Wait for upgrade to Canon EOS 5D Mark ii?

<p>I am a casual to serious photo hobbyist. I've had Nikon F3/ F5, Nikon D70s.<br>

Thinking about a Canon EOS 5D Mark ii, but its about 3 years old, so I'm wondering if I should wait for Canon to release an upgraded model. <br>

What do you guys think?</p>

<p>If Canon is going to launch anything it will be within the next 2 months. Same with Nikon of course, the D700 should have been replaced a long time ago.</p>

<p>The tragedy in Japan and the overall poor worldwide economy has stopped both Nikon and Canon from sticking to their usual new release schedules. If nothing happens within the next several weeks you may be better off getting the awesome 5D II, which is very affordable relative to the comparable Nikon D3X.</p>

<p>I recommend refurbished units directly from Canon USA which have been going for $1999, if any are available. That way if Canon does release something within the next 6-8 months you will see the least depreciation possible.</p>

<p>A reasonable guess based on history would have placed the announcement in October of this year. However, as John as mentioned, the effects of the tsunami are significant and continue. Honshu is still 25% down in power production, scores of small component manufacturers were destroyed and all of them face some level of reduced production because of the power shortage.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/">http://www.canonrumors.com/</a></p>

<p>I'd still buy a 5D Mark II today. Get a refurbished one on the cheap so you won't feel regret if a newer model comes along too soon. </p>

<p>I would hold off. The 5D Mark II is 3 years old, but even at release was kind of old being a 2005 5D Mark 1 with updated MP and movie mode. It's metering, autofocus, etc. is the same as the 2005 Mark 1, there's been a lot of improvements since then. It's a great camera, but I'd hold off at this point.</p>

<p>As others have pointed out, if something is going to be released it will be soon. Also, the two tend to leap frog each other, I would wait and see what's going to happen on the other side of the bridge there may be a surprise this time around (especially since you hint you have Nikon).</p>

<p>I have plenty of experience buying something and then in a matter of weeks the new version comes out and the new version ends up being a legend that holds its value and I end up having purchased the model no one wants. If that's any indication, I was going to buy a new dslr a few months back :) Because the 5D Mark II has the internals of an old camera and two... if you have Nikon equipment Nikon has stopped producing the D700 for about 6 months now and has had no inventory of it for about 4 months. Possibly Nikon wanted to be certain no one still had the D700 for what's coming next, maybe it will be something awesome. After ending up twice now paying thousands of dollars for something only to have a new version come out a few weeks later and end up being a huge improvement I think it's worth waiting.</p>

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<p>I'm wondering if I should wait for Canon to release an upgraded model.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Frankly, your question is silly. No one knows how long you'll have to wait, so nobody can give rational advice on whether its better to wait. Nobody knows how much the mk3 is going to cost, so nobody can give rational advice on the cost effectiveness of the unit. Nobody knows the specs, so nobody can give rational advice on performance. If you have to wait another 1-3mo then maybe it's not so silly, another 1-3yrs? maybe it is a bit silly. If it's $2700, then it'll be a steal, if it's $3500 maybe not so much. Remember that even though they announced the new lenses last November, it took six+ months until all were widely available and stocked - I remember similar shortages when the mk2 came out. I'd expect them for the mk3 whenever it becomes a reality. <br>

Personally, were I in your shoes, I'd find a good price on a mk2 in good condition (owned by a hobbyist), and BIN - or get a refurbed unit. Worst case is you'll be able to sell it for <em>nearly</em> what you paid for it (best case is that you'll sell it for more), as the original 5D has shown us, these FF units hold their value remarkably well. I fully expect that the 5D2 used will retain it's ~$2k asking price (maybe drop a smidge) for the forseeable future.</p>

<p>Markus,<br>

Don't insult my intelligence; my question is not silly. I am new to digital photography, it is quite different than film. I have been a student of film photography for 30 years, but I stopped taking pictures about 8 years ago when my daughter was born. I haven't studied digital technology much, so I try to translate the technology into analog concepts I'm familiar with. </p>

 

