Canon 5dmkII or 50D?

zipperfoot

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Now, granted, I understand that there's a bit of a chasm between these two cameras -- I know that the 5D has a full frame sensor, and is slightly more recent.

Here's my situation:
I am a student, practicing and hoping to go into fashion photography. I plan on going to school for photography in the fall of this year. I am looking for a substantial upgrade from the camera I have now. High resolution is an absolute must. (Mind, I am not about to turn professional, I just need a little bit more than what I have now.) I have narrowed it down to either the 5DmkII or the 50D. I have read and seen good things about both. Now. A full-frame sensor would more than likely mean that I would have to get better glass to take full advantage of the sensor size. This is something I am taking into my budget consideration. The 50D has a cropped sensor and, although I am fully aware of the importance of having good lenses, I may not need to invest quite so much into the glass to begin with because the sensor is not as comprehensive. The 50D also does not have the movie mode, which is a good thing for me -- the less "extra" stuff, the better.

Plus, getting the far less expensive 50D would give me more budget money for lenses and the other extra stuff I need such as memory card(s), battery grip, batteries, etc.

What my basic questions come down to, I guess, is:
1. Do you think I need to pay the extra cost for the full-frame sensor, given my situation?
2. If anyone has ever owned and used the MkII or the 50D (preferably for something similar to what I do, such as portraiture and the like), could you recommend the 50D for its price?

Thanks a lot for any advice you can give, it's greatly appreciated.
 
Get the 50D and put the rest into really good glass. Not just more glass, good glass.
There are tons of discussion on here discussing the best glass so just take a look at a couple of those to get started but here is the 1st one I would get to start out assuming you have a kit lens with the body.

50mm 1.4 or 1.2
 
I own a 5DII and a 40D. The 40D only comes out of the bag when a very fast autofocus is required. Although the 5DII has no issues with tracking kids, people, etc.....I like the 40D for its fast autofocus and fps for rodeo and such. but when it comes to portraiture, studio work, or just grabbing a camera to walk around with, I always reach for the 5DII. Much better files from the 5DII than any crop sensor camera. Only you can weigh the costs of everything vs your budget.
 
Thanks for your advice, guys.
As of now it looks like I am heavily leaning towards the 50D and getting one of the 50mm primes (you actually mentioned, keith) I've been looking at, and possibly another good lens.

Thanks again.
 
For fashion photography, the 5D2 is superior to the 50D. I would buy the 5D2 kit with the 24-105 lens and you will be set for doing some stellar work. Add more glass as you go along, but a full frame for fashion trumps the best crop sensor.

The notion the 50D can eek by with lesser glass is inaccurate. If anything, due to the higher pixel density of the 15mp 1.6x sensor, you will need better glass on the 50D... not that any of this is something you will likely notice in most of your pics.

The money side of things is something only you can answer. If I had my choice, I would go with the 5D2. I did have a 50D for a while, but went to the 5D2 because I do shoot lots of fashion and art. It's better to get what you want the first time vs. settling for something else then regretting it.
 
fullframe is the direction you ideally want to go for fashion and studio work so I would echo the advice already given on that score.
One budget idea though is to consider the older 5D - you should be able to pickup a used (they are no longer in production) copy in good condition and it would give you a little more budget for glass. Glass is where you want to invest in since good glass will last you decades whilst camera bodies have a limited lifespan before they need repair and (After a time) repair costs become uneconomical comparted to replacement/upgrade costs
 
For fashion photography, the 5D2 is superior to the 50D. I would buy the 5D2 kit with the 24-105 lens and you will be set for doing some stellar work. Add more glass as you go along, but a full frame for fashion trumps the best crop sensor.

The notion the 50D can eek by with lesser glass is inaccurate. If anything, due to the higher pixel density of the 15mp 1.6x sensor, you will need better glass on the 50D... not that any of this is something you will likely notice in most of your pics.

The money side of things is something only you can answer. If I had my choice, I would go with the 5D2. I did have a 50D for a while, but went to the 5D2 because I do shoot lots of fashion and art. It's better to get what you want the first time vs. settling for something else then regretting it.
+1 intempus, i agree if you are able to buy a MKII on the first try do it. I own the 50D and trust me its a great camera but not compared to the full frame MKII but some of us dont have the luxuries that Intempus has. I seen the video of your MKIV by the way intempus.
 
Wow. xD Seems whenever I've made a decision, more people come along and shift me the other way 'round. Thanks for your advice. c:
Making note of the fact that I am not exactly going to be turning professional the day after tomorrow, is there a general consensus that I would be able to do decent work with the 50D?
 
