Upgrade from 400D - 40D or 5D?

8utters

8utters

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A friend I work with just bought a 5D from our boss (amasing deal actually, the 5D body with grip, 2 batteries and 580ex for £1,000!).

I used it last night, what an amasing camera. The photos it comes out are increrdible, I can't even get close with my 400D.

I'v always wanted to upgrade to the 5D in the near future, but it's pretty expensive...over £1,000 for the body alone and I also want to get a new lens - the 24-70mm Canon to replace my 28-135mm Canon.

I'v been thinking of th 40D but i'm not really sure it offers a big enough leap to justify me spending £700 on a new body...

Odviously i'l buy a 5D if I have the money (and I might buy one when the new MK2 version comes out, they will be cheaper then) but a 40D is more in my price range, just dosent seem to be a big enough jump.

Im also keen on getting a full frame - only the 5D or 1Ds are full tho (and the 1Ds is WAY out of my price range lol).

Anyone upgraded from a 400D to a 40D? Anyone got any comments?

Oh and I would probably get the 5D on monthly payments, can anyone give me a site that gives a good rate? Warehouse Express giv £63 per month, seems pretty good, I could afford that, anyone else do montly payments or have any other good links? (EDIT: now £57 a month!)

Thanks guys! :)
 
Save for the 5d or whatever variant is available when you have the money.

You dont sound like you would be satisfied with the 40D so why settle for it?

You can spend the time reviewing your lens collection whilst you save - when the 5d is replaced there should be a glut of 2nd hand 5d's on the market
 
A lot of it depends on if you *need* the full frame. ie what you shoot.
If you are a pure out and out landscape man then there is definite benefit of the 5D.
Wildlife shooters will do much better with a crop sensor (you get "virtually" nearer for "free"). ie 40D.

Both 40D and 5D have much improved bodies and build quality over the 400D, but if you dont need the extra features / robustness that the 40D offers then stay with the 400D.

IMHO: The big difference in photo quality is the glass that you use. Spend BIG on the glass and stay with the 400D. ie go for L lenses. They are worth it.
 
Well yeah, i'm actually thinking of getting a Canon 24-70mm L very soon on finance from Warehouse Express -it's £35 a month. Gonna shop around a bit and see if I can find some more finance options - it's too expensive for me to buy in full, I don't have the money.

I was thinking of the 24-105 but I like the apature of 2.8 with the 24-70. The 24-105 has a minimum aparture of 4 which is higher than my current lens (at 3.5). I do alot of low light photography so the apature is pretty important.

With regards to the new body - I was always aimed at a 5D, whatever I do, i'l probably wait for the MK2 to come out and see how expensive it is and how much the MK1s are going for. I do some landscape photography (with a new lens/body I would do ALOT more), but I do alot of group photography in nightclubs, I need a wider lens than I have at the moment.
 
Low light says 5D for ISO performance but have just picked up a 40D the AF in low light is pretty amazing, much faster than the 30D so it's either or really. Perhaps neither and spend the money on glass instead - a good fast prime for low light work might be a good investment...
 
oldgit said:
IMHO: The big difference in photo quality is the glass that you use. Spend BIG on the glass and stay with the 400D. ie go for L lenses. They are worth it.
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Have to agree. I've recently got a 400D with a Sigma 17-70 and a Canon 70-200 F4L IS. Had a play with a mate's 40D the other week and, whilst it's a superb bit of kit and feels so much better than mine, if I'd gone for that instead I'd not have been able to afford the 70-200 and I figured I'm better off with the less body and better lens for now, upgrading the body later on when I feel limited by the 400.
 
Yeah il probably get a new lens for the moment, was gonna get the 24-70 L 2.8.

Only thing is it dosen't have Image Stabilization, my current lens does have it. Is there a huge difference without?

Ideally I wanted an L lens with a fairly good range and 2.8 apature...but since it dosent have Stabilization, I dunno...anyone got any comments of the 24-70 vs the 24-105?
 
I've just gone from a 350D to a 40D. For me it's obviously more than an incremental upgrade, I did however consider the 5D.

My decision was swung really by a couple of factors:

1) I've seen massive improvements in the sheer quality of my work ever since I started investing in L lenses. It's a cliché but you really DO get what you pay for when glass is concerned.

2) I've found that the majority of my photos do need the extra "virtual" reach that a crop body offers. To go to a 5D I'd probably end up having to buy a 100-400 L as well.

I don't get the 40D until tomorrow morning (finger nails are gone) but I know immediately that it's the right camera for me.
 
Nathan, where did you get yours, and was it less than £749?

8uters, if you are keeping the 400D then go for full frame as and when you can afford it.and you have the best of both worlds-f/f for wide/ standard and 1.6 crop for tele and you have a back up body.

As I've said elsewhere, even a 1Ds mk 1 won't be too much over a grand, soon (sadly for me as I'll be selling mine soon)
 
George,

It's via Kerso (Ian Kerr) and I paid £650 + £20 p&p. It's due in the morning :D
 
Nathan see my vote of thanks in the other thread, Ian's got one in stock.:thumbs:
 
andrewc said:
how often would you use it wide open? low light / creative depth of field?

I use a 24-105L IS f4 and its an excellent bit of kit.
Click to expand...

Most of the photography I do is in low light. My apature is always set to 3.5 (the lowest on my current lens).

I'd go for the 24-105L if it wasent for it's apature (it seems better at everything else - better range, image stabilisation, ligher and smaller). It's just that f4 that is a put-off.
 
Something to consider.....

Is you're desire for the 24-70 based on you currently having a 400D or moving to a 5D in the not too distant future. If it's the first reason then you should maybe looking at something shorter given that it will be a very different effective range/FOV on a FF body.

