Фотоаппарат Canon EOS 5D Mark II Body — 591 отзывов, плюсы и минусы

В целом, аппарат разочаровал по ключевым моментам, особенно для тех, кто ожидает стабильной работы в фокусе и высокой детализации. Не рекомендую как основной инструмент для серьёзной фотографии или видео, лучше посмотреть на более современные варианты с большим разрешением и лучшей поддержкой. Если бюджет ограничен и нужны базовые функции, то подойдёт, но с оговорками.

Несмотря на недостатки, камера может быть хорошим вариантом для любителей, если не обращать внимания на мелкие огрехи. Я бы поставил высокую оценку, если бы цена была адекватной, но в целом она стоит усилий для тех, кто снимает много и не гонится за новинками. Рекомендую для начинающих энтузиастов, кто готов мириться с устаревшими элементами ради полного кадра.

В целом это солидная любительская камера для тех, кто ценит систему Canon и не гонится за сверхъёмкими вложениями, хотя я сам предпочитаю Nikon и считаю её классом выше. Оценка 5 из 5, потому что плюсы в экосистеме и качестве с хорошей оптикой перевешивают минусы, особенно если вы снимаете в студии или с штативом. Рекомендую энтузиастам Canon, кто готов мириться с видео и цветами, но для профессионалов лучше подождать обновлений вроде Pellix от Sony.

В общем, эта камера — инструмент для опытного фотографа, который дополняет мастерство и знания, без них она просто тяжелая металлическая конструкция, и лучше выбрать компактный вариант. Рекомендую тем, кто снимает стоковые фото или ценит полный кадр, но будьте осторожны с уходом и выбирайте подходящую оптику. Для новичков может не подойти из-за нюансов.

В целом камера выдаёт отличные снимки, и с ней придётся немного привыкать, как с любой продвинутой техникой. Но для меня качество изображений не стало заметно лучше, чем у оригинальной 5D, а местами даже хуже. Не вижу смысла переходить на эту модель, если у вас уже есть первая версия, и большие принты она не улучшит.

Аппарат в целом радует своими возможностями, особенно в плане оптики и видео, но мелкие неудобства в управлении и шумы могут подпортить впечатление при интенсивной работе. Подойдет энтузиастам, кто готов мириться с этими нюансами за счет качества снимков. Советую для тех, кто снимает в разных условиях, оценка положительная.

В целом, камера превзошла ожидания для начинающего, фото получаются на уровне профи. Рекомендую тем, кто хочет шагнуть в серьезную съемку, особенно если любите портреты и пейзажи — с хорошим объективом она тянет все. Оценка твердая четверка с плюсом, без особых сожалений.

В общем, эта камера превзошла все ожидания, особенно по качеству снимков и видео. Для профессиональной съёмки или любителей высокого разрешения подойдёт идеально, советую всем, кто ищет надёжный инструмент. Оценка на высоте, рад, что обновился.

В общем, камера превзошла все мои ожидания по сравнению с предыдущей моделью, и я очень доволен переходом. Рекомендую всем, кто ищет надежный инструмент для серьезной фотографии и видео, особенно профессионалам или энтузиастам, готовым к апгрейду.

В общем, это достойная камера, которая держит марку на уровне Nikon D700 и Sony A900, без явного превосходства или отставания. Рекомендую тем, кто ценит экосистему Canon с её сервисами, аксессуарами и поддержкой, особенно если снимаете в RAW и не гонитесь за максимальной скоростью. Для профессиональной работы подойдёт, но стоит взвесить все сравнения с альтернативами.

В общем, эта камера полностью оправдала ожидания и даже превзошла их, особенно если вы переходите с кропа. Я долго сомневался, стоит ли брать именно эту модель, но теперь жалею только о том, что не сделал это раньше - для любителей качественной фотографии она идеальна. Рекомендую всем, кто хочет настоящий полный кадр без компромиссов.

В общем, аппарат превзошел ожидания, особенно в плане качества фото в сложных условиях. Для тех, кто ищет надежную полнокадровую камеру с хорошим динамическим диапазоном, это отличный выбор. Рекомендую всем, кто серьезно увлекается фотографией.

В целом, эта камера предлагает солидный набор функций для фото, особенно если вы цените высокое разрешение и удобный корпус. Несмотря на некоторые огрехи в видео и обработке, она подойдет энтузиастам, кто готов мириться с нюансами ради качества снимков. Рекомендую для тех, кто ищет надежный зеркальный аппарат без лишних наворотов.

I'll leave the number crunching to the pocket-protector folks who do their thing much better than I could (or would care to). I just want to pass on my experience so far with this camera after about a year of owning it.The good: love the ergonomics of this camera, the solid feel and the overall handling. The build quality is high. The RAW files that come out of it have a hard to define quality to them that I find pleasing. Not to mention the files are very flexible for post-production.However, this camera has a few problems that result in 4 stars.First up, the evaluative metering almost always overexposes outside during the day. Sunny, cloudy or anything in between. Not a huge deal but it's annoying. And it does it so consistently you'd think it would be easy enough for Canon engineers to fix it. I never seem to have this problem inside shooting with available light. And the exposure is always spot on using ETTL flash. No matter, exposure compensation to the rescue. Still, just seems quirky for a $2k body for it to be off so consistently in the same situations.Next up, the notorious focus issue that has polarized so many online. Not sure if it is a QC issue or what but right out of the gate I noticed that the camera wasn't focusing correctly. I would focus on somebody's eyeball, either in autofocus or manual focus, then make my exposure. The resulting image would show the tip of the subject's nose in focus but their eyeball soft. Again and again. Using a lens target and a tripod to create a controlled environment, I concluded that the alignment between the lens, mirror and pentaprism must not be right. A simple way to prove that it has something to do with the relationship between the lens, mirror and pentaprism is to take them out of the equation. Focus in liveview works perfectly. That's because you're focusing directly on the sensor in liveview, bypassing the other components.So if you have this problem, no you are probably not the slack-jawed troglodyte that Joe Pro on the camera forum made you out to be.Although Canon has never formally admitted it, I'm pretty sure this is a common known issue. I told Canon support what I thought was wrong, sent the camera back and they repaired it under warranty. It's fine now.(BTW, you can calibrate your body to different lenses but in this case the camera was way off. Not only that, it seemed to be off by different amounts depending on if I was focusing in the left or right side of the frame. Also off by different amounts at different focal lengths along a zoom len's range.)With the focus issue now out of the way and enough experience to know I have to compensate for the goofy outdoor metering, I find little to complain about. I've run into a few little things here and most of them were simply the result of having not read the manual thoroughly enough. Also, I know some people find low-light autofocus to be either poor or not possible. I can't say I've experienced that.I can't speak highly enough of the image quality, especially how well the files hold up under low light. Overall I'm really happy with this camera.~The 24-105mm f4 lens is a nice walk-around lens. I'm not really a fan of zooms in general but they are handy and this one covers a really useful range. It may not seem like a big deal but the constant aperture is really helpful when you shoot manual, especially shooting available light in low-light situations. I'd say the image quality is a little better than middle of the road (again I'm not a numbers guy). Lightroom helps to smooth out some of the problems. It's a solid lens but nothing special. If I was to redo the purchase, I would probably get the body and a used 24-70 or just get the 35mm and 85mm primes instead.

