EOS 5D - The best semi-pro DSLR yet?
Written: Feb 13 '07 (Updated Feb 13 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent image quality, reasonable ruggedness, the right size for me!
Cons: Expensive price-tag (mostly well deserved), weight may be offputting
The Bottom Line: Can't wait until the next model comes out? Want a camera to suit enthusiasts, semi-pros and some professionals? Need an incredible back-up for your 1D? Buy it!
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| merrydown's Full Review: Cobra MR-HH400X VP Marine VHF Value Pack |
Previously an EOS 20D user - and now a 5D owner - I only have experience of Canon DSLRs. I mention this upfront because if you just want to know whether this camera is better than competitive brands, this review isn't the one you are looking for.
To sum up I think this is a great camera at a slightly steep price which will suit enthusiasts and semi-professionals alike. I'd put money on it that many professional photographers are using this as their premium back-up camera although many also like to have two of the same to avoid confusion with slightly different systems under duress.
This camera is marketed towards those enthusiasts and the semi-pro market particularly and doesn't claim to replace the top end cameras such as the EOS 1D family. It doesn't come up to par with them in several ways. The way in which it does match the higher end cameras though is in potential image quality.
BUILD
The 5D chassis is based on a magnesium alloy and stainless steel and is similar to the EOS 20D although it is a lot heavier and feels more solid in my hand. The build is high quality but not as rugged as cameras of a higher price which can survive greater shocks without failing. It doesn't feature the same high quality environment-resistant seals as the pro range either. That means that technically it isn't as dust and weather resistant.
I've shot in rain, snow, gig / nightclub environments on location, abroad and indoors with this camera and I haven't had any problems with fragility. Maybe if I was part of the paparazzi, or extreme photographer this camera would be a risky choice. I have dropped and thrown my 20D with reasonable force a few times during energetic shoots and it was fine - though I smashed the flash sitting on top of it. I suspect in similar circumstances the 5D would have performed equally well.
Frankly I think in use (by non-extreme-pros) this camera is as rugged as it needs to be for you to have confidence that it will continue to work well if you treat it with the dignity the price tag suggests. If you double the price tag then sure you could probably buy a camera you can play catch with it, maybe. If you decide you want to be safer if you accidentally throw the camera around, you can buy third party 'camera armour' which fits this model.
The weight of this body is noticeable straight away, especially if you are used to the standard consumer models. It isn't ridiculously heavy, but if you are not used to handling larger cameras it could slow you down. It doesn't bother me, I just notice it when I pick up the camera with a small light lens and it's still quite weighty (about 31.2 ounces including battery).
The viewfinder is a really nice size, a 2.5" extravaganza which clearly shows the image and colors and allows a better impression of what you are reviewing than smaller formats allow. However, the 5D (like the 20D) has a very bright color LCD display (by default) which can give the user a false impression of how well the image is exposed. You can turn this brightness down, but you may still have to change the 'gamma' of your monitor to match that of the Canon screen. Even then, in the field, the LCD preview can be misleading.
Most experienced users examine the preview's 'histogram' instead of the displayed image to determine their exposure anyway. It isn't a huge problem therefore, but one which I'd like to see addressed in a camera of this price. For those who don't know, a histogram is a graph of the dynamic range of the image (how much light and dark there is). On the 5D you can have it as a straight (single) graph or as Red, Green and Blue graphs separated and displayed in a column which is a welcome and handy feature. Especially useful when shooting under imbalanced lighting conditions to determine which source is the problem/hottest one.
I wish Canon provided mountings for a simple LCD protector. The smooth clear surface of the LCD is fairly scratch resistant, but you can't help but think that it wouldn't take much to damage it. Perhaps it would be better recessed with a rail to fit some kind of extra surface protector. I fitted a plastic film (like the one that comes on brand new LCD products) over the LCD to avoid this. You lose a little brightness and clarity that way but as I said, I find the default setting too high anyway. For me, turning the LCD brightness down a bit and adding guerrilla protection actually makes the brightness and contrast more similar to my monitor which, int turn, is calibrated to my printer. It also provides a slightly more matte surface to the screen which helps reduce glare/reflections on the screen under bright sun or studio constants which could be a problem for some.
If you are bothered about consistency and quality you will be a histogram reader anyway, so this should not concern you too much. You can almost always make out the graph! The LCD on the top of the camera shows you pretty much everything that you need to see and does it's job fine. The illumination button provides ample light to read details in the dark.
