever if they did weather seal the new one then when this one dies I'll get a new one.

Ask Paul (SmartWombat) - I had mine out in light rain last Saturday and it was fine. I kept it covered when not shooting, so weather proofing is not a major issue for me. If it gets heavy then the plastic comes out over the camera when shooting.

As for live view - I can't see the point in this unless your doing video or doing the paperatssi thing of shooting over the top of the crowds, if your doing video then its the wrong camera for the job.

Just my thoughts

Roger

As for the Live View feature, it seems to me that it really is added in there as a marketing/selling point. If one camera manufacturers incorporates it in one of their models and boasts it, then others follow suit because it could actually sway new buyers into getting one over the other becuae it has this "great" feature that the other does not.
From what I have heard, Live View builds up alot of heat in the sensor, and getting the sensor hot is not a good thing. Also uses alot of battery charge. I just don't view it as a selling point for me.

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Originally Posted by readingr

Loupey,

As for live view - I can't see the point in this unless your doing video or doing the paperatssi thing of shooting over the top of the crowds, if your doing video then its the wrong camera for the job.

Just my thoughts

Roger

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I have to admit that I thought the Live View feature, when it was first introduced, was a bit hokey. The last thing I would want to do is to hold an SLR out like a point-and-shoot.

But after playing around with the 40D and 1DmkIII, the Live View makes sense to me. As you know, I do a lot of macro work and I often find myself completely flat on the ground with my head sideways just to see through the viewfinder. In that position, my focus point is a best guess (always manual focus). This new feature allows me to zoom in at 10x to see what the sensor sees to nail the focus without having to have my face in the dirt. For me, I can see this feature being used a lot for many tripod-mounted applications.

Also, because the mirror is already up, the continuous burst is super fast and super quiet. Perfect when tripod mounted and waiting for a bird to take flight, etc.


As for the 5D, I really do think that a replacement is right around the corner since the new imaging sensors have already come out with the 1D's and the Digic III processors have been proven. But, like Gary states, the price point will be where the 5D was and the 5D is now at reasonably fair prices for a still great camera.

And I actually just picked up my 40D. Didn't want to keep waiting. And saved some $$$ for later :)

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Originally Posted by Loupey

I have to admit that I thought the Live View feature, when it was first introduced, was a bit hokey. The last thing I would want to do is to hold an SLR out like a point-and-shoot.

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Actually, on my Panasonic P & S, live view with histogram, is observable thru the viewfinder. Now that I have my 30D, I kinda miss it. I'll get used to not having it. I never had any of these features with my Nikon 35mm cameras. Heck, they didn't even have autofocus.

Congrats on the new camera.

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Originally Posted by Loupey

This new feature allows me to zoom in at 10x to see what the sensor sees to nail the focus without having to have my face in the dirt. For me, I can see this feature being used a lot for many tripod-mounted applications.

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Congrats on the new 40D. A great camera no doubt. The reasons you give for having the live view seem valid. I'm curious about how well you can actually adjust your focus in the lcd screen. I have trouble determining if images are truly sharp when viewing them back in the screen. I basically use the screen to check exposure, composition, color balance etc.
Do you think or have you actually been able to focus on a subject through the live view image accurately? I have heard others discuss the difficulty of focusing manually with live view.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Loupey

I have to admit that I thought the Live View feature, when it was first introduced, was a bit hokey. The last thing I would want to do is to hold an SLR out like a point-and-shoot.

But after playing around with the 40D and 1DmkIII, the Live View makes sense to me. As you know, I do a lot of macro work and I often find myself completely flat on the ground with my head sideways just to see through the viewfinder. In that position, my focus point is a best guess (always manual focus). This new feature allows me to zoom in at 10x to see what the sensor sees to nail the focus without having to have my face in the dirt. For me, I can see this feature being used a lot for many tripod-mounted applications.

Also, because the mirror is already up, the continuous burst is super fast and super quiet. Perfect when tripod mounted and waiting for a bird to take flight, etc.

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Not sure I would trust the focusing using a 3" screen even blown up. Also does the screen manouver so that it can be tilted up... If not then your still going to be on the deck with your nose in the dirt.