I am SOO glad I own this productUpdate Aug 2011... I got an err70 code which required the camera be returned to Canons service center in Irvine CA. I called them up and explained the issue. They gave me free shipping (to print from the printer) for UPS so I packed it up and sent it off to Canon with a letter where I told them how much I loved the camera (I think my compliments and not being pushy made a very big difference). The camera was 2 years old with well over a 100,000 clicks. I receive the news the cost would be about 200 for the repair. When I went to pick it up Canon replaced the shutter and board restoring the camera to like new condition. It would have been fair to bill me more than 1000 for these repairs since the camera was well used and 1 year past the warranty but they didn't. The gentleman explained that by looking at the camera it was obvious it was not dropped or exposed to abuse and because it was a computer issue they would extend this courtesy. THANKS Canon, I am a LOYAL customer for life. Makes me feel great about the over 10k investment in your product! Nice to see a big corporate company look out for their customers.Since the original purchase 2 years ago I have purchased a 2nd 5D, and 6 prime lenses. I was curious if this would be a passing phase but it was not. I have gotten a lot of pleasure from this camera and continue to do so.The Canon Mark ll 5D is EXCEPTIONAL, anyone who says the 21.1 MP is overkill is underestimating the ability of cropping wildlife photos to the smallest part taken at a far distance. I can still find sharpness in the smallest possible section of the focused part of a photo. It really is incredible; the vivid monitor's sharpness tells the whole story without dumping the large files onto a laptop. The edge of a ruffled bird's feather, the sunlight on the corner of a leave is still noticeable and sharp with 21.1 MP. Because you can "double check" the sharpness prior to snapping the photo using the LCD, you are saving yourself lots of editing (and space, the files are huge) on the computer. This instantly makes you a better photographer and frees up more time taking pictures instead of editing them. Also, if you manage to take fewer photos but better ones, this can make the extra space for these larger 21.1 MP pics (about 28mb) on your computer's hard drive about a draw.I used for the first time a 100-400 IS lens and after 10 minutes of practice have taken better photos than ever before. The 180 Macro lens takes pictures like a microscope capturing the infinite details of nature hidden from the human eye. Adding the 21.1 MP factor makes your possibilities practically unlimited. If you do not use L series lenses or better, and do not have the budget for these lenses, wait and do not buy this... you will only be torturing yourself by not having them, they are a must have. It would be like driving a Ferrari on rims.Because the AF (auto focus) mode adjusts so many functions including the ISO, an amateur like me can enjoy taking photos while not being concerned about the settings I promised myself I would learn. I just can't put the camera down long enough to read up on it! As promised this camera is excellent in very low light with the noise factor eliminated or greatly reduced. Amazing the way the 5D picks up light at night, just amazing. Once you take pictures at night with this camera, no other camera will do.Also, for anyone wanting to learn more about this camera, (and really any other camera like it) Youtube "Canon Mark ll 5D" and you will find about 20 knowledgeable videos of pros doing hands on demonstrations, comparing similar models, and offering priceless tips about functions you never knew the camera had. This, along with Amazon's testimonials proved invaluable in my decision to buy. If you would like to see the manual ahead of time visit Canons website [...]I was initially concerned that the camera may be a little complicated since I moved directly to this higher end camera after using the smaller Canon SD cameras and snapping pics with my friends Rebel 300d. The 5D is quite simple and once you use it, you will be hooked.I also recommend a Hyperdrive, a hand held device up to 160 GIG (about twice as heavy as an iphone and a little thicker) that you can quickly dump the photos from a memory card onto. This will save you money on buying multiple memory cards and lugging around a heavy laptop on weekend trips, after all you can use the freed up space and less weight in your backpack for more lenses.Battery life is impressive and it seems you can do over 900 pics on one charge with LCD and probably 2 or 3 times as much without it.I tried to talk myself into a lower cost camera with less mega pixels. I wanted to say I would get a regular HD video camera that had more performance features later. I relented and ponied up for the 5D and realized that for me personally it was worth the extra bucks. Very nice LCD screen and HD video in one unit. Hopefull

The Canon 5D Mark II is far and away the single BEST camera on the market right now. $2500 might seem like a steep price for only a camera body, but the camera itself is worth its weight in gold and if you are serious about photography this is the only way to go.The 21.1 megapixel full frame sensor produces shockingly gorgeous images and perfect mural prints. Fine artists take note! This camera is the best digital alternative to 4x5 film. When paired with a premium piece of glass, there is little this camera can't do. The resolution is gorgeous and I have made prints at 40x50" that are absolutely flawless.Another significant benefit of this camera over comparable models is its performance in low-light conditions. You can make perfect images at an ISO of 3200 that look just as good as images at an ISO of 2000. This is great for shooting live music events (what I use it for) in dark clubs or bars. Noise is not noticeable in properly exposed images until you hit as high as 6400 and even then it is reasonable.The only major flaw of the 5D II is the auto-focus. Sometimes it works perfectly and sometimes it seems to be possessed by the devil. I can't make any rhyme or reason out of it, but the beauty of digital is that if you miss one image, you can take another right afterwards and fix your mistakes (the exception is live event or photojournalism, of course). Some people have had no problems with auto-focus, though, so this flaw might be case-by-case. It's just something to be aware of, if you purchase, and I recommend testing this feature out shortly after you take the camera out of the box.This camera doesn't have a huge frames-per-second rate, though, at only four. If you are very much into sports or performance photography, this could be a downfall. For the average user this won't make a huge difference, but it is something to consider when making the purchase. If you need a higher frames per second rate, I would suggest taking a look at the Canon 7D (although it is a crop-sensor camera).I use this camera paired with the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 L as a walk around lens and I am consistently able to produce clear, sharp images, even in low light.This, however, is not a beginner's camera. If you are not familiar with the various camera settings and are not a fan of reading the manual, you'd be better off starting with a consumer-level DSLR before graduating to this body. I started off with a Canon XTi and then moved on to a Canon 50D before I bought the 5D II. There is so much you can do with this body in terms of exposure, but its best to learn how all the functions and features work properly otherwise it will be easy to be overwhelmed.All in all I think this camera is truly the best option out there in terms of quality and possibilities.

I have a Canon Rebel Xti. I got this Canon 5D mainly for its live-video capture feature. Actually I planned to buy a 7D and did "purchase" a 7D kit at $2519 (with Canon 24-105mm and 100-400mm lens) via a *deals* merchant following a sponsored link on Amazon website. That "deal" was too good to be true and it was more or less a scam. Its salesman tricked me to upgrade from two lens included in the kit to a 17-50mm and a 70-200mm lens at a $4999 price tag (including $600 CPS protection plan). I discovered within 10 minutes after ending the phone call for the modified order (in response to an email from the dealer asked me providing more info to complete my order done on their website) that the lens were made by Sigma rather than Canon. I probably would have accepted these Sigma lens and the 7D because I just wanted a decent Camera which can shoot good picture as well as video clips under less perfect lighting condition. But I found that, had I purchased these Sigma lens from Amazon, the Amazon price are only 1/3-1/2 of the listed price I were showed from the dealer's website. I tried to call and email that dealer to cancel the order but no one answered my calls, so I thought it is a fraud and closed my credit card account immediately. But that merchant does exist and it shipped the package to my house even after I clearly told them "consider the order canceled unless I get an explanation and you get my confirmation"! Later when I try to return the package, they first tried to trick me to open the package (which I refused); then they offered me a $700 credit if I accept the package, but I already decided to stop dealing with that merchant because they cheat. I take the unopened package back to UPS store and reject it.Make a long story short, after that unhappy experience and reading these reviews previous owners wrote, I purchased a Canon 5D Mark II Kit (including a 24-105 lens) from Amazon. I also got a Canon 50mm F/1.4 lens, a backpack, two filters, and a Canon flash (50mm lens and flash were shipped by B&H). Total cost was much less than I would have paid to that bogus *deal* merchant.I used this Canon 5D camera and the zoom lens on a hiking trip this weekend. The picture quanlity is really great! Even in the "auto" mode, I was able to take better portait and landscape with nicer tone, vivid color, and best of all, with clearity and details that the old Rebel Xti could not deliver. I also shot a short HD video with my son playing piano, and the result is so much better than the Panasonic Lumix (which is a nice point & shot camera) we have been using for video capture in the past.So far I am very satisfied with this new Camera and good service from Amazon. There are still a lot to learn to take advantage of this Canon 5D Mark II kit. I am reading David Busch's great book now. Hopefully I will enjoy photograph more because of better pictures I take (even though it is because of the camera :).

I absolutely drooled the moment I received this camera. I purchased the Canon 5D Mark II with lens kit 24-105mm. For a while I've been debating whether to buy the body ($2500) along with the 24-70L ($1400) for a total of $3900 or buy this bundled kit for $3300. Prior to my purchase, I rented a 5D Mark II with both lens and realized that IQ (image quality) via raw was absolutely the SAME when blown up. Of course, you'll have better advantages in low light settings with the 24-70, but with the amazingly high ISO handling of the 5D, it didn't make a drastic difference to be worth $600 for that matter whereas I could have invested it towards my next purchase 70-200mm F/2.8. Also, another BIG issue I had with the 24-70 was the WEIGHT. Having transitioned from the T2i, the 5D seemed like a big heavy rock especially after adding on the 24-105 lens. With the 24-70 being ~ 1 lb heavier, I felt the extra weight was really going to drag my satisfaction of this product away. Thus, with the extra 105mm reach, light weight (compared to 24-70) and IS, this an excellent deal.Like I said, having transitioned from the T2i, this camera produces absolutely stunning images. The full frame sensor is definitely a must have for anyone into landscape portraits or anyone who appreciates a wider angle view. I was contemplating whether to wait for the rumored 5D Mark III which is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2012 with the most probable changes being better AF capabilities like the 7D, AF in movie mode and possibly more MP? (ha!). Taking into account the time I'll have to wait along with a potential jack up in price, I felt the 5D Mark II is suffice for any photography enthusiasts. I'm confident this camera will assist me dearly on my wedding project. You wont regret your purchase!

