Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

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Archive 2012 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

arbitrage
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p.1 #1 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

I realize this topic has been discussed a lot. I spend a couple hours per day browsing forums at FM, DPReview and POTN. I read up on Canon, Nikon, and every other manufacturer when they are releasing something interesting/innovative. I'm a gear head and currently shoot with a 7D, 10-22, 24-105, 100L, and 100-400. I started photography in late 2008 with an XSi and the 18-55/55-250 kit lenses. I added the 10-22 to shoot more landscapes in early 2010 before a trip to Argentina. I started liking photography more and more and in the summer of 2010 went and upgraded to the 7D and the 3 L lenses while keeping the 10-22 for the super-wide stuff. I've been happy with all this gear. I shoot wildlife and landscapes mostly and dabble with macro. I like my 7D and have amazing photos from it and I will keep it as my wildlife body and the 100-400. However, I am often bothered by the noise that the 7D creates even at low iso. I just don't like to have to process my files so much to get the stunning images and I don't like to have to expose so far to the right just to have workable images. The majority of my photography is done on vacations/holidays and travelling to other countries (recently Argentina in 2010 and Peru/Galapagos in 2011) and I therefore travel with 2 bodies in case something goes wrong. Right now this is the 7D and XSi but I'm thinking I would be happier with the 7D and 5DMkII. I also hope the 5DMkII would give me images with a much cleaner and better baseline to begin my post-processing workflow.

The current $1999CDN price on the 5DmkII is seriously tempting me to pick one up. The only reason I'm hesitant is that I hate buying soon to be replaced electronics and keep going back to the strong possibility of the MkIII sometime in 2012. I have even considered options like selling the 7D and moving to a 1DMkIV or even the 1D-X as a more "all-in-one" solution. The MKIV is tempting because it has a bigger sensor but still is fast for birding and has some built-in reach with the 1.3crop. The 1D-X is tempting as it could be the best of everything but I think I would miss the reach that I have now with 400mm on a high-density, 1.6crop sensor in the 7D.

I have no idea what to do, any new gear will appease me for a time, photography is just a hobby, my money comes from another profession and is not a real issue but I like to fully consider the value of what I'm going to purchase. Right now a $1999 5DMkII sounds like a good value for my situation but I want to hear any opinions from others. I've learned a lot from FM Forums without ever posting much but thought this time I'd stop lurking and ask for some opinions on my specific situation.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Jan 18, 2012 at 10:28 PM

Tony B
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p.1 #2 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Try a 5dII. If you like the results buy it. The IQ is going to be the same when the next generation appears. I have a similar gear outlook & usually change gear every other model. At present a 1dMKIII & 5D & am in no hurry to change with cash readily available plus being able to purchase as a business expense. But then I was, & still am a tight fisted accountant but not so tight fisted in that if I NEED something I buy it as opposed to WANT it.

Jan 18, 2012 at 10:44 PM

hardlyboring
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p.1 #3 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

I would not advise a Canon buy at this time.
Go if you are looking to drop the money for a 5dmk2 you should be buying a D700 for sure. It is a better camera all the way around as long as you do not need video.
If you want to spend 1dx or 1d4 type money you should be buying a D3s. It will be the last camera you ever buy.
I shot canon forever and now shoot both. I can honestly say Nikon wins in all areas. I could care less how sweet the 1dx is. Nikon lenses are newer, weather resistant, etc. Also the bodies work 100% every time. If you go Canon be prepared to calibrate and re-calibrate etc. It is a vicious cycle. I have never had a piece of Canon stuff that I did not have to get fixed because it sucked focusing.
Nikon has been 100% on the other hand.
It is really a night and day difference.
Unless you are making HUGE prints you will never need 21mps.

Just my .02 cents.

Jan 18, 2012 at 10:49 PM

vawill84
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p.1 #4 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

well thats an interesting take, Ive never shot nikon so I have no room for an opinion there, but I for one have never had an issue with my canon L lenses at all and I shoot primarily on a 5d2. I couldnt be happier with the results.

And I always thought people preferred canons lenses to nikons? Obviously Nikon has a few awesome performers like the 14-24 etc, but I hear alot of people switch FROM Nikon solely b/c of the quality of the canon lenses and the big selection size.

AF wise? Cant argue with you there, everyone knows Canon is lagging behind when it comes to good AF. We'll see if the 1DX and future releases buck that trend.