<p>I've decided to hold off on the EOS purchase until a newer model comes out from Canon or Nikon.<br>

Thanks for everyone's input.</p>

 

<p>Dan, if you remove Markus' first sentence, I don't think it's an insulting answer, and in fact I'd agree with most of what he says.</p>

<p>Stepping back in history, I wanted to buy a 5D and was waiting for the 5DII to come out so that I could do it. Just before the release of the 5DII, Canon wanted to clear out its inventory, so they started offering steep manufacturer rebates. That's when I bought mine, along with a 24-105 kit lens (that I also wanted). After deducting out the lens, I paid probably $1400 for the camera. A few months after that, Canon released the 5DII, which would have been financially beyond my reach, but which was a far more enticing camera! Prices of the used 5D cameras started dropping from maybe $1000 (memory is vague on this number) to a low of about $800 maybe a year after the 5DII release. Then it started climbing again.</p>

<p>I don't expect the 5DII to hold its value quite as well as the 5D, because the 5D remains the cheapest entry into full frame digital photography. However, the 5DII is also the cheapest entry into full frame video.</p>

<p>I do want to upgrade to the 5DII, but I think I'm going to wait until the 5DIII release, just to see what it is and what its features are. It's noteworthy that the 60D was largely a cheapened version of the 50D, offered at a significantly lower price point. Canon might do something like this in the 5D lineage. Nobody knows.</p>

<p>I have no idea what the 60D did to the resale value of a used 50D, owing to the lower price point. (Does anybody else know?)</p>

> What do you guys think?

 

I think that this question is asked here about once a week and the answer is always the same, so please don't react

negatively to the responses that you receive. You might have known what to expect had you taken the time to search on the topic.

 

Most of us don't know when Canon is going to release new products. The people who DO know won't say due to

nondisclosure agreements. Predictions are only so much guesswork. Should something be announced there will

almost certainly be a waiting period for availability.. Do you have jobs coming up that require a 5D2? If so, what are

you waiting for? If not, take your time and see what happens.

 

My own guess is that we won't see a new 5D type camera until next year. The 5D2 still sells well, and Canon will

want to take their time testing new features, including a lot of new video features. Video users make up a significant

portion of the 5D2's user base, and Canon will not want to lose their edge in the DSLR video field by releasing a

product that doesn't dazzle. Plus, the 5D2 really doesn't have any competition for it's feature set at it's price point.

Canon doesn't need to hurry, and the Japanese manufacturing sector is still dealing with major setbacks. Of course

my predictions are worth no more than the next guy's, so do whatever makes sense to you.

<p>I should have known I'd get this reaction....ha, ha. I asked this question because I'm ignorant of how much (or little) the full-frame digital chip technology can improve over a 3 year R&D period. I suppose my question really should have been phrased, "Is it likely that a new release full-frame digital camera will be substantially improved in terms of resolution, speed, dynamic balance, etc." I understand that live video capability is now a big selling point of these cameras, but it is not important to me. I just want the highest quality digital images in a camera under $4000, whether it's Nikon, Canon. I previously sold my Nikkor lenses, so I'm flexible. I would like to produce 16x20 prints that look really nice. I have a nice print collection on display in my home made from 4x5 and 8x10 negatives by another photographer. I haven't seen digital prints that look anywhere near this good, but I don't get out much!</p>

<p>I bought a 5D Mark II just two days ago. Couldn't be happier. Got it for 2249 CAD new. </p>

<p>Honestly, you should think about it more in the sense," what else do I really need in a camera" apart from the 5D Mark II, and if you find yourself saying "Oh I need this or that", look at other models or Nikon models and see if they have what you need.<br>

I'm not a sports shooter, which seems to be the only crux for the 5D MKII. Simply put, the body is VERY rugged, probably could withstand falls and more and the IQ is amazing. Lastly ISO 6400 is very usable. It is, IMO, 5X better than 6400 speed film.</p>

<p>Canon doesn't typically announce new products at PhotoPlus, but I'm hoping that if I sniff around long enough I might get the scent of a release date for the Mk III.</p>