The Greatest Digital Camera of All Time | Canon 5D Classic 

Ah yes, the Toyota Land-cruiser of cameras.

Back when I had my Canon 20D, I lusted after a 5D for a loooong time. It was always JUST out of my budget. I don't know if it's the GREATEST digital camera of all-time, but it's one of the most important ones that got full-frame into a lot more people's hands than before.

I bought one (used) in 2018 and sold it for a 6D same year (The 6D is an underrated camera). I regretted selling it immediately. This year (2024) I bought a box-fresh one. It's like new and it cost me $220. It produces images that a $1000 Smart phone can only dream of. I will never sell it. It's a legend. It will ALWAYS be collectible.

I bought one in 2007 as well and - as many others - built my career around it. I still have mine (with 3rd shutter, I think) and am waiting for my kids to use it someday. What a lovely, lovely camera it is. Thank you for reminding me about it.

I love that you slapped that nifty-fifty on it because that lens punches like a pro.

I purchased the 5D brand new & it was expensive at that time. I shot a high school graduation & did some portraits with this particular camera. I still remember the beautiful Colors & skin tones that this sensor produced. It definitely was a “top tier” Canon camera at the time.Although, I remember there was an issue with the mirror disengaging from its mount. Canon did repair this for me, free of charge. Apparently, Canon had received many complaints regarding this problem.

It's crazy to me that in 16 years people will be making videos about the R5 like this.

Not the camera but the photographer! The wedding images are spectacular, I even love the grains.

Happy to pick-up a minty 5DC a few years ago. Fabulous! I would say that one of the reasons I really like it is that the colors are so gloriously 'unnatural' and unique. The 6D has a similar look but with a more modern control layout, LCD, and superior AF. However, I still like the basic utilitarian nature of the 5DC. I hope that it never leaves my stable.

I always felt like the 5D MKII was perfection. Shape perfectly fit the hands, beautiful colors, magical video (for its time). And I always felt cool whipping it out bc it felt so authoritative. Kinda regret selling mine!

Bought the 5D back in 2007 as well. Game changer. Being full frame, the FOV and bokeh was so unique at the time and the noise quality and grain was way more pleasing than the APS cameras on the market. All these years later, some of the best photos I've ever made were on that camera and the image quality holds up incredibly well.

My daughter is almost 8 years old; the 5D and a nifty fifty is the perfect first “real” camera for her to use along my side.

Been waiting for the day for this camera to resurface as a gem of the past

I'm a Nikon shooter but picked up a used Canon 5D and 50mm 1.4 and WoW !!! Amazing renderings. Maybe little better than my Nikon D700 which I adore. And great photos.

The camera that I started taking photos with!! I had this and the 40mm f2.8 and boy was it amazing - I wish I never sold it, maybe I'll go try find another one to buy...

I had one for a long time - and it was such a game changer as you said. So much so, I got a second hand 5D Mk2 a few months ago to reuse my old EF lenses! Great ergos still, and simple operation! Still an amazing IQ even in this day.

The nice 1.2L glass brings out the best of the 5D in those wedding shots

I bought mine back in 2006. I used it professionally for many years, including two magazine covers. It was and still is a great camera that doesn't need any bells and whistles - it just makes great images. I haven't used it in years, but I should pick it up today and take it for a spin again.

Recently got one of these with the 50/14 and it’s an incredible camera and lens combo. Beautiful natural colours, with rich detail…. I liken it to shooting a chunky 35mm film camera with added digital convenience.

my first ever camera that I bought is a used 5DMII back in ~2016-17. I remember feeling like stepping out of my Mazda and getting into a mazzarati fist time I took it out for a spin.

I would totally agree on all points you made. I simply cannot sell my 5D purchased the day they came out. I'm on my third shutter box now which should last awhile since it's not used in any working capacity. I'm just upset I sold my 50 1.2 EF. Wow, what a combo that was.

My first full frame. Very nice camera!

5D classic more than holds up. Definitely built my career on it like so many.

Wow these are great looking weddings shots

I just bought one with the 50mm 1.8 for $160 and one extra battery. I love it!

Those wedding photos are amazing

These got a ton of attention on YT during the pandemic and I picked one up. I shared some images with a photo group at work, and they were amazed at the quality. I agree, this is a great camera, and cheap enough to experiment with!

Hey Hey! Greetings form an old Flicker group buddy. I'm pretty sure I remember when you got that 5D!!!!

Great camera. Crazy how these are so approachable by pretty much anyone on the used market now. I lusted after these when they were new and even when the mark II was released. Way out of my price range at the time. Newcomers to the hobby have it so good and they don't even know it. For this price range, and the Nikon D700 wasn't an option, I'd probably pick one up.

I've still got mine that I bought used in 2011, sits on my shelf but will use it from time to time!

