what to do

[Joel.W]

I have been using a Canon 5D for the past 3 years and found it to be a great camera but as i am focusing more and more on wildlife photography i am finding the full frame sensor to be a bit of a hindrance, especially as i dont really have a lot of money going spare right now. I was looking at either....

1) selling the 5D body and my 24 - 105mm lens and using the money to buy a new Canon 7D with a 15 - 85mm lens to act as a replacement as i really liked the wide angle of this lens/camera combination and use it day to day alot.
2) sticking with the 5D and getting a teleconverter to use with the 70 - 200mm f2.8 to get a 140 - 400mm lens.
3) Sell the 5D and 24 - 105mm lens and get the 7D and a teleconverter and a cheaper lens than the 15 - 85mm for the wide angle shots.

I am a bit skeptical as to the quality of the teleconverters as whilst some people highly recommend them, others seem far less impressed. Can anyone offer any advice as to what they would do in this situation as i am a little stuck. Is the viewfinder on the 7D as good as that of the 5D? As this is one of my favourite parts of the 5D. Thanks

Joel

[slimrbp]

Tricky one...

The 7D has a great viewfinder in comparison to the APS-C cameras I have used before (400D & 40D) and a great autofocus system. I have never used the 5D so cannot offer a comparison.

With regards to extenders:

Here is an excerpt form this review Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM Lens Review

"The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM Lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF 1.4x II and the Canon Extender EF 2x II. The 1.4x yields a still relatively fast and reasonably sharp 98-280mm f/4 lens while adding some CA and barrel distortion (a little more than offsets the 200mm pincushion distortion). The 2x extender yields a 140-400mm f/5.6 lens though results are soft with low contrast until stopped down to at least f/8. CA once again is more apparent with the 2x. Extenders are a relatively inexpensive option to increase the usefulness of an already useful focal length range."

And this reviewer is quite critical so it seems a 2x is a viable option the images may just need a little more post prcoessing.

I recently used a 2x on my 300mm f4 L and was pleasantly surprised although I do need to perfect my technique.

300mm f4 L with 2x extender

[Geoff F]

I think it probably comes down to deciding exactly what you want to photograph.

A 1.4x converter would work well and be the simplest answer. But that may still be a bit on the short side for a lot of wildlife. Even a x2 only gets to 400 mm and a lot of people would say that they need at least 400 mm on a crop camera.

But if you also shoot landscapes and portraits, etc, that full frame camera is invaluable. And whatever you do, I would advise retaining the 24-105 lens for general use.

Do you really need a 7D? Again, it depends on what you are shooting.

I suppose another extreme would be to sell the 5D and buy a secondhand 40D which would release more money for better/bigger lenses.

However, all in all, I would be reluctant to part with the 5D if 300 mm or 400 mm, with a converter, would be sufficient for your needs.