5dMKII vs. 60D

[jasonmillard81]

I was looking at these two packages I put together for mainly video purposes...thoughts?

60D - $2,200

Canon 60D Body (DIYMicro) $788
Sigma 30 1.4 (Unique Photo) $439
Tokina 11-16 (SimplyElectronics) $686
Transcend 32gb SHDC (B&H) $39.95

5DMKII - $2,643

Canon 5DMKII Body (RytherCamera) $1989
Canon 50mm 1.4 (AbesofMain) $379
Transcend 32gb CF (NewEgg) $65

 

[King Conquer]

I have both. And honestly they are amazing cameras but you cant just have a 50mm on the mk2...

I wouldnt want a camera if i only had 1 lens to shoot with, especially A 50mm. Its not really a walk around lens for me.
The mk2is obviously better but i would go for the 60d because youll have more glass

 

[Picsfor]

I'm from the opposite side of the fence.

I started photography in an era when every camera came with a standard 50mm f1.8.
I went and bought one for my 5D2 because i think it is such a great teaching lens, and does some really nice portrait stuff as well - using natural light only.

Oh, did i mention that i have 2 5D2's, not that i'm biased towards a particular camera!

 

[alipaulphotography]

Depth of field on 5D is so much nicer than the 60D. And I totally disagree that you can't just have the 50mm on it. I shot this entire set with nothing but the 50mm f/1.4.

http://alipaul.com/travel/kos/

It is my all purpose lens followed closely by my 35mm if I'm going to be indoors in tight spaces. 50mm depth of field on full frame is just that nice.

Stick with primes for video.

 

[smirkypants]

What about the 60D and the Canon 17-55 EF-S 2.8 USM IS? It's hard to go wrong with that combination. I think the 17-55 is my favorite Canon lens.

 

[alipaulphotography]

What about the 60D and the Canon 17-55 EF-S 2.8 USM IS? It's hard to go wrong with that combination. I think the 17-55 is my favorite Canon lens.

I did own the 17-55mm f/2.8 when I had a cropped camera. It was great for general purpose but I still ended up preferring the look I got out of primes. I am very shortly about to get rid of the final zoom lens I own due to lack of use.

Call me old fashioned but I just prefer prime lenses and using my feet. Shallow depth of field, sharper images, wide apertures are things I can't sacrifice.

 

[Zo0m]

What about the 5Dmk2 + the 50 1,8 lens? That way you could still afford a wide angle samyang.

 

[smirkypants]

Call me old fashioned but I just prefer prime lenses and using my feet. Shallow depth of field, sharper images, wide apertures are things I can't sacrifice.

Can't argue with the results. Those shots from Kos are nicely crafted.

 

[alipaulphotography]

Call me old fashioned but I just prefer prime lenses and using my feet. Shallow depth of field, sharper images, wide apertures are things I can't sacrifice.

Can't argue with the results. Those shots from Kos are nicely crafted.

Thank you very much. Your kind words are greatly appreciated.

 

[Leopard Lupus]

I own both cameras and the 50mm f/1.4

Your choice really depends on how quickly you can add glass to your kit later on. Personally the 5D mk ll + 50mm f/1.4 is taken out of my bag for general use 95% of the time. As a walk around, a 50mm focal length is perfect. However if you are not patient with mastering that focal length or feel the need to get a bit of a variety, go with the 60D setup. The only issue with 60D setup you might run into is the focal length spacing of your lenses. It is better to zoom with your feet, in my opinion. You don't have anything above a 30mm which (at least for me) if you are shooting people at all, is a very uncomfortable focal length for the model as well as yourself. As far as DOF goes, 5D mk ll takes the cake. Filming, 60D is the winner.
Before you purchase (if possible) go to your local Canon dealer and ask to hold/try both camera bodies and lens combinations for a couple of minutes if you have yet to. I don't regret the purchase of either body, but let me tell you... The nifty fifty 1.4 is a must, regardless of your chosen body!

 

[alipaulphotography]

I own both cameras and the 50mm f/1.4

Your choice really depends on how quickly you can add glass to your kit later on. Personally the 5D mk ll + 50mm f/1.4 is taken out of my bag for general use 95% of the time. As a walk around, a 50mm focal length is perfect. However if you are not patient with mastering that focal length or feel the need to get a bit of a variety, go with the 60D setup. The only issue with 60D setup you might run into is the focal length spacing of your lenses. It is better to zoom with your feet, in my opinion. You don't have anything above a 30mm which (at least for me) if you are shooting people at all, is a very uncomfortable focal length for the model as well as yourself. As far as DOF goes, 5D mk ll takes the cake. Filming, 60D is the winner.
Before you purchase (if possible) go to your local Canon dealer and ask to hold/try both camera bodies and lens combinations for a couple of minutes if you have yet to. I don't regret the purchase of either body, but let me tell you... The nifty fifty 1.4 is a must, regardless of your chosen body!

