The Vince Files

When Canon’s consumer digital SLR cameras first came out, their sensor sizes were smaller than their film counterpart’s size of 24mm x 36mm. These smaller sensor are the same size as the old APS-C film size of 16.7 mm x 25.1mm. This resulted in the sensor only capturing a smaller section of the 35mm sensor area. This smaller section will appear full-sized on a 4″ x 6″ print. Thus, a photo taken with a lens set to 70mm focal length on a camera with a APS-C-sized sensor will appear magnifed as though the lens was set at 112mm.

There are pros and cons here depending on one’s preferences. The 1.6x focal length magnification factor on our 70-200mm lens will make it appear to be a 112-320mm lens. This could be good at the zoo where more reach is often desirable. On the other hand, our 17-40mm lens now looks like a 27.2-64mm lens somewhat canceling out its wide-angle capabilities. Others will argue that these smaller sensors help hide flaws inherent in many lenses; many lenses are “softer” around the edges.

Whatever the case, some of Canon’s best lenses were made with 35mm cameras (and full-frame DSLRs) in mind. For example, Canon’s 24-70mm f/2.8 “L” lens receives consistently good reviews. It’s a great compromise between wide angle and telephoto and can pretty much stay on the camera for most shooting situations. It would be a nice lens to have and is a few steps up in quality from Anna’s 17-85mm EF-S lens. The problem with the 17-85mm EF-S lens is that it is only compatible with EF-S bodies (e.g. 30D, 40D, Rebel XTi, etc).

But why get a 24-70mm lens and put it on a APS-C-sized sensor camera? You’d negate its excellent wide-angle capabilities. A 24-70mm lens wouldn’t really be a true 24-70mm lens unless it was on a full-frame sensor camera like the 1Ds. Herein lies the appeal of the Canon 5D - a full-frame sensor DSLR. At approximately $2100, it’s a lot cheaper than a 1Ds MarkIII (approx $8000) but still way more expensive than a 40D (approx $1300). The 5D is strictly “pro-sumer” level. There are no “basic” settings (e.g. sport or portrait mode) on the dial. Canon’s positioned this model right between the pro and consumer lines.

However, The 5D is getting old. It’s getting to be about time for a 5D “Mark II”. Initial reviews for the 5D came out in late 2005. But it doesn’t look like a successor is making its way out of the rumor mills just yet. Judging by Canon’s 5D product registration page (where if you register by August 31, 2008, you’re entitled to some benefits), it doesn’t seem likely we’ll see a 5D successor until at least late this year or early next year.