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5D MkII as second body?

photoSmart42

New member
So I'm having some weird thoughts about maybe getting a 5D MkII as a second body to my GH1/GH2 to shoot wide angle cityscape/landscape, and perhaps also to do macro using the MP-E 65 lens. I kinda figured there may be enough people switching the other way to m4/3 cameras that prices may drop at some point later this year, and I'll be able to pick up a good system with a few lenses for a few grand. Am I crazy?
 

pellicle

New member
Dragos

as you may recall I'm looking at a 5D Mk1 as my "second body". I'm in a packup phase here in Finland to return to Oz otherwise it would already be in my hands (why pay taxes and shipping then have to add that to the pile going back to Australia).

My target for the camera is 21, 24 and 50mm, with the G1 doing better at everything else including macro in my view.

The live view on the 5D MkII would be nice for critical focusing (over the Mk1) but its not an issue for me.

I look daily at a 5x7 sized print on my desktop taken with the Oly 9-18 of something close, and even at that magnification I hate the bokeh of the things in the distance. I also happen to love the shallow DoF I get on a 50mm f1.8 which there is nothing to compare it to in the 4/3 (except the Leica Panasonic 25 f1.4 which costs as much as a 5D body and performs about as well as a Takumar f2 at f2.8 (something which you can get for 50 bucks)
 

photoSmart42

New member
Guess I'm not alone then =). The other factor in my thinking is that I was planning on trying out some LF view camera photos (4x5) for landscape/cityscape, but now I'm thinking that by the time I add up all the processing time and expense for LF film, I might as well get something close to that IQ using a 'cheap' 5D MkII for not a whole lot more cash (I realize the IQ of the LF film would be better). Likewise I'd be using my GHx for almost everything else (I still think I'll end up getting a compact m4/3 body to have something I can always carry with me). I agree that I'm doing great macro work on the GH, but at least having the big Canon opens up the potential of using that MP lens at some point.

In any event, I can always test out the waters by renting first, or borrowing it from a fellow photog in the area.
 

pellicle

New member
Hi

Guess I'm not alone then =).
nope, but as the topic of this forum is 4/3 cameras I seldom drag this point out.


The other factor in my thinking is that I was planning on trying out some LF view camera photos (4x5) for landscape/cityscape, but now I'm thinking that by the time I add up all the processing time and expense for LF film, I might as well get something close to that IQ using a 'cheap' 5D MkII
I might say that I don't use 4x5 for the IQ I use it for other reasons. When I bought it (long ago) there was of course nothing like it around, now the 5DMkII will give you images that unless you are intending to print to wider than 2 meters will be quite good enough.

What LF gives you is control and tonality that to approach with the digital systems you will need far far more money down. If you were to have a TS-E 45 and a TS-E 24 in your mix then you'd be looking well over $4000, and that is what you would need to approach the same sort of control as you get with 4x5.

however even with that setup I doubt you'd have enough control to get images such as this:



with focus close to the camera, middle snow blurred behind the grasses and then infinty back in focus. Although at f3.5 you might go close.

Like digital, with sheets I can go out with just two or three images in mind and take that without needing to burn more than that "to use up the roll"

but as an ex-TS-E Canon series owner I can say you'll gain heaps in convenience with that system and open yourself up to stitching and HDR. You can even add a EOS film body for next to nothing to get the look that only black and white negative can give, but you just won't get the tonal range from 35mm you can from 4x5 sheets.

for colour work I would largely prefer the 5D, as scanning in colour is a time consuming business.

 

photoSmart42

New member
nope, but as the topic of this forum is 4/3 cameras I seldom drag this point out.
At the core, this is a discussion about augmenting some of the limitations of the m4/3 format, so I felt it appropriate for this forum.

Thank you for your insights into your experiences with FF and LF work. Those capabilities are exactly why I'm considering at least experimenting with the larger formats. I want to experience as many aspects of photography so I can fully appreciate this craft.
 

m3photo

New member
Re: D700 as second body?

