EOS 5D mkII- feedback please

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marcia C on March 28, 2009 at 2:07am

I have only had mine a couple of months and the weather is just now starting to get really nice. So, I have not been outside enough to try it out yet.

I will be leaving on a trip tomorrow for 3 weeks. I hope to get a chance to work with it more but I have a different situation than you do. I have my 100-400 mm on my 40D and carry both cameras with me when I am out. That way I do not have to miss a shot and change lenses and settings.

I have been told that the 5 D II will do a great job on capturing wildlife. I might give it a try if I find some animals that are not going anywhere for a while to try the two different cameras for speed.

Permalink Reply by Hubert Guevara on March 29, 2009 at 11:33pm

I exchanged my 400D for my MK II, and I love it. While I just had it for 4 months, and I could not really give an honest to goodness 2 cents on it, I just observed that my colored and b/w pics were crisp and more. Of course, it goes without saying that the lens played a big part in it. . . I love the liveview mode and the video capability (1080P), but you would need a higher CF. Right now, I am using just 8GB.

Permalink Reply by Jordan Stead on May 14, 2009 at 10:51am

if speed and accuracy is what you're looking for, the 5D isn't the usual choice due to slow frame rate and a slower AF.

i shoot sports and other fast-paced stuff on my 40D, and use my 5D for everything else. by no means is a 5D ---> 40D switch a downgrade if speed is what you're looking for!

Permalink Reply by Chris Fabbri on June 1, 2009 at 11:21am

Hi,

After 1000 shots with MK-II and some extensive use of my old 5D, I can tell you the new one is faster in terms of AF. The AF is also better in low light. I also noticed some better color rendition and metering also.

It's not a very fast camera but I believe it deliver 99% of my photo needs, even at sports, BIFs, etc., and the 21mp raw files quality is simply spetacular.

We cannot forget that AF speed is also very related to the glass we are using on the camera.
A 1D-MKIII will have slower AF with a normal Tamron or Sigma zoom lens than a 5D-II with a 300L. I am telling that because there are no miracles on AF technology on any camera.

A real example : I was using a Nikon D3 with a 200-400VR lens (200-400VR is wonderfull pro-grade level Nikon lens)... and D3 is famous for having a lightning fast AF.
The point is, my 5D-II / 300L 2.8 combo focus equal (or even faster) than D3 / 200-400VR combo.

That's it, and hope it helps.

Best,
Chris

Permalink Reply by Scott Milner on June 9, 2009 at 7:20pm

I have had my 5D2 since December and I have shot a little over 10,000 images. I have used it for sports and wildlife and just about everything else. I moved up from a 40D, and I can tell you it is worth the money. Its fps is not as fast, but I can crank up the iso and shutter speed that was impossible with the 40D. Its AF is much better than my 40D, but nothing is perfect. If you get one you will not be disappointed. 21mp RAW files are crisp and clean. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask.

Best wishes
Scott

Permalink Reply by jerry smith on June 20, 2009 at 7:57pm

I shoot fashion/commercial images. I love the canon 5d, have used it for fashion editorial magazine shoots with great result. Since my 5d body is relatively new I continue to shoot it for alot of my work, even since I took delivery of the mark 2. It never fails that when I use the mark 2 I am in awe of the image, almost like 3d by comparison. I put a 70 200 on one body, put a 24-105 on the other body, shoot both cameras and have no problem identifying the shots from the mark 2. it truly is a great camera.

Permalink Reply by shravangotru on June 29, 2009 at 5:24am

Thank all of you very much for the feed back. now i hope i will soon be able to pickup a 5d Mk II.

regrds
gotru

Permalink Reply by Gopal Venkat on June 29, 2009 at 6:18am

Gotru,

I upgraded from a G2 a few years ago to the 5D-I. That was a really good upgrade.
However I see little reason to move to the 5D-II now.

Since you have the 5D-I, I suggest you use part of the $$$ you plan to spend on the 5D-II, to get yourself some excellent L-Series lenses/ Macro lens or a good flash / tripod.

Unless you are a pro who makes a living from your camera, my $0.02 is - save your $$$ on the camera and use it for enhancing your accessories (as mentioned above).

Gopal

Permalink Reply by Daniel Hendley on July 5, 2009 at 6:09pm

Unless you really need the 21MP and video mode, for shooting wildlife, there really isn't *that* much reason to upgrade, to be honest. The primary reason would be the slightly improved AF and the higher ISO performance, but if you have good glass, this isn't as much of an improvement.

In the end it's up to you, but for shooting wildlife, you're better with something like the 1D that can shoot faster frames per second, has the best AF tracking, and can stand up to the elements much better.

In my experience, the 5D Mark II is an amazing camera and I'm 100% happy with buying it, but once it starts getting dark, you really need Canon's USM (preferably the L series lenses) for the best AF tracking. With my 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, it locks on focus very quick and is just about always spot on. When I'm using my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, however, it's much more sluggish to lock in on focus (not to mention more noisy, which isn't good for wildlife), and even when it does, sometimes it's off by a little bit.

Depending on your lens lineup, you may be better off getting higher quality glass before upgrading the body. Who knows, by the time you get all the glass lined up, the Mark III will be out and it'll be that much more improved.