I use DSLRs mainly for video, and I will probably stick with them for many years to come. For the price, the quality is unbeatable. Since I got the 5D Mark ii though, I have now found myself actually using the machine for what it was meant for, photography! It is very fun to have come from a crop sensor T2i for the past year and a half, and step up to a camera of this quality. It truly is better in every way. I just got it recently, and after getting used to the new control setup and features, I finally getting pictures that I have little to complain about. The biggest thing for me is how it handles hight ISO settings in both camera and video modes. The amount of noise is so minuscule compared to my old T2i, I can shoot over double the ISO with the 5D and still get better image quality. Also the full frame is a treat. I did not realize how much image I was actually missing until I switched. My favorite transition was my 16-35mm 2.8 lens. At 16mm, it seems like I can see twice as much with the full frame! I finally have a REAL wide-angle lens and the edge to edge quality is not fair. It has the warped effect of the wide-angle without the uneven quality throughout the whole picture. I LOVE this camera, and I am excited to finally be able to put out the best quality product I can. For my video workI will be sitting on this one for many years to come!

I purchased this camera to use whenever I didn't need my 1D (too heavy to carry around Disneyland). It's been just about a year and so far, I absolutely love it and gave it a 5 star rating and here are the reason why:Ease of use: coming from other Canon bodies, the controls and function of the camera was a breeze. Infact, some new items in the menu, such as My Menu, allows you to add your most used functions and is very easily accessed. I've heard Nikon users complaining that Canon controls are difficult and not layout well. Newsflash: Canon is a completely different system and therefore, is going to be different. I can control my Canon by touch in total darkness, but put a Nikon in my hands, I'm lost.Image/Picture Quality: it's a Canon with a full size sensor. They are the pioneers and leaders in CMOS sensors for DSLRs and their dedication shows. I have no probem shooting ISO1600 and often shoot ISO6400 without much thought. I shoot mostly L series lens and the colors recorded is simply amazing. Not over saturated like the other brand cameras, just really natural colors. Beautiful for shooting people, as well as nature.Video Quality: at first I was very hesitant to accept the fact that my DSLR has a built-in video camera. Once I got used to the idea of having a video camera and once I started tinkering with it, I was amazed. Full HD video shot between stills, then all combined into a slideshow is just awesome! The actual video quality is breathtaking. Just like anything else full HD, the clarity seems too good to be true. Sound is OK, but if I were to do more video capture with my camera, I would definitely purchase an external mic. If shooting video is your thing, there is NO better video camera out there. You can spend $10K on a video camera, but bottom line is, the quality isn't going to be as good as the Canon 5DMKII due to the size of the image sensor. As far as I know, there are no video cameras with an image sensor that's comparable to the Canon 5DMKII. What's more, you can use any of the Canon lens to shoot video with.Weather Sealing: there seem to be a lot of people out there concerned about the quality of Canon's weather sealing. My experience with the weather seals have all been positive. I've been in sand storms (desert), full down pour raining (Alaska, Hawaii, etc), and even extreme dust (popcorn ceiling scraped, walls torn down, drywall dust everywhere) and so far, NOTHING, NO DUST inside the camera! That's amazing! I'd say the camera is pretty well sealed against the environment.Durability: Don't let the lightweight magnesium alloy body fool you. Just because it's light doesn't mean it's weak. It just means it's easier to carry and handle all day long. I was walking and shooting a subject one day and tripped on a curb. I fell over and managed to not land on the camera, but the camera's body did strike the side of the curb. Yes, it left a gash mark down to bare metal, but the camera is still totally fine.BOTTOM LINE: great tool. Best camera I've ever used.

For those of you who don't know, Edward Burns, the actor/writer/director, shot his latest movie, 'Newlyweds" (2011), entirely using this Canon 5D camera. The indie movie had a total budget of only $9,000. Apparently, this camera was considered good enough ... I realize that this isn't exactly a review of the camera but is an interesting bit of information that, hopefully, might help people decide when they're looking at this equipment.

I've had the 5D Mark II for about a year now. I came to the 5D Mark II from a 40D. Being familiar with the 40D, I didn't even need to get the manual out to get going. Image quality is fantastic. I have no fear shooting up to ISO 6400 with this thing whereas on the 40D I would only go up to ISO 1600. So add a fast prime lens and the high ISO abilities of the 5D Mark II and you won't worry about not having a built in flash.A common area of complaint in reviews and internet forums is the "outdated" autofocus system. However, I've never had issues with it. The only time I've had any issues with autofocus is in extremely low light that would challenge any camera.Here's my pros and cons:Pros:Incredible image qualityHigh ISO with low noise21 megapixels of detailno 1.6 conversion factor on the lensesCons:Cost (but you get what you pay for)3.9 frames per second (99% of the time it's not an issue)Huge RAW file size (but that's the price you pay for that much detail)Overall, this camera is the king of image quality. Yes, there are other cameras with more bells and whistles but they can't match the image quality. I think for most people these days, the 60D or 7D would be more than adequate. If, however, you're interested in the ultimate in image quality and aren't concerned about the cost, the 5D Mark II is for you.

I'm a very serious amateur photographer, and have been shooting Canon digital cameras since 2003. I purchased the 5D Mark II to replace my trusty 20D. Waited out the 40D, 50D, and 5D to get just the right camera, and from my time shooting today, it was worth the wait and premium over the crop cameras. I justified the additional cost this way: Rather than spending another $1,200 on a 16-35 lens that would yield ~26-48mm on the crop camera, I spent it on the 5D, which also gets me video capability. I can now get full use of my 24-105 for wide angle, and that lens really shines on this camera. My 70-200 is much more useful for closer quarters as well. I'm thankful that Canon didn't get the 50D right (sorry 50D buyers, but that's my opinion), as it forced my hand on this camera.Pros:* Focus seems faster and more accurate than my 20D, which I'm sure could use some adjusting after 40K images. I've found myself letting the 5D select the focus points more often, which I never did on my 20D (focus center, frame shot, shoot). I see no reason for any more focus points than it has for the type of shooting I do, but then I've never used a 1 series (Lord help me if I do).* Screen -- simply amazing when moving up from 20D* Viewfinder -- beautiful, bright, almost total coverage vs. looking through a cave in the crop cameras* Image Quality -- Wow. High ISO, low noise. Easily 3 stops better than my 20D. Have only shot a few raw shots (24MB!!!), and will be doing some comparison tonight. JPEG in camera looks amazing, and they aren't displayed with noise reduction in camera.* Build -- very solid, great shutter sound, buttons where they belong* Usability -- highly usable menus, adjustments, modes -- if you've shot Canon before, no surprises here* Fixed small things, like when you accidentally go from Play to shooting, or close the view, it takes you back to the last picture you viewed vs. making you start over (reference 20D -- maybe this is fixed on others since then as well)* Battery -- seems like they beefed it up appropriately for the large screen & live-view needsCons:* Huge file sizes -- Better buy an external disk array for storage. I don't (and most people don't) really need 21 MP -- 15 beautiful MP would be better (imagine the high ISO IQ if they didn't push this to 21MP to stay in the race with Sony & Nikon!). I'm experimenting using the Medium setting (about 11 MP) to see if IQ is as good proportional to size. That will be much more usable file size for most work.* Nits on custom functions -- settings don't save unless you "Menu" back out after selecting them* Current cost of second battery (swear they were $79 a month ago, now $145!!!)I can't comment much on video yet, but have used enough to say that it isn't terribly practical to the average shooter. You shouldn't even consider that this is going to replace a HD camcorder for family shooting (though you may still get away with trying to justify this to your non-photography-buff spouse). I didn't buy it for the video, so I'm not going into detail on that.Bottom line:Amazing camera if you can afford it. Looking forward to putting 100K images through it in its lifetime. Hope I can afford the storage! Lemme know if you bought the battery grip and it is too big for your hands -- that is my next purchase.

