Friday, January 20, 2006
Neil's First Thoughts on his new Canon 5D
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THOUGHT" @ 10:00 AM
Neil Enns, formerly of the Digital Media Thoughts review team, has just purchased a Canon 5D, a deliciously expensive and high-resolution camera that most of us can only dream about. Neil has agreed to a series of short articles about his experience with this camera. Enjoy!
After a day's delay due to a shipping mix-up, my 5D was ready and waiting when I got home today. I didn't even bother with the manual, I just ripped the box open, shoved my CF card in, slapped on my 17-40L, and pointed the sucker at my kitchen.
Wow.
The first thing that went through my head was "ohmygodit'smy17mmback". The sheer expanse of my kitchen through the viewfinder made me giddy. It's a view that I only ever saw on my film cameras. Since I went digital, it's a view I only saw once a year when I'd haul my wife's Rebel G out for some Kodachrome shots on trips back home.
Now I have it in digital.
Yes, I know, I could go buy a 20D and put an EF-S lens on it, but I've already invested in a whack gear from my film days. Plus, getting the real range out of my wide end is just one of two things that struck me with the 5D.
The viewfinder was the other.
If you've never seen through the viewfinder of a film camera you don't know what you're missing. The sheer brightness and size and expanse of what you see on a full-frame camera, be it film or digital, is amazing. Even though I've read similar comments from photographers who purchased the 5D (for example, in a field report from Michael Reichmann) I'd been away from film bodies for so long I'd completely forgotten the impact it has on what you see.
I can't wait until the Tulip Festival. It's going to be so much fun this year.
- Neil Enns
After a day's delay due to a shipping mix-up, my 5D was ready and waiting when I got home today. I didn't even bother with the manual, I just ripped the box open, shoved my CF card in, slapped on my 17-40L, and pointed the sucker at my kitchen.
Wow.
The first thing that went through my head was "ohmygodit'smy17mmback". The sheer expanse of my kitchen through the viewfinder made me giddy. It's a view that I only ever saw on my film cameras. Since I went digital, it's a view I only saw once a year when I'd haul my wife's Rebel G out for some Kodachrome shots on trips back home.
Now I have it in digital.
Yes, I know, I could go buy a 20D and put an EF-S lens on it, but I've already invested in a whack gear from my film days. Plus, getting the real range out of my wide end is just one of two things that struck me with the 5D.
The viewfinder was the other.
If you've never seen through the viewfinder of a film camera you don't know what you're missing. The sheer brightness and size and expanse of what you see on a full-frame camera, be it film or digital, is amazing. Even though I've read similar comments from photographers who purchased the 5D (for example, in a field report from Michael Reichmann) I'd been away from film bodies for so long I'd completely forgotten the impact it has on what you see.
I can't wait until the Tulip Festival. It's going to be so much fun this year.
- Neil Enns
