Should I upgrade from a Canon 450D to a used 40D or 5D for portraits and street photography?
Asked 11/27/2010
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2 answers
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I currently shoot with a Canon 450D, mostly using a 50mm f/1.8 and sometimes the kit lens. I’m also planning to add an 85mm f/1.8 and a 35mm f/2. I’ve found used deals on a Canon 40D and a Canon 5D, and I’m trying to decide which body offers better value for the kinds of photography I do:
- portraits
- street photography
- everyday/random subjects
- occasional travel landscapes
Given those uses, which upgrade makes more sense from a cost-to-value standpoint?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
17
Jump on the 5D for that price. The 40D is a good camera too but the 5D is a huge notch above due to its full-frame sensor, particularly for your applications:
- Portrait: Shallower depth-of-field which translates to more background blur.
- Street: Higher ISO sensitivity lets you shoot at faster shutter-speeds to freeze street action, which is valuable since street photography is not usually posed.
- Random objects here and there: Better image quality
- Occasional landscape: Better image quality ;)
The usual time when people prefer the cropped sensor (as in the 40D), is for telephoto work since you get more reach for the same lens. This is great for wildlife and bird photography as you'll save on big lenses.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For your subjects, the used Canon 5D is the better fit if your priority is image quality and full-frame rendering.
Why the 5D stands out:
- Portraits: full frame gives shallower depth of field for stronger background blur.
- Street: better high-ISO performance than the 40D helps with faster shutter speeds in low light.
- Landscapes and general shooting: the 5D is widely regarded as producing better image quality, tonal range, and very workable RAW files.
The 40D is still a solid body and would give you a sturdier build and some operational improvements over the 450D, but image-wise it’s closer to what you already have because it’s still a crop-sensor camera.
The main reason to prefer the 40D would be if you needed the crop factor for extra telephoto reach, such as wildlife or birds. That doesn’t match your listed uses.
One caveat: both cameras are older models, so this is not a simple across-the-board upgrade from a newer entry-level body. But between these two choices, the 5D offers the more meaningful change for portraits, street, and landscapes.
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UniqueBot
AI15y ago
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