a used Canon 5D, a budget way to go full frame?

[billnelson75]

So I've really gotten into DSLR over the past 1.5 years.  I've spent some money on lenses, I have the 28 f1.8, 50 f1.4, 100 macro IS USM, 24-105 f4, and my DSLR is the t3.

I don' t have an unlimited budget, so I was thinking of picking up a good condition used 5d online, looks like around $600 is the going rate, and spending the $1000 I'd save over a Mark II towards the 70-200 f2.8 IS USM.

Bad idea or good idea?  What are the primary drawbacks with using a 5d?  How is the ISO performance?  I shoot mostly portraits of family or landscapes, not a lot of action or fast movement. 

Is the 5d obsolete or is it a good carry over for a year or two until I spring for a newer full frame camera?  Anyone still using the 5d alongside a newer full frame?  What are the primary differences?  Thanks.

[verysimplejason]

Canon 5D is a pain to use compared to T3 (no sensor cleaner, no live-view, 230K resolution screen, slow AF, no built-in flash for fill-in flash usage).  You'll also get "minimal" IQ improvements.  I'm also in the same boat with my "aging" Ti1 (500D), 28mm F1.8, 50mm F1.8, 100mm Macro F2.8 and 17-40L.  After trying 5D several times, I'd say I'm not that excited.  I've tried 5D2 and that's what I call improvement.  I'm just holding on to my money a little bit more due to the coming 6D.  I'd like to know if 6D is worth it (not enough money for 5D3 right now) or just go with a 5D2.  I'm also hoping that 6D will bring the cost of 5D2 a little bit more.  Some of my friends are offering 1DS3 but its almost 5D3 price.  I'd say try the 5D first in shop or look for someone using it.  If you can live with its shortcomings then feel free to upgrade.  It's just my 2 cents though.  In the end it will still be your decision to make.

[tomscott]

Ye as ive said many times its an old camera, its a backward step in pretty much all areas except IQ. No live view, low res screen, no flash, slow performance, no sensor cleaning etc etc

If you can live with it being a poor performer for IQ then ye go for it. I would wait and save for something else like the 5D II or 6D.

[lonelywhitelights]

According to what I've read before the 5D is pretty notorious with dusty sensors. As verysimplejason says above you'll get very little improvement and the camera doesn't have Live View (which isn't always essential but it's very, very handy). It also has an unreliable rear LCD with regards to producing accurate colours when reviewing your photos.

Personally, being a 5D mark II user, I would absolutely recommend you spend the extra cash on upgrading to the mark II - it's better to do that than buy a 5D mark I hoping to save for the 70-200 and then realise in a few weeks or a month that it's really not an upgrade at all.

If you shoot mainly portraits you should sell the 50mm f/1.4 for a few extra $$$ (I find 50mm not to be a useful portrait lens due to the distortion) to help towards the 70-200mm. I also suggest going for the cheaper NON IS version or even the f/4 NON IS version, the f/4 is a remarkable lens and and still sharp as hell and at around $600 you can't really argue with that! but to be absolutely honest with you the 100mm macro (f/2.8L ?) that you have is probably your best portrait lens - no need to go out and get a 70-200mm right away. Just get those legs working and move around a bit haha

Definitely go for the 5D mark II, you won't regret it

[steliosk]

5D1 FF positives +
+ full advantage of EF lenses
+ correct depth of field.

5D1 FF negatives -
- poor FF sensor suffers from noise in high isos,
- doesn't go further than 3200 iso
- suffers from banding as well
- 12 bit color depth instead of 14
- soft corners with f wide open and heavy vignetting (thats a negative thing for all FF cameras)

Personal opinion? no reason to upgrade to FF
EF lenses perform WAY better in crop cameras if you can accept the negative side of a crop sensor (small, noisy, bad dof)

However the best value for money to invest on is a used 5D 2.
I don't like 6D. No pc sync, no dual cards, no articulated screen, 2 megapixel less than 5D2 and no reason why to drop a 1000$ on that hardware... Canon commited suicide with this crap. Way outdated

[EchoLocation]

The 5D classic is a pretty solid camera. I had one for a year and a half and just upgraded to the d700. I think it was a great camera, especially for a first time FF user.
It will make your 24-105 way better than it will ever be on a APS-C body(i hated my 24-105 on my 550d and loved it on my 5d.)
The camera is very basic, which i think was really cool as it was almost like using a film camera... center point AF, no fancy anything, simple everything... I just capped the ISO at 1600 and it was pretty decent. Nothing amazing for low light, but for playing around, and using for general fun, it was totally worth the 800 dollars I spent on it in 2010.  I sold it for 650 and don't regret it for a second.
When I first saw your post i thought you should just buy the 5DII, but if you want other lenses, etc, just sell your T3i for $400-500 on craigslist, and pay 100 bucks to upgrade. Unless you really care about the video, i would say you don't really lose anything except maybe a couple hundred bucks. If it was possible, i'd try to get a used 5DII, but tbh, I never really liked the 5DII all that much for the price.

[RLPhoto]

The 5Dc is still better than any APS-c camera canon currently makes in the IQ department. If you can over look its limitations, you'll be rewarded with files that are very similar to film. 

I was able to use all ISO speeds with good results, even ISO 3200 with some NR.

