New 5DSR Vs. refurbished.

[Valvebounce]

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

 

[tcmatthews]

I would not hesitate to buy a refurbished 5DSR from the Canon store if I was in the market for one. But I would wait for one of their sales. I bought a 7D II from them and it was in new condition. Still had all the original protective plastic covers. It came with new battery, charger and manual. But with a plain brown Canon box.

I was tempted to buy one during the Black friday sell.

 

[Skatol]

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

This actually goes back about 15-20 years. We picked a word of the day from the dictionary and I came across this one. I used it as a gaming name because that's how I played. I also don't have to worry about coming up with a unique user name....no one else ever seems to use this one. ;D

 

[AlanF]

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

In case you haven't realised it, Graham, CR is for anoraks: anorak = Derogatory term, most frequently directed at people who obsessively pursue hobbies which consist almost entirely of gathering information about a favourite topic, generally a fairly benign and arcane device such as a specific type of computer.

 

[Eldar]

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

In case you haven't realised it, Graham, CR is for anoraks: anorak = Derogatory term, most frequently directed at people who obsessively pursue hobbies which consist almost entirely of gathering information about a favourite topic, generally a fairly benign and arcane device such as a specific type of computer.

Anorak in Norwegian is a special type of outer clothing, usually something we (used to) wear while skiing in the mountains. Colours preferably red or blue. If you are really crazy, you can wear grey.

Skatol, which is the old written form, now more commonly spelled Skatthold, is a special desk, which you can lock up, in the old days it was to hide the fact that you occasionally worked, today it is to hide from your wife that you spend too much time on CR ... :

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Alan.
Here I am used to being an anorak about my specific brand of classic cars! Anoraks encompass cars, bikes, buses, trains and more. I never intended to be derogatory towards you, it was meant as a throw away comment plain and simple.
My apologies if I did offend, unfortunately a lighthearted tone of voice seems to be lost when written, I did try with the string of emojis!

Cheers, Graham.

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

In case you haven't realised it, Graham, CR is for anoraks: anorak = Derogatory term, most frequently directed at people who obsessively pursue hobbies which consist almost entirely of gathering information about a favourite topic, generally a fairly benign and arcane device such as a specific type of computer.

 

[bholliman]

I am in the market for a 5DSR. Canon has refurbished for around $2800.

I have no experience buying refurbished camera bodies, but have purchased 5-6 refurbished lenses with excellent success. They were all flawless, looked and performed as good as the new lenses I've purchased. Your shutter count question is a good one, but I don't believe it that expensive to replace the shutter if it comes to that.

As some one who often shoots more than that in a day it is a crazy load of data. A 5D3 would be more practical. I prefer my 5DIV to the 5DSR and previouly my now deceased 5DIII.
The 5DSR is great at 100 ISO on a tripod. For it's goes downhill rapidly as the ISO goes up and you need steady hands.

The myth of the 5Ds(R) being a tripod-only camera dies hard.

The 5DsR is definitely great at ISO 100 on or off a tripod, but its also excellent hand held at higher ISO's. I shoot up to ISO 3200 and occasionally 6400 without reservation. Sure, the 5DIV and 6D are better low light cameras, but the 5DsR is pretty capable at higher ISO's.

I use my 5DsR hand held 95% of the time have no problem getting sharp, clean images. You need somewhat better technique and higher shutter speeds than with a 5D3 or other 18-24mp FF camera, but it can certainly be used a as general purpose camera - that's how I use mine and couldn't be happier.

 

[Rockskipper]

Not that it's of any consequence, but I bought a refurbished Canon M lens that came in a PowerShot box.

I thought maybe there'd been a mistake until I opened it. It was a perfect lens, looked brand new.

 

[AlanF]

I am in the market for a 5DSR. Canon has refurbished for around $2800.

I have no experience buying refurbished camera bodies, but have purchased 5-6 refurbished lenses with excellent success. They were all flawless, looked and performed as good as the new lenses I've purchased. Your shutter count question is a good one, but I don't believe it that expensive to replace the shutter if it comes to that.

As some one who often shoots more than that in a day it is a crazy load of data. A 5D3 would be more practical. I prefer my 5DIV to the 5DSR and previouly my now deceased 5DIII.
The 5DSR is great at 100 ISO on a tripod. For it's goes downhill rapidly as the ISO goes up and you need steady hands.

The myth of the 5Ds(R) being a tripod-only camera dies hard.

