EOS 5D mkII AF sensor + CF card questions

[john clark]

<p>Hi folks.<br /><br />I'm poised to buy a 5D mkII any day now. I've come to terms with the price, and accept that it's not going to be as fast as a 7D. However, one small question remains:<br /><br />I have an EOS 10D and an EOS 3. The '3 has good AF, but I never really took to multiple focus points, so always use the central sensor and recompose. This works for me very reliably, and it hasn't let me down.<br /><br />The 10D I find a bit sluggish in the AF, but even having said that it generally works fine for my focus/recompose technique.<br /><br />I'm wondering whether there would be much of a difference between a 5DmkII and a 7D or even 1DsmkIII in terms of how it focuses IF only using the centre sensor? <br /><br />The criticism I've generally read about the 5DmkII AF is concerned with the lack of sensors (not a problem to me) and how well they work for moving subjects (again, not an issue - I'm the focus-recompose guy, remember?). Before I splurge the readies down, I want a bit of reassurance or otherwise...<br /><br />Also, slightly off-topic, is the 5D mkII fussy about its CF cards, and what would people recommend for mixed stills and (perhaps) occasional HD video use? I read somewhere about 133x minimum, and I'd probably prefer to run two 16Gb cards than one 32Gb, but beyond that I have no plans (my existing 10D cards will be too old/slow for video I would think). At what point does the write speed of the 5D mkII max out (in terms of card speed) - I'm guessing that above this point a faster card is wasted, no?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />John</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>The center X on the 5D II is wonderful - I have done birds in flight (albeit large birds against the sky) with this camera and was 100% pleased. The larger pixels of the 5D II trump the faster AF/crop factor of the 7D - I would make the trade any day of the week. It is a wonderful camera - for image quality, and AF will be fine (3.9 frames/sec is a lot) for most purposes. Where the 5D II had an AF problem for me was in low light conditions - there it hunted much in my experience (using just center X on a 24-105 F4 zoom), and often did not "lock-on." For examples of Birds in flight shots, see my portfolio here at photo.net ("Thailand").</p>

<p>As for the CF issue. I remember reading that video was not that demanding on card speed - do a search here - I think you should be fine with any card above 133x speed - but since this is not my area of expertise, I would strongly suggest searching archives here.</p>

<p>rdc/nyc</p>

[philip_dygeus2]

<p>Hi John<br />I've had the 5dmkII since last summer and photograph exactly like you do - focus and recompose. For the type of pictures I take I never need the extra AF points.<br />My impression is that the AF is extremely responsive. I've in the past used lots of analog EOS cameras, most recently the 1N, and I find the 5DmkII faster and more reliable.<br />So I wouldn't let that discourage you. If you're also like me a full-framer then I wouldn't even consider the 7D.<br />There are lots of post about the CF cards. I use a Kingston 16GB 133x card and a Sandisk Extreme III 8GB. Both work very well with the HD video. Occasionally the buffer indicator comes up but that's rare and I've never experienced any stuttering or lost frames. It's incredible the quality one gets with this camera.<br />Hope it helps!<br />philip<br />philipus.com</p>

[john clark]

<p>Thanks, Guys. I've now enough to feel comfortable ordering. Just need to decide from where :)</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>John, I have the 5DII, 7D and the EOS 3 (among others). You should not find the 5DII Af disappointing if you use the center and re-focus. Between the 5DII and 7D I prefer the 5DII for most uses - except action sports. I have noticed two Af issues with my 5DII, the first might occasionally annoy you as the EOS 3 does seem to suffer to the same extent. In essence when you shoot in low light with a low contrast subject the AF can struggle to find focus - the same thing can occasionally happen when shooting into very bright light with low contrast. I do not find the EOS 3 suffers in the same way. This is a minor inconvenience and happens only occasionally. The other 5DII focus weakness is when you want to lock onto a suddenly appearing subject (e.g. a skier comming over a jump you are underneath). Here the 5DII AF is slightly slower to lock on than the 7D or 1 series bodies. If I recall correctly Pop Photo has the 5DII AF speed about 0.1 seconds slower than the 7D or 1DIV in good light. In all other respects using the center AF point you will see no performance difference with the EOS 3. As Philip says the 5DII is much better than the EOS 1N which was a pro camera.<br>

