First day with a 5D(mk1), did other owners find this...

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Mr_Sukebe

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As suggest by the title, picked myself up a 5Dmk1 today.
I was snared by a combination of full frame goodness, weight vs my existing 1Dmk1 (for the missus), increased resolution, and newer functionality (e.g. ETTL2, FAT32, improved battery life etc).

In short I've spent a few hours now trying to get to know the camera and it's abilities. The functionality and usability are good, then we get onto the ability to actually take photos, which seems to be:
- When people suggest it'll take "perfectly acceptable" photos at upto 1600 ISO, they're not wrong. However, there's a difference between "acceptable" and eye popping good, and the 5D seems to smear increasing levels of noise across everything at anything above ISO200. So yes, as ISO at 1600 is a nice to have, but my findings suggest I'd end up wandering around with a default ISO200, and not run around all day at say ISO800.
- AF capability does appear to depend more upon the lens than with my 1D. Pretty much any lens I've used nailed virtually everything with the 1D. On the 5D, my nifty seems to have a lower hit rate than my L lenses.
- Shots on static targets really do look ace on the 5D (certainly at ISO200). However, for anything actually moving, seems a bit like betting on the lottery as to whether you'll get something that matches the 5D's capabilities with static targets. Note that by movement, I'm talking of my 15 month old son weaving around, so yes he moves, but he's not exactly a cheetah.

Right now I'm feeling a little distressed. Some of the shots I took today are stunning, and really show off the benefits of the 5D. The problem is that I tend to take a lot of shots of moving objects, which the 5D seems incapable of really hitting. Makes me wonder if I should hit the Bay with the 5D and go find a 1D2.
Thoughts? Anyone else found the same?
 
I have a spare 30D floating around not doing much with a17-85 is usm attached if you fancy a swap
 
I'm more than a little surprised about your findings with reference to nosie above Iso 200. My 5D has gone now but I never worried about using 800 and even 1600 in the right circumstances. I don't have details for the 1D1 but it would appear that only a 1D3, 1Ds2, 1Ds3 or 5D2 are likely to better the 5D's noise performance
The noise signature of the 1D2 is almost identical in every aspect to the 5D so I doubt there'll be any benefit going down that route save for the focus speed and tracking.

Is your 5D healthy?

Bob
 
I've just gone back for another look at the shots from the 5D. Please don't get me wrong, the noise on the 5D shots are actually very good, certainly better than the 1D and by a good margin.
Having said that, I did see a difference between ISO200 and higher ISO ratings, so running at say ISO800 is not without some apparent reduction in image quality. I would personally leave the ISO at a default of 200 for general day to day usage.
 
Can't say the noise on my 5D is particularly noticeable, certainly not anywhere near ISO 200. I've taken lots of perfectly useable shots up at ISO 800, which I consider to be its 'acceptable' limit. Beyond that the shots are still good, but the noise is a little too much for my taste.
 
Can only agree with others on the ISO issue, no problem here, I am quite happy to shoot at ISO1600 now I know how good it is.
On the AF issue, if you are shooting moving objects a 5D probably wasn't the best buy imo, it's AF if well known to be lacking a fair bit.
 
The lack of ISO rating in the view finder or on the top panel has failed to remind me a few times that my ISO is 800 or even 1000, even so the images have been great.

Not sure comparing the focus system of the 1D to the 5D is a fair test tbh either, the 1D was always far more capable than the lower cameras due to the increased number of focus points.

The metering is also more accurate on the 1D

I still love the 5D though :)
 
I think the OP is bit harsh :'(

I bought my 5D last year - my first digital camera after having used 35mm film.

I was blown away by the results it could achieve in low-light. ISO 800 looks great - there's a bit of grain to be sure, but it looks natural and film-like, with rich colours. It produces results that just wouldn't be possible with film, and for that alone I thought it was great.

Don't forget that this is a 3 year old camera, at a time when technology is improving daily. Canon came up with a groundbreaking design at an affordable price. The fact that it can still hold its own says a lot IMO.

If you want cutting-edge ISO performance and AF, you'll have to move up to something like a D700/D3 or 5D mk II. The 5D is still plenty good enough for me.

A.
 
Tend to leave mine set at 100 or 200iso and generally thats OK for most of my pics. On occassion where i have boosted the ISO to 800 or more i've not been that impressed with the IQ either, seemingly lots of noise - the level i'd expect from a good digi pocket camera, not from a enthusiasts SLR camera.

What firmware version are you running ? - check its the latest version as improvements will have been made through the 5Ds lifetime.
 
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