I believe the term "nifty fifty" is reserved for the f/1.8. My only gripe with the 1.8 was the ugly hexagonal bokeh balls. I agree that 50mm is great on both bodies. As is 30/35mm for that matter.

 

[AG]

Ok ima video shooter and i have used both,

If you are just starting out then yeah the 60D will serve you well for a long time. It will get you into the understanding of DOF and how to pull focus on a DSLR etc etc.

But where the 60D has those bonuses it also lacks a fair bit. Those being low light and other details that you can only really get from a FF sensor.

On the other hand the 5D is a fantastic camera but not really a camera for a beginner. The learning curve is steep and you may be better off sticking with the 60D is you are not 100% dedicated to what you are wanting to do.

As for lenses, The 60D with the Tokina and a 50mm f1.8 (around 80mm on FF) will cover most shots you will need for basic video, maybe even chuck in a cheap 55-250 lens in there too for those shots you need the reach.
On the 5D the 24-105 will be more than capable for most video because you don't use the zoom when filming you fix a focal length and then use the focus ring only. This way you can cover the use of multiple primes with a stock lens, at least until you can upgrade it to primes that are in the lengths that suit your style of shooting....or you can afford a set of EF Zeiss Cine Primes.

The only other thing that i would suggest is skip the single 32GB card and buy 2x16GB cards, That way if anything goes wrong during a shoot then you only loose 1 card and you can always offload during a shoot by rotating them instead of having to stop filming to do so.

Either way let us know what you decide to go with.

 

[zorior]

my advise: if you have the money buy the 5dmarkII camera is way better camera, and if you are dedicated you'll learn it very fast.

 

[alipaulphotography]

Ok ima video shooter and i have used both,

If you are just starting out then yeah the 60D will serve you well for a long time. It will get you into the understanding of DOF and how to pull focus on a DSLR etc etc.

But where the 60D has those bonuses it also lacks a fair bit. Those being low light and other details that you can only really get from a FF sensor.

On the other hand the 5D is a fantastic camera but not really a camera for a beginner. The learning curve is steep and you may be better off sticking with the 60D is you are not 100% dedicated to what you are wanting to do.

As for lenses, The 60D with the Tokina and a 50mm f1.8 (around 80mm on FF) will cover most shots you will need for basic video, maybe even chuck in a cheap 55-250 lens in there too for those shots you need the reach.
On the 5D the 24-105 will be more than capable for most video because you don't use the zoom when filming you fix a focal length and then use the focus ring only. This way you can cover the use of multiple primes with a stock lens, at least until you can upgrade it to primes that are in the lengths that suit your style of shooting....or you can afford a set of EF Zeiss Cine Primes.

The only other thing that i would suggest is skip the single 32GB card and buy 2x16GB cards, That way if anything goes wrong during a shoot then you only loose 1 card and you can always offload during a shoot by rotating them instead of having to stop filming to do so.

Either way let us know what you decide to go with.

I don't see why the 5D has anymore of a learning curve than the 60D? Could you explain that one to me? And a 50mm is 50mm on FF. So I assume you meant to say 80mm on a cropped sensor.
I wouldn't say either are 'beginner' cameras. I'd probably get the 1100D for that.

I agree with the memory card situation. Get more smaller cards as it is possible they can corrupt. I have 4gb and 8gb's cards and about 6 of them.

Low light and depth of field are the big bonuses with full frame.

 

[dstppy]

Ok ima video shooter and i have used both,

If you are just starting out then yeah the 60D will serve you well for a long time. It will get you into the understanding of DOF and how to pull focus on a DSLR etc etc.

But where the 60D has those bonuses it also lacks a fair bit. Those being low light and other details that you can only really get from a FF sensor.

On the other hand the 5D is a fantastic camera but not really a camera for a beginner. The learning curve is steep and you may be better off sticking with the 60D is you are not 100% dedicated to what you are wanting to do.

As for lenses, The 60D with the Tokina and a 50mm f1.8 (around 80mm on FF) will cover most shots you will need for basic video, maybe even chuck in a cheap 55-250 lens in there too for those shots you need the reach.
On the 5D the 24-105 will be more than capable for most video because you don't use the zoom when filming you fix a focal length and then use the focus ring only. This way you can cover the use of multiple primes with a stock lens, at least until you can upgrade it to primes that are in the lengths that suit your style of shooting....or you can afford a set of EF Zeiss Cine Primes.

