5D mk II still a viable option?

[preppyak]

Not only is it still viable, it may be a better option that the MkIII if he's not interested in video.  The
price difference in the two will buy a great lens (or two) or even a second body.  Canon is seeming
to bend over backwards towards the video imaging crowd lately at the expense of the still shooter,
packing their offerings with (for me at least) unnecessary, unwanted and unused features that have
to drive the price up.

It cracks me up when I see this. The upgrades for video for the 5DIII were basically no moire, a choice of codecs, and a tiny bit more resolution. Everything else is a stills upgrade (since video doesn't use the 61pt AF, dedicated AF processor, the 6fps, etc). A video person probably wouldn't spend double the price for a 5DIII, where as an event shooter/wedding photog would. The 5dIII is basically a dream wedding camera, not a dream video camera.

Anyway, to answer the OP, the 5dII is excellent for its price point, especially if you can get it through Canon Loyalty for $1400+tax. Or through the various Ebay deals that have had it well below $2000. I have no problem shooting kayaking with my 60D (essentially the same as the 5D AF), I just know I won't always nail every shot. But the trade off will be you'll get great landscapes compared to the 7D, and more useable low-light. So unless you're doing more than 50% sports stuff, it's worth it.

[NormanBates]

* 5D3 has clean video: no aliasing/moire anymore. That's a huge advantage over the 5D2.
* It seems like the 5D3 will get Magic Lantern too (soon).

[preppyak]

* 5D3 has clean video: no aliasing/moire anymore. That's a huge advantage over the 5D2.

Would you pay double the price for it? Id gladly spend a little more for it (think Nikon D800 v D800E), but not a $1500 premium for something I can largely handle with plugins.

Just very different markets really. What the 5dIII serves is very different than the audience the 5dII served

[tron]

It is a very viable option. Of course it always depends on what you want to photograph most. For example, instead of trying to find a 5DmkIII, I ordered a TS-E17mm 

[tron]

* 5D3 has clean video: no aliasing/moire anymore. That's a huge advantage over the 5D2.
* It seems like the 5D3 will get Magic Lantern too (soon).

The fact that Moire is totally absent makes me afraid of a more powerful AA filter which may be the culprit for what is considered as "bug" in Lightroom: Less sharpness. I can't stop from thinking that the fix in DPP was a conditional - applied for 5DmkIII cameras - sharpening.

[Marsu42]

* It seems like the 5D3 will get Magic Lantern too (soon).

Yes and no - it will run most likely run ml if the current devs keep developing (for free), but how would you predict "soon"? Even the prioritized 5d2 port isn't out of beta yet, I guess the 5d3 port will take at least a year, because right now it's at the "Hello, World" stage!

[johle]

Just my two cents:

I upgraded to the 5D Mark II, from a 400D. All I can say is wow! I have the Sigma 50mm F1.4 and a Sigma 24-60 F2.8, and they are great with the 5D! The deal-breaker for me was FF/ISO performance, and everything else that comes with that.

For me it was a lot of money (since I'm still a student!), but it was my first body updrade since I bought the 400D in 2006.

Sure, the 5D Mark III is better - but do I need it? No.

It's up to you in the end, but for me it was a VERY VIABLE option And I'm loving it!

Some people complain about the AF, and well. In REALLY dark situations, like photos in clubs or similar, the AF cannot cope. However, the ISO performance is great in these situation... Solution: buy a flash to use the AF assist grid! I don't use the flash, but perfect focus At least that is what I did... And for all other situations, the AF was fine for me. And If you want to do evening/night landscape photography, well... there is always the live-view and manual focus...

I only use center-point AF though...

Just my thoughts... I hope you will be happy with your final choice!

[skitron]

I bought a 5D2 at the end of last year during the dive-bomb pricing, and have been pleased with it since I managed my expectations with respect to the autofocus. Curiously, I find the outer points work pretty good with my Sigma 50 f/1.4 but not worth a darn with my 100L. So that was a pleasant surprise since I was expecting to not be able to use them at all. The IQ is as good as everyone says and as you see in samples.

