Hi everyone, some camera advice please!

5 years 5 months ago #612018 by Ian-Mathews
Hi everyone. I have a question regarding a suitable replacement for my wife's aging Canon 5D mk1 that she inherited from her dad.  The camera works fully and she has 2 lenses, a 28 - 100mm lense and a 400mm telephoto lens.
She has recently started taking photograph lessons to better understand all the settings on the camera, however is finding that she struggles with the size and weight of the camera and it lacks a number of modern features (through the viewfinder only, no movable screen etc).
My question is, what would be a decent replacement body, that can use the lenses she has. I realise that in its day, the 5D was a professional grade camera and seriously expensive... our budget won't get anywhere near the price of a 6D so it needs to be cheaper. I have been looking at the Canon T7i but not really knowing much about cameras, plus I want this to be a present for my wife.
Recommendations gratefully received!


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5 years 5 months ago #612043 by Ozzie_Traveller
G'day Ian

Okay matey ... some thoughts
a) you mention that your wife finds the existing camera 'large & heavy' and
b) you do not mention what sort of stuff she likes doing &/or what she might want to do in the near future

Each is important, with b) being more important as a starting point than a)

I would suspect that she will find MOST dSLR cameras large & heavy ... and while most blokes can live with it via a large hand size, from personal experience [via training workshops] I see too many women who find it a struggle to hold & manipulate something of that size & weight

My initial thoughts are ...
1) if you want to keep existing lenses, consider the "M" series mirrorless bodies, or
2) dump the dSLR completely and offer her a Powershot - as they are all smaller & lighter, all have a decent quality zoom lens, and all have the sort of controls that the dSLR has anyway - just a smaller sensor

One needs to seriously ask "how many images she [you] take where a 20" x 30" print will be made, where the decreased size of a sensor will possibly be visible via image quality?"

For most of us, the answer is 'very few' ... I almost exclusivly now use the Panny FZ-200 superzoom, and my apartment walls are littered with prints up to 30 inches wide, and no-one has ever commented on any apparent loss of image quality from the small sensor of the camera

Hope this helps
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

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5 years 5 months ago #612114 by Ian-Mathews
Thanks for the reply. Having quizzed her some more, I think size and weight are not her primary concern, because she's realised that most of the weigh is in the lenses that she uses.
I think the biggest deal breaker with the 5D is the lack of LCD viewfinder so that when she's doing macro work it's very hard to get low to the ground.
Also the 5D just plain lacks a lot of the modern features, the menus are torturous to use etc.
I was hoping to be able to spend $500 (£400) and improve her experience while using the nice lenses that she already has.


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5 years 4 months ago #612362 by Ozzie_Traveller
G'day Ian

Okay mate - you / she seem to need live-view or its equivalent thru the LCD screen
Live view on a regular dSLR will self-cancel after 30 secs to save the battery - so this will probably drive her nutz. It again points to a mirrorless with continuous live view mode - either thru the EVF or rear screen

When you say ... 'when she's doing macro work it's very hard to get low to the ground.' ... what sort of stuff is she chasing & what lens / lenses will she need, as your OP does not mention a macro lens > and camera + new lens will be a lot greater than $500

Hope this helps
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

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5 years 4 months ago #612594 by effron
Save more money, you'll be disappointed with something cheap. The 5DmIV or lightly used 5DmIII would be my choice....

Why so serious?
Photo Comments
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5 years 4 months ago #613466 by effron
Any updates, OP?

Why so serious?
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5 years 4 months ago #614044 by Ian-Mathews
Hi there, sorry for the lack of updates, I've been having trouble logging in. 
Now that my wife has had a chance to use the 5D a bit more and also seen what it can do, balanced against how much money we'd have to spend to get something even remotely as good. She's decided to stick with it for the meantime. Thanks for all the advice and I'd better start saving for the 6D she has her eye on!!


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5 years 4 months ago #614063 by effron
Good thinking!

Why so serious?
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5 years 4 months ago #614266 by garyrhook
I only just caught up on this thread.

Ozzie_Traveller wrote: Okay mate - you / she seem to need live-view or its equivalent thru the LCD screen. Live view on a regular dSLR will self-cancel after 30 secs to save the battery - so this will probably drive her nutz. [sic]


In the interest of accuracy:

That may be correct on a Canon (and I don't think it is) but Nikon live view doesn't turn off by itself. Didn't on my D5100, doesn't on my D750.


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5 years 4 months ago #614298 by Ozzie_Traveller
Thank you Gary

Many of the students at workshops with 'entry level' kit rather than 'pro' level kit find the 30-secs a damn nuisance ... maybe the makers have started to revise this in later models &/or accept that batteries will go flat whatever we do, therefore leave it 'as is'

Phil

Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

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