The only other thing that i would suggest is skip the single 32GB card and buy 2x16GB cards, That way if anything goes wrong during a shoot then you only loose 1 card and you can always offload during a shoot by rotating them instead of having to stop filming to do so.

Either way let us know what you decide to go with.

I don't see why the 5D has anymore of a learning curve than the 60D? Could you explain that one to me? And a 50mm is 50mm on FF. So I assume you meant to say 80mm on a cropped sensor.
I wouldn't say either are 'beginner' cameras. I'd probably get the 1100D for that.

I agree with the memory card situation. Get more smaller cards as it is possible they can corrupt. I have 4gb and 8gb's cards and about 6 of them.

Low light and depth of field are the big bonuses with full frame.

I'm guessing that he is referring to the fact that the 5D MKII only has a creative zone vs the 60D which has the more conventional presets found in point & shoot cameras.

 

[dtaylor]

But where the 60D has those bonuses it also lacks a fair bit. Those being low light and other details that you can only really get from a FF sensor.

There isn't a detail difference between the two sensors in good light when using their full 18/21 MP resolution for 24" prints. What difference will be observed when their resolution is processed down for video and displayed at a maximum of 2 MP (1080)?

Low light I'll give you. The 5D2 is amazing in low light. But the 60D is pretty good itself.

On the other hand the 5D is a fantastic camera but not really a camera for a beginner. The learning curve is steep and you may be better off sticking with the 60D is you are not 100% dedicated to what you are wanting to do.

In what way does the 5D2 have a steeper learning curve?

As for lenses, The 60D with the Tokina and a 50mm f1.8 (around 80mm on FF) will cover most shots you will need for basic video, maybe even chuck in a cheap 55-250 lens in there too for those shots you need the reach.

Sigma 30 f/1.4 or 50 f/1.4 would be much better choices. The 50 f/1.8 is optically good, but has poor bokeh and is a pain to manually focus, which is even more critical for video.

I'm not sure shallow DoF is a good argument for the 5D2 for video either. Wide open primes on FF are difficult to use in any close situation for still photography. Manually focusing for video? Forget it. You will be stopping down any way.

 

[alipaulphotography]

But where the 60D has those bonuses it also lacks a fair bit. Those being low light and other details that you can only really get from a FF sensor.

There isn't a detail difference between the two sensors in good light when using their full 18/21 MP resolution for 24" prints. What difference will be observed when their resolution is processed down for video and displayed at a maximum of 2 MP (1080)?

Low light I'll give you. The 5D2 is amazing in low light. But the 60D is pretty good itself.

On the other hand the 5D is a fantastic camera but not really a camera for a beginner. The learning curve is steep and you may be better off sticking with the 60D is you are not 100% dedicated to what you are wanting to do.

In what way does the 5D2 have a steeper learning curve?

As for lenses, The 60D with the Tokina and a 50mm f1.8 (around 80mm on FF) will cover most shots you will need for basic video, maybe even chuck in a cheap 55-250 lens in there too for those shots you need the reach.

Sigma 30 f/1.4 or 50 f/1.4 would be much better choices. The 50 f/1.8 is optically good, but has poor bokeh and is a pain to manually focus, which is even more critical for video.

I'm not sure shallow DoF is a good argument for the 5D2 for video either. Wide open primes on FF are difficult to use in any close situation for still photography. Manually focusing for video? Forget it. You will be stopping down any way.

I shoot my f/1.4 primes on full frame wide open almost all day at weddings with moving subjects. I would hardly say "forget it". It just takes some practice and perhaps a precision focusing screen.

 

[stevevihon]

I think you need to consider what type of photographer you are.
-- Are you more comfortable having the versatility of a zoom lens versus using your feet to move closer or further away from the shot you want?
-- Do you need the versatility a zoom lens offers? Are you deliberate in your shooting? Or, do you need the flexibility a zoom will offer with different views of the same scene?
-- How important is bokeh in your photos and do you shoot in low light? If these are important, consider a prime.

I do not have experience with either camera. I most recently owned a Nikon D300. My first lens for it was a 35 f2, which I sold to buy a 17-55 f2.8. The zoom lens was much heavier and more cumbersome. I was able to fiddle with the lens length for a particular scene, but I spent more time snapping shots versus thinking through what I wanted to shoot.

It might be worth thinking about what you will be shooting and how you are comfortable shooting and then let that lead you to your answer.

 

[briansquibb]

Prime lens all have that manual zoom, 1 step forward and one step back - makes a BIG difference with a 50mm