5D MkII for aviation - will it be "good enough"

[bryce_malton]

<p>Dear community,<br>

I have had a one off money input and so I am upgrading finally from my old 350D and decided on the 5D MkII. This is a LONG term purchase and it has been a big decision for me. The reasons for the 5D are:-<br>

1) I do mostly landscape and outdoor - often in the evening - low light.<br>

2) I am addicted to Aurora shooting and so low light is a key requirement.<br>

3) I do wildlife including some birds in flight.<br>

I have invested in L glass over the years deliberately for this moment. My lens set is:-<br>

24-105 L IS<br>

17-40 L<br>

TSE 24 L<br>

100-400 L IS<br>

EFS 10-22 (being sold EFS is no use and range covered by 17-40 so no replacement)<br>

EFS 60 Macro (being sold EFS - and not much used - no replacement)<br>

Sigma 100-300 f2.8 (used with a 2x converter)<br>

Will be buying the 24mm f1.4 for the aurora quite possibly<br>

So the ONLY niggle is I do occasional airshows which I love. A key gripe with the 350 at airshows is the poor autofocus performance on flying aircraft. This also is a problem with soaring birds. I know the 5D auto-focus is not as good as later models such as the 7D but will the 5D be good enough ?<br>

Does anyone use a 5D for aircraft shots ? I would hate to buy it and find it has a fatal flaw that irritates the bejezzus out of me.<br>

Before anyone flames me - I have tried to find one to try but I haven't had access to one and a flying aircraft at the same time.<br>

Any viewpoints welcome.</p>

 

[danielleetaylor]

<p>Not sure about birds as I've never used a 5D mkII for birding. It's safe to say you would notice the improvement and a higher keeper rate with a 7D or 1D. But I would think the 5D mkII would at least be usable for occasional birding.</p>

<p>The AF should be fine for airshows. I've shot airshows with DSLRs dating back to the 10D and I never found them to be challenging for AF. I'm even surprised you had trouble with the 350.</p>

<p>Could it be a lens or teleconverter issue? I've always shot airshows with crop and either a 70-200 f/4L or a 300 f/4L IS, typically center focus point and AI Servo.</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>I currently use a 7D but used to have a 30D. The AF on the 5DII is similar to that on the 30D but it has additional hidden AF points. My keeper rate with the 30D was very high, even when shooting fast moving jets such as the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds. It comes down to your technique more than your camera (although great AF helps). You should be able to shoot the airshow just fine with your 5DII.</p>

[savas_kyprianides]

You don't want a 5D for airshows. I get by with one, but it's way easier with a body meant for distant action.

[SteveH]

<p>Hi Bryce. I've shot moving things with the original 5D with good success. Mk2 should be fine. As an aside, you might want to think about the 14 mm 2.8 for Aurora. I'm an aurora nut as well, and this lens is great. The 17-40 works also, but is a bit slow. </p>

[dcstep]

<p>I own the 5D2 and the 7D. I use the 7D for birds and sports and the 5D2 for everything else.</p>

<p>The 5D2 will be fine for airshows with your 100-400mm. Yeah, the 7D would be better for planes in flight, but you'll be pretty happy with your 5D2. Birds will be another thing. I have a pro friend that uses a 5D2 with a 100-400mm and a 600mm prime for birds. You would probably be better off with a 300mm f/2.8 and a 2x TC to get you out to 600mm for birds.</p>

<p>Having both is luxurious and highly recommended if you can afford it.</p>

[jim_j2]

<p>I would think the 5D Mk II should be fine for Airshows.<br>

I'm pretty certain it's AF is better than the Elan 7e (film) that I have used in the past as well as an EOS 3.<br>

I currently use the 50D and I think the AF systems are similiar.</p>

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>I do mostly landscape and outdoor - often in the evening - low light.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Let's clarify something first. Granted, the 5D Mark II is known for its "low light shooting capabilities." But when people say this they're not talking about landscape shooting where the camera is probably on a tripod, ISO is set to a low value (100 or 200), and shutter speeds are long. Any camera will work well under these "low light" shooting conditions. Of course, the 5D2 also offers high resolution which will be helpful if you want to make large prints of your images.</p>

