Mulling over buying a 2nd hand Canon 5D in Prague!

tororosso

Ok Im just looking for a bit of advice here...well lots of advice if I can get it!
Im currently in Prague until the middle of next week and was in a camera shop where I put a reserve on a 2nd hand Canon 5D with camera grip..there were actually 2 such cameras on offer and the cost to me would be 1020 Euros (effectively...something like 25,000 czech Koruns) ..

My first question is whether you would consider this good value or the going rate for a 2nd hand Canon 5D with a battery grip? I asked about the shutter actuations and they said they didnt know and it would have to be taken to a Canon shop or done with software..

My other question is regarding image quality. I mainly enjoy doing Sports photography and have a 40D but Im looking for something with a bit more Oomph as far as Image Quality and sharpness is concerned! I have a 70-200 f2.8L lense and if I bought this camera I would be considering getting a Canon 2x extender to increase its range a bit..if I got it I could maybe then get a Canon 7D later on as an upgrade to the 40D.
Would the Canon 5D give sharper and better images than the 40D? and by a noticeable degree??

Thanks in advance for any advice:)

kumate_champ07

the 5d has excellent image quality, much better that 40d or 7d
I dont think the 70-200 would work well with the 2x,
imo the converters are more suitable for 300mm and longer

that price seems about normal, could you haggle to 950?

DotOrg

tororosso wrote: »

Would the Canon 5D give sharper and better images than the 40D? and by a noticeable degree??

Thanks in advance for any advice:)

if you only view your photos on a computer zoomed into 100% then probably yes, but even that will be subjective

but if you print 12x8 or smaller, no, won't make virtually any difference to what your photos look like

kumate_champ07

oh and the 5d is 3fps so it wouldnt really work well for sports photograpy

its great for studio,night time/high iso,general photograpy

Rb

I'm going to say No. If sports photography is your game, for a few hundred extra you can pick up a 7D body new which will be much more appropriate to what you're doing.

pullandbang

And it's a bit pricey - 2nd hand one in Camera Exchange as new for €1,000 pre haggling.

kumate_champ07

pullandbang wrote: »

And it's a bit pricey - 2nd hand one in Camera Exchange as new for €1,000 pre haggling.

with a grip too?

pullandbang

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

with a grip too?

Not sure if it had a grip, it was a few weeks agao when I was in and the camera hadn't come in yet so I didn't get to see it. Billy in the shop said it was mint - he's taken it in against something else. It arrived later that day but I wsn't able to get back to see it. He ws asking €1,000 and that was me trading in my Olympus, so for cash I'd say he'd have done better.

tororosso

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

the 5d has excellent image quality, much better that 40d or 7d
I dont think the 70-200 would work well with the 2x,
imo the converters are more suitable for 300mm and longer

that price seems about normal, could you haggle to 950?

Yeah I am tempted by the 5Ds superior image quality. Is there any reason why the 70-200 wouldnt go well with the 2x converor as opposed to its combination with a 300+ lens?was hoping to get mine to about 400mm which is far enough for me at the moment! I have a 50-500 mm Sigma lens if I really need reach I suppose...

I suppose the 3fps is a bit crap for Sports but I never use burst when I am doing sports so that wouldnt be a concern too much for me! But having a nice reliable camera for High Iso and general photography is very tempting too!

tororosso

DotOrg wrote: »

if you only view your photos on a computer zoomed into 100% then probably yes, but even that will be subjective

but if you print 12x8 or smaller, no, won't make virtually any difference to what your photos look like

But it would be better for cropped images right? i.e when cropping into a photo there would presumably be better detail than doing the same with the 40D?

tororosso

Rb wrote: »

I'm going to say No. If sports photography is your game, for a few hundred extra you can pick up a 7D body new which will be much more appropriate to what you're doing.

Yeah I get what you are saying alright, I would like to have a full frame camera though but I suppose there is nothing stopping me getting a 7D after Christmas at some stage. The price for the 7D in the camera shop here in Prague is roughly 1600 euros so I guess it is no more advantageous than buying one in Dublin (or Belfast!). By the way they have a second hand 1Dmark 3 over here for roughly 2000 euros; how would that rate as a price for that model second hand??

tororosso

pullandbang wrote: »

Not sure if it had a grip, it was a few weeks agao when I was in and the camera hadn't come in yet so I didn't get to see it. Billy in the shop said it was mint - he's taken it in against something else. It arrived later that day but I wsn't able to get back to see it. He ws asking €1,000 and that was me trading in my Olympus, so for cash I'd say he'd have done better.

Yeah the grip is included in the price but if I didnt want it I could get it for a bit less!I'm just glad that I know it is roughly in line with the average price people expect for this camera 2nd hand I might go in there when I get back though and see what they have on offer second hand...

kumate_champ07

1dmk3 second for 2000 is a good price but ive seen a couple in ireland for that and u can get them as low as 1800 in usa now. same price as a 2nd had 1ds mk2

I was looking at getting a 5d myself but decided to get another lens instead, for full frame I just use film!
And I can easily get 12mp from my scanner, I cant get clean iso3200 with film but thats not really worth me spending 1000euro for at the moment when my current camera does fine.

the converters increase CA's and soften the image quality alot with the 2X

some lenses are effected worse than others.

mikeanywhere

Its already been said but for sports stuff the 5D isnt really the one to use due to the low fps. Saying that, when a few of use went to Modello Masters I had the 5D & 40D and ended up using the 40D a lot more due to the much higher fps which can make a huuuuge difference. Again it depends on what the sport is and how close you end being to it to grab a few frames off to ensure you get a couple in focus and framed where you want.

Good luck with your decision!!

Valentia

pullandbang wrote: »

And it's a bit pricey - 2nd hand one in Camera Exchange as new for €1,000 pre haggling.

I sold one recently for a lot less than that.

@OP. A great great camera. But not for serious sport photography.

tororosso

So I bought the second hand 5d, a different one, without the battery grip but with a second canon battery for c.980 euros. it also came with camera armour which was a bonus:D

@ kumate_champ07: thanks for the advice about the convertors. I have decided to put off purchasing a teleconvertor for a little while. They had a Sigma 2x one for about 155 euros which would be nice for my 70-300 and 50-500 but I take on board what you are saying about reduced image quality


@Mikeanywhere & Valentia: Yeah I have come to the conclusion that it wont be the best for sports but a nice backup to my 40D. Sure I can put the non sports stuff to practice as well

Anyway, thanks for all the advice guys..its really appreciated and helped me with deciding on it...now to take some shots