Just got a 5D. What should I know?

[Sagelike31]

My 5D is coming in the mail next week along with my sigma 12-24mm wide angle(knock on wood).

The professional reviews only tell you so much on the 5D and I would like to get a more personal view of the camera.

So to people who have it, is there anything I need to know.
Anything I need to watch out for?
Any lenses that are must haves for this camera?
Any accessories I should definitely get?
Any info at all would be great.

Oh and be the way I already have an XT and a T2 so I'm very familiar with canon products.
I also have 28-135mm IS 3.5-5.6, 75-300mm 4-5.6 and 50mm 1.8 lenses. (all canon, all EF)

Thanks for your help in advance.

[aam1234]

All I can think of is a fast lens so you will enjoy controlling/shallow DOF. You have the 50 1.8, so play with it wide open and see how you like the results. You might need a bigger card too as the files are bigger.

I also know that you will love this camera

Congrats!

[Max@Home]

Hi Sagelike31,

a nice read while waiting is the Whitepapers from Canon itself...

...both your current zooms will show their limitations on the FF 5D...

...check your new 5D for dust, especially in the viewfinder...

...lenses and accessoiries 'must haves' are very dependant on what-you-shoot...

...and congrats on the new tool! ...

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Forrest]

Stop down. Ultrawide zooms and really fast lenses both tend to vignette. My Sigma 15-30 EX ( which is a fantastic lens - the link goes to a lot of sample photos - and I've heard the 12-24 is similarly exceptional ) needs at least f/5.6 to get the corners reasonably close to the rest of the frame.

The camera gets a lot of dust. I need to do plenty of cloning at f/10. Cleaning just seems to push the dust around. Mind you, I used a D60 for about four years prior to the 5D. Never had a problem with it, in similar use.

The 135 mm f/2 is magic on the 5D. It's like they were meant for each other.

More than anything, though, enjoy it!

[Sagelike31]

Ok So I'm hearing a lot about the vignetting.
It makes sense with the bigger sensor that would happen.

But is it really that bad?

I shoot everything in RAW and Camera RAW does a pretty good job of taking care of those things.

So I ask again is it really that bad?

Oh and Forrest, what do you mean by " I need to do plenty of cloning at f/10"

"ppreciate guys.

[aam1234]

No I don't think it's bad, personally I like vignetting. Unfortunately I don't see it often enough

Forrest meant that at f10 or smaller you will see the dust, wider than that and you probably won't.

[TonyK]

But dust can be dealt with. My suggestion is to get a good hand blow blub and use it every so often to keep the sensor dust free.

Also the dust I see on my 20D is in the sky region. Anything with detail obscures the dust.

Congratulations on the 5D. It should be a wonderful camera.

[Sagelike31]

Ok, so what is an hand blow bulb?
Having trouble Googling it.

[Max@Home]

here's one, but other brands will do too

...€0.02...

Max@Home

[aam1234]

Get what Max linked to, don't get the smaller one it's not as effective (or so I heard, I only have that large size).

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Sagelike31

Ok So I'm hearing a lot about the vignetting.
It makes sense with the bigger sensor that would happen.

But is it really that bad?

Not really. And ACR does a good job automatically correcting vignetting, although it's not exactly free. In extreme cases you'll get more noise and slight discoloration in the corners. Most of the time you'll hardly notice, though. But it depends on the lens, aperture, and type of photography more than anything else. The photo below is a more extreme case where you can see vignetting in the end result, but the (constantly changing) lighting made things much, much worse.

My 50/1.4 stops vignetting somewhere around f/2.8, and before that it's pretty slight. I haven't noticed any with my 135/2, even wide-open; same goes for the 300/4 IS. The 15-30 and 12-24 are extreme designs. It's hard to get that wide an angle, let alone in a zoom. If any lens shows fall off, it'll be this one, and if it bothers you, you'll need to stop down more to get rid of it. On the whole, it's pretty minor, but it's something to be aware of with that lens, especially at its widest angles.



Now, here's a much more every-day example, at f/2.8 ( and ISO 800! ), just so I don't make this out to be more of a problem than it really is:

Originally Posted by Sagelike31

Oh and Forrest, what do you mean by " I need to do plenty of cloning at f/10"

I seem to have more dust than most folks, and can't figure out how to deal with it. It's really annoying, and the one thing that bothers me about my 5D images. I have to use a lot of clone stamp to hide dust. In the corners, in the center, in the sky, a lake, a smooth rock, a forehead in a portrait ... it's not just a blue sky at f/22. But it's been getting progressively worse, never used to show up anywhere near as wide at f/10.