Jan 18, 2012 at 11:02 PM

kewlcanon
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p.1 #5 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

So are you better than Tony Hoffer ? I doubt it

.

hardlyboring wrote:
I would not advise a Canon buy at this time.
Go if you are looking to drop the money for a 5dmk2 you should be buying a D700 for sure. It is a better camera all the way around as long as you do not need video.
If you want to spend 1dx or 1d4 type money you should be buying a D3s. It will be the last camera you ever buy.
I shot canon forever and now shoot both. I can honestly say Nikon wins in all areas. I could care less how sweet the 1dx is. Nikon lenses are newer, weather resistant, etc. Also the bodies work 100% every time. If you go Canon be prepared to calibrate and re-calibrate etc. It is a vicious cycle. I have never had a piece of Canon stuff that I did not have to get fixed because it sucked focusing.
Nikon has been 100% on the other hand.
It is really a night and day difference.
Unless you are making HUGE prints you will never need 21mps.

Just my .02 cents.

Jan 18, 2012 at 11:03 PM

garydavidjones
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p.1 #6 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

I have the Canon 7D, 5D II, and 1D IV. They complement each other.

I use the 7D for birding as you do and for zoos (many of critters hide out

in the back of enclosures, requiring the 580 EX flash to illuminate them).

The 5DII is great for portraits, landscapes, and macro (visiting botanical

gardens are a favorite activity.

The 1D4 is great for moving subjects such as fish in large aquariums like

the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

For travel urban travel such as European cities I take the 5D and 1D.

For nature trips the 7D is excellent.

Jan 18, 2012 at 11:04 PM

arbitrage
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p.1 #7 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

hardlyboring wrote:
I would not advise a Canon buy at this time.
Go if you are looking to drop the money for a 5dmk2 you should be buying a D700 for sure. It is a better camera all the way around as long as you do not need video.
If you want to spend 1dx or 1d4 type money you should be buying a D3s. It will be the last camera you ever buy.
I shot canon forever and now shoot both. I can honestly say Nikon wins in all areas. I could care less how sweet the 1dx is. Nikon lenses are newer, weather resistant, etc. Also the bodies work 100% every time. If you go Canon be prepared to calibrate and re-calibrate etc. It is a vicious cycle. I have never had a piece of Canon stuff that I did not have to get fixed because it sucked focusing.
Nikon has been 100% on the other hand.
It is really a night and day difference.
Unless you are making HUGE prints you will never need 21mps.

Just my .02 cents.

I value this opinion and there is no doubt I've thought about going over to Nikon but I have never had any problems with the quality of the L lenses or even the 10-22. I've never had much issue with autofocus with the 7D either although maybe I just don't know what I'm missing!! The 5DmkII would be used on tripod with liveview focus for most landscape work anyways so I don't care too much about the outer ring of autofocus points. I also don't think I could drop down to FF 12mp resolution even if it is that good. However, the D4 at 16mp does look tempting. I also don't think I want to manage files much bigger than my 7D ones so if the rumoured D800 is 36MP and then the 5DmkIII comes in 28-34mp or so then I think this may just be too much. The 7D, 5DMkII, 1D-X, 1DmkIV and the Nikon D4 all seem about right on the MP stage to me.

Another problem is having to reinvest in Nikon glass and go through the bother of selling my current Canon gear. I hate selling stuff and usually just keep everything anyways.

Jan 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM

Ralph Conway
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p.1 #8 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Yes!

Jan 19, 2012 at 12:32 AM

learyt
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p.1 #9 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

You, my friend, have the sickness bad. I think if you get the 5D it will pretty much round out your gear but I'm afraid the satisfaction will be temporary. You will then want UWA zoom for landscaping and on and on. I have both the 7D and the 5D II and feel that overall the 7D may be a better camera. The 5D does have an IQ edge and maybe around a stop better high ISO noise but most of this is only noticeable if you live at the pixel level. Not knocking the 5D at all, I just don't think you will be blown away when coming from the 7D. Now using that 2k burning a hole in your pocket towards the 70-200 2.8 II may blow you away.

Jan 19, 2012 at 12:34 AM

Chris Ventura
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p.1 #10 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

As a Nikon shooter who has also owned Pentax and Canon, I will say that there are a LOT of lenses that Canon offers that Nikon doesn't that has made me consider giving Canon another try as I am eagerly considering full frame once again. The price of the 5DII is nice, but new upgrades around the corner make one want to wait... but in reality all waiting does is make you miss using the new gear.