At the core, this is a discussion about augmenting some of the limitations of the m4/3 format, so I felt it appropriate for this forum.
Heresy Warning :D

I use a D700 as a first body. For landscape work my manual Nikkors on the D700 serve me better. It's the old "horses for courses" discussion as usual. The G1 is with me almost all the time though and that's where its versatility lies. I find there's one thing it's perfect for like no other camera can be and that's with ND filters for long exposures; as the EVF gains up to compensate - something the viewfinder on a standard DSLR won't do of course.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
No more DSLRs for me (perhaps the Pentax 645 40mp cam may make an exception). I am trying to get rid of my Nikon stuff.

I look forward to future mirrorless cams (might pick up a NX10 if it shows up).

Especially for shooting in UV and IR, liveview (real liveview as in Panasonic G1 and the like) and EVF are a game changer.:thumbs:
 

snowy

New member
...
My target for the camera is 21, 24 and 50mm, with the G1 doing better at everything else including macro in my view...
I can't agree with this statement! I use a 5DII as my main camera and a G1 as a secondary carry-anywhere P&S. There are lots of things the Canon is better at including image quality, big flash setups, and being taken seriously when photographing large groups such as weddings etc.! It's also better at high ISO, does full-HD video (which the G1 doesn't do of course although I realise the GF-1 and GH-1 do), long-lens telephoto and a whole range of other things.

It's not really a like-for-like comparison is it?
 

Helena

New member
I have had 5D for two years and got a G1 with 14-45 and 20/1.7 in December 2009. I thought G1 was great, but I'm so totally in love with 5D, its smooth gorgeous files and short DoF that I always ended up bringing that camera everywhere. I have now sold my µ4/3 gear and will get a P&S for those extremely rare occasions when I can't bring 5D (i.e. skiing).
 

pellicle

New member
Helena

I have now sold my µ4/3 gear and will get a P&S for those extremely rare occasions when I can't bring 5D (i.e. skiing).
when you go skiing, do you mean cross country or down hill?

do you use a pulk?

Even at -20C Finland can be bad for skiing cross country, the lake ice cracks and water seeps up to form layers between the snow and the ice

http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2010/02/bad-skiing.html

that day back in Feb was nice and warm at -5 but it happened again on another day ...

from another trip
 

photoSmart42

New member
Well, one thing's for sure. I'll find out how well I like my GH1 for landscape work in a few weeks when I head out to Lake Tahoe for a few days. I know it won't be a perfect comparison because I don't have anything wider than 14mm, but it'll have to do. I'll probably end up trying some pano stiching using bracketed exposures - maybe I can pull off my first successful HDR out of it as well.
 

Jonas

Active member
photoSmart42 wrote:
(...)
wide angle cityscape/landscape,
macro using the MP-E 65 lens
Am I crazy?
Hi Dragos,

There is too little information in your post for a safe diagnosis so I'll just assume you aren't crazy.

The reasons for investing in a 5DMkII aren't really good. There must be something else, no?

I have been switching back and forth (APS-C, Olympus 4/3 -> 5D -> G1 -> 5DMkII -> G1). The last switch wasn't a switch really. I kept the G1 and bought a 5DMkII planning to use them both where the 5DMkII was aimed for a documentary project. In reality I used the 5DMkII for everything including some traveling. After having thought about it, very carefully this time, I sold the 5DMkII and now I use one system only.

What I miss from the 5DMkII is the lower noise, the robust raw files being able to take some PP, the details for large prints and the DOF control. Nothing else. Makros and cityscapes are easily done with the µ4/3 system, and for the most of the time probably better done as well.

However, if you have found you need (and don't have the time or the motif for the workarounds) lower noise, more robust raw files or the increased DOF control there is no other way to go but getting yourself a bigger sensor.
Lol, the grass is always greener somewhere else.... When I used the 5DMkII I missed the G1 viewfinder and screen. Now I miss other things.... What I really would like to have is a FF LIVE camera.

I have settled for the workarounds. Sometimes I take several images and stitch them together, sometimes I have to wait for better light. Some images I take could have been better with the bigger camera. On the other hand I have a complete system in my satchel bag. I get images that wouldn't have been that easy to take with the 5D and I don't worry a lot about my equipment as it can be replaced without shelling out a fortune once again.

