What's the Verdict on the 5D Mk II?

[durr3]

<p>Ok, let's hear from you guys on the real skinny on the 5D II. I am about to switch sides and I want some input. I shoot mostly portraits and candids, so that should help. I also shoot with Leica M.<br>

-Durr</p>

[squareframe]

<p>switch sides? what does this mean? cross-dressing, batting-practice, cultish camera-allegiance?</p>

<p>daniel taylor</p>

[matt_m__toronto_]

<p>durr,<br>

i'm assuming you mean switch sides from nikon to canon? i'm in the same boat. just ordered a nikon to canon lens adaptor as well to try my nikkor class with manual f stops on the 5dmk2. from what i've seen, and in the price range, i'm sold *i think. will have my own 5d2 in a day or so and hope to not be disappointed :)</p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>Wow, plenty of ship jumpers around here. At the rate Canon and Nikon are updating cameras, surely it would make more financial sense to just sit and wait for the camera you want instead of swapping sides. Jeez... just think of the expense of changing!</p>

[dmanthree]

<p>My verdict is the same as always; sell my 5D and upgrade to the II next spring, after the camera is past its "beta" phase and the prices have dropped. It's an excellent upgrade, and I'm looking forward to it.</p>

<p>Nah, who am I kidding? I'm keeping my original 5D, but I'll still get the II and keep the original for my son. It's just too good a camera to let go.</p>

[matt_m__toronto_]

<p>jamie, i'm not sure if 'ship jumper' is the correct term? right tool at the time for the job no? a camera is a camera. i can use my manual focus lenses on the 5d2, so no added expense.</p>

[christopher hartt dallas]

<p>Whoa, do you mean "jump" from Nikon to Canon? Now is not the time. As a very entrenched Canon user, I'm thinking that the Nikon D3 is superior to my Series One Canons, primarily because of the low light performance and SMALLER RAW files. No bride needs the resolution of a 5D2 (or Ds3) for her wedding pictures. I've used a D3 for several months and if I were a "new" purchaser, I'd likely choose Nikon right now. And check out their D3x if you want a high end (better) alternative to the Ds3 (btw, I currently use 2 Ds3's).<br>

Check out 3d party resources like dxomark, etc. You'll find the quality marks go to Nikon right now while the quantity belongs to Canon.</p>

[hawkman]

<p>Durr this is interesting... Having tried the 5D MKII, I just changed ship to Nikon. But these are personal preferences :) However if you decided to purchase a 5D MKII keep on eye on the classified section, I will be putting up some nice Canon gear which might save you some bucks.</p>

[jonny_mac]

<p>It's amazing to me how much $$$$$$ people seem to have to just switch on a whim....</p>

[hawkman]

<p>You are right it is a costly decision, most of it or at least a good portion can be recovered though, thanks to eBay. Back in 2004 I bought a Canon 17-40L for about $650, I sold this lens on eBay in spring for about $640, of course I have lost due to inflation in 4 years but considering the 12,000+ photos that I made with that lens it was still a very good recovery. It is interesting to see how eBay has changed the market for used gear...</p>

[jonny_mac]

<p>Arash good point...I forget about recovering the investment through good sales technique. I just sold my 10-22 for $590 and bought it for $640, when I upgraded to the 5d2. So, only $50 lost there. </p>

[james_glucksman1]

<p>I am very happy with the 5DMkII. I got mine to replace a stolen 5D, so the thief actually solved me the problem of what to do with the 5D. (Thank you, Ms Thief, whoever you are!) The IQ is excellent, and so far I have not found anything wanting on it (though I could have done without the video capture mode; I doubt I'll ever use it). </p>

[durr3]

<p>THANKS for all of your input. </p>

[pgranone]

<p>Keep your 5D original. You will not get much for it used these days.</p>

 

[ty_mickan]

<p>unless you're a pro, you have the Lecia, what more do you need?</p>

[evphotography]

<p>Hi Durr,<br>

If you can afford it go for it, if the extra resolution is important to you. I just got mine yesterday and even though I haven't had the chance to take many shots with it, I am very impressed. I am not worried about testing the IQ, because I have read enough reviews to know it is top notch. Only problem I can see now is I need better lenses, my 17-40mm F/4L just isn't going to cut it for landscape work I do. But feature wise and build quality I am impressed with, I couldn't be happier.</p>

[jack_franklin]

<p>Eric, what lens would you like to get to replace your 17-40?<br>

JF</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Eric</p>

<p>Why do you think the 17-40L won't cut it? Surely an L lens should be capable of delivering a top quality image with any camera? </p>

<p>I use the 17-40 with a 5D. The problem I find with it is to do with distortion and curved horizons in particular. I don't see much wrong with the resolution of my photographs with this lens, and surely the 5DII isn't going to be so superior as to render a previously satisfactory lens performance not good enough? </p>

[evphotography]

<p>I'm looking at getting a Contax C/Y 35-70mm f/3.4, Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI-S and probably Olympus 21mm f/2 or f/3.5. You can pick these up for about $275-400 each, depending on the lens. I agree David when I shot the 5D the 17-40mm was great, but with the new 21MP sensor the resolution is so great that it really brings out any flaws at all in a lens. The softness in the corners is really apparent when you get into that high of resolution sensor. Much more so then with a 10- 12.8MP sensor. I could pick up all three of these lenses for about same price as one Canon 24mm f/1.4L and any one of them will be equal and most of them better. With my landscape photography, I like to make large prints so I need a lens that is sharp across the entire frame. Not that the 17-40mm lens is not good enough, for most people it probably is, but it just depends on how critical you are on the quality of your images. I always strive to get the highest quality possible out of my images.</p>

[vandit]

<p>Amazing. Almost 20 replies and only 2-3 actual answers to the OP's question....<br>

To the O: I havent gotten one yet, but based on my research, will be picking one up by end-Jan or so. As far as I can tell, it appears to be a very worthwhile upgrade to the 5D and has comparable/slightly better noise than the D3 when comparing identically-sized images (ie, D3 upressed to 21MP). Since my target output is a print, this is a more useful metric for me.<br>

Cheers,<br>

Vandit</p>

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664882761]

<p>just got my 5dmkll, and can't seem to download raw files to PS3. will download to DPP, but error message on PS3 say's not correct document. any thoughts... thanks</p>