The Leap to Full Frame!

"Old School" The Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic

This past week I made a decision. For the past month I have been trying to figure out what my next Camera was going to be. I had already decided to upgrade into something better than my Current Canon 40D that would last me a long time. I was originally going to go with the Canon 5D mk2 with it's Video Capabilities and replace my Canon XL1s video camera that I've been using since 2003. (Unfortunately it is only Standard Definition in an HD world. I also just don't use it very often as I have to pull it out of a big case and set it all up) The idea of having an HD Video Camera built into my Still camera fascinated me. As long as it would allow me to do similar stuff and more than my current set-up I would be happy.

Canon through a curve ball to me on September 1st when they announced the Canon 7D, a cropped 1.6x sensor with HD Video Capabilities that were superior to the 5D's. This began my thinking about the need I had, and what would be fulfill it.

As a Photographer, the Full Frame 35mm Sensor is superior to the cropped 1.6x FOV Sensors that are popular on the consumer / prosumer lines of Canon and Nikon cameras. I already owned a cropped sensor with my Canon 40D. So I was well aware of the limitations it had. The 7D is a beautiful camera with some great Pro-Like features. My final decision maker was that the Canon 7D was a beautiful camera, but it was not yet available with uncertainty of when it would actually be available. It is also an unproven system that may potentially have some bugs in the first few months. Heck you might not even be able to pick the camera up for a few months without Pre-Ordering. Even now the 5Dmk2 is a hard camera to find in stock anywhere.


My beautiful wife Tiffany


Thoughts on the 5Dmk2
What can I say. It's a beautiful piece of equipment.

Coming from a 40D which is now being used as my Backup camera while I decide if I'm going to sell it or not, here are my quick comparisons.

-The Build Quality - It really does feel different, you can tell they have put a lot more into manufacturing this camera than the 40D. The battery door has a metal hinge and release mechanism Vs. the 40d's plastic and pulling until it pops off. The buttons on the 5d are just mushy enough to not accidentally hit them, but feel great under the finger tips. The buttons on the 40D are just there and easy to press. The shutter button feels great under the finger as well with a nice soft springy action vs. the 40d's click, click feeling. The DOF preview button is another big change. On the 40D it is just a button like any other button, it can be easily confused with the pop-up flash button. The 5D has a nice soft springy button that sticks out further and you definitely know when you have found it. I find myself using it all the time now.


Rum & Coke (My Favorite)


-Auto Focus System- This is something that has gotten a lot of criticism from professional reviewers and the photography community. The 5Dmk2 has the same exact focusing system found in the original 5D. It is now over 3 year old Technology. The 5D's have 9 focus points that can handle lenses up to f5.6 (light levels) the center focusing point is a Cross Type sensor that is even more precise with lenses faster than f2.8. It also has 6 invisible (you can not select them or see them on the focusing screen) AF assist sensors that when turned on will help track movement and more accurately achieve focus around the center point. In Comparison the 40D, 50D have Cross Point sensors at all focusing points for lenses that are 5.6 or faster. The center point is Cross Point and more precise with lenses of f2.8 and faster. This may seem like a big deal on paper, but in my real world usage I haven't found too much difference. The Digic 4 Processor of the 5dmk2 helps to achieve focus very fast and accurately. I do find in lower lights that the 40D may be just slightly faster, but it's not that noticeable really. The tracking of the 5D2 seems much better than the 40D if that is your concern.



Our friend Stephanie the Bartender

-Image Quality - Both the 40D and 5Dmk2 are beautiful cameras. They both take a photograph and represent it very well. Don't let anybody convince you that a camera will make you better, because it's a Lie. It's your brain, ideas, and imagination to create that are what can create the most stunning and beautiful photographs. With that aside, the cameras are not equal. The 5D is a more expensive, and better tool. It can do the job easier and better than the 40D. The images coming right out of the 5D are amazing. They look excellent for the most part and I find I do not have to edit them nearly as much as my 40D. High ISO shooting for example on the 40D I am limited by ISO1600 to be even close to usable. On the 5d2 I can shoot up to ISO6400 and still use it for smaller prints. Everybody is talking about Depth of Field. Yes the DOF is shallower and much better on the 5D. It has to do with the distance you shoot from. With the 5D you must get in closer to get the same crop, thus creating a shallower depth of field. I am amazed by the quality of the images coming from the 5D.


My friend Christine Hernandez performing with the Cover Band "Ride"

A Video Digital SLR?

One of the main reasons I was looking to buy a new Camera was for the new Video modes that camera companies are incorporating into dSLR's. It was really exciting to hear that the Canon 5D Mark II could shoot 1080P HD video and be able to get the dramatic depth of field and image quality that rivaled such advanced cameras as "Red". There is an entire website community dedicated to shooting Cinematic Video with the 5D. It is a great camera for doing video, but it has its limitations and I wouldn't suggest this for everybody. The main disadvantage is it is not as Intuitive to use as a dedicated video system. You can buy add on such as the Redrock Micro system which has Accurate Focus pulling systems, shoulder mounts, framing boxes etc. But they can run pretty expensive and you will easily pay more than you bought the camera for. I also would never suggest the 5D, 7D, Nikon D90, or any of the other popular Digital Video SLR's on the market if you are doing Event Videography primarily. You just don't have the same exact control that you do with a dedicated system. Fortunately for me, I do not shoot events anymore and am wanting to make more artistic shorts and photo/video documentaries which these cameras are excellent for.

Because I can not explain the quality of the video as well as you can see it, here is a downsized HD (720P) sample video I shot of my daughter and our neighbor Lilly playing with some Play-Doh.

Conclusion
I may be a well experienced photographer, but there is a "Learning Curve". Coming from the 10 Mega Pixel cropped sensor to the 21.9 Megapixel Full Frame is a big difference. The lenses all look different now. What I was once able to use the Tamron 28-75 for half body to tight headshots, I can now do Full Body to tight* headshots (* though having to stand much closer to my subject) My Tokina 12-24mm F4 lens which is designed for Cropped Sensor cameras has not become obsolete, just a little less useful. I am now limited to the ranges of about 17mm to 24mm anything wider than that creates severe vignetting which is unusable. My 50mm 1.8 is now a real 50mm normal field of view lens instead of an 80mm "Normal" portrait lens. I also anticipate I will be using my Sigma 70-200 2.8 Lens much more.

With that said, I am overjoyed I finally moved into a Full 35mm Frame Sensor camera. With the greater build quality, my better understanding of caring for a DSLR, and the image results of this camera, I will definitely be loving and using this camera for a long time.

Please enjoy the Sample shots all over this post. If you click on the photo it will take you to my flickr page where you can read the elaborate descriptions. For the most part almost all of these are taken straight out of the camera with using Lightroom 2.5 to process the raw file.



My Wife Tiffany modeling for me


Fluffentstein the Cat


Starry Night Sky


Club Soda & Lemon