Original 12.8mp 5d thoughts.

Nothing useful to contribute but just wanted to say enjoy the 5D when you do get it. While it hasn't been my primary body for over 4 years, I still admire the quality of the images when looking over my archives.

I got my 5D in early 2006 and still have it. Used it extensively for travel until late 2008, and it got its share of abuse having been to over a dozen countries. Continued using it as a backup/second body for a couple of years and experienced no problems whatsoever. I experienced a couple of error codes, but nothing that removing and reinserting the battery didn't fix.

The biggest issue with the 5D is sensor dust. Oddly, the problem was worse when new; I'm guessing because of oil from the mirror or shutter mechanism? But nothing a quick cleaning didn't fix. I routinely cleaned it during CF card dumps. Literally a 3 minute job once you got used to it. If you often shoot wide open or no lower than f/5.6, you wouldn't even notice minor dust. At f/16, sensor dust often shows up as small, easy to clone specks with hard edges.