I do own other p&s cameras besides Canon but admit to only owning Canon DSLRs; I'm kind of tied into the Canon lenses at this point. I tried an Olympus as that was the brand I use for film, but was not at all happy with their DSLR image quality. As for Canon, I have owned the Rebel 300, 20d and 40d. The 40d is a great camera and quite usable for the kind of photography I enjoy which is mostly landscape. I decided to take the plunge and go for a full frame camera despite the price. I have only used the 5d II about 4 times so far and only twice with the 40d for comparison, but feel pretty confident I can report on the differences. The 2 cameras are nearly identical in color space and dynamic range not to mention resolution per pixel. In other words if the image pixel count is the same on both cameras, you would be hard pressed to tell which camera took the picture. The 5d II just has more pixels. The 5d II trumps the 40d in several other areas too.* First is the high ISO range; I am very happy with 800-1600 ISO images and I use to only like to settle for ISO 100.* The 24-105L lens becomes a fantastic walk around lens because of the 21mp sensor, images can easily be cropped tight to a distant subject.* My 17-40L is now a true wide angle lens!* Shadows at low ISOs have more depth than the 40d.* Lens micro adjustments can make autofocus nearly perfect. My 70-300 f5.6 back focuses on both bodies, but I was able to easily correct the issue on the 5d II. I still have to manually adjust on the 40d.* The back screen is much more usable; I even started using live view mode for some shots.* Because of the resolution and dynamic range RAW images are quite flexible so I don't have to take as many variations.* Multiple resolutions to choose from even in RAW.* Better weather sealing is comforting as I do take the camera to places where it is misty and damp.* I've taken a couple of test movies which look lovely. I just don't see myself using this feature too often.There is always room for improvement so here is my wish list for the mark III.* An internal flash for filling in shadows.* Frame rate of 5/sec would be nice even though I rarely need it.* The ability to select the range for the auto ISO feature; I'd love to be able to limit the range to 200-800 for certain situations.* A pivoting back display is something that I miss from my old Nikon point and shoot cameras. It's really useful when shooting macros or for events where your shooting over people's heads.

The 5D's strengths seem to be in its handling of low light and it's wider frame if doing landscapes. I've been photographing people so the wider frame wasn't as important as handling the darker situations without a flash. When people state the fps are lower they really are and the camera is much slower taking consecutive images than my 50D. The 50D is the machine gun of cameras and I am happily taken with it as well. The fact many not so great photographers in my area brag they have the 5D hasn't seem to improved their images but it is a testimony to how impressive a reputation the camera has gotten. I'm finding the wonders of 21MP a great deal harder to throw around than my previous camera images even on a maxed out duo core quad system. Of course you can reduce this with the settings but it's hard to down grade such amazing amounts of detail. Keep up the great work Canon...and fire that guy who makes the icon '( )' symbols for metering..wtf. :)Not all the lenses that fit the 50D also fit the 5D so be aware...

And I own 8 cameras. I got rid of my 1DS MK III to buy this one. Lighter and excellent full frame performance. This is a killer camera and it would be hard to find something better - especially for the money.

Great Camera for price. Wish it had a better AF system and more FPS, but definitely a major improvement over the 5D classic in ISO, IQ, FPS, and LCD.

An amazing full frame digital slr. If you are reading this list you should know about this camera. Go body only unless you find a great deal on the kit lens, which can be sold for a profit :)

I received my 5D MK II about 3 weeks ago. I have already shot over 2,000 shots and I can't believe the pictures. Most of my work is youth hockey. Shooting in Manual mode with ISO set at 6,400, I am able to shoot at 1/500th or better at f 3.5. My standard lens is the 70-200mm f2.8L and naturally I never use flash.The details are incredible, noise not a factor, and it focuses pretty fast. My previous camera was the 30D, and there is just no comparison. I have had no problems with battery life either.For the money ($2,699) truly a great camera. I can't wait to do my next wedding.Chris B.

I know the is a lot of excitement about the new Mark III this summer, but save yourself some real money and invest in a lens - grab the Mark II. Photos are fantastic and it is hard to find a better video camera. Only small issue, is the use of autofocus during shooting video is very limited and noisy if your use it.

I am revising my review after using this camera for 1.5 years. I am so disappointed. I do not know what has happened to Canon recently - but when you buy two brand new camera bodies of different models and you have to send them BOTH in just a month after ownership with the same exact problem - there's a problem. I ordered both this Canon 5D Mark II and an EOS 7D the same day for use in our department. Both were upgrades from older models that definitely went through 200,000 shutter clicks minimum - and we wanted higher ISO capabilities for shooting in low light without a flash.I own a 30D personally and we already had a 50D and 20D in our department. Never any major problems with them and they STILL work. A former employee dropped the 20D really good, knocking the viewfinder off kilter by just enough so that what you see in frame is a few millimeters from what you really get - but shoot - we're just thrilled it still works.Fast forward to the purchase of the brand new 7D and 5D Mark II. I was surprised how LOUD the 5D Mark II was. A much more expensive camera than we've ever had in our department - yet so loud - it would scare away wildlife or alert others in a quiet room to your shutter clicks much more than any previous model.About 2-3 months into ownership, my boss tells me that when she used the 7D, it started giving error messages about the battery. I couldn't reproduce the errors at first. It was completely random. I turned it on and off - everything seemed to be fine. I traded cameras with her and carried it with me to several photo shoots until the problem manifested.In the middle of taking photos - the shutter release just STOPS WORKING. The LCD panel says "Cannot communicate with battery. Use battery anyway?" OMG. Are you freaking serious, Canon? I'm trying to take a freaking photo. You bet your sweet assets I want to use the battery! You have to turn the jog wheel to OK to let the camera know, "Yes, darling, I for reals want to take the photo - that's why I've got my finger on the shutter release." That's not enough, though - because during a shoot, it would keep doing this over and over and over again. I get that the camera needs to know how much power the battery has left to give an accurate indicator atop the camera on how much juice you've got left... but there is a serious problem here.I downloaded firmware updates and installed them all to the camera - got it up to date and the problem abated for a few days and came back with a vengeance. I googled the problem and TONS of people are having this issue... with both models - this one and the 7D. Supposedly, this is a problem when using a non-Canon battery. Well - guess what? We had the original battery by Canon that shipped with the camera in the camera body - and it was still doing this.I sent the 7D off to repair and by the time it came back, the 5D Mark II started doing the same thing. Both units were still under warranty.When the 7D AND the 5D Mark II came back from repair, the paperwork that came with it claimed they replaced only the PC card inside and that they 'cleaned' the viewfinder. The viewfinders were not merely CLEANED - they were REPLACED. They looked completely different - everything in the viewfinder was different. Not a settings issue, either... and the 5D Mark II wasn't clean. There was crap in the viewfinder that wasn't in there when I sent it off.Well, fast forward again to last week - when only 1.5 years into ownership, and about 1 year since the last repair - and it's doing the same thing. Cannot communicate with battery. Hello, Canon! My camera does not need to 'poke' a friend on facebook. It does not need to make a blog entry. I don't care if it can't communicate with the battery or if the power indicator is not reliable when I'm in the middle of a shoot. I have other back-up batteries. Our older cameras - 20D, 30D, 50D - NEVER have had these problems. EVER. Only these newer models. Something is really sucking in Denmark and I've completely lost my faith in this brand. Along with our new camera bodies, I had also ordered a 28mm-300mm zoom lens. It was defective out of the box and I had to send it back for a replacement. What is going on with Canon? Did someone up the chain start making some cost-cutting decisions that made quality control or just plain quality suffer?I just got a notification from Canon - even though I cited in the repair request that this is a recurring problem with their products that is well documented online and that we've already had this problem repaired - they are quoting us over $250 to repair THEIR PROBLEM. I did not drop the camera or play with it in the rain. This is a manufacturing/design defect.I no longer trust Canon products. I will NEVER buy another Canon product. Even though we have great (older) Canon lenses, the next time we're up for camera upgrades in our budget, we're going to get Nikon.