The 5DsR is definitely great at ISO 100 on or off a tripod, but its also excellent hand held at higher ISO's. I shoot up to ISO 3200 and occasionally 6400 without reservation. Sure, the 5DIV and 6D are better low light cameras, but the 5DsR is pretty capable at higher ISO's.

I use my 5DsR hand held 95% of the time have no problem getting sharp, clean images. You need somewhat better technique and higher shutter speeds than with a 5D3 or other 18-24mp FF camera, but it can certainly be used a as general purpose camera - that's how I use mine and couldn't be happier.

+ 1
I use it at my standard iso 640 setting for routine bird photography hand held. The noise level and image degradation are hardly worse than with the 5DIV, and the lack of AA filter gives it a real edge. I am spoiled for choice between using my 5DIV and 5DSR. For telephoto work, the 5DSR has about the same resolution as the same lens on the 5DIV with a 1.4xTC, and has an extra stop of light plus less shake with a shorter focal length, which is usually gives better results.

 

[Deleted member 7828]

Pair the 5DSR with a top-quality lens and it will not get in your way. The only thing to watch would be shutter speed.

Of course, if the light requires above ISO 6400, from my experience you're better off with a 5D3 or 5D4. At 6400, the R files do NOT take very much brightening before falling apart.

 

[Eldar]

This is not a new vs. refurbished, but a highly unscientific 5DSR vs. 1DX-II.

I was able to shoot this kingfisher with both the 5DSR and 1DX-II. It was sitting on the same branch and lighting was pretty similar. The 1DX-II shots were a bit over exposed, so I had to reduce exposure by one stop in post. Both are shot with the 600 f4L IS II + 2xIII extender, mounted on a RRS TVC34 tripod with a RRS full gimbal and cropped a lot. You can check the resolution figures.

AFMA becomes absolutely critical, but very difficult at 1200mm. However, I believe they both are OK.

First is 5DSR, second 1DX-II

 

[privatebydesign]

Hi Eldar,

Very interesting real world sample. I was interested in the 5DSr but decided I would wait for the MkII that will have the various niceties and sensor tech the 5D MkIV has.

Do you have any other insights into using the two cameras side by side?

 

[privatebydesign]

Eldar, I took the liberty of downloading both your images and resizing the 1DX MkII to the pixel dimensions of the 5DSr in PS set to Bicubic Smoother along with a Smart Sharpen layer.

Personally I am shocked at how little difference there is. Obviously you have the ability to do the same enlargement/resample to the 5DSr file so the differences would still potentially be there, but it was a bit of an eye opener for me yet again. I did a similar comparison to the 1DS MkIII and 7D years ago with very similar results.

I attach a full sized screenshot of both images at 100% view.

 

[Eldar]

Hi Eldar,

Very interesting real world sample. I was interested in the 5DSr but decided I would wait for the MkII that will have the various niceties and sensor tech the 5D MkIV has.

Do you have any other insights into using the two cameras side by side?

I have used it side by side with a 1DX and now the 1DX-II on several occasions, including two safaris in Africa. Those who claim that the 5DSR is a specialist tool and is made for studio, tripod and slow photography work, have either never used one or alternatively don´t have a clue what they´re doing. I am very happy with it and I have used it for just about anything. I almost sold it, when I bought the Hasselblad, but I decided not to. It can do lots of stuff the Hasselblad is incapable of, so I´ll hang on to it. Nobody should be surprised if I buy the Mk-II when it comes. In your case Scott, I believe you would have been very happy with one, especially in a combo with a 1DX-II.

With the 5DSR you have to be more concerned with shutter speed. So in general terms, compared to a 1DX/1DX-II, you lose one stop, unless you have lots of light. If you´re not careful with this, you lose the advantage of its resolution. AF is very good, but not as good as the 1D alternatives and not as good as the 5DIV.

Exposure is a bit more critical on the 5DSR. If you under-expose on anything above ISO800, you will have problems in post processing. Shadow areas fall apart faster than with the 1DX-II. However, if you expose correctly, you can make very good results at very high ISO settings.

I like the button layout on the 1DX-II better than the 5D cameras. However, in actual shooting situations, I rely on exactly the same buttons, which are pretty much in the same position, so in landscape mode I don´t even have to think.

Having used the vertical grip on a 1D camera as much as I have, I really don´t like the battery grips for the 5D series (or any of the others for that matter). They are just big and bulky. So I am using my 5D cameras without one. That makes portrait shooting, with big lenses, a bit of a problem. However, I prefer that to the battery grip. A problem though is that all my horizons are tilted, when I shoot in portrait.