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I would go with the 5D2. I have one and I love it. You can't beat the full frame advantage. I am an amateur - not a pro by any means and I want FF. No, not trying to confuse you, just my honest opinion.
 
From what I've heard here, it sounds like the 5DmkII would be a very wise investment, despite its higher price.

Right now, I am thinking of going with the mkII, and getting the 50mm F/1.4 or the 50mm F/1.8 (which is very inexpensive, but highly acclaimed from what I've heard and seen from independent parties).
Seem like a reasonable idea, at least to start out with?
 
From what I've heard here, it sounds like the 5DmkII would be a very wise investment, despite its higher price.

Right now, I am thinking of going with the mkII, and getting the 50mm F/1.4 or the 50mm F/1.8 (which is very inexpensive, but highly acclaimed from what I've heard and seen from independent parties).
Seem like a reasonable idea, at least to start out with?

As far as affordable primes... I'd go with the 85mm f/1.8.

A 85mm lens has a more "flattering" perspective than a 50mm one. If you're into fashion photography and portraiture, a 50mm lens wouldn't be my first choice.
 
From what I've heard here, it sounds like the 5DmkII would be a very wise investment, despite its higher price.

Right now, I am thinking of going with the mkII, and getting the 50mm F/1.4 or the 50mm F/1.8 (which is very inexpensive, but highly acclaimed from what I've heard and seen from independent parties).
Seem like a reasonable idea, at least to start out with?
Don't get the f/1.8 lens. People that praise it usually aren't all that experienced. Inexperienced people tend to praise things they buy regardless of the actual performance.

While the f/1.8 lens can take a sharp picture, it is slow to focus, often times misses focus and is built very cheaply. It lacks a useful focus ring as well. For $200 more the f/1.4 is a far better lens and one that will remain useful to you for years.
 
People that praise it usually aren't all that experienced.

I wouldn't say inexperienced....

Most recommendations are usually made to people who have a fairly low budget or those not quite convinced that a primes will suit their needs. The bang for buck value for the 50mm f/1.8 is fairly good. They resell very easily. The disadvantages to the 50mm f/1.8 you listed are perfectly legitimate but not necessarily a deal breaker for photographers of certain levels/needs.



Not everyone has the bank account... to support the purchase of top of the line everything.
 
I wouldn't say inexperienced....
I would. Of the glowing reviews I've seen given them by people, most have never touched the 1.4 version. It was their first prime and as such they thought it was the most amazing lens ever. Someone once posted a funny on here about the revelation cycle of the 1.8 and it's ownership by new shooters. I paraphrase:

OMG, this thing rocks!
Why does it miss focus all the time?
This thing is noisy.
Man, this thing is falling apart.
Check out my new 1.4!

Not everyone has the bank account... to support the purchase of top of the line everything.
The last time I checked the $300 1.4 isn't "top of the line". The 1.2 is top of the line and costs upwards of $1,500.

In case you missed it, I recommended the 1.4 over the 1.8 and most reasonable people that have used them all (I have used the 1.8, 1.4 and 1.2) will do the same. I did sell my 1.4 and kept my 1.2, but honestly, the 1.4 is all I would ever need.
 
From what I've heard here, it sounds like the 5DmkII would be a very wise investment, despite its higher price.

Right now, I am thinking of going with the mkII, and getting the 50mm F/1.4 or the 50mm F/1.8 (which is very inexpensive, but highly acclaimed from what I've heard and seen from independent parties).
Seem like a reasonable idea, at least to start out with?

As far as affordable primes... I'd go with the 85mm f/1.8.

A 85mm lens has a more "flattering" perspective than a 50mm one. If you're into fashion photography and portraiture, a 50mm lens wouldn't be my first choice.
I agree that the 85mm has a great perspective for portrait work. I like to shoot my 85 when I can, but unfortunately it's a bit long for many people with limited space. My studio is pretty small and my 85 won't allow me to get much more than a waist up shot. I find myself using my 24-70 and 50mm prime mostly in my studio given my limitations on space.

Here's a shot from yesterday shot at 40mm.

767505657_qNndG-L.jpg


It's not distorted in any appreciable way due to the 40mm setting of my 24-70.

I still think a 50mm works good as a portrait lens. But having an 85 in the bag is very nice too. I do have a couple of shots from yesterday shot with my 85 which I can share if you like. I just have to finish post work on them.
 
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