Mark II vs. 50D info please :)

[LisaMarie]

Hi all, i am new to the world of photography and am looking to purchase my first professional DSLR camera since my first enrty level camera a Rebel XT.

Right now i am undecided on the Canon eos 5d Mark II and the Canon 50D camera. I am currently looking into going back to school next year so i am undecided about whether i should invest in the Mark II for an additional 2 thousand as apposed to the cheaper 50D when it could devalue in price by the time i enroll in school (though i do figure i will still get plenty of use out of it until then).

I also am undeicided over the full frame addition. I like the idea of the full frame on the mark II, and i love the sigma 15mm fish eye lens i can use on it, however can i achieve a similar affect with the Canon 50D? And can somebody please explain how the full frame works, would it be just a difference of taking a few steps back to capture the rest of the image, and then just later cropping the top and bottom of the pic for that wide view look??

And lastly i love the higher mega pixels that the Mark II offers, i tend to do alot of creative cropping of my pictures, and i additionally hope to blow my pictures up to very large sizes and print them on canvas ( say possibly 4, 5 feet)? Would i really notice a difference between the 50D's 15 mega pixels as opposed to the Mark II's 21.1 mega pixels in these sizes??

If anybody could give me some advice it would be much appreciated, or any other general knowledge on these cameras!

Thanks

 

[Sarah23]

If you are just starting out, I would get the 50D and once you have mastered that and feel that its limiting you, then upgrade. JMO

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

Full frame can be great but it does cost a lot more.

Firstly, it can give you wide views with a wide variety of lenses. 24mm on full frame is pretty wide, 17mm is ultra wide. Of course, you can get those same wide views with a crop body (50D etc)...you just need a shorter lens...something in the 10mm range. I have a 10-22mm lens for my 20Ds and I love it.

The larger sensor usually means better image quality, especially at higher ISO levels. So if you need or want to shoot at ISO 3200 or 6400...the 5DII would be a good choice. The 50D is no slouch though. I think that most would agree that the overall image quality is better with the 5DII...but it may only be us pixel peepers who can tell.

The higher number pixels would certainly help for making large prints and cropping...but you still need your images to be supper sharp to start with (top quality lens & no shake blur). You would also need to take into consideration that those large images make for huge file sizes. The RAW files will quickly fill up hard drives and if you save layered files in Photoshop...those will be astronomically huge. You may need to have an up-to-date and pimped out computer, just to process those files. Not to mention the HD video from the 5DII...if you choose to use it.

The DOF from a full frame sensor is shallower than from a cropped sensor. Some people like this, but it can also be a hindrance. I know a top end wedding photographer who has several camera bodies...including the 1DsIII....but he uses the 40D quite a bit because he gets more DOF at F2.8 with the 40D than with the 1Ds.
This same photographer also sings the praises of the 40D (close enough to the 50D) for it's autofocus ability and fast frame rate. The 5DII is OK in these areas...but maybe not as good as the 50D and certainly not better.

The 5DII shoots HD video, the 50D does not. Although, for the price of a 5DII...you could buy a 50D and the new 500D, which does shoot HD video.

I believe the build quality is pretty much the same with either camera, so that's not an issue. Either way, they are better than your Rebel.

 

[LisaMarie]

Thanks to both responses, especially fellow edmontonian Big Mike! I will take that information into consideration, and i will also research the 500D as i have not heard of that model. But to all other TPF members still feel free to comment as i still dont feel confident in making a decision with either!

Thanks!:thumbup:

 

[Big Mike]

Another Edmontonian, welcome to the forum (again).

The new Rebel T1i (500D) was just announced last week...it won't be in stores yet.
Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i digital camera specifications: Digital Photography Review

 

[Mindy]

The new Rebel T1i (500D) was just announced last week...it won't be in stores yet.
Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i digital camera specifications: Digital Photography Review

Funny you mention this camera, Mike. I just now found it on the web here.