For Cards I generally use 8 GB or 16 GB UDMA cards (Sandisk Extreme IV or Lexar 300x). I have used older cards - usually Lexar 233x but have even used an old Lexar Platinum II 80x card. I do not shoot a lot of video and rarely use the 5DII on 3.9fps but I have not really had card issues with any of these cards. Unless you shoot long videos or lots of sport I suspect that a 133x or 233x card will be fine. I tend to use 8GB cards (and sometimes 16 GB) as the problems with a damaged or lost card are reduced.</p>

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

<p>Regarding purchase - don't overlook re-furbished or even used...</p>

<p>Adorama had 5D II refurbs with the 24-105 F4 lens for about $2600 several weeks ago - a good deal. You might want to check with them and see how often that offer happens. Also, I have seen used but mint 5D II bodies going for $2000K plus or minus $100 (without a lens and obviously no warranty). These are available here in the Classified section occasionally; and also over at Fred Miranda forums (FM forums) - in the buy/sell section. Finally, check the Big Auction site. These days there is an 8% cash back for "Buy it Now" items - lots of dealers sell there such as Cameta Camera on LI - they provide warranty from manufacturer. (Cameta may only deal in Nikon, but similar on-line stores have Canon).</p>

<p>Good Luck - it is a great camera. I work with both Nikon and Canon systems and for me, if you can get the 5D II for about $2k, that is the best current deal out there (or the 1Ds III for about $3200 if you need a pro body/build).</p>

<p>rdc/nyc</p>

[dcstep]

<p>I use the single center-point on both my 5D MkII and my 7D. The 7D is a little quicker and follows better, but that's not real important in my use of the 5D2, which is more oriented toward scenics, street shooting, portraits, etc. I use the 7D for wildlife including birds in flight where that tracking and speed, along with the high burst rate and larger viewfinder image make the 7D my preferred choice.</p>

<p>BTW, when you crop the 5D MkII images to match the size of 7D image with the same lens, the pixels on subject are very, very close. Since I end up cropping most of my BIF images, the 7D comes out on top for that specialized usage. Sports shooting is another use where you'd consider the 7D, but for everything else, the 5D2 is champ in my bag.</p>

[peter_mckone]

<p>I've been photographing honey bees with a 5D2 using the inexpensive 28-135 mm IS zoom lens. Nearly every image is a keeper. When I took these types of photos with my Rebel 350, I only kept about 1 in 5. I am very pleased with the focus of the 5D2. I'll try to post a 100% crop as an example.</p><div></div>

[steve_dunn2]

<p>I'm too lazy to look up the specs to see what speed card the 5D II requires for HD video. But it should be pretty much comparable to what my 7D needs, since it's writing the same resolution files in the same format at (more or less) the same frame rates. The specs say it needs a card that writes at least 8 MB/s, which is roughly 55x. Having tried mine with a 50x card and an 80x card, I can confirm that the 50x card is too slow (I get the warning about this almost immediately after starting recording video, and video recording stops shortly thereafter) and that the 80x card works just fine. As you might guess from the speed ratings, neither one offers UDMA support.</p>

[justin_t1]

<p>2nd for considering refurbished.<br /> I bought my 5D Mark II from Adorama refurbished, and it is a splendid camera. If not for the different packing and the box it came it I could not tell you the diference between new and refurbished.<br /> Some times you will see them on Adorama but they go fast. For $300 less than new its no wonder.<br /> I have an OLD off brand (Adata) 80x 1gb card, and it most of the time will record till it reaches 800-900mb. During the whole time the buffer bar will go from one to two bars then disappear then repeat till the end of the card's limit. It plays just fine, no skipped frames.<br /> I find the focus to be good to okay when in low light but its a lot better than any other camera I have used.</p>

[markonestudios]

I also bought my 5DII refurbished, at Adorama. Superb camera and very good value for money. I use Sandisk Ultra II's and Extreme III's for both stills and the occasional video. Never had an issue. I agree it hunts a bit in low light (this weekend I was shooting at relatively high ISO with a slow lens), but still got my shots. Faster glass and AF would help, but so does technique if used right. Keeper rate got a notch better when I used my 50 f/1.8 and upped the ISO.