I would get the 5DII if you want... when/if the 5DIII is out.. you won't take a major hit, as I am sure the III is going to be $3000 for sure. So maybe you lose $500 or so. Looking at your lens list makes me think you might want to add some of those awesome L lenses to your bag. I know, you said you want the 5DII, but man think about what you could add for the same price :-)

70-200F4, 135 f2, and 50mm 1.4
or 85 1.2
or 70-200 2.8 IS II
or 50 1.2 and 135 F2..

OK, I will stop now.

Jan 19, 2012 at 12:48 AM

Scott Stoness
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p.1 #11 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

hardlyboring wrote:
I would not advise a Canon buy at this time.
Go if you are looking to drop the money for a 5dmk2 you should be buying a D700 for sure. It is a better camera all the way around as long as you do not need video.
If you want to spend 1dx or 1d4 type money you should be buying a D3s. It will be the last camera you ever buy.
I shot canon forever and now shoot both. I can honestly say Nikon wins in all areas. I could care less how sweet the 1dx is. Nikon lenses are newer, weather resistant, etc. Also the bodies work 100% every time. If you go Canon be prepared to calibrate and re-calibrate etc. It is a vicious cycle. I have never had a piece of Canon stuff that I did not have to get fixed because it sucked focusing.
Nikon has been 100% on the other hand.
It is really a night and day difference.
Unless you are making HUGE prints you will never need 21mps.

Just my .02 cents.

Nonsense that d700 is better than 5dii.
- D700 has only 12 mpx vs 21 on 5dii. This give you lots of opportunity for cropping.
- D700 has a ISO rating of 2300 ISO vs 1815 - this is marginal. 1/2 a stop. And they achieved this because the used 12mpx with almost twice the spacing of pixels as 5dii.
- Dynamic range is very similar.
- So I agree that it is different - Nikon chose low pixels (which makes cropping a bit harder) and Canon chose more pixels which makes ISO tougher. But at ISO 100, 5dii is better and for cropping 5dii is better.

Nikon lens better - again noncense - they are very similar with canon having better lens for some (70-200 f.28 II, 300 f2.8, 500 f4) and nikon having some better (200-400 f4).

The difference in bodies are marginal. The biggest difference is in priorities.

Nikon is chasing ISO. Canon is chasing more pixels, faster fps, and ISO.

Jan 19, 2012 at 01:12 AM

Scott Stoness
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p.1 #12 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

But here is the answer to your question.

5dii is a great camera.
- Has really nice ISO capabilities. A bit short of Nikon because they use less pixels but that's just a design choice
- Has really nice image quality.
- It complements the 7d very well - less reach but better ISO, more pixels, wider, same batteries
- If this was the end of all canon evolution, I would stop and say don't hesitate.

That said, 5dii is getting old:

- There must be another version coming. Likely 1 stop better iso (equivalent to Nikons $7000 offerings), and lots of features from 7d (weather sealing, lighter touch, less mirror slap, maybe 6fps, more stops in auto-bracketing). It is not clear whether they will move it back to 18mpx (same sensor as 1dx) or go to 30mpx.

- The question you might have is wether you would regret buying a 5dii and then seeing a better 5dii. A lot of this is just emotional. If you plan to use it, you could easily get 5 more years out of 5dii. Resolution is topping out and future resolution will have diminishing returns because lens will limit them. ISO might get 1 or stops better, but for landscapes, this is not needed anyway.

- Old 5d classics are still selling for $1000 because they are still very valuable. They are able to do as well for landscape as 5dii or d700 but don't have the iso capability.

- I think the next 5dii is at least Sep of this year away for delivery, possibly a year away.Can you wait. If you can't, and I could not for wider and better for landscape.

So my advice is that if it will bug you to have a new camera that is not the latest and greatest next year, either wait or buy the 5d classic and upgrade then. But buy one of them, because ff is way better than crop for landscape and you will miss lots of opportunties on the way.

Jan 19, 2012 at 01:27 AM

Gyroscope
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p.1 #13 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Yes you should. I took 2 5Dmk2's and a 7D to Botswana recently and most of my best pics were taken with the 5D2's. Image quality and high ISO is MUCH better. Not to say the 7D is no good - I get great shots out of it when I use it for birds or extra pixel density requirements when I need that extra reach but the 5D2 is more satisfying. And don't let anyone tell you a 5D2 can't shoot wildlife or action its crap.