Bob
 
I upgraded from a 350D to a 5D (and a 24-70 2.8L) a few months ago and I love it, the low noise is great but it does seem to get more dust on the CCD.

I think you get about 200 quid off (135 for the 5D and 90 for the lens) with rebates, something to think about
 
Whatever you decide, don't go for Warehouse Express' own finance... their APR is high and a rip off. You'd be better off getting a loan from a bank or online. Use www.moneysupermarket.com to find the cheapest...
 
I used my friends 5D last night (the one who got it for a grand with 580ex and grip).

It's amasing! Such an awesome camera. The view is so wide its incredible (with a 20-35mm).

It gets so much detail aswel, all the background details that my 400D seriously underexposes to the point that they are just black, the 5D picks up very well.

The build quality is awesome too...it's quite heavy tho, my arm started to ache after using it for a few hours.

As for buying one, dunno what im gonna do, I think I will wait a bit and see how the prices change and how much money I can save up...i'v only had my 24-135 about 2 months...

@Weggy - great! Thanks for the tip! Money Supermarket looks pretty good, might do a loan on it actually...it is much cheaper. The monthly payments are a bit more tho, but not too outragous.
 
I'd say.

40D - Fast moving objects
5D if its more static object

I've just got the 40D my self and its a fantastic upgrade from the 400D.

Andy
 
I got a 40D to replace my 400D, haven't done comparitive trials yet but for me the bonus over the 400 is-

Live view-great for macro and also quick checking-the screen is HUGE!!
6.5 FPS and 17 shots in RAW!!

And of course the build quality really is a lot better.

And at £600 after rebate from Ian (+p/p) it's a great deal' but I suppose I'm lucky also to have a full frame so I have the best of both worlds.

One thing i would say, starting from scratch, spend the extra over a 400 if you possibly can.

I wonder if its the same sensor though?-spec is identical.

George
 
Yeah i'v been thinking about it at the moment actually, I think i'm gonna go for a 40D, the 5D is just too expensive. I don't want to take a loan beacuse firstly i'd probably never pass for one (as im a student and am in 3 grand debt already) and i'd never be able to pay it off.

Plus the 40D has some really good features that I do need, and didn't notice before (for example, those C1, C2, and C3 modes are PERFECT for what I use it for, they would be soooo handy). The bigger LCD and build quailty are also very impotant for what I use it for.

Plus they are lik £600 instead of £1,300 or more.

Oh and George - yeah, the sensor is exactly the same, a bit of a put-off, i'd like it to have one slightly better but meh, it's not that important to me.
 
I recently read a review of the 40D in a magazine (can't remember which one) and it said the difference between the 400D and the 40D wasn't big enough (in their opinion) to upgrade and they recommended spending your cash on L glass.

The 24-70mm 2.8 L is fairly heavy, and for me I personally find that not having IS is a bit of an issue. It's fine on a tripod though. If they ever bring out an IS version, (as long as the quality remains as good), then I will be first in the queue.
 
Yeah the next thing on my list after a 40D is the 24-70L lol. The non IS is one of the reasons I woulden't buy one now, as well as no Image Stabilization. I'm hoping they will come out with a new version sometime soon, then I will buy one.

You said it's heavy, i'v heard that before. It's a big lens for it's focal length aswel.

It's a pretty old lens aswel (released in 2002) so should be due for an upgrade.
 
I have the 5D & 24-70 & the combo is excellent & definitely one I'd recommend.
I swopped my 24-105 with Grumpybadger for the 24-70 & the extra stops really do make enough difference for me to not miss the IS.

As has been mentioned - it depends on what you're shooting but for gig/nightclub stuff I'd go with the 5D all the way - it is however, a very unforgiving camera & picks up on all of your lenses faults so you do need good glass to get the most out of it.
I don't buy into the "buy the newest" thing though - I go more with the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality - the 24-70 is an amazing lens even though it's getting on a bit :lol:

Good luck with your choice :thumbs:
 
Yep the 5D and 24-70 is my ideal combo, but both of them together come to about £2,000, I don't have that kind of money.

The 40D is more in my price range, and has some great features that are perfect for what i'd use it for.
 
Does anyone know when the replacment for the 5D is comming out? has anybody any links to show any info on it??
 
oldgit said:
.
Wildlife shooters will do much better with a crop sensor (you get "virtually" nearer for "free"). ie 40D.
Click to expand...

Take it from me Mr Git, your average Bluetit is exactly the same size in the viewfinder of my 5D as it is in my 30D. There is a little less grass or bush each side of him with the 5D but he definately doesn't have the appearance of having been on steroids in the 30D.

If you start to work out pixels across the image then the difference is not so great but oh, what pixels they are with the 5D. It's pure illusion tricking the brain.....like the moon low down....massive eh....bloody well can't be...it looks twice the size which means it must be half the distance....the seas would be sucked off the planet and the bloody French would be cycling to Bognor to sell their onions and letters.

Stick your money in your piggy bank and wait for your dream.
 
Don't listen to a word Canon Bob says - it was he who put me in the financial chaos I find myself in - I got me a 5d recently after listening to him, and my 30d has lived in the cupboard ever since...
 
steveinspain said:
Don't listen to a word Canon Bob says - it was he who put me in the financial chaos I find myself in - I got me a 5d recently after listening to him, and my 30d has lived in the cupboard ever since...
Click to expand...

You should worry Steve....my cupboards got TWO 30D's sitting in it. :thinking:

Oh, and er, did I tell you how great the 50 and 85/1.2L's are on the 5D...:naughty:
 
Mr CB - you didn't, and I don't care anyway - I have to problem of a 70-200 IS f4 and a 70-200 IS f2.8 to resolve before my credit card will allow me to think of anything else - How could i end up with both..?
I do have a 50 1.4 though which is a blinder..
 
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