flash wrote:
We've always shot with mixed formats since the 5D came out. I tend to favour the full frame but my shooting partner shoots 80% crop on his 40D/1DsII combination. It's a very personal choice. The 5d and the 20D were similar to operate and the 5D2 and 50D are almost exactly the same in layout so moving back and forward is pretty easy. For me cost wasn't the issue. It just didn't make sense to have two bodies doing the same thing when I could choose a crop body for a different "feel" when I want it. I virtually never shoot at more than 800 ISO if possible so noise and file size aren't a problem. And if i need 3200 or something ridiculous I just live with the noise to get the shot. None of my clients have ever mentioned an issue, so I don't have one either.
Gordon...Show more →
+1,000
After using a 5D, I really appreciate the 40D. I think it's best to have two different sensor types - allowing yourself different applications of your lenses. On the 5D, the 35L became decently wide and on the 40D, it gave a classic ~50mm portrait FOV (which I love). Since the 50L has so many problems, I decided not to use it on the 5D. Instead, I went with the 35mm on the 40D.
Also, at one point I was going all crazy about doing everything with natural light - had this whole infatuation with Jeff Ascough's work and shooting style. Then I quickly realized that my clients are not having their weddings in the same type of places his clients are. Moreover, I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing clients based on their venue like he does. A lot of Pakistani/Indian weddings I shoot wind up in the bowels of the Marriot or Hilton and there is rarely anything gorgeous about indoor ballroom hotel lighting. So, I started to use flash more often. Speedlites and strobes can make such a huge difference in one's photography if used right and used creatively - just takes practice. Hence, I no longer shoot over 800iso. Some people are super sensitive to noise, however, it doesn't bother me at all.
The 50D has one major thing over the 40D imo - the screen. Other than that, I think the 40D is a really nice deal for right now if you don't need the higher megapixel sensor.
I haven't shot with the 50D; I've used a 40D and 20D for weddings for a while now. I checked reviews constantly and assessed the benefits of the 50D and the big conflict surrounding the high ISO performance, and since I do a very large amount of shooting in low light where I may or may not be able to effectively use flash, keeping noise low at high ISO is important to me.
I am at the point mentally where I find a lot of benefit in the narrower DoF and better high ISO noise that full frame cameras offer. The narrow DoF really makes the subject stand out, and the ability to go wider more easily while still keeping f/2.8 with full frame, and also have some DoF control at those focal lengths, gives more wide-angle versatility. I know that swapping out my crop sensor body with a full frame 5D will alter the style of some of the photos I capture, simply because I spend a lot of time with a 24-70 or 28-75mm f/2.8 standard zoom and it will suddenly get much wider on a 5D.
So, for me a crop sensor camera upgrade would be mostly a lateral move. The 50D would never satisfy me because it does not have that narrow DoF or lower noise at higher ISOs of the full frame cameras. I would sooner buy a used 5D, even if it is less responsive and speedy, because of the changes in image quality style.
I have a 50D that i recently bought, i am thinking about selling it to buy a 5D for the full frame. but
Since i plan on shooting weddings soon, now I'm thinking of keeping the 50D as a backup..
I have shot wedding with a 1DMKII, a 20D, 40D, 5D and just got a 5D MKII. I spent all of last year using mostly two 40Ds. I can honestly say that differences between the cameras are subtle once the image shows up on my screen. I don't think that you'd have any problems using the 50D as a primary wedding camera. I used to work for a guy that used Fuji S1 Pros and almost all Sigma glass. And he was using the the little 6 AA battery trays in them! Blew my mind, when I first saw it, but his work really showed my that you cannot categorize a camera to any one kind of shooting.
prof_fate wrote:
I've shot with mismatched bodies in the past, 30/20 and then 40/30. The 30/20 combo wasn't terrible, but the 30/40 drove me nuts as the 40 is soooo much better than the 30 in focus and overall speed, so I actually gave up on two bodies!
I have a 5D arriving tomorrow and will likely do the mismatched body thing at my next 2 weddings (2/14, 3/7) then i'll be getting a 5D2 in late march...so I'll have more choices then for matching/mismatching.
One local guy that runs a 1D3/5D combo just keep the 16-35 on his 1D3 and swaps lenses on the 5D all day long. Less confusion that way, and he's always ready when mom walks up and says " hey, take a pic of the four of us!"...Show more →
Wouldn't you run the 16-35 on the full frame and the rest of the lenses on the crop body?