If your livelihood doesn't depend on the capture of fast objects, this will give you 95% of the image quality of the 5D III or 1D X. It's a major upgrade to the original 5D, though marginally inferior to the new 6D.I bought a 5D II to replace a 50D and a 40D. I've also used a 7D professionally. The latter three bodies have higher framerates, superior AF tracking, and a higher pixel density that benefits distant subjects. The 5D II is preferable for any other purpose if you can swing the cost of lenses that'll do justice across the frame to such enormous resolution.HANDLING:This is a 50D-generation camera, so the learning curve from that one (and the 40D) is essentially nil. A handful of custom functions differ. The original 5D is a bigger jump; button placement is about the same on the new model, but the menu system has been completely revised (for the better). The 40D/50D have marginally lower weight, smaller size, and a superior grip. Buttons have a positive click. The 5D II has mushy buttons that activate at some indeterminate point.In use, the 5D II's viewfinder is massively larger than the tunnel-like crop bodies. This pulls you into the scene, though framing is actually easier with the smaller finders. Balancing that is comparatively lethargic shutter and mirror response. The 40D/50D are 40% quicker on this front; the difference between 220ms and 160ms. You can't afford a lazy reaction time with this body.I've also detected a rare playback hesitation. I tend to a snap a shot and immediately press play if it doesn't appear on the screen. For perhaps 1 shot in 40, my 5D II has been unresponsive to that button for seconds at a time after the shot. The image appears eventually. The 40D/50D are impossible to trip up like this. This smacks of a software glitch, though I may query Canon at some point to verify.Exposure seems less reliable in difficult lighting. Set to evaluative metering, the 5D II tends to overexpose dark scenes and underexpose backlit people. It's not that clever. I've had to rely on EC and spot metering modes more than with the 40D.Like the 40D/50D, Auto-ISO is next to useless, so you end up fiddling with settings more than with, say, the 5D III, 7D, or 1D X. In aperture priority, Auto-ISO will set a shutter to the lens focal length or 20% less. Prone to hand-shake? Too bad. In shutter priority, it'll start dropping your chosen shutter when it reaches ISO 3200. That's the maximum ISO it'll use in any mode. And in manual mode, Auto-ISO isn't; it just fixes itself to ISO 400. So if you want to control your depth of field and shutter and the let the ISO dynamically adjust, you're SOL on this body. Major oversight.Note that this body doesn't have a popup flash. I'm not lamenting the absence, it's always been a bone to casual shooters more than a serious tool. Max sync speed for most Canon bodies is 1/250, so it only worked for outdoor fill with narrow apertures. Indoors as a main light source, the tiny size and close proximity to the lens led to red eyes and a flat, unflattering high-contrast look. A much preferable setup for event photography pairs a 430EX or 580EX, ideally diffused or aimed to bounce off a nearby surface.Nitpicking aside, the 5D II handles as well as any recent Canon DSLR. It's much quicker if you take the time to configure it to your preferences.FOCUS:Better than expected. The 40D/50D have 9 cross-points. The 5D II has one center cross-point, 8 outer single-axis points, and 6 invisible AF assist points near the center point. In practice, the 5D II is a center-point camera unless you're shooting at wide apertures (f/2 or lower).Center-point AF is very accurate and hits in almost any lighting. Better than the 40D/50D (and even the 1D IV, I've heard) when the lights dim. The only environment where I've had trouble grabbing focus had an exposure of ISO 25600, f/2, 1/50.Surround-point accuracy is questionable. This is the major weakness of the 5D II. You'll want to use wide-aperture lenses like the 85/1.8 and 50/1.4 to take advantage of the thinner depth-of-field and superior foreground/background blur that full-frame offers. These apertures punish focus-recompose, so you need to use the outer points for off-center compositions. They're fast enough, but not consistent or accurate. If your results are critical, take a lot of refocused safety shots.Focus tracking is surprisingly decent with a high-contrast subject that you can hold exactly in the center of the viewfinder, provided you've enabled the invisible assist points with CF III.7. Once your object starts straying to the outer points, all bets are off; the 40D/50D excel here. Still, contrary to expectation, the 5D II can follow moving objects. The outer point accuracy was a greater letdown.STILLS IMAGE QUALITY:Excellent. Per-pixel sharpness is much higher than the crop bodies with the same lens. Combined with superior resolution, you can expect perhaps 30% more detail relative to a 7D and 50% more than a 50D. It's not a sub

I am an enthusiast photographer. I understand the relationship between aperture, shutter and ISO; I understand the basics of composition, rules of thirds and all that; watches youtube constantly and try to learn more; and I process my RAW in Lightroom because I am not a professional and just a bit lazy to learn layers and Photoshop.I am budget conscious, not rich or anything. Therefore it is a bit hard for me to justify buying over 3000 dollars of equipment for mainly weekend and vacation shooting. I've used it for almost 2 weeks and I would say overall I don't regret buying it. I will list some pros and cons from my perspective.Pros:A lot of detail is available from the RAW files. A bit of brushing and those blown out while sky comes back to life easily. Just tweaking with LR, I can get those HDR looking photos where everywhere is exposed without doing bracketing. Its not perfect HDR of course, but pretty good and amazing in my opinion. And of course, the details in the images are very crisp, a big upgrade from my old camera.The rate of 3.9 is pretty good in my opinion. I use a 600x card and shoot RAW only; the camera shows 13 shots continuously at that rate before clogging, which is pretty good.The weight of the camera makes shooting at slower shutter speed easier. When I was hand holding my old camera(I rather not say model), I usually have bluish image at 1/15, but this one seems to do it pretty well. Some people probably can hand hold 1/15 easily with any camera, but this is just something I noticed. I think the extra weight gave me this extra stability or maybe there is something going on inside.Knowing that this is a Full Frame camera with the ability to capture pretty much the best quality images is satisfying. I travel whenever my finance allow, and some of the destinations I probably will never go again or just simply change from time to time. Therefore the biggest justification for myself buying this camera is to be able to capture images without later regrets. Before, I had images with the sky fully blown out or the face of my subject poorly lit and by recovering from LR, I just loose a lot of detail and make everything look unpleasant. Professionals probably can shoot better I know, but I am not pro and the comfort of not paying so much for my mistakes and no regrets is the main reason I am happy with my decision.now onto the Cons:Like everyone said, the focus is the downside of 5DII. Maybe I am overshadowed by all the other reviews; but from what I feel, I just think its a bit slow, more noticeable during darker situations. I have not used a lot of cameras so maybe I am just nit-picking. When I mount the 50mm 1.4 on the 5DII, the focus is a bit slow, and also the minimal focus distance for the 50mm 1.4 is quiet long at 0.45m. I was inside a museum, and sometimes I'm just too close to the subject, or sometimes its just too dark, so the focusing seems to be confused once in awhile. I don't have anything technical to back this up, just my feeling. The lack of focus point don't bother me at all since I only use the central one and rarely shoot birds or sports. Its not a problem when I'm outside, I hardly notice it, but when I do, it bothers me.The weight adds stability while shooting, but is definitely not good for walking. Having this magnesium alloy brick hanging on my neck without support is not pleasant.Shutter is a bit loud and lower pitch. I think each and everyone have a different preference for shutter sound. I actually like the sound of short higher pitch, for example the Rebels.Vignette and Light fall off. Coming from a cropped, the vignetting and light falls off at the corners is much more noticeable. I know different lens behaves differently, but this is definitely more noticeable.Build-in Mic is nearly useless during recording. It is very noisy. Even if you want to record something simple, the quality of sound coming out of the mic makes me mute it all together.The large megapixel makes my Lightroom 4.1 a lot slower. I have an Acer Laptop, i5-2410, 8GB Ram, Nvidia Geforce GT540M laptop. No SSD, just regular 640GB, 5400RPM Hard drive. The laptop is not something blazing fast, but I had no problem with 10 Megapixel RAW files. Now the full 21 Megapixel RAW files from 5DII are making my LR a lot slower. I already rooted my comp to clean out the bloatwares and tried to render 1:1 when importing and all the other tweaks I can find on the internet but it is still quiet slow. It is noticeably slow while editing (applying different presets and brushing) and slow when exporting. Its not anything bad for the camera, but something every buyer should consider, as I am now planning to dropping more money to buy a better desktop.Recommendations:I think for those non-professionals, this is probably the best pick for the money. The new 5DIII is obviously better, but the price is a big factor for me. For people who have the money, buy it; but I don't, so I rather