Here´s the full size image I posted above, shot at 1200mm. I cropped this to 2000x3000 pixels and printed on a 13x19 and it turned out great. There is a river between where I stood and where the bird is nesting, so I cannot get any closer. I don´t believe you find many cameras that could have made as useful a shot as this, at that distance.

 

[Eldar]

Eldar, I took the liberty of downloading both your images and resizing the 1DX MkII to the pixel dimensions of the 5DSr in PS set to Bicubic Smoother along with a Smart Sharpen layer.

Personally I am shocked at how little difference there is. Obviously you have the ability to do the same enlargement/resample to the 5DSr file so the differences would still potentially be there, but it was a bit of an eye opener for me yet again. I did a similar comparison to the 1DS MkIII and 7D years ago with very similar results.

I attach a full sized screenshot of both images at 100% view.

I made a comment in an other thread earlier that the quality of the 1DX-II images makes it look like a much higher jump in resolution than the actual numbers. It is apparent that the actual pixel quality is very high and a big jump from its predecessors. DR, colour quality and how noise appears is clearly a division above the others. You´ll see some of the same effect with the 5DIV.

 

[privatebydesign]

Thanks for those followups Eldar.

I'm sure I'll end up with the same conclusions as you, the 1DX MkII's are supposed to ship early next week and I have bid on a few secondhand 5DSr's but really want the newer sensor tech from the 1DX MkII and 5D MkIV you point out is noticeable so am holding out for the 5DSr MkII. Because of that my bidding has been unenthusiastic ;D

Also toying with getting an M-5 for a personal trip to Hawaii in a few weeks, turns out to be the year of the body for me...

Thanks again for your insights.

 

[jeanluc]

I too was thinking 5dsr vs 5d4. I went with the 5d4. Literally just finished a week of landscape shooting, can't wait to see how stuff looks compared to my 5d3.

I shoot almost all my landscapes with live view, and the dual pixel af together with the touch screen makes this way easier and faster than on the 5d3. So I would wait for the 5dsr mk 2 and it's new sensor tech at this point, or get a 5d4. The difference while actually shooting is worth the wait imho.

I also got a m5 for a Hawaii trip, and it is a very, very good camera. IQ with the efm lenses is very acceptable, and the new sensor tech is very noticeable in post. Shadow noise is very low. I am going there again in a few months, seriously thinking of taking the m5 instead of the 5d4 just for portability. Am planning on some lava at night shooting if it works out, that is my only concern on just going with the m5.

When the 5dsr mk 2 cones out, I'm in.

 

[LonelyBoy]

I made a comment in an other thread earlier that the quality of the 1DX-II images makes it look like a much higher jump in resolution than the actual numbers. It is apparent that the actual pixel quality is very high and a big jump from its predecessors. DR, colour quality and how noise appears is clearly a division above the others. You´ll see some of the same effect with the 5DIV.

Is it crazy that I feel the same about the 1D3? Every time I look at the images from one of those they look creamy and beautiful, despite the low resolution. Makes me wish I could get a modern version of the same sensor into a smaller body.

 

[LonelyBoy]

Hi Alan.
I'm going to go with "to find the anoraks out here that actually knew what it meant and see if anyone would ask!" :

Cheers, Graham.

Why do you call yourself Skatol: = beta-methyl indole; a malodorous nitrogen compound found in feces, formed by protein decomposition in the intestines? (Skatos = Greek for sh*t).

In case you haven't realised it, Graham, CR is for anoraks: anorak = Derogatory term, most frequently directed at people who obsessively pursue hobbies which consist almost entirely of gathering information about a favourite topic, generally a fairly benign and arcane device such as a specific type of computer.

Anorak in Norwegian is a special type of outer clothing, usually something we (used to) wear while skiing in the mountains. Colours preferably red or blue. If you are really crazy, you can wear grey.

Skatol, which is the old written form, now more commonly spelled Skatthold, is a special desk, which you can lock up, in the old days it was to hide the fact that you occasionally worked, today it is to hide from your wife that you spend too much time on CR ... :

Anorak came to mean "nerd" (sorta) because British (I think it was British) trainspotters would watch and record train passage while wearing anorak jackets, because it's Britain and cold. Anorak then went from referring to a coat to referring to trainspotter nerds to nerds of all stripes.

If you're on this forum you probably qualify.