[wickidwombat]

my advice on the AF
Understand the system, know its limits and work within them
on the 5D2 I pretty much stick to center point only

one cool AF setting i had my 5D2 set up as that the mk3 cant seem to be set up to do is
enable direct controller for af point selection so you move the joystick and the selected Af point moves, push it in and it goes to center. The part the mk3 cant do is push the top right back button AF selection button and it will go to area AF for if say you are shooting f8 and from the hip doing some street photography and let the camera select the AF then just puch the joystick in to go back to spot selection when you want its very fast and easy.

I guess the simplicity of the AF system of the mk2 is a strength in a way too. It is frustrating when moving from a more advanced system but if moving up from a rebel you will probably find the center point much more responsive than the rebel and the othe points not much different to that of the rebel.

And image quality is still awesome from these cameras that wont change

[jaduffy007]

+1

The 5d3 price difference is very difficult to justify for many shooters.  Your friend might (probably will) find the 5d2 AF frustrating for sports, but for everything else, use focus / recompose and it's fine.  Otherwise, get a D800.  Switching via the used lens market really isn't as painful ($$) as people make it out to be.

I definitely wouldn't consider the 5D3 right now, unless you desperately need the improved AF or the clean video
personally, that's not enough for me to pay so much more ($3500 vs $2200), and therefore my decision right now is either 5D2, or switch over and get a D800

and given all this, in the end I'm just waiting to see if the 5D3 falls in price, as previous "losing models" have done (D700<5D2, 60D<D7000)
http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=6539.0

[briansquibb]

+1

The 5d3 price difference is very difficult to justify for many shooters.  Your friend might (probably will) find the 5d2 AF frustrating for sports, but for everything else, use focus / recompose and it's fine.  Otherwise, get a D800.  Switching via the used lens market really isn't as painful ($$) as people make it out to be.

I think the friend might find the 4fps d800 frustrating for sports as well

[justsomedude]

FWIW... I'm actually considering buying a refurb'ed 5D2 from the Canon store simply for compatibility with my collection of PocketWizard Flex units and my 580 and 430 flashes.  The upgrade path for off-camera lighting, via the 600EX and ST-E3-RT is simply cost prohibitive (given the number of lights I use).  Quite frankly, I'm a little baffled that Canon goes so far to cripple PocketWizard units on their new bodies. 

I understand they think they're protecting sales and proprietary tech, but let's face the facts - PocketWizard was first to the RF game, and they made it a viable solution years before Canon even considered it.  It's time Canon approaches PocketWizard to develop a formal partnership (before you flame - I know it will never happen).  So I'm happy waiting for a PW firmware upgrade, because I refuse to give Canon money for their 600EX system - as that would just support their arrogant approach to "innovation".

In the meantime - a 5D2 will serve me just fine.

[D_Rochat]

If what you ultimately need is FF and low light and sports is secondary, then the 5D II is still a great. Just because a newer model is out doesn't make it a bad body. Unless your friend is a pro sports photog, I would worry too much about the AF. It's far from great, but still doable. You will get far fewer keepers that a 7D though.

Just to prove that you can shoot sports with bad af, the image below was shot with a 500D in AF servo.

[well_dunno]

my advice on the AF
Understand the system, know its limits and work within them

knowing its limits...  I could not agree more...

After all, even the equipment that is seen as worse have their optimum settings to deliver good results IMHO. People were able to take amazing photos for many decades without any of the  fancy equipment we have today...

Cheers!

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Hi All,

posting this on behalf of a colleague who does not have internet at the moment.  However he wants to upgrade from his 550D to one of the xD range of cameras.

He would like to know if shelling out for a new 5d II is still a good option?  The 5d III is out his price range and he believes the 7D might not suit his needs.

He does a lot of landscape, low light (high exposure), some sports photography.

I went with the 7D as it suited my needs more.  however I can't seem to convince him!

For low ISO, tripod work the 5D2 is pretty much every bit as good as the 5D3 other than a few UI improvements.

The 5D3 doesn't have banding in deep shadows at very high iso, the 5D2 can, so for certain scenes the 5D3 shot might look at lot less ugly. The 5D3 also has about almost 2/3rds of a stop better SNR, not all that huge, but a bit noticeable.

5D3 has much higher fps and more AF options and speed, quicker response time, etc. for sports.