Selection of FF DSLR on budget.

[torbod]

Hi all,

I'm starting to long after a FF DSLR.
Today I shoot with a Sony A700 and I like using manual lenses. Thus it would be nice to have a bigger viewfinder (although a700 has one of the best for APS-C it is still small compared to an FF camera). I'm a hobbyist and no trained photograph, although I pick up fast I think. I use the camera for every day shooting and some macros. I usually don't have time, equipment or patience to set up external flashes, bouncers and other arrangements. I just shoot what is there when I'm there.

Perhaps a live view camera would do the trick, but I kind of like shallow DOF also and old school peep in a tube photography. The lenses I have are not always super fast, why FF helps also. I don't shoot tele often, so APS-C as I have now is not the best choice for that reason. And did I mention, I 'm on a budget too (preferably way below 1000 Euro or at most 1500 Euro, but then there shall be something really extra).

First in my mind is of course Sony A900 or A850 since I have a bunch of relatively nice Minolta AF glass. However, even used ones are kind of over my budget. Best in class viewfinders, but kind of old school high ISO noise. Although I seldom shoot over ISO 800. but sometimes it is nice to take evening indoor shots without a flash. Since there is no in-house flash
I believe high ISO is needed every now and then. Will the FF Sonys have crappy thumb scroll wheels like A700 that go absolutely mad after a year or so? Is so, it is a reason to avoid I think. High resolution and large files is not something I hunt with my old computer. The missing flash is also big drawback for macro shooting after I discovered the "Pringles" metod (see macro lighting under techniques).

Second in my list is 5D (why buy, why avoid? I've heard some problems with the focusing screen calibration and that could be troublesome for me who prefer manual focus. Low resolution and small files is good. No built in flash though. How is high ISO shooting compared to A900/850?

How about 1Ds Mk II. is it better than an old 5D for my purposes?

Fourth in my mind is 5D MkII. Does it beat the A850. The used price is in between A850 and A900 I think. I don't know much about it though. Since I'm from Sonolta heritage.

Are there any Nikon that can be interesting? I don't like the M42 adapters with glass, so I kind of not look at Nikon at all.

Shall I forget about this, get a micro-prism focusing screen for the A700 repair the thumb wheel somehow when it has driven me mad enough. Or just buy a modern relatively low-cost APS-C live view camera, although they feel crappy in the hands (at least the Sony-ones).

Other recommendations?

Br
Tobbe

[hexi]

Hi

I would arguably say : Canon 5D. Just for the price factor, and because it just would do the trick fine, besides it's an all rounder, it's relatively light, and no on notices it nowadays on the street

i don't know how the iso performs on the Sony, but with the 5d you can go up to 1600 without major problems ( raw files that is of course ),take this , add a fast lens and the flash is useless for most conditions.

the body takes most of lenses in M42 and C/Y mount, also many others i'm sure, but just speaking by my own use !

good luck with your choice

[cooltouch]

I'd say the 5D also if you can live without Live View. I've handled a friend's, and the large viewfinder was so much more comfortable than my XS's (1000D). I find that Live View is necessary for critical focusing with my XS, but with the 5D, it may not be.

Also there's this whole issue about not being able to focus accurately with fast lenses and my XS because the focusing screen can't differentiate apertures wider than about f/4. This is a real PITA, requiring Live View when shooting with a fast lens wide open. I don't believe the 5D has this same problem.

[torbod]

Well, thanx for the feedback. The 5D seems as a good competitor from a price perfomance point of view.
A friend of mine has had both the 5D and now A900. He says that the viewfinder in A900 is much better than 5D, especially when coming to focusing fast MF lenses.
And the issues with the uncalibrated focusing screens can ruin much of the manual focus performance on 5D.
Anyone else tested both of them that can confirm or disagree on that?

BR
Tobbe

[fates]

The viewfinder in the 5D isn't the best. Although it is pretty focusable even with a 50/1.2 in lower light to me... but an aftermarket split screen would make it easier. The most important truth is for the price, it is absolutely the best FF sensor out there and has amazing low light ability. Plus the video functions alone make it worth it.

[ManualFocus-G]

[Rolf]

You should calculate with your Minolta AF glasses. If you will buy anything else than Sony you will pay at the end much more if you have to buy other lenses.

A850/A900 are great cams and not poorer than other cams. And you do not need high ISO every day. High Iso is for me the latest criterion to buy a cam or not. There are much more other points which are more important.

[PaulC]

Sensor dust is the one bugbear I found with the 5D. The automatic sensor cleaning alone was enough to make me get the Mark II version. I live in a dusty place, though, so my experience may not be typical. The sensor is superb.

[torbod]

New input, nice.

I don't have a lot of expensive Minolta AF lenses, but a few nice ones (Samyang 85 1.4, Beercan, 100 2.8 macro, 24 2.8 and 50 2.. In total I have paid approximately 500 Euro and would probably sell these lenses with ROI. Although price performance is very good on the collection, I seldom use anything else than the 100mm for macro shooting and the Samyang.

Since I now days have an alternative set up with manual lenses I could switch system without too much trouble although I wont part easily with the lenses I have collected.

A good 5D seems like the best competitor, but I'm not 100% convinced due to the viewfinder size and issues with bad calibration (has anyone fixed that, is it easy?).

Perhaps I shall borrow a 7D from a friend and try live view shooting. If that's nice, then a Sony A550 would probably satisfy most of my needs except FF DOF, and that it feels like plastic junk in the hands. I however doubt that is is fun to shoot with live view since I almost never use a tripod and it seems awkward to go compact camera style with a DSLR.

I'm very tempted with a used 1Ds MKIII that I have found at a very low price at a retailer with 3 months warranty, approximately same as a used A900. but low prices gives me a warning bell for something bad.

If anyone is interested I can write some early reflections on the cheap split-screen / micro-prism focusing screen I installed in my A700 yesterday. Perhaps I can live on with the A700 if I can learn to ignore the idiotic scroll wheel hick-ups. But shortly, the eyestrain is not better, the focus hit rate will probably increase, but just slightly.

BR
Tobbe

[ManualFocus-G]

The 5D viewfinder is fantastic. Yeah, a 5D II's viewfinder is slightly bigger, but it's still way bigger than most crop sensor viewfinders