Great video Ben! To this day, still my favourite sensor (and camera) that I have ever owned. Just so much fun to shoot with, and the files that come out the camera are amazing.

If they took this exact sensor and put it into a weather sealed body with the 5div AF, I’d pay 1500 for it without question. I was stunned how good the images and color are even compared to my leicas and fujis. Truth be told I like the 5d files over any of my Fuji files. have my suspicions as to why they are so good, but that’s another long conversation to be had.

I have to say - there a few things that are a better investment regarding photography than an old pro DSLR. I never shot with a 5D but I adore my Nikon D700, aka 'the legend'. Rock on!

There's this one photo of my wife that I shot when we were young and lived in Paris. We went out to the forest by RER to see the autumn leaves because she's Mexican and they don't really happen so much out here. The place was vibrant like I've never seen any other forest. I caught a moment of genuine awe with the 5D - but when I got home and punched in I noticed it focused on this teeny tiny almost invisible twig in the top corner and not her face. It's about 30cm front focused. I didn't think much about it at the time, because it always feels like there will be time. I am still devastated about it, but to this day it's still my favourite image of all time. ✨

I prefer shooting with this over my A1. It's such a cerebral, deliberate photography experience when using it

I love this camera, the colours are not always accurate but the images are so beautiful that I often choose it over my 5d4. I mainly use it with a modified FD 50mm 1.4 SSC and it really adds to the look (or the original 70-200 2.8)

I still whip out the old Canon 5Dmkii from time to time. What an epic camera

This was the camera that convinced me that digital could compete with film still have two, great video, thanks for sharing

The first digital camera I ever loved. Thanks for this Benj

few thoughts about the 5D (I picked one up about 6 months ago now, I paid 93€ for it on MPB) : - the autofocus works fine but only the center point is cross type. So if you want accurate autofocus you basically only have one focus point. - it does not have the ability to use back button focus at all - dynamnic range is very limited for highlights. The sky is very easily clipping to white, which is definitely a look, but you really need to underexpose your shots to get a blue sky, which is annoying for me - ISO range works, but having an ISO 1600 top range is... a bit low. I woul;d have loved if that was going a little higher. - dynamic range at ISO 100 is workable. - you can adapt any SLR lens to it it seems, it's really amazing. Coming from Nikon and using some M42 stuff on my mirrorless cameras that I could never put on my Nikon DSLRs, I could get started with a couple of adapter and not needing any EF lens - it takes the exact same focusing screen as the Nikon FE, meaning it's really easy to get a split prism DSLR, which is dope (and pretty needed for me since the EF lenses I have are not mine and the rest of my catalogue is manual focus + focusing itself isn't very versatile) - you can't repurpose any buttons. It's overall a wonderful camera, but I think that for someone looking at upping their photography game there is better cameras to be had in a similar kind of price range. The first one to me is the one camera that gets compared to the 5D classic all the time : the D700. It's a little more expensive (seen some copies as low as 180€ on MPB, and lower on the local second hand market), and it's basically a 5D with all its flaws being fixed : there is plenty of customizable buttons, you have a much better ecreen to review images, you have Live View, much better autofocus system, faster burst, LOADS of dynamic range, and super good ISO performance (would get usable results up to ISO 12800 on that one no problem). Color science is also very "filmic" (if a digital camera can ever be that...) and it has a lot of customization possible for the JPEGs which is super cool (I genuinely think the picture control is better than Fuji's film recipes system). If you're okay with 12MP of resolution, that's basically the end game of 12MP cameras, unless you get a D3 or D3S (which are basically the same as the D700, + faster burst rates) And the second one is obviously the Canon 5D2. Not only is that camera barely more expensive than the 5D classic (which is seeing its price getting higher and higher currently), but it keeps alls the great things from the 5D as far as rendering of images goes, but it adds a lot of much needed stuff on top that makes this camera much more viable as a backup camera or as a first full frame camera for someone : first is the fact that it has 22MP, which is still a decetn resolution today, it adds an AF-ON button for back button focusing, and adds Live View as well as a much better screen. There is also 1080p video, but this isn't what we're talking about. The 5D classic is a sick camera for the price, but if it was me getting a cheap DSLR, I don't know, maybe I would put that money towards a D300 (which gets about the same image quality as the 5D, even better dynamic range and low light with its 12MP APS-C believe it or not) that has better AF and basically all the same features the D700 has at a much cheaper price than even the 5D (bought my D300 for 59€, still on MPB). Anyway, older DSLR cameras deserve some love ! Especially those 2004-2008 DSLRs which really was the golden era of this type of cameras. The 5D, 40D, D300, D200, D2X, D700, D3... all of those cameras are not only super cheap, but also wonderful learning tools and a good way for people coming from smarphones to learn how to use a "real" camera without relying on touchscreens and AI automated autofocus all the time. Great video !