I realized though once I got back that it is the lenses that are most important. Sure I wished I had a Mk4 sometimes but I still got great shots using good technique and practise. Good technique and practise can't overcome the lack of certain focal length lenses like a 500mm. Bottomline is whatever camera you buy it will plummet in value and be replaced within 3 years so just buy it and enjoy it. In fact get a second hand body so you don't lose so much. My 7D is relegated to just shooting birds on my 500mm and thats it. The 5D2's cover everything else. I won't be rushing out to buy the 5D mk3 once its available - my pair of 5D2's will suit me fine for a while (at least until 5D3's are available on the used market

)

Jan 19, 2012 at 01:27 AM

thedutt
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p.1 #14 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Dont worry too much about new camera coming out. Remember you are able to get 5DII now for $1999, not when it came out. Would you be willing to shell out the $s for the new one? (if history is any indication, it would be priced around $3k).

While I am confident that the new camera will have upgraded features, 5DII will last you really well until you are ready to "upgrade" to MK III or whatever it ends up being called. The best part about getting FF in your case may be the fact that while traveling you can just take 24-105 on a 5D II during the day and you have a great general walk around kit. Swap that 10-22 for a 17-40 and you will be all set.

Jan 19, 2012 at 01:37 AM

buddyRoland
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p.1 #15 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

D700 is an excellent camera but not superior to a 5d2; superior in some ways yes, but inferior in some ways also. And the 5D2 out sells it handily.

You can find some excellent deals on like new or refurbed 5D2's, so I would buy it. I sold my 7D recently but just bought another one because it really does compliment my 5D2.

The 5D2 has less noise and better image quality but the 7D's AF is superior and the built in wireless feature and ergonomics are better. Plus I get the reach with the 7D.

Jan 19, 2012 at 02:31 AM

galenapass
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p.1 #16 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

I just sold a D700 to purchase a 5DII. Don't underestimate the 5DII sensor. The difference in files was significant. The 5DII gave me a lot of flexibility when it came to cropping and personally I like the 5DII output better at ISO less than 1600.
OTOH, the D700 is just a great camera. Rock solid focusing and it would give you access to a new world that you may know nothing about - Nikon legacy glass. Fine optics that can be had for a fraction of today's lens prices, with wonderful tack sharp performance. If you are willing to use you eye, fingers and some patience to focus, I would highly recommend a D700. True you can mount this same glass on a 5DII (as I have) but it's much more fun to use it on a camera with the native mount.

Jan 19, 2012 at 03:52 AM

Kisutch
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p.1 #17 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

I'd wait til 5DIII. If you're into your gear, won't you be bummed when a new model comes out so shortly after you sink $2k into the old model? Then again, you could get a double-whammy of gear giddiness if you buy a 5DII now, and then sell it and upgrade when the 5DIII comes out. I'm in the same boat--have a 7D, lust over 5DII... I just find that there are lots of things for $2k that are more lust worthy.

The practical thing to do (IMO) would be to invest in something that will really open new doors for your photography. Improving IQ and ISO performance is kind of boring in the grand scheme of things. I know 5Dii is supposed to kick ass for landscape, but I have trouble believing that it's gonna fundamentally improve your images compared to what you get from the 7D (perhaps I am wrong, but for me I'm pretty sure it's not my 7D's pixels that are holding back my landscape shots). Something like a fast prime or a speedlite (from your post it sounds like you don't have either) could give you access to a wider variety of photography styles and be more fun than getting a better sensor. Oh, and if you are a gear head, you're gonna love lighting--radio triggers, soft boxes, and all sorts of fun gadgets.

Jan 19, 2012 at 04:12 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #18 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Thanks for all the replies so far. I've not made any decision yet and I guess I have till Jan. 31 to decide as that is when the price may jump back up by $300. Then again stock could be getting low at any time so I'm trying to decide ASAP. However, it has been selling at $1999 in Canada since last fall but occasionally jumps back to 2299 or higher.

I appreciate all the input so far and enjoy the d700 debate as always!! I dont see a d700 in my future but i will admit the grass does often look greener on the other side. More opinions are still welcome.

Jan 19, 2012 at 04:18 AM

paregorike
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p.1 #19 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

i was a heavy Canon user until i bought the Nikon D3s. As much as i love the D3s, i could never let go of the 5D Markii. Despite all the shortcomings of the 5D markii, i still think it is the IQ king.

Ron

Jan 19, 2012 at 04:21 AM

Gochugogi
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p.1 #20 · Should I buy a 5DMkII??? Need opinions....

Jan 19, 2012 at 04:22 AM

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