Also it is rather important to note that the 5D does not come with a pop-up flash! I was really surprised, I just took it as read that there would be one. I see the logic of this though in that higher-end users won't all be wanting a small limited flash and so the hot-shoe area seems reinforced instead. Personally, I'd have liked a flash in there, but this is an expensive camera and deserves (the inconvenience and cost of) a high quality flash.
The viewfinder is bright and bold and really pleasant to use. If you move from an APS-C On a final note, the shutter is moderate in volume unlike my 20D which attracts attention whenever I use it because it sounds like two sheets of metal being scraped along each other ever time I expose! The shutter lifetime of the 5D is rated at 100,000 exposures which is slightly disappointing at 1/2 the spec of the 1 series. It doesn't take as long as you'd think to reach that level. Many cameras will exceed this margin and may even double it before shutter failure, but if you are shooting literally day and night every day you may consider upping your ante.
CONTROLS
Personally I find the controls and interface on the 5D easy to use. If you previously used a 20D then you will feel right at home.
The top of the camera features a chunky dial to select shooting mode. It doesn't feature the variety of 'sports' or 'portrait' programs that some users might be used to but does have program modes as well as the usual semi-automatic and full manual modes. I shoot in aperture priority most of the time, so this suits me well. The buttons for changing settings on the fly are well sized and geared to not get pressed by accident while allowing quick access to *almost* everything you need. I know many people say it doesn't and that they have to dig around in menus to find features. I am surprised because I don't and I shoot quite a diverse range of subjects and circumstances.
The main dial on the back of the camera is great to change exposure settings or compensate for exposure or change aperture on the fly. It also allows you to rapidly spin through the various menu options. There is a complementary dial just behind the shutter release which is used to modify other settings such as shutter speed. Canon's design works for me as I can hold the camera and be ready to release with my fingers while my thumb is dialing in exposure compensation. A select button sits at the hub of this dial.
For most of the setting changes and previews you perform on this camera, this dial is the work horse. Thankfully then it is large enough for your thumb to reach it whatever size your hands are (more or less). The small joystick is useful too for panning around preview zooms quickly but doesn't feature highly in the use of this camera. Personally I would have liked to see it used to navigate around the thumbnails on the preview screen and allow movement up and down the menu system like the dial does, but no big deal. Once you get into a groove with your camera, you seldom use fully alternate control set-ups anyway.
The on/off switch is a three position switch allowing off, on and 'on with dial'. I always use the dial so I don't really see the point of the standard on setting, but I suppose it means that you can be sure you won't accidentally change settings - not that I have ever found that to be a problem.
The release itself is a nice shiny black button. It would have been nice for cannon to thread the release so a standard traditional cable release could be used as well as the more sci-fi models we use these days, but I suppose it doesn't make commercial sense for them to do so. The cable releases you can get are affordable, work well and free the manual release to be used alternately if required.
SOFTWARE / INTERFACE
Canon's menu / control interface has its critics. I am used to it - having been a Canon SLR / DSLR user for years and I can honestly say I haven't ever found that I needed to delve 'deep' in the menu system to find something I need constant access too. This may happen to some. Perhaps if you need to rapidly switch bracketing modes or settings for example you'd curse that it was two key press and two dial movements away.
The array of buttons on the top of the camera allow you to quickly change a lot of settings. There are two settings for most of these buttons so you press the button and then use the rear dial to adjust one parameter or the top dial to adjust the other:
-Auto-focus mode (to cope with moving or static objects or photographer better)
-White balance (auto white balance gives an impressive result most of the time, but you can set the camera to a variety of flash and lighting conditions, including a custom white balance)
-Drive mode (single shot, burst - like motor-wind or timer)
-ISO/ASA (the sensitivity of the sensor - low ISOs give smoother images but require larger apertures or slower shutter speeds. High ISOs are faster, but image quality declines. Options range 100 to 1600 with ISO L probably about 50 and H about 3200. The latter two modes are extensions to the normal range turned on via 'custom functions' in the menu system. Presumably this is because they are not as accurate a guide to quality as the numerical ISOs given are.
-Metering Mode (allows you to choose evaluative / averaging / weighted 'spot' metering)
-Flash Compensation (to turn the duration / power of an external flash unit down)
The main menu system accessed using the menu button on the rear of the camera allows you to access the rest of the cameras settings. For example you can choose to shoot large JPG and RAW simultaneously.