This boy has taken the place of primary workhorse in the arsenal. Stepping up from APS-C range of Canons, I photograph portraiture, landscape & fun events. I also film corporate & event promos & do fun shorts with like-minded people.Got this as a refurbished unit to save some $$, unit came with 600 on the shutter & in perfect condition. Everything is intuitive for the seasoned canon user. What stood out for me was that ISO performance is a MAJOR leap ahead. I can push it to 3200 or 4000 & still get clean visuals. Entering the full frame, everything is wider on your lenses, requiring a little adaptation in terms of 'focal length estimation' - you'll have to get used to looking into the viewfinder and going "gee, that's wider than I expected". On good glass, this camera is stellar & renders everything cleanly as expected. Cheaper glass like the 50mm F1.8 might feel a little 'maxed out' on this body.Planned shoots bring cash, but it's shooting energetic stuff in the wet & dirty that I prefer, and with proper weather-sealed lenses, this body is a tough one. It has been with me into waterfalls, under heavy tropical rain, mud events & the such. The most moisture that got in so far was a drop of condensation beneath the LCD display protector - which dried up within an hour. While it cannot be submerged underwater, I wouldn't hesitate to wash it down after a muddy run. Love that I can get down and dirty, paying more attention to what i'm shooting without worrying so much about ruining my equipment.For you video people, besides the full frame feel, video quality is comparable with the other cheaper models, ie 7D, 60D after post-production. I rely quite heavily on the MagicLantern firmware hack when shooting video & I find this 2008 model rather stunted without it. FPS overrides, shutter locking, histograms, audio monitoring etc are all crucial to getting good footage, and these are not provided with the original Canon firmware. Oh and did I mention RAW video is such a sexy attribute ;) Anw, did the 5D2 contribute much in improving my video footage? Besides the ability to film in any weather and that sexy 35mm sensor with insane ISO control, not really, no.Battery life whilst shooting photos is decent. I can manage about 6 to 7 hours of continuous shooting before needing to swap batteries. Batteries last much less while filming, about 1 - 2 hours before they die out on the set. With MagicLantern's powersaving hacks I can just about manage 3 hours.As for cons, AF on this system isnt exactly the best, especially when paired with cheaper lenses. I find myself leaving my cheaper glass on MF most of the time when in low light situations to prevent disappointments.Moire & aliasing is quite prominent on this unit, but there's nothing a good eye on the lookout can't fix.Who should get this camera?The photographer or cinematographer who has a well-used entry level DSLR, is shooting stunning photos with one exposure per motive and is looking to venture into higher-end professional/full frame territory & push his glass without bursting the bank (comparatively)Who shouldn't get this camera?The brand new photographer who thinks that gear is his limitation and that getting an expensive pro-DSLR body will instantly make his photos look nicer.It's an amazing body. I love it and think that at the price it is right now, a second-hand/refurbished unit is very good bargain indeed. 5 stars!

I bought my 5D MK II late in 2008, replacing my worn and beloved 5D. Since then, I've carried it to the ends of the earth, shooting in rain forests, waterfall mists, deserts, smoky casinos and urban jungles. December 2013 makes five years of dependable service and tens of thousands of images.While the technology of this camera is showing its age, it stands up well to current EOS models. The 5D MKII delivers vivid, detailed and low noise landscapes. I've never needed to brighten an image two stops but the 5D MKII handles a one stop lift with ease. I shoot RAW and expose to the right so I normally reduce exposure in PP a half stop or so. I'm a landscape, travel and macro shooter, so I'm able to work slower and more deliberately than many.I often work in twilight and have found ISO 160, 320, 640 and 1250 to be excellent and well controlled in terms of noise. ISO 200, 400, 800 and 1600 are a bit more noisy so I avoid those settings. And, with careful exposure and noise reduction in PP, ISO 2500 and even 5000 are useable for 12 x 18 prints.I'm heard whining about the 2005 tech AF of the 5D MKII. Indeed, it's not cutting edge and obviously the 6D, 5D MKIII or 1DX will best it for action and low light. With that said, AF rarely misses for me. Even the outer points lock in most light save for really dim conditions. In low light I stick to the center point or use AF assist on a Speedlite. Also, it is helpful to place the AF rectangle on a point of contrast, e.g., eyebrow rather than smooth forehead. And the center point is very sensitive so you can use the lock-AF-recompose technique in almost any light.Finally, after 5 years of use, I can say build quality is excellent. Not a single problem other than I needed a new battery. It's not combat grade but strong enough to take some knocks and keep ticking. I'm writing this review late in the game as the 5D MKII is long discontinued. You can still buy old stock, refurbs and, of course, used. However, if my 5D MKII failed today I wouldn't buy another one unless an extremely good deal, e.g., a new or refurb for $1000 or less. Otherwise, I'd spring for a newer full frame model, e.g., 6D or 5D MKIII. I suspect my 5D MKII has a few more years left and I have no need for more than 21MP, Wi-Fi or dozens of AF points. Great camera and now a neo-classic!

This is my first full-frame expensive body I have long waited to replace my 4-year-old Canon 20D. I've tested 5D Mark I for a few years but it was too expensive for me, plus it has many flaws that I decided to wait until Canon came out with the upgraded version. So, when Canon announced it, I pre-ordered it immediately on Amazon and so it arrived a month later.My impression: full frame is a beast that once I use it, I definitely don't want to go back to crop frame bodies any longer because the field of view is larger and what you see is what you get. Furthermore, image quality surpasses 20D in all aspects of it.Pros: full frame, light weight, sealed, great image quality.Cons: Expensive, bulky body, slow sync speed 1/200s, slow focus in low light. The 9-point AF system is slow, outdated. However, AF system has been redesigned and much more improved in the Canon 5D Mark III so this is no longer an issue. The way to get around the AF limitation is to learn how to use single selective focus point. When the subject is framed against strong back lighting, the camera meter will be fooled to focus on the high contrast area and most likely your subject will be out-focused.Despite the AF issue, I've learned to live and master it. I've shot many great photos of my kids and am still happy with it. However, its size and weight combined with heavy L lenses are the big drawback when I travel with my kids.If you know what you do, this camera offers plenty of power and quality when it pairs with the best lenses. However, don't expect the camera will do everything for you. This camera still have many quirks and limitations and that requires a lot of learning curves and skills to produce the best possible photos. Invest your money into best lenses if you can.If you need any help, question, please feel free to ask. Meanwhile, you could also visit my Flickr for my published images:[...]

I've had one of these since January 2010. I upgraded from my original Canon 5D, and I get the impression that a lot of people have made the same transition. I was intrigued by the full-frame movie functionality and all the new features that became standard after the original 5D came out, such as Live View and a built-in sensor cleaning mode. I was also impressed with the graceful way that the original 5D has aged - it is very old in digital camera terms, but the image quality is still very good as of 2010 - and I expect that the 5D MkII will grow old just as gracefully. Moreso than the 7D, which is superior in several respects, but will depreciate like mad.Since buying the camera I have shot several thousand images and lots of movie footage, and I have taken it on holiday, mounted it on my bicycle, and used a wide range of fast and wide and sharp manual focus lenses. I have no regrets. I don't have the time or resources to subject the 5D to a thorough technical evaluation. Plenty of websites already do that, with ISO comparisons and so forth. The reviews were uniformly positive. It doesn't cope too well with highlights. If you want to shoot wide angle you're in a world of pain. Apart from that, you get a huge and malleable file.For a week I had access to both my original 5D and the sequel, and it was interesting to compare the two. Apart from a larger screen, some shifted buttons, and a more angular prism, the MkII's body is hard to quickly tell apart from the MkI. The MkII's shutter makes a clickier sound than the original 5D's hollow clack. The memory card door still feels a bit flimsy. I preferred the original 5D's on/off switch. It took me a short while to get used to the repositioned top panel buttons - they have all shifted one place to the left in order to make way for the backlight button. The screen is of a higher resolution than the original although it was not the revelation I was expecting. It has a clever automatic brightness control that works well. The interface feels a little slower than the original 5D, no doubt because it is shifting much more data. When I zoom right into a RAW file, the camera takes a moment to rez up the preview image. There's a noticeable but slight delay when scrolling through images, and it takes a short while to write a burst to the card. The first 5D felt instant. Canon still has not fixed the oddness whereby the front dial changes the aperture in AV mode but the shutter speed in Manual mode, which is mighty irritating if you do a lot of flash photography and switch between AV and Manual frequently. Nikon's interface is smarter in this respect, albeit that I prefer Canon's rear dial for setting exposure compensation.The autofocus system appears to be the same as before. It has a diamond pattern of autofocus sensors that are clustered around the middle of the viewfinder. The corners are bare. I do a lot of portrait shooting, with the camera on its side, and I would have preferred a simple 3x3 grid of autofocus points, spaced evenly across the frame. The old five-in-a-row system used by the 1n film camera would have suited me. If you use "rule of thirds" composition then the 5D's autofocus system isn't much use because there aren't autofocus points in the right place. It has 5x and 10x magnified live view which is extremely useful for manual focus. As before, the stock focus screen isn't ideal; I have installed the EG-S "super precision" screen, which is slightly better although don't expect a miracle. In practice I find myself using Live View almost as much as the legacy optical viewfinder.As a stills camera it's essentially a 5D with more pixels and better light sensitivity, no mean feat. When using the original 5D I had no fear of ISO 400 but was wary of ISO 800 and ISO 1600, although I never felt that I was just wasting memory card space when I shot at ISO 1600. With the Mk II I have no fear of ISO 800 and not much fear of ISO 1600, and for that matter I have pushed shots at ISO 3200 with impressive results. When the images are sized down from 21mp for the internet the noise becomes even less apparent. The extra resolution is handy, although it's not going to transform your image-making and it certainly hasn't transformed mine. My instinct is that the 5D MkII's RAW files are softer than the original 5D's at 100% zoom, and I'm not just copying that opinion from Digital Photography Review. When sized down slightly, or sharpened, or sized down and sharpened, they are very crisp. I like to think of it as the crispest 12mp camera ever made.If it was just a stills camera it would be a waste. Unless you make huge prints, or you expect to do a lot of cropping - and if you are, you probably aren't reading this - twenty-one megapixels is absolutely ridiculous. Overkill for most applications and, conversely, underspecified for high-end landscape and architectural and copying work. You'll be disappointed by the relatively sluggish file handling and enormous files that are fou