These are some examples

[87vr6]

The 5D is definitely the way to go for budget full frame.

http://www.sdobbins.com/home.html

This guy runs quite a successful business using mainly (maybe only) a 5Dc.

[dshipley]

As many other people have mentioned I would also suggest picking up the 5D2 over the 5D1 for the added benefits it provides.

You mentioned wanting to pick up a 70-200 f/2.8L IS, but you might also consider selling a few of your current lenses as your focal lengths will change when moving to full frame. Lets take a look at what you currently have and the focal lengths that they are on your T3...

28 f/1.8 (~45mm)
50 f/1.4 (~80mm)
100 f/2.8L IS Macro (~160mm)
24-105 f/4L (~38-168mm)

You might not be satisfied with the quality of the 28 and the 50 on a full frame camera as your current T3 only is using the center of the lens (image quality tends to be best in the center of a lens). If you're shooting portraits and landscapes and prefer zooms you might consider selling all your lenses except the 100 f/2.8L IS Macro and buying a used 24-70 f/2.8L or if you don't need f/2.8 you could always just sell the 28 and the 50 and pick up a used 70-200 f/4L IS.

[Standard]

Without going into specific details regarding the pros and cons of each camera as I am sure many here will aptly point them out, I recommend you aim as high as you can Bill. Simply for the reason of gaining more technological advantages. If you don't plan on upgrading regularly then I believe this will be to your advantage down the road. So yes. upgrading to the Canon 5D Mark II is a better decision in my opinion.

[MK5GTI]

The 5D classic is a pretty solid camera. I had one for a year and a half and just upgraded to the d700. I think it was a great camera, especially for a first time FF user.

EchoLocation, mind sharing how the D700 excel over the 5Dc/5D2? i am using a 5Dc and am eye-ing on a D700 as well, don't like the focus system from 5D2/6D/D600, i like the coverage from the D700, and can't afford the 5D3.

to the OP, i often use ISO3200, with minor NR, i don't mind using that ISO all day long, i upgrade from T1i, and think the upgrade is definitely worth it..... the DOF is just something i do appreciate over the crop, even with all the cons, such as poor LCD, limited ISO, no anti-dust, etc....

[sjp010]

I have the 28 f1.8, 50 f1.4, 100 macro IS USM, 24-105 f4, and my DSLR is the t3.

I think you have two questions here:

1. Will a full-frame camera be beneficial to me with my current lenses?  In my opinion, absolutely.  I upgraded from a 40D to a 5Dc about a year ago with a very similar lens lineup (28/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8 ) and I've barely touched the 40D since.  The 5Dc image quality is noticeably better than the 40D, and my lenses (similar to yours) shine on the full frame format.  Yes, this is true even for the 28/1.8 with its supposedly soft corners - it's better on full frame.  Maybe you'll be less happy for your landscape work, but for my indoor family shots, I love 28/1.8 with 5Dc - probably my most used combination.

2. Is a 5Dc the right full frame camera to get right now, given the current prices?  In my opinion, not really, unless you simply can't afford a 5D2.  When I bought the 5Dc, the price difference was huge ($800-ish vs. $2300-ish) so the choice was easier.  Now.... 5Dc has come down a bit ($600-ish used) but the 5D2 has come down a LOT ($1300-ish used, can get as low as $1500 brand new).  If I was a buyer right now, I think I'd pinch my pennies and go for the 5D2.  This is nothing against the 5Dc - if it's all you can afford I still think you should do it - it's just that the 5D2 offers a lot of upgrades for not that much more money.

Hope this helps.
 

[Cosk]

A year ago, I upgraded from Crop to a 5Dc ($750 used on eBay) - and it's fantastic!  I'm absolutely in love with my 5Dc.  And for about the price of a rebel, you can get a full sized sensor. 

First, I wouldn't consider anything other than FF

- You have FF lenses... you will liberate your 24-105 on a FF, and your 28mm will produce more 3D-like images when you unlock it's DOF capabilities. 
- You said you shoot portraits... you will really enjoy the shallower DOF on FF
- You said you don't shoot sports... so you won't miss your crop reach. 

Next, you said your budget is $1000... lenses hold their value, while bodies depreciate.  Spend your cash on glass, and get a 5D.  You'll have no regrets.  Plus, the 5D is probably nearly depreciated.  Buy one now, use it for a year, and sell it for $50 less than you paid for it next year.  You can't lose.

[thelebaron]

The 5Dc is still better than any APS-c camera canon currently makes in the IQ department. If you can over look its limitations, you'll be rewarded with files that are very similar to film. 

I was able to use all ISO speeds with good results, even ISO 3200 with some NR.

These are some examples

I think this is a fallacy, I bought an old 5d before jumping right to the 5d3 and it(5d) and my 7d were pretty much even in terms of image quality

[tomscott]

The 5Dc is still better than any APS-c camera canon currently makes in the IQ department. If you can over look its limitations, you'll be rewarded with files that are very similar to film. 

I was able to use all ISO speeds with good results, even ISO 3200 with some NR.

These are some examples

I think this is a fallacy, I bought an old 5d before jumping right to the 5d3 and it(5d) and my 7d were pretty much even in terms of image quality

It is

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_5D-vs-Canon_EOS_7D