5D vs. Mark II

[yakim_peled1]

<p>

<p dir="ltr">What will you do with the extra money if you'll buy the 5D1? Is your lens setup up to your preference?</p>

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

<p dir="ltr">Happy shooting,</p>

<p dir="ltr">Yakim.</p>

 

<p dir="ltr"> </p>

</p>

 

[harryjacksonjr]

<p>This is a budget matter.<br>

I shed a tear when I traded my 5D for a Mark II; I almost kept it because we'd been so much together.<br>

But, the Mark II is a better camera for MY needs. I do a lot of fast-draw shooting. With that 21.1 megapix, I can use shorter lenses. Just a month ago, I shot a hiking photo and the hikers were quite a distance away. Still I shot the scene with a 16-35, probably 20-ish. I had a great vista photo, but when I cropped down, I could see the faces, expressions and the whites of the eyes of the people who were on the trail. And the cropped file was still above 5 mb and could stand alone as a closer photo.<br>

It focuses like lightening and the depth of field with shorter lenses is terrific.<br>

Also, as a sharpness junkie, it is noticably sharper to the trained eye. But to get that improved sharpness, you have to anchor the camera, or use a measured flash rather than an auto flash close up. <br>

Still, today, I'd still buy a used 5D before I'd buy a new 50D or 7D because of the full frame capability. I'm not keen on the video, although it's nice to have if a job comes up. So as a still camera, teh Mark II is the best I've ever owned and the 5D the second best digital and the third best camera behind the company's last F1.<br>

As a pro, you need to make the investment. As an amateur, even a serious amateur, the first 5D is a great camera, still better than everything else other than Canon's top pro team.<br>

Now, excuse me, I have to get to the soup kitchen since I can no longer afford food.<br>

h</p>

[steve_wagner1]

<p>I assume you're aware of the extra 9mp. Unless you care about video that's the reason to buy it. Noise and overall image quality on the 5D2 is absolutely stunning.</p>

[abargrill]

<p>Walker Evans once said (paraphrasing because I don't recall the quote): If you need to crop, then crop.</p>

[Landrum Kelly]

<blockquote>

<p>Bresson said something like this "If you don't get the full composition right, no cropping can save your picture"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Whether HCB said it or not, it is nonsense. A crop is a new picture, not a salvaged version of the original. I personally do not think that one can have too many pixels and cropping options.</p>

<p>Should one buy the 5D II to get more cropping options? I am not sure. In any case, one of the reasons for shooting full-frame is to be able to get shallow DOF without having to use telephoto lenses. In that regard, however, both variants of the 5D give great results.</p>

<p>As for astro-photography, some subjects benefit from the telephoto effects of the cropped sensor cameras. Whether to pick up a 50D or spring for the 7D--<em><strong>in addition to the FF camera</strong> </em> --is a factorable issue. I personally don't think that 21 MP is overkill for landscapes or even portraits, but high pixel density can actually help with much astro-photography. As for landscapes and portraits, people are paying tens of thousands of dollars for digital Hasselblads. It is hard to have too many pixels for landscape photography, in my opinion. Lots of pixels also give fine, crisp prints without adding unsharp mask.</p>

<p>In any case, 21 MP is still nowhere close to medium format, in my opinion, although it is getting close enough for most people most of the time. If one is a resolution junkie, however, the 5D II is the clear winner for all of the Canon DSLRs, unless one must have the weather-sealing and overall durability of the 1Ds III.</p>

<p>There are so many variables to consider here. Although I would like to sell anyone my lightly-used 5D (I have three FF Canons!), I would have to tell them up front that the 5D II is probably worth the additional cash--or the wait until such time as one can come up with the cash. Then again, when was the last time I ever paid cash for anything as expensive as a FF Canon?</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

[markonestudios]

Mike, my experience has been that the 5D2 has totally exceeded my expectations. I initially wanted to get the Mk1, but just when I'd saved up enough to get one, they announced the Mk2. I tried out the Mk1 back in 2006 and was convinced it was "the one" from my very first encounter with it. When I tried the Mk2 early 2009 and looked at the files, it blew me away. Got mine in Oct. Noise is so very low. Live view is a useful tool (reduces the "Hail Mary" factor in those overhead shots at weddings ;-)), I can basically shoot in the dark (dimly-lit restaurants, etc.) with a lot of confidence. HD video is a different beast which I plan to get to grips with eventually (might as well!). Overall, if you have the cash for it, I highly doubt you'd regret the purchase.

<p>Caveat: make sure you have decent glass. You'd rather have that and "settle" for a Mk1 rather than get a 5D2 and use sub-par lenses.

[g dan mitchell]

<blockquote>

<p><em>for me, live view, HD video and most digital gimmicks of 5DMkII are wasted </em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>For me, live view turned out to be - unexpectedly - one of the most powerful and useful features for my photography, much of which is urban and natural landscape and night photography. (I wrote up a <a href="http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2009/07/06/why-i-like-live-view-on-my-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii">post on the subject</a> summarizing some of how I rely on it.)</p>

<p>I'm not a video shooter so that doesn't matter to me. I do appreciate the effective dust reduction system of the 5D2. I shoot outdoors a lot and often change lenses, sometimes in windy conditions. After a year I have not had to do a "sensor cleaning" at all. I get an occasional dust spot, but these generally disappear by themselves after a few on/off cycles.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

[Landrum Kelly]

<p>Mike, let us know what you decide to do. I'm happy to say that I sold my 5D a couple of days ago (as much as I liked it) and now only have the 1Ds II to get rid of. (I'm planning to keep the 5D II). It was getting rather ridiculous with three FF cameras. One FF Canon ought to be enough for an amateur who shoots as rarely as I do. Still, they are wonderful instruments, and I hope that you get the one you really want.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>