Yes it’s old technology (it was introduced in 2005, even before the EOS 30D) but it’s a pretty hard machine to beat in terms of the full-frame 12.8 MP resolution you get.

There are rumors that a new 15-plus Megapixel 5D Mark II is about to be announced, but it certainly won’t be anywhere near as low-priced as what the 5D is going for at Amazon right now.

It’s your call.

For example, consider these points:

1. Will the retailer include any photographic accessories or equipment such as a camera bag, tripod and memory card with your purchase? The Canon 5D, being a 12.8 Megapixel camera yielding JPEG image files of approximately 3.5 MB each, demands huge amounts of memory. A day of active shooting while on vacation can easily see you firing off a few hundred shots a day, so as a minimum, getting a 2GB CompactFlash card thrown in, or at least discounted with the 5D purchase, is highly recommended.
2. What’s the merchant’s policy with regards to you returning a faulty 5D? Is a restocking fee levied? How much would it be? Factor this fee into your total cost of purchase. It’s not uncommon to have a defective unit delivered into your hands. For those who’re able to, the best bet is to walk into a shop and examine the camera there and then prior to purchase.
3. What about an extended warranty? How much does that option cost? Yet another element to be included into the total price. Additionally, what does the warranty cover, and what are the terms and conditions?
4. Does the vendor offer Free Shipping and No Sales Tax? Are these factors that would make it more attractive to purchase the 5D from this particular merchant?

Just making sure you run through the purchase checklist above goes a long way to ensuring that your purchase decision is a smooth one, and would minimize any post-ownership headaches later on. Good luck!

Eight “pro-level” digital SLR cameras were tested: Nikon D2x, Nikon D2h, Nikon D200, Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon EOS 30D and Fuji S3 Pro. The methodology used seems faultless, and the decision to shoot in JPG is also a good one. Lens used was the Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD.

Go here for more details, the final results, and full-sized portrait images from the winning and losing cameras.

Head over to this interesting thread where Matthew requested for recommendations for sharp, wide-angle lenses to be used in tandem with the Canon 5D.

A summary of the candidate lenses:

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM and Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, provided they’re stopped down to f/11

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG ASP HSM

A very long list of prime lenses: (note the emphasis on optical rather than build quality):

• Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX ASP DG RF
• Sigma 24mm f1.8 EX ASP DG Macro
• Sigma 28mm f1.8 EX ASP DG Macro
• Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM
• Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L USM
• Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 – a bargain
• Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 – another bargain wide-angle lens
• Canon EF 35mm f/2 – the best ever wide-angle prime lens from the Canon stable

Here are some positive remarks about the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens.

Read this to get an understanding of the technicalities behind the source of the dust problem, which interestingly does not occur in other Canon Digital SLR cameras such as the 1DSmkII, 20D and 30D; the occurrence seems to be unique to the 5D.

The series of photos above were shot by Todd and Rebekah Kim of Living Life Media with the Canon EOS 5D. You can view a larger version of the images at their gallery website on Xanga.com. I’d say these represent very well the type of stunning wedding shots you can get with this lens + camera system; great bokeh and massive amounts of background blur are possible.

The next series of “everyday shots” was taken by Lawrence Murray, but these indoor pictures are excellent examples of the low-light capability of this lens. Great colour, low noise from the 5D coupled with a light, f/1.4 lens makes this combination tough to beat for this type of photography.

The larger version of Lawrence’s images are broken into two parts; the first was taken wide-open at f/1.8, and the second was with the lens stopped down to f/2.8.

There is also an interesting user account of the Canon 50mm f/1.4’s exclusive use in studio photography.

Related links:

1. View a larger version of the images: First set | Second set | all images at Lorin’s Italy 2006 Emotions Gallery
2. Why Lorin loves the Canon 5D for wide-angle architecture photography
3. Equipment used (click the link to quickly obtain available prices and deals across multiple merchants): Canon 5D, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM lenses.
4. How the 5D’s features helped immensely: speed, focus accuracy, battery life, image quality for exhibitions and publishing, and solid build quality.
5. B&W postprocessing technique for this series of RAW images involved the use of Canon DPP (Digital Photo Professional) and Photoshop CS2 software. Also, all images captured for the day were then written to a Jobo Giga Vu PRO 40 GB Digital Media Player.
6. The 5D delivers better dynamic range than velvia slides.