5D mk II still a viable option?

[CJRodgers]

I just got a 5dmkii off ebay this weekend. REALLY happy with it. It has done a few more actuations than i wanted (50,000) but its in great condition and i got it for £1000 and i lived in the same city so i guy came and hand delivered to me! Very nice of him. I had 3K to spend, so the rest is going on lenses / flash now and ill upgrade my body in a couple of years. I was gutted when this latest generation of cameras came out at the higher price point, but im happy with my choice to get the 5dmkii and better glass.

 

[Kernuak]

My main photography is wildlife and landscapes. When the 5D MkII was first released, I considered it as a replacement for my 40D, but I didn't because of the wildlife aspect. Then when the 7D was released, I checked the first RAW images available, compared the amount of noise relative to the 40D and jumped in with a pre-order, keeping my 40D as backup. As a wildlife camera for someone on a budget, it is difficult to beat, however, I immediately saw its weaknesses when photographing landscapes. It can certainly be used as a landscape camera, but it needs a lot more care, with hyperfocal distance and at narrow apertures, diffraction is obvious. After about 10 months, I decided to get a refurb 5D MkII purely for landscapes and it has given me a lot more flexibility in landscape photography and has helped me progress through experimentation and the confidence that the camera will provide the IQ I need. I don't use it just for landscapes however, I often turn to the 5D MkII for macro work, because of the IQ and also because I find it much easier to focus manually with it than the 7D. Also, when the light levels drop, I also use it for low light wildlife, for example, last year, I used it to photograph woodcock roding around 40 minutes after sunset, using centre point focus in one shot mode. It certainly isn't a sport/action camera though. I also used it to photograph diving gannets and that was an experience to say the least (I had concerns there was something wrong with my 7D at the time). I managed to get shots, but it was a single chance on each dive, so I had to anticipate every moment and try to time it right. That's fine where it is more or less predictable once the dive has started, but for more unpredictable moments, it just wouldn't get the shot.
So whether your friend goes for the 7D or the 5D MkII probably depends on whether he shoots more landscapes or more sports. Overall, the 7D probably has the slight edge as an allrounder, but also consider, that the cost of the 7D and 5D MkII together are still slightly less than the 5D MkIII.

 

[RLPhoto]

The 5D Classic is still viable option if your willing to work with it.

The 5D MK.2 is even better but at this price point...

Why not just save the extra bit of cash and invest in the 5D3?

In the end, only you can justify the purchase you make. The only bit of advise is to buy what you really want and work hard to get it.

Otherwise you will regret you purchase and end up buying the piece of gear you wanted and wasting the time and money with whatever you weren't satisfied with.

 

[hectorjr]

Good point. It goes without saying: buy the 5D3 over the 5D2 if that is really what your heart wants ;D

When passion takes over reason in whatever situation price tags are more often than not ignored, hehe.

 

[pakosouthpark]

im also going for a 5D mk ii but not sure if im going to get it with the kit lens - 24-105?
what would you guys do? buy the body only and lens from other makers? i am on a budget so im considering buying lens from another brands (sigma/ tamron). will for sure get a 50mm 1.4 but need another one for general use.

 

[superotaku78]

I had a 7D for a year and ended up selling it for the 5D MkII...couldn't be happier with my purchase. As many have said, the image quality really is night and day. And in regards to the 5D MkII shortcomings, the AF is simple but I can still get great looking action shots of my 20 month old.

As for the 24-105 question, I think it's a great buy with the 5D kit and I love the lens for outdoor pics and parties using a flash. Combine it with a Canon 50mm 1.4/1.8 or Sigma 50mm 1.4 (amazing lens for the money) and you've got a nice little setup.

 

[Axilrod]

The 5DII is still a huge jump from a T2i and a very capable camera. I know with all the 5DIII bashing going on here that it's easy to get the impression that the 5DII must just be a giant piece of crap if the 5DIII is that bad. But most people complaining about the 5DIII are complaining about the price (whether they want to admit it or not).

Keep in mind people are still shooting with the 5D classic and getting awesome images, your buddy will be just fine with a 5DII.

 

[pakosouthpark]

i think another question to add here is - will 5dmk ii drop down price this summer??
it was cheaper last xmas, i hope it gets to that price again! always a few to save and spend it on glass

 

[dickgrafixstop]

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.

 

[Marsu42]

Not only is it still viable, it may be a better option that the MkIII if he's not interested in video.

Imho it's exactly the other way around since the 5d2 runs magic lantern.

 

[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