I have a canon 5D and the 50mm 1.8, a fantastic combination and never produces poor images, always beautiful colours and it has a simple menu system; great for general photography. I also have other cameras, Canon, Leica, etc... but this camera is special and I love it! I can put a great lens on it too, 70-200 f2.8 L for example, and the images just come out creamy and beautifully rendered, especially outdoors in good light. Indoors is good so long as the room is not too dark. ISO 640 or less is perfectly fine. I have shot ISO 1600 and 3200 with good noise cleanup in LR and results are fine for most applications. Get a 5D with a serial number that begins with a 3 or later where the shutter was fixed at manufacturing time and it won't be a problem, otherwise be aware and validate it is factory fixed after market.

Great to see Canon featured on your channel again. I only ever owned the 5d mkiii. From memory I don’t think you were a huge fan of that model, but comparing to a modern R6, there is something about the look of that camera I still miss. It was also built like a brick!

I use canon because I really like the color science but my career bump as you might call it was when I started using a Hasselblad in the days when we shot film not digital !

Fantastic camera! ISO 1250 is the sweet spot for the 5D (and same for the 1Ds Mark II). 13 megapixel is more than enough if you're not a cropper, if you manage to compose in a way that you keep the full frame. Nowadays my one remaining 5D is only rarely bring used, mostly by my wife who uses it to take portraits of her students at graduation, because it's so easy to use.

It really is a classic for a reason :) I love to use my 5d classic to adapt all my old M42 lenses from my film days. I have an adapter with an af chip for the centre af point and the images I get are very unique and as a lot of people say, very filmic. I'll never get rid of mine even though it's not my primary camera but it's one I cherish and use for fun. Great video.

I love my 5D classic!

I agree. It was my first full frame camera, and enjoyed it greatly.

I still have my 1DsMKII and I think for me that's forever going to be my favorite camera. Juiciest shutter sound ever and the files are magic ; )

Best camera!!! it totally funded my photography career, I shot so many jobs with this camera. I'm sad i sold it. I should buy it again before prices go up after your video Ben lol lol. As always great video and thanks for sharing.

I would argue Nikon D850 to be better esp with the sensor having a high DXO mark almost on par with a M11. Thoughts?

Thanks for the review. The bokeh on 85/1.2 is so overkilling 😍

I used a 5D in the past for my paid jobs, until my mirror dropped out (in the middle of a wedding). After that I could not trust the model anymore on a HW level (so upgrade to a 5Dii which I still have and use). The 5D image quality was stellar, even today. As you rightly said, 99 out of 100 could not tell you if a photo was taken on a 5D, or with the latest + greatest mirrorless, especially since most only view images on screens nowadays.

great camera; amazing design

It's funny - when digital first became popular, 2.0mp was considered 'magazine quality'. Older, less desirable DSLRs are still perfectly adequate for 90% of uses. Before disability restricted my movement, I was using a cheap & cheerful Sony Alpha 350 with just the kit lenses and software that came in the box. After I added a budget Sunpak flash unit I covered weddings, proms and family shoots without issue. It wasn't my only source of income, but it helped immensely. It's also worth remembering that a (e.g.) 50mp sensor will require a corresponding computer upgrade to process the images.

Thank you for the video. Your title says it all, The Greatest Digital Camera of All Time. I’m in full agreement with that. I don’t love it because it is cheap. I love it because it produces the best possible image quality. No, it’s not an underrated camera rather, perhaps you’ll find the highest number of videos on RU-vid on this camera. As a hobbyist, I use this camera regularly. Whatever I shoot; looks beautiful with a natural look and feel. I don’t find it with any other camera. If two images of same subject are shot with Canon 5D Classic and Sony A1, I’m certain the Classic image will look more beautiful and soothing. The A1 image might be sharper, cleaner, shinier and so forth almost perfect. But the natural flavor will be absent.

7:20 - great photo!

Got my 5D classic last year. Although i dont use it a lot but everytime i pick it up, it's been a joy to use 😁 N ure right about the shutter, mine is unusable at 1/8000th. But hey, this thing is almost 20 years old! Cant complain 😄

I still have this camera. What was my first full frame DSLR. I ordered it when everyone was getting the mkiii

Oh man. I miss this camera every time I pull in my files to edit. Might have to get one for when the lights just bangin and it comes into its own.

I got two of these for so cheap! Only reason I don't shoot all jobs on these are that I am paranoid about not having two card slots... Favourite camera ever.

Recently i made a beach family photoshoot with it although i have modern slrs. Always surprises me with the quality.

Was my first serious digital camera. And used the nifty fifty on it as well as the ef80 f1.8, both great performers at a low price.

Nice. I used to love the EF camaras. Although… I think you also love the lenses you are pairing within this camara. Lots of primes. They are beautiful

Personally the Nikon D700 is the one.

