Why I Decided To Buy a Canon 5D Now

I've wanted a 5D for a long time, since last fall. So I began to do some research and quickly learned of all of the rumors of an impending replacement. It has gone by several names, back then the Canon 7D was a contender (I even jumped in), though now consensus has settled down to the Canon 5D mk II. Canon had revamped every other camera in its EOS lineup except the 5D. Expectations were that they'd announce it at PMA08.

PMA08 came and went (I was there) and no announcement. Then there were rumors around April 22. Nothing.

Then I had a problem with my 20D where auto focus failed. Suddenly I was without an SLR. I bided time playing with several point and shoots and started to think again about the 5D.

I did more research and more thinking. I did a price analysis. I posted questions on Flickr. I discussed it with other contacts and bloggers.

There were several features that I really wanted in an updated 5D:

• Higher usable ISO
• The self cleaning dust-reduction system in the Canon 40D
• Larger LCD (although the 5D's 2.5" is not bad)

Some of the other features introduced in the 40D like original decision data, and live view (because it would be useful for manually focusing macros) would have also been useful. And a Bluetooth link to a GPS for geotagging would have been the cat's meow.

All of my analysis pointed to the next possibility for Canon to announce an update for the 5D to be September at Photokina.

This lead me to also consider the downsides to a new 5D (albeit temporary ones):

• September is a whole summer gone by
• It won't be available in September (most likely), but one or two months after that
• I wouldn't want the first production run, I'd rather wait a few months and make sure there aren't problems like with the 1D mk III [1, 2, 3 and 4].
• There'd be a delay before Aperture supported it (most likely). It was months with the 40D.
• Nobody knows when it might come out, really
• Some people think Canon might not ever upgrade it
• The price would likely be much higher. Estimates are around $3500 (body only).

I even considered the following alternatives:

• I briefly looked at the 450D (XSi), but eliminated it for its size, durability and lack of a few key features (custom white balance, for one). Also the fact that they crammed 12 megapixels in the same space where my 20D has only 8 or the 40D has only 10 means there must be more noise.
• I considered getting a 40D for now until a new 5D is out. I found several good comparisons the two [1, 2 and 3] (my desire for full frame won that)
• I considered switching over the Nikon. I found a good comparison of the Nikon D3 to the Canon 5D. However, there are lots of tradeoffs. The D300 is not full frame, and while the D3 is, it is substantially more expensive ($5,000 body only at B&H) and much bigger and heavier eliminating it as a backpacking option. And then there's my investment in Canon L lenses to consider. Also, I like fast primes, Nikon isn't as good at that.
• HamWithCam suggested I look at a used 20D, or 5D to bide time for the new 5D. I didn't like the idea of buying another used body where the condition isn't really known.
• I even considered the 1D mk III, but it's not a full-frame, and while the 1Ds mk III is it has a lot of disadvantages. Cost ($8,000) size and weight, and the fact that there are 21 megapixels crammed into the same sensor size as the 5D. That cannot be good for noise. (it's a studio camera, anyway)

In the end I decided to buy the 5D now. It still has the best image quality of any DSLR even double its price, or in its size. It's a very well proven camera, and while it may be long in the tooth on "features", image quality is king. Then I found out that Canon was about to offer a $300 instant rebate in a couple of days (at the time). Decision made. I purchased mine at B&H.

Interestingly enough, my 20D came back from Canon Repair working again, even though they didn't fix it.

Now I have the best of both worlds.