Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: 3yrs old and competes with latest & greatest cameras
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera was ahead of its time back in 2005. Even today with improvements in processing, new equipement, etc., this camera is consistent, sturdy and has excellent image quality from 100 - 800 ISO. Net it out - other cameras provide additional bells & whistles but they've really only caught up or slightly pushed past the image quality of this camera in 2008. Here are my decisions for purchasing this camera: image quality, big viewfinder, fully utilize my wide lens, consistency in output and control. This camera is a best buy at the current price!Digital camera Review: 5D Heaven
Summary: 5 Stars
I've nothing but good things to say about this camera and it's files. Beautiful and worth every cent.Digital camera Review: 5D IS EVERYTHING ITS CRACKED UP TO BE!
Summary: 4 Stars
I came from the EOS 40D which is a GREAT camera, but I have to say the 5D is amazing. Even at ISO 1000 or long exposures there is very little if any noise in my photos. I didn't realize how nice having a full-frame sensor would be, and am loving the true wide-angles I can get now. My 50MM lens has gone from a novelty to a true walkabout lens. I've since sold the two ef-s lenses I had and my 40D. You can't beat the price now either since the MK II is coming out. Got it for half the original price!
Update 8/31/09: This camera continues to operate flawlessly and gives spectacular results. In the time I've had my 5D I have actually been selling prints (up to 24x36 with excellent quality) and have had people request I take their family portraits once they see the image quality. This is quite a boost for me since I am only a serious amateur. I can see why this camera is such a favorite. There are a couple things about the EOS 5D Mark II that I would like to have: sensor cleaning facilities, weather sealing, and true VGA quality LCD on the back of the camera, but for the price of the upgrade, these things seem minor so I'll be sticking with the 5D awhile longer. Cleaning the sensor has become no big deal after doing it a few times.
UPDATE 2/24/10 - I finally upgraded to the Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) but wouldn't give up the original 5D for the world! The original 5D is my #2 choice now and will be my backup camera to the Mark II. Its images are just too perfect to replace, and it can still hold its own against the Mark II to anyone but the most discerning pixel-peepers.
Digital camera Review: 5D after one month
Summary: 4 Stars
I gave this camera just 4 stars largely to merely contrary. I have a D60 already. I like how the camera handles, the shutter sound is pretty groovy, but really irrelevant. The larger field of view in viewfinder and larger LCD screen are quite nice, shockingly so at times. I do not print poster size images so the larger file sizes are almost annoying. 12.8 megapixels, as others have written elsewhere, does not double resolution from a 6 mp camera. It is noticable but not amazingly so. Bragging rights seem the strongest plus here for me. One disapointment is the histogram. I seemed to be getting overexposed images in some situations. The histogram on the camera itself looked great, but on screen, the highlights were blown out and the Photoshop histogram indicated this clearly. I makes you want to hold your histogram "edges" in closer to the center. My D60 did not have this problem. Otherwise, quite happy. I just did a shoot of a cross country ski race with the 70-300 IS lens. Really superb results. Now back to plant macro shotsDigital camera Review: A Beautiful Compromise
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not on the Canon payroll, and I do not feel the need to carry their flag into battle. I just happen to wear a Canon around my neck a good portion of the time, so it is what I know. I am positive that Nikon, Fuji, Pentax, and Sigma all make fantastic cameras and lenses, each with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. I can only relay my own experiences though, and all of them have been with Canon equipment.
I have owned the Canon 5D for two years now, and I will be the first to tell you that it is not the perfect camera. At 3 to 4 fps, it is not super fast when shooting RAW formats. Its also not sealed up with rubber gaskets, which makes it useless in wet conditions. That shouldn't be a surprise though as it is not supposed to be any of these things. If I was concerned with water proofing and more frames per second, I would have upgraded to the 1D model for about the same price. Then I would have a fast, water resistant camera with a 1.3 crop factor. What was important to me though was the full sized image sensor. I wanted a digital SLR where my 35mm lens behaved like a 35mm lens, and not a 56mm lens like it did on my 10D. That's what the 5D delivers, and does it at a price I could afford.
From my experience, I can tell you that the 5D is capable of producing some stunning images. The full sized image sensor is definitely way more subject to vignetting in the corners than my 1.6 crop factor 10D is, but I'd say it's no worse than shooting with slide film. It's also pretty easy to correct. You can either shoot in raw and adjust for fall off in Photoshop, or you can learn not to push your lenses as hard as you could with a crop factor camera. If you're upgrading, you might want to save that old 10D/20D for low light conditions when you need all the f stops you can get. The crop factor eliminates any darkened corners that result from a lens being pushed to its limits.
If you want the perfect digital SLR and can afford the sticker shock, look at the Canon 1Ds. It's fast, full framed, water sealed... and somewhere around $7500. If you want something that's fast, water sealed, and you can live with a bit of a crop factor, then the 1D line is what you're looking for. but if you want a full sized image sensor, don't plan on taking your kit out into stormy weather, and are willing to take the time to master the challenges and opportunities that come with no crop factor, then the 5d could be what you're looking for. It may be a compromise or sorts, but it is an outstanding one that will make even the pickiest of photographers very happy.