My first full frame DSLR

Man the colors @7:50 are top notch!

To have the best results with this camera you have to know what you are doing especially at night i have a 1dx too but i think the 5d is the goat

The 5D mk1 is a special camera. I'm not sure if it's the sensor or the color science but the images it produces have a unique and beautiful quality.

Dslr's are definitely underrated, still so much quality to be had with them and more than enough for most casual shooters. They were good enough for pro's for years and years, they're more than enough for your phone screen size instagram post!

Ive had mine since 2015 and I will NEVER sell it. Mine is always paired with the 40mm 2.8stm. The perfect do-all setup if you ask me. I recently started shooting JPEG and playing with recipes which has been fun!

Strongly agreed

Still use my 5DMKIV to this day in my professional work. Excellent camera

yeah, love my 5D classic. Wish mine was in as good condition as yours. Importantly, still shoots perfectly.

i love my 5Dc, been my only camera for many years now, only really have vintage or third party manual focus lenses so i changed the focusing screen. i've been thinking of upgrading to mirrorless or maybe even go for 5Dii or 5Diii to experience the lineage more first. i'll always keep my 5Dc though

Got mine in 2008 still going strong .

I’m still shooting with my 6D 50mm 1.8L and still get great results

Till this day, a lot of high end commercial campaign are still shot with Canon 5DIV. This prooves that Canon is still kicking it despite many people think that Sony is leading in the fashion industry.

Great camera. I use its great grandson, the 5D Mark IV, for all my corporate event work.

Love this camera! Got one after that channel, hmmm, two cameras a month? - made a review about it,

When you want a Kodachrome look, turn off the sharpening, neutral profile, jpeg, and you have a glorious film like experience. If you want a HP5+ look, shoot it in monochrome jpeg at 1600 ISO. Really nice camera. It loves it some L glass. I usually use the 17-40L, and the original 200L 2.8.

The camera that back then I wanted so much and couldn't afford. Now I can buy anything I desire, but it's still not that 5D back when I was 18 or so.

In my opinion. this Canon 5D had better color science than the MK2 and MK3

What strikes me with most of these 5D videos is that it is almost always shown paired with a lowly 50mm 1.8 (STM or old plastic fantastic).

I wish Canon would release the exact same camera but with at least 24MP. Or replicate the sensor output on a modern mirrorless. I have the same combo for about 6 years now. I have upgraded cameras twice since then and each time i hold off on selling this one. It's just not replaceable in terms of image output.

My 5D MkII still takes amazing photos.

I remember buying the 5Dc and while the image quality was great in good light, I was let down by the low light performance, slow AF speed, back display and I also missed the auto ISO feature. I got the 5D II afterwards and it fixed most things that let me down, but the image quality was actually a bit less appealing to me.

Great camera!! I love mine. I wish more manufacturers would create a photos only camera like this 5D. Bare bones photo only. 5D with L glass = perfection

I regret selling mine for a D700! Paired with a nifty fifty it was a wonder!

I use the dongle I bought on Amazon for $9 to transfer photos to my iPhone 12. It is quick enough. But I guess that impression, like all things, is subjective and relative. The Classic is really good. I use the Mark II more now but love them both. I am a victim of my own nostalgia I am sure, but give me these cameras over the current stuff. Cheap and I don't worry about them at all. I live on in my deluded bubble and take photos I like. That is good enough. And the world moves on.

Pretty funny, but I’ve been looking at this for months now as a backup camera. Also as a fun walk around, but I just don’t want to drop $$ right now, and I figured this would at least fill in as a backup on portrait/wedding/engagement shoots.

It takes great photos but the ergonomics are unforgivable. The Nikon cameras from that time felt so much better in the hands and the button placements just make sense

Still have mine, but the 6D which I also still have and seldom use is better in every single way, except perhaps the lack of a joystick.

Images coming out of this were great but I sold it because of the back lcd. Not enough resolution to check critical focus. I ended up with the 6D classic. Superb camera.

This is a great camera, but I would not recommend this to any beginners because the old way of shooting photos is way more complicated than looking at the back of the screen and touching where you want. Focus like a smart phone.

5D classic + 50mm 1/8 is da wae

Don't know about greatest but it's definitely one of the best. It's a Classic for a reason. Nice swirly bokeh on that 85mm.

That’s the ccd sensor

Excellent

the 5D mkiv has the best colors ever for both photo and video for me, i can't explain why but...

When it comes to Canon DSLR camera's i actually want to pick up two Canon 80Ds and on Canon 90D. I currently own the Nikon D5500 and have put the Canon 5D Mark 2 picture profile on it. For which I use that picture profile for my portraits and street photography alongside the Fuji XPRO 2 picture profile that I have also put on my Nikon D5500. I would also love the Nikon D750 and Nikon D780 on the Nikon DSLR side of things. Probably purchase the Nikon D750 first.