5D is great in low light?

[waple]

I've heard a lot of people say that. Why is it better? And better compared to what?

I was thinking of maybe, some day , getting a 2nd body to go along with my 30D and the 5D would be good since I can use the wide lenses on it and the long lenses on the cropped sensor.

But how is the 5D better suited for low light and how much better than the 30D is it?

[cyclohexane]

Why is it better?

Extremely low levels of luminance noise at high ISO.

[Freezframe_2]

I just started to read about noise so please excuse my ignorance....What exactly is the difference between the 30D and the 5D that makes this so ( Is it firmware or increased pixels or perhaps added circuitry ??

Curious :Brady

[Paul Shields]

The relative absence of noise at very high ISO is the key with the 5D I find. I think the bigger sensor just allows more light to hit the photosites compared to a APS-C or 4:3rds sized sensor. I shoot a lot with an Olympus (4:3rds) sensor and 99% of the time the relative 'smallness' of the sensor doesn't play a part, but when wanting to shoot at high ISO in dark conditions it can be a handicap. Coupled with very fast aperture lenses (e.g. 85 f/1.2) means you can take shots in very poor light. Example below - 5D, ISO3200 at f/1.2.

[Rense]

Yep that's the reason:

Coupled with very fast aperture lenses (e.g. 85 f/1.2) means you can take shots in very poor light.

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by Freezframe_2

What exactly is the difference between the 30D and the 5D that makes this so

Hi Freezframe,

The main reason is in the individual pixels: they are larger and better in the 5D, and have more 'space' around them.

If you are interested in the technology, Canon has a special sensor-website for you:

Canon: The World of Canon CMOS Sensors

...I trust this will answer your questions

Kindest regards!

Max@Home

[Freezframe_2]

Thanx-Paul and Max !!! Will read up ASAP !!!!

Brady

[Forrest]

The 5D is fantastic at 3200 ASA. The noise is fantastically low, and distributed like film grain, but more important, the photos are still rich and detailled - it's not just a noise-removal blur.

This was 3200 ASA and f/4, using natural light:

[Rense]

Forrest,
Good image, and I like that you call it ASA (made me lookup if there was a difference between ISO, ASA and DIN).

[POTN-Pete]

I'm mightily impressed with the low light capabilities of the 5D.

This scene was very dark indeed to the naked eye. Resting the camera against a wall, I got this. No noise reduction or sharpening was done to this shot.


Larger version http://www.the-aperture.com/EE/photo...e/IMG_2248.jpg
camera: Canon 5D | lens: Canon 24-104 f/4-5.6 L @ 35mm | aperture: f/5 | shutter speed: 1/1s | ISO: 3200 metering: Evaluative

[waple]

Any side-by-side comparisons with the same shots taken with a 30D?

Am I correct that if I had a 5D, I'd lose a goo part of my zoom? As I understand it, my 200mm lens on the 30D actually gives me 320mm, but if it were on a 5D it'd be 200mm, right?

To me, it seems that the best thing to do, if affordable, would be to keep my 30D for long shots and use a 5D for wider shots and low light. Although I'd probably have a better need for low light, I'd hate to trade my longer reach.

Or am I wrong in this?

[Freezframe_2]

Crop Sensor:The 30D uses a crop sensor of 1.6 ....So yes a 200mm lens is actually 320mm..Otherwise with the 5D a 28mm lens is a 28mm not approx 38.4mm...If i was lucky enough to own a 5D I could show you ....Using a wide angle lens with the 5D is the true test of difference between sensors.Check out comparisions at Canon : The World of Canon CMOS Sensors

Brady

[waple]

Originally Posted by Freezframe_2

Check out comparisions at Canon : The World of Canon CMOS Sensors

Brady

That site sure makes a case for a full-frame sensor. But what about the other side of the spectrum? Are there advantages (other than a longer zoom) to a C sensor? Or is the resulution typically worse, noise worse, color worse, etc?

[Freezframe_2]

Well whenever you have magnification you run the possibility of optical abrasion's or some type of distortion.With a cropped sensor your doubling your risk.The mag' of the lens as well as the sensor..At least that's the way I understood it !!!

Brady

[cyclohexane]

A cropped sensor doesn't physically magnify anything. It's just what the name says it is: a cropped sensor. When you use a 200mm lens on 1.6x body, the image will be like if you cropped it to the same field of view of 320mm.

Or is the resulution typically worse, noise worse, color worse

If pixel count is the same, resolution will be higher on the crop sensor due to the higher pixel density. Noise will be worse, as a result of the higher pixel density. Color doesn't really have anything to do with pixel density, though at higher ISOs the noise will damage the color more on the crop sensor.

Higher pixel density is an advantage for resolution; you're putting more pixels on the target. Also, because the image is cropped, you lose the corners of the lens (especially if it's designed to cover 24x36mm), which means distortion is reduced and corners are sharper.

[POTN-Pete]

Some reading/sample shots comparing 5D against a 20D (which image-wise is similar enough to a 30D to make no odds).

Canon EOS 5D Review: 26. Compared to...: Digital Photography Review

[waple]

Originally Posted by cyclohexane

A cropped sensor doesn't physically magnify anything. It's just what the name says it is: a cropped sensor. When you use a 200mm lens on 1.6x body, the image will be like if you cropped it to the same field of view of 320mm.

Does this mean that i'm not actually zooming in any closer with the cropped sensor than I would be using the full frame? If I took a picture of a statue at 100yards and zoomed in to 200mm on a 70-200 lens, am I correct in assuming now that the statue will look the same size on both, but the 5D would simply show more of the surrounding stuff?

Or, would the 30D's statue appear to be bigger, but when I crop the 5D's image to show the same amount of surrounding stuff, the statue in both would now appear the same?