Pre-ordered X100, Selling 5D2. How crazy am I?

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sper

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I got in on the early pre order of the B&H X100 shipment. Now I find myself selling my 5D2 and 17-40, as well as my beloved 40mm Ultron f2.

I never was too fond of the 5D2. It's big, expensive, noisy in the dark. I used to have a D700 which I honestly liked more. I know it sounds crazy that I'm replacing my 5D2 with an X100 but it seems like I'll get the same enjoyment out of the X100 that I get from my Bessa's. An enjoyment that I never got from my Canon.

And if I need an SLR I can pick up a Nikon D7000 for a grand.

It seems nuts, dumping a Full Frame DSLR for a couple crop sensor cameras...but here I am...doing just that...

How crazy am I?
 
I think you're a little crazy. The 5d is an awesome camera. I went though a "nikon is better" phase until my nikon body and lens broke on shoots, and when I came back to a 5d I realized it was meant to be all along.

I'd have the x100 as a supplement to the 5d personally. In fact, I will (when I can get hold of one!)
 
I hope you dont get stuck without a digicam for months because of the quake.

Other than that... if you're happy with a cropped 23mm lens I dont see too many things you would miss from the 5D2. Maybe the file size? Maybe AF will be a little slower too (if you're using AF)
 
the x100 just isn't that attractive of a camera in comparison. at $500, it might be, but at the moment it's very much a niche/luxury. what i would use the x100 for is currently what i use film rangefinders for, and you can have a similar experience for much less cash. if it had an interchangeable lens, especially in m mount, this would be a different story.
 
I backed off the X100, mainly because I fear it will be delayed but also out of concern that if I did get an early one, there might not be much support for any bug-fixes or warranty service (parts from Japan) should it be prone to first-generation glitches.

I also read the report from a early adopter saying how different and complex it was compared to his Nikon. That is probably just somebody who is locked into one way of thinking and needs to open up, but more and more so I want a chance to look through that finder and switch back and forth between optical and EVF. I have no doubt it is brilliant, but it may be more than I want to deal with too.

So I am kind of breathing a sign of relief in not jumping in sight unseen.

All the same, if you didn't like it and it was functional, you could probably sell it for a $100 profit in an hour....

And as for going to a 5D2 from a D700, that's wack!
 
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I'd be hesitant about ditching a camera like the 5Dll with a proven IQ for the X100 which may disappoint you. I guess if you don't really feel the need for the DSLR then go ahead ... who are we to tell you how to spend your money! 😀
 
Peter Wijninga said:
Shake hands...: I just moved countries...packed the 5d/lenses up for storage and took the rangefinders/lenses with me...
Click to expand...

Strangely similar situation but 2 years ahead of you. I did exactly that, left my big honk SLRs in storage and took my RF cam and TLR with me.

Back to the OP, if the 5DII DSLR doesn't work for you (like using a 8x10 to take a kids birthday party) and the smaller RF or compact camera does then by all means you're not crazy. We all change equipment from time to time (some more than others), so think of it as an evolution onto different cameras and styles for your current needs. Besides, they're both digital, they don't and won't last forever anyway... 🙄
 
Not crazy at all.

When I moved from a 5D to a 5D2 I realized that the improvements in image quality, though they were real enough, did not matter to me.

For everything I do and am likely to do in the future, the 5D had been sufficient.

Looking at the X100 now it's certainly good enough. I probably won't be selling my 5D2 because I do value its flexibility, but I think it's going to become much more of a special-purpose camera for me. My general purpose camera is now the X100.

In fact when it's time for the 5D2 to go to that special place in the sky where old digital cameras go (actually for me that's Jacobs on a trade-in), the replacement is unlikely to be a 5D3. I think I'm going to love the X100 so much that I will skip a generation or two of DSLR upgrades. My next DSLR might as easily be a future 7D or 1D camera which would not have been the case had I not managed to get my grubby fingers on an X100.

I also think that I'm now going to take off my 50mm lens from the front of the 5D2 (will it still come off after all this time I wonder?) and put on the 24-105 zoom lens instead. Maybe look at a Zeiss 18 or 21 distagons for landscapey stuff.

OMG I've only had the X100 for a week and the GAS is back! Well I can't very well keep ogling the X100 on the internet now can I?
 
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Given a 5D II and enough money for an X100, I'd probably skip the Fuji and find a nice used 35/1.4L for the Canon instead. Or a 90mm TS-E. Or a 135/2L. I've spent a year or so shooting predominantly with a small fixed lens camera and in the end I've gained a new appreciation for the clunky DSLR with its pile of lenses and accessories. You can do many fine things with a fast wide-angle lens but there are also perfectly good reasons to mount a 50, 90, 135, 400mm, whatever. If your wallet can handle it, keep the DSLR at least until you have some real life experience with the X100.

But it's your money/gear. You have a right to do crazy things 😀
 
ottluuk said:
Given a 5D II and enough money for an X100, I'd probably skip the Fuji and find a nice used 35/1.4L for the Canon instead. Or a 90mm TS-E. Or a 135/2L. I've spent a year or so shooting predominantly with a small fixed lens camera and in the end I've gained a new appreciation for the clunky DSLR with its pile of lenses and accessories. You can do many fine things with a fast wide-angle lens but there are also perfectly good reasons to mount a 50, 90, 135, 400mm, whatever.
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This is awesome advice - If I had to have 1 camera and lens I'd be with the 5d and the 35L - which in itself is a stupendously versatile combo. The main problem with the fuji is that 23mm lens - which doesn't get the same sort of subject separation at wide apertures as the full frame DSLRs. Wether that affects you or not depends on if you like to shoot at large apertures I guess...
 
Ummm...it is your money so why do you care what others say? Since you did ask, it appears that you don't have a specific direction with your photography. If you did, you could answer your own question. IMHO, the two cameras are tools and are in no way comparable.

And this is from someone who cannot get along with any Canon though I have tried for years. Just don't work for me.


If you just want a small camera, go for it.🙂
 
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I prefer the ergonomics of the D700 to Canon but the 5D2 images just look more the way I want them to right out of the camera. My 5D2 was stolen a few months ago. And I've been using a borrowed D90 until I can afford a new one and I really just hate all the images that come out of the nikon.

The x100 seems like it's a good general use camera. But it definitely isn't going to work for everything. And from the sample images I've seen the images look a bit flat. But it is a cool looking camera.
 
When you have taken a liking for a new camera, you will find a thousand and one excuses to sell your current gear. I have a 5DmkII and 35f1.4L and loving it to bits. Will I sell it in exchange for X100? I don't think so. I will keep my canon and buy the X100 to try out. Once the euphoria dissipates, I foresee myself selling the X100 and go back using my canon and posting a thousand and one reasons to justify going back to my full frame canon.
 
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