Once You've Gone Full-Frame There's No Going Back

Yesterday, I needed to pull my 20D backup body out of my bag and use it for a 4-model shoot. Doing so made me realize that once you've gone full-frame there's no going back.

My subject title, of course, speaks metaphorically: Shit happens. When it does, as in the case of yesterday's shoot, I was forced to do what I had to do, i.e., pull out my 20D backup body and use it instead of my 5D.

Technically, my 5D is operational. It doesn't need repair or anything like that. The problem was bunnies-- dust bunnies on the sensor. I noticed the contaminants on the sensor and, not having my sensor cleaning kit with me, felt compelled to shoot with my 20D. (The 5D is notorious for ineffective weatherproofing and dustproofing.)

To be sure, the 20D is a sweet camera body. Before purchasing a 5D, I snapped many photos with that body and, for the most part, I was very happy with its performance. Back then, I also had a 10D, kept for a back-up. Then, Canon released the 5D and, since it was priced considerably below their 1D line of dSLRs while still offering a full-frame-sensor, I bought a 5D soon after its release. If I remember correctly, my 5D cost me around $3,600. (CA Sales tax included.) I think they now sell, new, for about fifteen hundred dollars less.

For yesterday's shoot, I was working in a fairly confined space. I still wanted to use a lens with some telephoto capability but even my Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, zoomed all the way out, made shooting full-body pretty girl pics--with the 20D's 1.6x crop factor messing with my photo-Zen--difficult in the space I was shooting in: There was barely enough room for me to get far enough away from the models to capture them, when they were standing, from head to toe.

I also missed the 5D's 2.5" LCD screen on the back of the camera. The 20D has a much smaller screen and this made chimping reviewing my shots difficult and eye-straining.

Again, I'm not badmouthing the 20D. It's a great camera! But also, like I said, once you've gone full-frame there's no going back. (Leastwise, it's somewhat exasperating when you need to do so.)

The pretty girl at the top, flexing her bicep, is Katarina. I snapped this pic of Katarina back in 2006. It was one of the first times I worked with my (then) new Canon 5D.