<p>The 5D Mark II (and similar high-end, late-generation cameras) are also good when you need a FAST shutter speed in low light. Here you need to shoot at higher ISO values (800-3200, etc.). The 5D2 will be able to shoot in these conditions with less NOISE than most digital cameras and far less GRAIN than ANY film camera. If you are shooting weddings or sports in dark places, a camera like the 5D2 is a huge asset.</p>

<p>For your subjects (including birds and air shows), I think the 7D would be a better choice. It has good noise control (not as good as the 5D2, but still very usable). It will let you use more of the frame for distant objects like birds and planes. It has more advanced autofocus capabilities that will help you capture moving subjects more easily. And the resolution is still very good.</p>

 

[PuppyDigs]

<p>If you enable the "6 invisible" AF assist points in AI servo, my 5D2 certainly tracked moving objects in the large sweet spot in the frame center better than my 40D and 50D. Not as nimble as the 7D but in typical bright air show light the difference isn't much.</p>

[jamie_cobeldick]

<p>To be honest I've never found the 5d mark II's auto focus to be that great even with things that aren't moving. It's not bad if you use the centre focus point only but the pack multi point focus I find often struggles to lock focus. <br>

I've used my 5d mark II at a number of airshows with a Canon 400mm 2.8 and a Canon 600mm 4.0 and have always found it a bit off. Images are just not super sharp and the auto focus hunts around a lot trying to focus.<br>

Maybe it's just my body but I now stick to my 1ds mark 3 which nails it almost every time.</p><div></div>

[savas_kyprianides]

<p>Mine will nail non-moving and moving objects. It’s just that nailing a fast moving object is more work with a 5D, and what you nail is in the center of the frame. That, plus the full frame reach is not what you get with a crop.</p>

<p><img src="http://SavasK.zenfolio.com/img/v13/p474201489-4.jpg?sn=3" alt="" /></p>

[bieg]

<p><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/9232017-md.jpg" alt="" width="979" height="652" /><br>

5D MKII and 400 2.8 IS</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>Never had a problem with the 5D MkII</p><div></div>

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>I also upgraded from the 350D to a 5D2 a couple of years ago.</p>

<p>The outer AF points on the 5D2 are poor. When shooting wide open you simply cannot depend on them to get accurate focus no matter what. Of course when shooting at narrower apertures the extra depth of field takes up the slack a lot of the time.</p>

<p>Now I shoot with the centre focusing point only and use the back button focusing method. AI servo AF is permanently enabled. This is a much better working method and one I would encourage you to try.</p>

<p>Regarding the 5D2's performance at airshows, it still makes me chuckle when I hear photographers comparing the AF of one camera over another. Virtually EVERYTHING in flight at an airshow is at infinity. Switch to manual focus, set your lens to infinity and leave it there. Tape it down to prevent it shifting with some masking tape if you have to. The only time you'll need AF at an airshow is if the plane you are photographing buzzes right past your head. You see all those nutters at airshows frantically focusing their lenses every time they press the shutter button. Why? Every time they re-focus the lens, their camera is focusing at infinity, LOL.</p>

[bryce_malton]

<p>Thank you all for the responses, it has been very useful. It seems seems the vast majority seem to get on ok with it - thanks for the picture samples. @Jamie C - the 1Ds Mk3 would be lovely but I just cannot afford that price jump. <br>

@ Dan S. - understand what you are saying but I don't always want the silky water long exposure look. I find I often want to take something in lower light when the breeze is moving it and I need a fast speed - I think the 5D will give me that flexibility.<br>

@ Daniel - I also find that using the centre point and AI servo is the best technique but it does rely on getting an early lock with the centrepoint which is challenging with some fast jets. I can't agree with Jamie's pont that you can lock at infinity - I have tried this but found the close passes are noticeably out of focus. <br>

Once again thanks - it has made me happier with my decision.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>Infinity focus only works for aircraft way out in the sky - anything like take off or landing or low level flight over the airfield then you need to actively focus. The longer the lens the more you need to focus. Even my shot at only 280mm was not at infinity even though it may look like it.</p>