The Canon 5D mkII is an amazing camera! It takes pictures with a sharpness that I have found hard to match by any other camera and it is an excellent value, even today when it is several years old.I have travelled extensively with my MkII and have taken over 30,000 pics with it. When this body is coupled with Canon's L series lenses, it is one of the best cameras on the market for its price point. Unless you are going to be shooting a lot of movies, do not spend the extra money to get the 5D mk III, it just isn't worth it for still photography.The only downside to this camera is its weight when coupled with some of Canon's bigger lenses. I had my MkII with the 70-200 IS L and the battery grip and the camera weighed just under 9lbs. It isn't super heavy but it gets heavy enough to notice after a day of shooting. But if you are getting into a camera like this, weight is probably not your primary concern.One thing I do suggest is that if you get this camera, stick to Canon's L series lenses. Yes, they are more money but you can tell a difference between L and non-L lenses in terms of picture quality. The photo sensor is good enough that there is a discernible difference in pics between L glass and non-L glass. The one exception to this that I have found is Canon's 50mm 1.4 USM lens. This is a great lens that is also one of the biggest bang for buck pairings with this camera. I must add that I primarily shot portraits with that pairing but for what I was using it for, it worked great.

Usually, Amazon is very fast in shipping, but for some unknown reason Amazon decided to ship out my 5D2 kit three whole days late when I specifically requested local express delivery. They did reimburse the extra shipping charge yet didn't provide an explanation as to why the lateness.The 5D mark II is outstanding nevertheless and picked this over both the new 5D3 and 6D as there is not a significant difference in image quality other than the super ISO ability of the newer sensors. I have used all three systems and the 5D2 is quite sufficient for everything I do. The AF is not horrible as many claim, just learn what it can and can't do and work within those constraints if you rely heavily on the AF system. I have no issues in low light if the subject contains detail.Another reason why I went with the 5D2 is that the price can't be beat and the construction is far superior than the 6D, as well as the ergonomics. I shot a little over a few hundred pictures with the 6D and can't get over the small body (same size as the 60D) and the condensed AF points. The 6D may be more sensitive, but when you are working with shallow depth of field, the old "focus and recompose" method doesn't work and will throw off your focus... You need AF points that extend to the edges of the frame and the 5D2 provides this better than the 6D. Furthermore, the wifi on the 6D is Canon's method of testing the waters with a lackluster mobile app with limited range and significant lag, it definitely shines as a first generation product or one that struggled to get out of beta. No update as of this writing for the iPhone 5 screen.My upgrade path is to use the 5D2 until the 5D4 is released or if the 5D3 drops to below 2K for body only. I will say that the 5D3 is by far a better camera, but not for its price. The AF, silent shutter, and speed is near perfect, but does not overshadow the 5D2 in image quality or value.If you are moving from a crop sensor, you will notice right off the bat how beefy the shutter is as the mirror mechanism slams pretty vigorously and makes a loud and obnoxious sound with every release of the shutter. Long exposures and even slow shutter speeds less than 1/15 need either a tripod or mirror lockup to avoid camera shake from the mirror slap... It is substantial. The sound may be loud but is not a cheap sound... nothing even remotely like a rebel or crop slap, it sounds professional. If I had to compare with vehicles, I would say any rebel camera sounds like a cheap Honda with a 4" exhaust, while the 5D2 is more like the sound of a ford raptor.'Nuff said.... If you're having a hard time between the 6D or 5D3, just go ahead and get the 5D2... with all the money your saving, you can afford to put something other than a cheap 50mm 1.8 on the front, like say a second "L" like the 70-200 or 16-35. One more thing, FF demands good glass and the cheap stuff that may work on crop bodies does not cut it with this.

First, let me start this off by saying I'm not a brand fan boy of any flavor. I've owned the Pentax K20D, K200D, Canon 40D, Nikon D90, D300 (twice), D700 (thrice), Sony A850, Olympus E-5, Canon 1D3 and now the Canon 5D2, all with associated lenses and flashes over the short course of three years! All great systems, each with their strengths and weaknesses.That said, I finally found my home in the 5D2 because I settled on what I like to shoot and I liked the *specific* features the 5D2 give me.First, let's get it out of the way - the 5D2 is not, and never will be, a Nikon D700 when it comes to autofocus performance - The D700 is a great overall camera, suitable for pretty much any type of photography except really candid / quiet settings because its mirror slap is like a small robot clapping (pretty loud).The 5D2's AF performance is pretty good at the central point. I use the 24-105 f/4 (great lens), the 85 f/1.8 and a Zeiss 35 f/2, and for the AF lenses I've never really had much of a problem with either the central point or the outer points in decent light. In lower light, I have to use the central point. Many people complain from this because one either has to use focus-recompose or shoot centrally (and wider) and crop. Both methods doable, and both methods imperfect. Frankly, it really doesn't bother me, but coming from owning the D700 I know the feeling of great AF.Instead of repeating everything about great image quality, lots of MP for cheap, etc. I'll just list some things I think the 5D2 does better than the D700, which is still the camera it's most compared against.5D2:- Has custom modes right on the dial. Frankly, I love how they work and I really dislike custom settings on the D700. Whereas Canon lets you register custom settings and quickly turn to them, Nikon makes you register basically two different banks of settings and you'd better remember which bank you need to switch to to modify which parameter. Also, the D700 has the annoying habit of "auto-updating" the bank if you happen to change a setting, whereas the Canon reverts to the bank's last-registered settings if you happen to temporarily change something then switch modes.- Does Live View the right stinking way. With Canon, if you're in Live View and you press the shutter - the shutter actually exposes the image and you're back to LV...no mirror slap (unless you're using flash). The D700? Forget it, no matter what you do, you're greeted with mirror slap. This is HIGHLY ANNOYING to a landscaper or macro photographer! Essentially with the D700's LV you're limited to using it as a focus aid and that's it - MLU is a separate mode on the dial, so you're going to induce mirror slap movement on some shots.To further this, Canon does a great job on their LV when combined with bracketing. It's nearly the perfect setup for doing tripod-based HDR (except for being limited to only 3 shots, but so far that's enough for me). Basically, place the camera in 2-sec timer mode, bracketing (I use 3 shots at -2,0-+2 EV). I register this on a custom mode. Now, when I enter Live view and after framing, I press the shutter, the camera counts 2 sec then gracefully takes three exposures with no mirror slap - Awesome!- Loads of MP - I've been amazed at how much I've cropped into some images and still result in more MP (or slightly less) than a full, uncropped D700 image.- Beautiful video - After using the D90 video for a while, frankly I wasn't expecting too much until I viewed some sample 5D2 video - looks AWESOME. I only care about video for my kids, but it's nice to have amazing high quality video in the camera.- Silent shooting modes. They really help you "disappear" into the crowd, instead of walking around like the clapping robot that the D700 sounds like :D A nice side bonus.- Smaller RAW files - Want the flexibility of RAW without the size? Go with SRAW for a 10MP image! Great for "around the house" shots, in case you come up with something awesome (accidental great shots with two young kids are possible) and need the editing leeway but don't want to fill your memory card with huge RAW files.Don't get me wrong, I love the D700 - Great AF performance and customization, great great flash system and commander built-in, faster available FPS, a bit higher ISO performance (not much), and the AF points cover a bit more of the frame I believe.But, for what I like to shoot, Canon has the lenses I like (24-105 IMO beats any of Nikon's FF walk-arounds and the 85 f/1.8 Canon is definitely better than the Nikon variant) and the 5D2 gives me superb image quality and performance. Highly recommended. I deducted 1 star from the camera because of its sub-standard AF, lack of built-in viewfinder shutter, bracketing exposure limitations and other small faults, but it's still a highly-recommended camera for its intended purpose.

