That new camera smell

Canon EOS 5D w/EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM (digital color)

So yeah, a week ago my 40D was soaked in a freak water glass accident. I cleaned it as best I could and It worked for a few frames, but then locked up with the dreaded Error 99. It’s gotten wet before, this time was special. With the holidays coming up I figured I would have time to send it in and get it back without missing a lot shooting time, so I decided to buy another body.

I’d been thinking about and saving for new equipment for a while, so I pretty much knew what I was going to do. The announcement of the 5DmkII had made prices for the 5D plummet. Although a bit long int he tooth, the 5D has always had a good reputation for image quality and would do what I needed. I’d looked into the new Canon DSLRs–the 50D and the 5DmkII–but decided against them for a few reasons.

The 50D just didn’t impress me. Nice specs and price-point, but reviews have been mixed and my plan has been to go full-frame and then make the 40D the backup. The 5DmkII would be a dream, but it’s price point is a full $1000 over the 5D and, well, I probably wouldn’t be able to get one anytime soon. Also the 21mp file size seemed like it might be too much for my current workstation setup (a first generation MacBook Pro) and upgrading to a new system is not in the current budget horizon. So I ordered the 5D, with the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM “kit” lens. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and figure it might make a more usable replacement for my EF24-70mm f/2.8 L USM, which is nice but almost as unwieldy as a 70-200mm.

Haven’t had much change to shoot the 5D, as it showed up just before leaving town for Thanksgiving. I came with, but didn’t get out of the bag. There was Just too much going on and I was at the mercy of others’ schedules.

That said, I’m very pleased with what I’ve got out of it so far.

Canon EOS 5D w/EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM (digital color)

I consider this to be the test shot. I figured that for comparison I should shoot something I’ve shot before–many times in fact.