Should I buy a Canon 40D or the Canon 5D?

I currently own a 20D and am ready to upgrade. I own one L series lens 24-70 f/2.8 plus other non L-series lenses. I do wedding photography on a pretty regular basis (2-4 times a month). Other types of photography I am into are: Portraiture, Fire scenes (photojournalism), some scenics and general "family" photos. One big question I have is: Is the 5D worth the extra money??? Thanks

Is it worth the extra money? You must not be charging enough to do a wedding, especially if you are doing at least 2 weddings a month. For the type of photography you are doing, its a no brainer...

Sell your 20D and get the 5D as your main camera and a 40D as your backup. (And maybe look at your rates, $3k for a basic package, $4k for a silver package, and $5k for a gold package are kind of the standard rates.)

But if you want to keep your 20D, I'd still recommend the 5D. The 20D is still a good backup camera. Why the 5D? The larger sensor of the 5D produces a higher quality image than a lower sensor size.

Another recommendation could be to buy the 40D and consider getting the 70-200 2.8L IS. Have it attached to your 20D and the 24-70 2.8L to a 40D. This is great because you don't have to miss a shot because you were changing lenses or had the wrong lens on.

To the person that said your non-L series lenses are designed for APS sensors is mistaken. EF lenses are designed for full frame/35mm cameras. If you have any EF-S lenses, they won't work on the 5D. The EF-S lenses are designed for APS sensors. You actually don't get the full image when you mount an EF lens on an APS sensor camera, hence the 1.6x crop factor.

My last option is this. If you only have $2000 to spend and your 20D is still performing well, get the 70-200 2.8L IS. You already have one of the must have wedding photographer lenses, why not get the other? I was faced with a similar situation when the 10D came out. Should I upgrade to the 10D or continue using a D30 and get the 70-200 2.8L IS. I chose the lens and eventually upgraded the D30 to the 20D.

One final thing. The 5D is probably due to be refreshed in the fall. If having the latest technology is important to you, you might want to hold off until then. Of course, the current instant rebate promotion will be expired by then and who knows if they'll run another rebate in the fall.

Out of the two you mentioned, the 5D is the better camera. However, you will not be getting your money's worth out of it with your non L-Series glass as they are really designed for the APS sensor size and not the full sensor size.

So, the questions you ask are somewhat divergent. Is the 5D worth the extra money? Absolutely. Is it the right camera for you to buy? Only if you are willing (and/or able) to make the investment in lenses that will take advantage of the sensor.

The 5D is definitely worth it if you are using the camera professionally. Full frame will give you much better resolution than a small sensor.
As far as lenses go you could use all of your EF lenses. The only ones you can't use would be any EFs lenses. Like the 18-55mm or 10-22mm wide angle lens. These are made specifically for the small sensors of the Rebels and 20,30 or 40D cameras.

A friend of mine that just got out of photgraphy school bought a 5d two weeks ago. She is totally in love with it. She actually tells it she loves it lol Anyways, i've seen the quality of the pictures and it's amazing!

I'd either go for the 40D or I'd buy another L lens, like the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8L IS...

The 5D is well worth the money, but I'd invest in more glass, rather than an expensive body at this point.

Here are some photos taken with 5D (each one is marked).

http://www.flickr.com/little_pooky

I can send you the RAW file(s) if you want to look at them as well.

Canon 40D

Put the money towards the 5D full frame all the way.