Trade my Nikon D80 and 18-135 Nikkor for a 5d Classic?

[SAWYER]

On fredmiranda I had a guy offer a 5d classic for a my d80. I had said I would trade for Canon gear and if I trade I would sell my Xsi and use the 5d, should i do it?

 

[996GT2]

Worth it IMO. I owned numerous APS-C cameras (D70, D200, XTi, 40D) before my 5D, and the 5D is certainly a worthwhile upgrade. I've done several weddings and portrait shoots with my 5D, and it has never let me down. Image quality is excellent, and even ISO 1600 is totally usable without much NR.

That said, I do plan to upgrade my 5D Mark I to a Nikon D600 later in the year. The D600 is rumored to have a 24.7 MP full-frame sensor at a price of $1500-2000. The 5D has been great to me, but I do look forward to getting a camera that has a more advanced AF system and AF microadjust.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

The 5D is a good camera and that's not a bad trade for things like landscape, portrait shooting, etc. The weakness of the original 5d is the speed of the camera. Slow startup, poor shutter lag, slow autofocus. Don't expect the 5D to do sports like your D80.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Yeah, it all depends on your main usage. 5D sucks for sports, is good for people shots indoors (things like cheap 50mm lenses become much more useful) and landscapes. The 5D has been my main camera for 3-4 years now. The AF is pretty bad; if you're comfortable with using the center focus point 100% of the time, it's okay. Really the main benefit of the move to FF is how it transforms your lenses. As for the body itself, it will be a step backwards in many respects.

 

[996GT2]

Yeah, it all depends on your main usage. 5D sucks for sports, is good for people shots indoors (things like cheap 50mm lenses become much more useful) and landscapes. The 5D has been my main camera for 3-4 years now. The AF is pretty bad; if you're comfortable with using the center focus point 100% of the time, it's okay. Really the main benefit of the move to FF is how it transforms your lenses. As for the body itself, it will be a step backwards in many respects.

Compared to a D80? I wouldn't say so.

The 5D's AF is not the best, and to be honest it is the main reason I plan to upgrade to a Nikon D600/D700 later this year.

However, the D80's AF isn't anything special, either. 11 points, 1 cross point in the center. The 5D I/II have 9 point AF systems with 1 cross point in the center, and also 6 additional "invisible" assist points that come active during AI servo. AF is certainly comparable between the two. In terms of speed, both will do 3 FPS continuous shooting.

The 5D will offer more than just better image quality compared to a D80. One other big difference is how much larger the viewfinder on the 5D is compared to an APS-C camera like the D80. I have a hard time using APS-C cameras after being spoiled by the huge viewfinder of my 5D.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Compared to a D80? I wouldn't say so.

The 5D's AF is not the best, and to be honest it is the main reason I plan to upgrade to a Nikon D600/D700 later this year.

However, the D80's AF isn't anything special, either. 11 points, 1 cross point in the center. The 5D I/II have 9 point AF systems with 1 cross point in the center, and also 6 additional "invisible" assist points that come active during AI servo. AF is certainly comparable between the two. In terms of speed, both will do 3 FPS continuous shooting.

The 5D will offer more than just better image quality compared to a D80. One other big difference is how much larger the viewfinder on the 5D is compared to an APS-C camera like the D80. I have a hard time using APS-C cameras after being spoiled by the huge viewfinder of my 5D.

All of this is true. I either neglected to read thoroughly and/or forgot that the D80 is getting long in the tooth as well. The OP will not be taking much of a step back, if any.