I've heard good and terrifying things about compressed air, and without knowing which one to get, I haven't risked it. Mainly I've been using things like q-tips, which just push the dust around on the sensor. So, (1) maybe this won't be a problem for you, and (2) hopefully somebody can recommend a better solution?

[Paul Shields]

I'm now on my 3rd 5D, and this one has (so far) a pristine viewfinder. My first one had dozens of bits in the viewfinder. It does seem quite common for some 5D's to get a lot of bits in the VF, and they are practically impossible to remove. Sensor dust is also more prevalent than with other cams I've used, though it's actually very easy to just sweep the sensor with a pec pad and some Eclipse fluid. One thing I don't do is use a blower. I don't trust the seals enough in the 5D to prevent dust blowing into hard to reach areas.

[TonyK]

This is the same as what I own. Very good.

Originally Posted by Max@Home

here's one, but other brands will do too

...€0.02...

Max@Home

[BryanA]

As Max mentioned the Giotto is the one I used with my 20D but as yet (maybe should not say this) but have not yet had a problem. Similarly I think the vigneting thing is overstated. I have the 24 -105mm L IS and regularly use it at 24mm 5.6 and vignetting is minimal. Even wide open whilst it is noticable it is easily sorted, I use Bibble Pro for any problem ones DPP version 3 for the rest. I use Breeze Downloaded and reader plus occasionally, if in a hurry, Breezebrowser Pro. I have used Breeze Downloader and Browser since early D30 days and find both to be excellent value for money, as is Bibble Pro. DPP Ver 3 is of course the cheapest being free and works VERY well for me. Yes gone off track slightly Giotto Blower Large works well but be careful - don't go inside with it!
Enjoy the 5D it is agreat tool.

Bryan

[Sagelike31]

Ok thanks for the heads up guys.
This is what I mean by the reviews not really giving you the whole story.
I wasn't getting this through the professional reviews.

So I guess what I can take away from all of this is that:

1. definitely do not change my lens in areas that are even remotely dusty.

2. when I do change the lens expect dust.

3. combat dust with the blower, q tips and cleaner, stopping down or lightroom (which does an excellent job of spot cloning)

4. The vignetting is not that bad. Actually it looks pretty cool. I intend on doing a lot of street photography. Anything that gives me a grimier look, helps. The only problem I might run into is when I do event photography for my job.


ONE LAST QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I'm not big on getting zoom lenses for this camera. I think I'm straight with my 28-135mm, 50mm and the 12-24mm for my street photography. I will probably keep my 75-300mm on my XT for the fact that there is a magnification factor on the XT which only makes that lens better.

So here is the question: Other than the 135mm f2 (which I don't really see a need for for what I want to do) are there any other lenses that are a must have for the 5D as that there is not a magnification factor for that sensor.

Again guys you've been great. Thanks a bunch.

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Sagelike31

1. definitely do not change my lens in areas that are even remotely dusty.

Well ... I just accept that there will be dust, no matter what I do. I'm already going to be fixing things up in Photoshop, so my attitude is if I need a different lens, I can always deal with everything else later. A few hours ago I took my mom's dogs hiking out in the mountains, the trail led up to a waterfall, and from the middle of the river, I decided my 50 mm would be be a better choice than my Sigma UWA. Maybe it's why I complain so much about dust, but I wouldn't hesitate to swap lenses just about anywhere.

Especially if you do street photography. Stopping down gets rid of vignetting, but makes dust more visible. Around f/8 all is right with the world, but a few stops down you might start to see dust. If you're using bigger apertures to freeze motion most of the time, you might never see it.

Originally Posted by Sagelike31

So here is the question: Other than the 135mm f2 (which I don't really see a need for for what I want to do) are there any other lenses that are a must have for the 5D as that there is not a magnification factor for that sensor.

I never really liked the 50/1.4 much on my D60, and suddenly without the crop factor it's a lot more handy. You'll probably fall in love with yours all over again. I've heard the 35/2 and 28/1.8 are both really handy for street photography. But then a stabilized zoom in that range is probably nice, too.

Also, if you use RAW mode a lot, you want gobs and gobs of memory.