Surely your not a real photographer unless you get your nose in the dirt. :eek:

Roger

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Originally Posted by gahspidy

Congrats on the new 40D. A great camera no doubt. The reasons you give for having the live view seem valid. I'm curious about how well you can actually adjust your focus in the lcd screen. I have trouble determining if images are truly sharp when viewing them back in the screen. I basically use the screen to check exposure, composition, color balance etc.
Do you think or have you actually been able to focus on a subject through the live view image accurately? I have heard others discuss the difficulty of focusing manually with live view.

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I've been a Live View sceptic, too. However, I used it to shoot the studio tests for the Olympus E-3 and it was really nice. Of course, that camera has a fully-articulated LCD, so I don't have to squat down to see the LCD. That's huge. But I just shot product photos for the Canon G9 with my new EOS 40D, using the Live View feature. Although I still have to squat down to see the LCD, it is easier to use than the viewfinder. And yes, I can focus with the LCD. In fact, with the typs of tight, shallow depth-of-field stuff I'm doing in the studio, I found the Live View made it easier for me to focus. I'd zoom in one level (5x, I think) and I could easily tell how good my focus was. I have a much harder time just using the viewfinder as my eyes just aren't that good. You can also use depth-of-field preview and the LCD display adjusts so it doesn't go dark as it would if you were just using the optical viewfinder. I think I may be using Live View in the studio a lot.

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Originally Posted by readingr

Surely you're not a real photographer unless you get your nose in the dirt.

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Or unless you pay £150 for the right angle finder :eek:

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Originally Posted by Photo-John

I've been a Live View sceptic, too. However, I used it to shoot the studio tests for the Olympus E-3 and it was really nice. Of course, that camera has a fully-articulated LCD, so I don't have to squat down to see the LCD. That's huge. But I just shot product photos for the Canon G9 with my new EOS 40D, using the Live View feature. Although I still have to squat down to see the LCD, it is easier to use than the viewfinder. And yes, I can focus with the LCD. In fact, with the typs of tight, shallow depth-of-field stuff I'm doing in the studio, I found the Live View made it easier for me to focus. I'd zoom in one level (5x, I think) and I could easily tell how good my focus was. I have a much harder time just using the viewfinder as my eyes just aren't that good. You can also use depth-of-field preview and the LCD display adjusts so it doesn't go dark as it would if you were just using the optical viewfinder. I think I may be using Live View in the studio a lot.

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Interesting to learn that people find this feature useful. When I buy a new one it will be put on my list of things to look at seriously. Mind you that is a long way away.

Roger

Interesting, John. Sounds like it is worth while for the applications you describe.

Roger, it seems that the etching on the glass has finally arrived! lol

"I hope we will never see the day when photo shops sell little schema grills to clamp onto our viewfinders; and the Golden Rule will never be found etched on our ground glass." from The mind's eye by Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Originally Posted by gahspidy

Interesting, John. Sounds like it is worth while for the applications you describe.

Roger, it seems that the etching on the glass has finally arrived! lol

"I hope we will never see the day when photo shops sell little schema grills to clamp onto our viewfinders; and the Golden Rule will never be found etched on our ground glass." from The mind's eye by Henri Cartier-Bresson

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Hmmm! must get some polish to get rid of them :lol:

Roger

So as not to confuse the 40D with the 5D, I have listed some of my findings and sample images in this thread.

Not bad, not great either.

Thanks all of you for this thread. I too, thought that the live view was a gimmick. But then remembering back when I had a Nikon P & S E50? the articulated view finder did come in handy in crowds. Remembered this year taking a photo and my cheek was on the ground.
Sorry the thread got stolen but glad to here about the live view on the newer cameras.

I must say that I jumped into the digital revolution when I bought the 10D and before I knew it the 20D was out and I was buying it as well. I spent a couple years with that combo always looking to the next model. I bought the 5D last spring and then the 40D recently as the secound camera. I must say after nearly a year of working with the 5D I really don't care if they update it unless it does something dramatic. The 5D seems to be a perfect fit in quality and file size for me right know. Though again that may change after I see what a replacement might do. :) But having worked with the EOS 1D mk3 and the 40D, I find the 5D to be my camera of choice for the moment.

I played with the live view feature on the 40D a few times, and I can see where it would have its use, but personaly it isn't a reason to buy the camera.