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geoperdis    says:

Canon is now shipping their new 5D digital SLR camera. It is, as of this writing, the world's smallest and lightest full-frame digital SLR with a full-frame 12.8 megapixel CMOS image sensor at a breakthrough price of under $3500 US without a lens.

That is still a lot of money for a digital camera for many of us. But consider that until the 5D was announced, the only other digital SLR camera that had a full-frame sensor and comparable or greater resolution to the 5D, was the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II (which Yuri uses as his main digital SLR).



The 1Ds Mk II, at around $7500 US, costs more than twice as much as the 5D and weighs 2.7lbs/1.2kilos without a lens, compared to 1.8lbs/0.8kilos for the 5D. For all that extra money you do get a 16.7 megapixel CMOS image sensor and larger file sizes, faster motor drive capabilities, a ruggedized and sealed camera body and a host of other "pro" features.

Oh, and the 1Ds II built like a tank and your will feel like you've been riding in one after walking around and shooting with it all day. And just like a tank, the 1Ds II turns heads whenever you take it out to shoot on location. Not exactly what you want if you're out doing some candid or documentary picture taking.



The reason I'm telling you all this is because Yuri, a founding member of Photosensitive, a documentary collective, will be traveling to Sri Lanka in late October, to take part in the groups latest project, which will document the region's recovery from last year's catastrophic tsunami. So Yuri is considering taking along the new 5D as an alternative to lugging around the big 1Ds II.

I've already had a look a pre-production version of the 5D as well as the new 24-105 at a launch event and I have to say that it is one impressive combo (or kit as everybody seems to be calling them these days). It has all the hallmarks of being a breakthrough combination of camera and lens in terms of price, performance and portability. And I say that having been a life-long Nikon photographer. This one might just break me.

Anyway, we thought that it might be a good opportunity to use the upcoming trip as a way to do a field test report and subsequent review of the 5D here on FFF, but with a twist. In most instances, the person doing a review takes the camera, lens or whatever other gadget they are trying out and goes off to try it, reports back the findings and then ask for reader feedback.

In this case it might be more useful, and fun, to ask you to share whatever questions, comments or curiosities you have about the 5D, before the field test. What do you think? Does it make sense to do a review this way? Let us know what you think and what you'd like to know about the camera.

g

PS. Do bear in mind that all of this is tentative planning, as the 5D may not be available as a production model in time for the Sri Lanka trip, or some other reason may crop up that delays the field-test and review. But review it we will at some point, preferably in this new flickrfotoforum-friendly format ( I know, I know, if I keep this up with all the fs, the next one that will come out of your mouth will not be a polite one, but please forgive me just this once), where you post the questions and comments first and then we try to get you some useful answers.

PSS. If you're interested in finding out more about the Canon 5D, you might want to check out this pre-production model www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos5d/ by Michael Reichmann, over at luminous-landscape.com
Originally posted at 12:15PM, 24 September 2005 PDT (permalink)
geoperdis edited this topic 81 months ago.