RAW files are the type I use most often since they are roughly equivalent to a digital negative. However, this means that they take more processing before they can be used or distributed. Shooting a JPG at the same time means that you have a quick version that anyone can view and that can be processed more quickly (though quality is not as good as RAW if the the image is processed).
The menu also contains camera date and file numbering options, bracketing settings for exposure or white balance, color-space set-up etc. Custom functions also access from this menu system allow you to change myriad detailed settings including mirror lock-up, flash or not, ISO expansions on or not and focusing modes.
HANDLING
For my way of working, the interface is just right. It isn't confusing to me and most of the elements that I need to use can be access in a press of a button and a spin of the dial alone. The body is the right size for my hands (medium-small adult male hands) and the grip is very comfortable for me to hold all day. I use hand straps on my cameras which means that a leather pad is strapped around the hand which holds the grip. This is an add-on born of cautiousness rather than bad experience. I can honestly say that I am afforded easy movement and little distraction by the use and control of this camera, despite the weight. By the time I have one of my better lenses on this body, I feel that I am doing a little exercise as I work!
IMAGE QUALITY
The first thing I would say is that the quality of the image you get from a camera body is only as good as the lenses you put on it. I have been lucky enough to use the 17-70mm f2.8 L lens and the 70-200mm f2.8 L lens with this camera as well as my 50mm f1.4 lens and a couple of Sigma 'also-rans'. I feel that I can talk about the quality of the image you get with confidence that the lenses I have tested won't be an obstacle.
The first thing I noticed moving form the APS-C sensor 8.3MP EOS 20D to the full frame 12.8MP EOS 5D is that the image quality instantly becomes better. It isn't (just) the number of pixels, although that does help, particularly when cropping or making large outputs. The actual size of each 'pixel' on the sensor is larger than many of it's predecessors. This means lower inherent image noise and better accuracy. I actually whooped when I saw my first test images and they were only of my desk and a joystick!
You get what you pay for when it comes to image quality. If you shoot using a RAW file work-flow using high quality lenses, you will be particularly happy with the results - once you learn how to work on a RAW image. Images look very, very good before processing but may often be slightly under-saturated for commercial print use. You can set the camera to shoot in a variety of picture styles too so you can get the images 100% as shot (faithful mode) or
use a Standard mode which increases saturation, portrait, landscape, neutral, monochrome or a variety of user-set profiles which modify in-built settings for saturation, contrast, sharpness and color tone.
Sharpness is excellent with a good lens. I couldn't achieve the sharpness I have on my 5D when using the 20D - even with the same lenses there was a slight difference in quality. Admittedly you have to go to 100% (each pixel of the image is viewed as a pixel on your screen) before you can see it, but once you do the benefit is clear.
VALUE
This is a difficult section to be objective in since the competition varies greatly in features and specification. Roughly speaking, I paid $1600 for My EOS 20D 18-55mm kit soon after it was released. I paid about $3000 for my 5D body a few months after it was released. IS the 5D twice the camera that the 20D is? No it isn't. However it is better in so many ways such as image quality and handling that I have to say I think it is only marginally overpriced. If it were $350 cheaper then I would feel that it was about right. You can argue that it is close enough to the price of the 1D series that it should be better for the money, but I think that's only partially true.
Also, taking into account Canon's pricing structure you an see why it has the features that it has and excludes the rest. If it were much better in any direction - build quality, image size, burst rate etc, you'd have a full-on pro camera and that wouldn't be released at less than half the price of its mentors.
CONCLUSION
The 5D manages to tantalize the user with many pro-level features and qualities. The semi-pro will probably then aspire to the ruggedness, image size and so on of the 1 series and the enthusiast won't believe their dreams have (mostly) come true. It is expensive, but it is also one of the best cameras in its class and really it has forged a new class.
It may be best to hang in there if you were planning to buy this camera now in case Canon release a replacement which is even better soon. But there again, you might want to take advantage of falling prices and get one of these cameras when they reach their lowest price point before becoming unavailable. This is a great camera and personally I find it hard to fault. I have tried to be as objective as I can in this review, but at the same time I have the 5D sitting in front of me right now and I can't resist going and using it again!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
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Epinions.com ID:
merrydown
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Reviews written: 6
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