Canon EOS 5D

Canon EOS 5D is probably the cheapest full frame camera available on the second hand market today. It is no longer manufactured and replaced by much more advanced EOS 5D Mark II, but you can get one second hand for a very good price.

Camera is built very well, it has very solid magnesium alloy body and shutter that has MTBF of 100,000 clicks (by today's standards cameras of this class usually have more durable shutters, for example 5D MkII has MTBF of 150,000 clicks, but still for its time the durability is relatively high).

The full frame sensor is great, it almost noise free even on higher sensitivities and provides high level of details with its 12.8MP resolution.

ISO sensitivity range is not impressive by today's standards, it is 100-1600 (in expanded mode 50-3200) but usable on all these settings. For most of photography needs it shall satisfy many photographers.

Very useful software is supplied with the camera, including Digital Photo Professional that allows to manipulate and convert RAW files. Some software features may not work on Windows Vista or 7, but only up to Windows XP.

Camera has not many today's popular features, like: live view, video recording and etc. But it satisfies all my photography needs. I like the colors it providing and high levels of detail - it is enough to make large prints or digital albums usage. I recommend shooting RAW files and convert them using provided software for best results.

Auto focus misses for me focus any times if I select automatic focus point selection, I prefer to use the central point and then it works correctly for all my needs. Program mode has flex mode, you can select pairs of shutter and aperture values with the dial - but I prefer to use Av mode to control the aperture, as by default camera chooses values that may miss the idea of scene I'm trying to make.

It has slow continuous shooting mode of only up to 3 fps, so it is not for sports photography, but I never use this mode at all, so this feature is not critical for me.

Camera turns on very fast - almost instantly, has very good response time for me. With some lenses auto focus could be a little faster but it fully satisfies my needs.

Summary: great camera, very well built, especially for the price you can get one today. The advantage of full frame sensor is absolute: it allows you to have more shallow depth of field and wider field of view for same lenses. Resolution is very good and detail is great.

Important to mention, that lenses from EF-S series (for cropped cameras) will not work with this camera, only EF lenses can be used.

Real \"old school\" camera for creative photography that allows me to do all I need. Maybe not the leader in features per price, but anyway I don't use all these extra features.

over priced

does not capture image as well as i would have hoped

takes up a lot of space/memory on computers

bad dull flash

fragile

heavy

ever dust on sensor

Canon EOS 5D is very good handy great focus and picture quality.

.focus

.picture quality

.light balance

I've had a 5D since March 2007 and I love it. I have done wedding shoots, portrait sessions, landscapes and macro photography and this camera handles anything you throw at it.

It is helped by my bag of 6 L series lenses which help optimise the full frame sensor.

With the release of the replacement (EOS 5D Mk2), this camera will drop in value very soon and would make a great purchase as a second camera.

Easily the Canon EOS 5D is my favourite camera, sits neatly in my bag alongside a plethora of other canon cameras, yet this is always the first out of my bag. most shots on my website (www.fazackarley.com/) were taken with a 5d.Being a wedding photographer I need reliable gear that's capable of producing beautiful pictures that my brides will treasure for decades - the 5d meets all my demanding specifications. I would totally recommend this camera to anyone & have done on many occasions.

Due to digital cameras favouring the centre of the lens, dark cornering can appear on your photographs, due to full frame. The using of the Canon L series lenses can help to avoid this, but expect to pay the price.

I am an amateur who got into digital photography 3 years ago. I bought the 20D this year but decided I needed a second camera when sat with a long zoom in a hide - action happens all over and I can't keep changing lenses. I'm a canon man because I now have their lenses and other EOS attachments, so I considered the new 400D and the 30D as second cameras. In the end I was impressed by the 5Ds write ups and the desire to be able to produce close to professional images. The 5D can produce the images but will I ever manage the holy grail of the perfect photo?

The Canon EOS 5D is a first class digital camera when used with the Canon specified lenses for this camera.

Image quality is superb, without producing too much unnatural, unwanted, over the top contrast and resolution.