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| Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) | 
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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $2,499.00
Buy Used: $1,440.00
You Save: $1059.00 (42%)
New (17) Used (11) Refurbished (4)
Avg. Customer Rating:  112 reviews
Sales Rank: 2737
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Resolution: 12.8
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.9 x 6.8
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 5D Body
Model: 5D Body
UPC: 013803056853
EAN: 0013803056853
ASIN: B0007Y791C
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A revelation July 4, 2006
16 out of 18 found this review helpful
I switched from the Digital Rebel XT. Since I already had L-glass lenses, I didn't run into problems with the 5D "exposing" cheaper lenses. The 17-40mm really shines on the full sensor! The burst rate is simply astonishing. Missing flash doesn't bother me, heck it's a $3000 camera, I don't expect a built-in flash. I have the Speedlite 580EX, which of course is wonderful in itself. I also have the battery grip which I recommend, as well as the RS-80N3 cable release. Image quality is superb overall - the 5D REALLY shines in high ISO numbers - more so than even the 1D from what I've read. Even at 1600 there's hardly any noise. It allows you to take great, crisp photos in low light where other cameras would require a flash.
The camera also is quite light while being very sturdy at the same time. The 3 fps might bother some, but I prefer the incredible burst numbers.
 Mixed Bag... June 23, 2006
492 out of 692 found this review helpful
PLEASE READ MY MOST RECENT POST IN THE COMMENTS SECTION ON 11/30/07 FOR UPDATES AND RESPONSES TO THIS REVIEW. THANKS.
I purchased this camera a little over a month ago. I have since sold it, and switched to using Nikon. I can no longer support Canon, and this saddens me, for I grew up using Canon since I was 8 years old. Here is why I gave this camera 2 stars:
- Full frame censor: I thought this was a good thing? It is, and it isn't. Simply put, even Canon's "L" lenses won't provide even light illumination on the censor. Vignetting is a serious problem for the 5D. Like to shoot wide open, say at f/2.8? Think again, because you'll wind up with soft and dark corners every time. Canon's own media rep Chuck Westfall discussed this problem rather briefly in the June 06 issue of PCPhoto magazine. If you won't sharp results with a full frame, you need to stop down, a lot. Swing and a miss for portrait shooters looking to shoot wide open.
- Speed: 3 frames per second? Are you kidding me? This simply is not adequate for sports and action photographers. Many DSLR's offer 5 to 8 frames per second, so why 3?
- Build: This thing doesn't feel any different than the Digital Rebel. For this price, it should feel solid and beefy. The camera isn't even weather sealed like its big brother the Canon 1Ds Mark II. The build isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't impressive.
- Features: Where are they? The most needed features are buried deep in a menu. Don't worry though; Canon has included a "Direct Print" button on the camera. I couldn't believe this, what, is this thing a point and shoot suddenly? There are about 100 more important functions this button could have represented. If this is Canon's way of offering "a feature rich camera" as stated on their initial press release, then I am at a loss of what to say.
- Performance: Color rendition is terrible. There is a noticeable cyan cast to most images. Auto focus is quick, but inaccurate. Only 65% or so of my images showed critical focus, which Canon told me was, "acceptable." This was the same result from many a lens.
The list goes on, but I'm getting a little depressed listing all these faults. Is there anything good about this camera? Certainly.
- Resolution: The 12 MPs is amazing. Image quality, in terms of resolution is stunning. Micro contrast and sharpness is second only to the big Mark II. You will not be disappointed if you are buying this camera for every last pixel.
- Noise performance: There is none, almost. Shooting at ISO 1600 or 3200 is no problem with this camera. Noise levels at ISO 3200 look like that of a Nikon at ISO 400-800. This is a huge advantage of Canon's Full frame CMOS chip, as well as the resolution listed above.
- Wide angle: There is no crop factor with a full frame censor. This might appeal to film users who want to maintain their lenses true focal length, or to those who shoot at or below the 28mm range. It doesn't mean you'll be impressed with the performance of your wide angle lenses on this camera, but that 15mm fisheye will stay a 15mm.
This camera is a hit or miss depending on who you are, and what type of photography you do. I've noticed landscape and macro photographers seem to love this camera, and for good reason. They tend to shoot smaller apertures, focus accuracy isn't a problem, and neither is frame rate. Portrait photographers can go either way, but probably won't like it that much; poor color and light fall-off at large apertures are two very serious stumbling blocks. As for the wildlife and sports photographers, that's a big no (most likely). Slow frame rate, poor focus abilities, mediocre build, and the lack of the crop factor (your 500mm isn't an 800mm any more like it was on the 20D) will surely disappoint most of these shooters.
In my final thoughts, if you are thinking of an upgrade from a 20D or a rebel, the answer is probably no, unless you shoot exclusively landscapes, or macro, or you need the resolution for larger prints. If you are buying your first digital SLR, than definitely no. This camera is simply not user friendly. If you are considering it because it's a "full frame," think again. Canon has an excellent marketing campaign, but for every advantage of full frame, there is a disadvantage as well. Don't let my review stop you though, go and decide for yourself. The camera might suit your needs perfectly, but I feel for the overall market and majority of users, this camera missed the mark, and thus my low rating. Canon's got some homework to do, and they better do it fast.
 Very good camera, but not the best value. June 22, 2006
17 out of 30 found this review helpful
Image quality and build quality are very good in the 5D, but there are some possible shortcomings.
For families with multiple users at different stages on the learning curve, the 5D lacks the easy "Pic" modes found on many other EOS cameras. Additionally, the lack of a built-in flash means you'll need a bulkier, heavier flash unit.
For action photographers, the 3 fps are a bit poor, especially compared to Canon's own 30D (5 fps).
Additionally, the full size sensor will perform best with newer lenses. In particular, older wide-angle zoom lenses will suffer. Optics still play a critical roll in today's cameras, and Ferrari's run best on premium.
The 5D is a tremendous tool used properly. This is a very strong camera for studio or landscape photographers, where image quality is everything.
great camera June 5, 2006
12 out of 20 found this review helpful
i just bought the camera the other day; what an improvement to my 10D;
working in the RAW format just blows my mind; like everything else you should
upgrade to the "better lenses" (L) to live up to the quality of the camera;
i have never had so much fun; just stick to buying your camera from Amazon
not from the guys in NY...
Canon Service and Compact Flash Speed April 8, 2006
29 out of 41 found this review helpful
This 5D is extremely fast in transmitting data to the Compact Flash card. I had no idea as to whether I should purchase a 40x, 80x or 133x card. I wrote to Canon's Customer Service and got a reply back the same day (I recount this to counter the negative report on Canon's Customer Service above, but that person's request may have been different.)
Canon replied that they do not reveal how fast their 5D can transmit data to the Compact Flash card, saying it only matters if you are in the continuous shooting mode and then you don't need the fastest card. At the time of my writing, the fastest card is the 133x (AKA 20MB per second).
So my interpretation of this is that an 80x is probably all you need, even if you do continuous shooting.
On the difficulty in viewing the LCD screen in bright sunlight, check out the FlipUp(tm) LCD caps -- they make one for the Canon 5D.
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