If you want opinions you can have mine: save yourself time and money and get a Lumix G 7-14 zoom and then locate an Olympus Zuiko 20/2 Macro lens for those extreme macros (4:1 - 13:1 magnifying). That is unless your desire for the 5DMkII isn't an irrational one - then you should get one and try it out.

Good luck with your decision!

/Jonas
 

photoSmart42

New member
The reasons for investing in a 5DMkII aren't really good. There must be something else, no?

Makros and cityscapes are easily done with the µ4/3 system, and for the most of the time probably better done as well.

Lol, the grass is always greener somewhere else.... When I used the 5DMkII I missed the G1 viewfinder and screen.

If you want opinions you can have mine: save yourself time and money and get a Lumix G 7-14 zoom and then locate an Olympus Zuiko 20/2 Macro lens for those extreme macros (4:1 - 13:1 magnifying). That is unless your desire for the 5DMkII isn't an irrational one - then you should get one and try it out.

Good luck with your decision!

/Jonas
Thank you, Jonas. All valid points. I'm very happy with what I can do macro-wise with the GH1, so certainly that in itself is not a good reason to spend another $3000 on a second system. As for cityscapes, I've run into limitations from using the 14-140, but I agree that the answer isn't necessarily to get a second system, but to get the 7-14 lens like you said. I'm not all that concerned about noise since I limit my shoots to ISO800 with NR+2 turned on if I need to, so that's not a reason either. So, yes, running out of reasons to get a FF as a second body =).

It's just been a creeping thought that perhaps I should find a way to experience FF digital to see what I'm missing. It's a case of "I don't know what I don't know" I think, but it's a certainty that I need to fully explore the capabilities of my GH1 first before I decide to plunk down real cash to get something else to augment it.

All good feedback. Thank you!
 

Helena

New member
Helena



when you go skiing, do you mean cross country or down hill?

do you use a pulk?

Even at -20C Finland can be bad for skiing cross country, the lake ice cracks and water seeps up to form layers between the snow and the ice

http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2010/02/bad-skiing.html

that day back in Feb was nice and warm at -5 but it happened again on another day ...

from another trip
Wow, I wasn't aware that conditions can be that bad in Finland. I'm from Skellefteå in northern Sweden (coastal area), but currently live in Trondheim, Norway. In both places cross country skiing is very popular and I love it. I have never experience anything like that and foolishly assumed that Finland would be similar to Sweden. The problem here in Norway is that it's so hilly. Hill up and hill down, never ending... :) I tend to fall sometimes, which is why I'm reluctant to bring the 5D. :D

Btw. this last week we have gotten at least 70cm of snow and more is coming. Spring seems to be far away...
 

photoSmart42

New member
Something just dawned on me: I can certainly get the FF experience by shooting, well, FF (i.e. 35mm). I can get an AE-1 Program and use it with my existing FD/FL lenses, and with some high-quality film and scans I can probably get something close to the 5D MkII IQ (with built-in DR and WB). It'll only cost be about $100 for the body in great condition, and not that much more for the film developing and scanning. I'm guessing a high quality film scan will produce something like a 24MP image. That, and it's a lot smaller than the 5D, so I can just throw it in my GH1 bag and take it on the trip.
 

Scott G

New member
Dragos,

Go for the MkII! It doesn't have to make sense to anyone except you, and it doesn't even need to be a rational decision (speaking as one who recently purchased a.....MkII :grin:)
 

Diane B

New member
You could also do it with a nice used 5D. However, you still have to outfit it with lenses. I just sold off a number of lenses, including 2 Ls, but kept what I need (or want) for my style of shooting, but in the end, I will be shooting more with my m4/3rds I believe.

As you say, you can do it with an AE-1 also (which I also own LOL--never could bring myself to sell it).
 
J

jerryk

Guest
I have a 5DMK2 (and a 1DMK3) and it is a great camera. The resolution is amazing. However, if you go that way makes sure your have good glass to match. The body will really show any limitation in your lenses.

FWIW, I shoot with the 5DMK2 first, use the 1DMK3 for sports, and carry the GF1/20 with me all the time for quick captures.
 
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