The 5D Mark II quickly became my primary camera over my older 1D Mark II. The sharpness and ISO performance simply were no comparison. The only time I still use my 1D Mark II is for sports or action, when I need fast and accurate autofocus and high frame rates. My primary use is studio portraits and events.Pros: Very very good low light performance. Without a doubt, it is well within the "good enough for pro work" and any improvements in future generations of EOS cameras are only icing on the cake. This also means that f/2.8 and even f/4 is very usable in low light, reducing the need for expensive ultrawide lenses. The full frame sensor is also very nice. 21 MP provides a lovely sharpness to the images. Solid construction. The HD video is a nice plus that I've used a few times, but it isn't a critical feature to me.Cons: Slow frame rate and poor autofocus make this impossible to use in any sort of action shots. The autofocus is my biggest complaint, only 9 AF points and they are all pretty poor. Only the middle one is cross-type, and even it doesn't perform all that well. If I was to upgrade to the Mark III, this would be the single biggest reason as the Mark III has a far superior AF system. I'm knocking off a full star for the autofocus alone. The frame rate is what it is: as advertised. Can't knock a star for that, but it is rather slow. I also don't like the mode selector knob. It's very very easy to bump and switch modes. I've done it a lot. I like the 60D's version which adds a lock button in the center of the knob. I wish they had done that with the 5D Mark II. I hear there's an upgrade, but it should be standard.Full frame and high resolution has a tendency to show every flaw in your lenses. No wiggle room, this camera demands L glass- which is actually a good thing in my opinion. It makes full use of high quality glass.All in all, quite nearly an ideal camera body. Very happy with it. Even though I did knock a star for the autofocus, since price is an issue I still haven't found reason enough to upgrade to the Mark III. That one star isn't worth the price difference to me.

I've been using a 5D Mark II since it's introduction back in late 2008. I preordered one as soon as it was available and have been using it since the beginning for wedding and portraits. I've used this camera along side the original 5D and 1Ds Mark II. I've also loaned a 1Ds Mark III on occasion.After extensive experience with this camera as well as lower end cameras and higher end cameras, my summary of the 5D Mark II is that they almost had a perfect camera. This camera is like the superstar athlete with a bum knee. The bum knee in this case is the focusing system. In order to protect sales of their higher end cameras, Canon intentionally held back the focusing capabilities of this camera relative to its higher end offerings. The focusing system is basically the same 9 point AF system as the original 5D had (which is the same as the 30D AF), only with faster hardware. The digic 4 processor will calculate focus predictions quicker than the previous 5D. The AF hardware is limited though and no more accurate than the 5D that came before it. For a $2500 camera this is very disappointing.The focusing system will give you the most trouble in these situations:- Using fast aperture lenses (F1.4 or so)- Using the outer focusing points- Using AI servo to track subjectsThe focusing system will give you the least trouble in these situations:- Using slower lenses- Using the center focus point- Using one-shot auto focusingSo the wildly varying opinions on this camera's focusing system exist because different users use the camera in different ways. Some users will love the focusing performance while others will loathe it. Odds are, they are both justified opinions.That said, this focusing system is better than any Canon camera costing less. If are you upgrading from any digital rebel or 10 series body (10D, 20D, 40D, etc), you will NOT be disappointed here. If you are using this as a second body to your 1-series camera, the focusing system will be a bit of a letdown. Remember that this camera costs about $2000 less than a current generation 1D camera.Now with that caveat out of the way, there is VERY little to pick at with this camera. Image quality is stunning (on par with the $7000 1Ds Mark III). Noise is low across the board. Even at higher ISOs (3200-6400), it cleans up very well in Adobe Lightroom and is very usable. H1 (12,800) and H2 (25,600) are mainly for "show" and are pretty bad. At lower ISOs, noise is exceptionally low and the images are sharp and clean. Even almost 4 years after its introduction, this camera is still has the best image quality money can buy for $2500 and that is saying a LOT.Functionally the camera is excellent. In-camera processing and image review is VERY quick (high speed CF cards recommended). Menus are accessible and easy to understand. Microadjustment makes ill focusing lenses far less problematic. HD video is beautiful and great for *basic* video needs (advanced videographers might look elsewhere). Build and durability is generally very good, though I wouldn't recommend dropping it. I've dropped mine twice (broke something both times) and had it repaired. Today it runs like a champ though. The automatic sensor cleaning generally works good, though I would recommend picking up a bulb blower for the stubborn particles.As a professional tool, this is an exceptional camera, just be aware of the limitations of the focusing system. Overall though Canon did an awesome job with this camera. Nearly 4 years after it's introduction, it's still the tool of choice for many professionals.

I love the 5D mark ii, its the one camera I use most, it has a full frame sensor for large detailed photos, it shoots full frame 1080p HD video for deocumentry work, my 40D is a little smaller and has built in pop up flash that the 5D doesn't have, yet the 5D is bigger and a bit heavier, But the picture quality of the 5D is tops with its full frame image sensor. I bought this camera several years ago when prices were way higher , now you can get the 5D mark ii at incredibly low prices since the Mark iii is up there now in price. The Mark iii has a couple more pixels and is advanced more for video than for taking still photos, but I just don't justify the higher price difference of the Mark iii for the few advancements that it has.

This is a Mark II !!!! Of course it's awesome! It completely rocks! I have not used the Mark III, but I don't know of anyone complaining about a Mark II, EVER. Many of my colleagues have the same Mark II, and not one of them has ever had a single problem with the Mark II, nor have they upgraded to the Mark III because they felt it was any better.

My first Mark II was flooded when the housing opened under water and was ruined. I dive a lot and take a lot of photos, so I needed a good camera and the Mark II is perfect for me.

I have used the Canon 60D and 5D extensively and this 5D Mk2 is better than both. I have not used a Mk3 so I cannot comment on that but the Mk2 has impressed me so far. It has higher resolution than my 60D, and significantly higher resolution than my 5D. Controls and menus are much improved compared to the 5D, and as easy to use as my 60D. An added bonus is the 5D Mk2 uses the same battery as the 60D so there is no need for me to acquire extra batteries. I am impressed so far.

I was coming from a T1i, which I purchased back in 2009 and sold it to buy a T3i. Nonetheless, I longed for the 5D Mark II forever and finally convinced my wife to justify the purchase. (I told her it helps me take better pictures, but who doesn't?) My wife reluctantly agreed and we took a deep plunge to purchase this with the 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens kit. Shipping from Amazon was fast as usual and upon opening the box, I felt the golden glow around the new device. Immediately I attached the lens and took a few test shots. Upon looking through the viewfinder, I noticed a very big difference. The viewfinder was large and bright as the viewfinder from the T1i or the T3i even didn't come close. Shutter noise sounds much subdued (and better) when compared to the T1i and T3i. I will not go in to technical details as the other reviewers have done that.The construction is solid and I felt right at home with the controls. Although I am used to the directional buttons on the right side of the LCD display on the Rebel series, I felt right at home with the Quick Dial and joystick. The ON/OFF/L switch takes some getting used to as the Rebel series has the on-off lever right next to the Main Settings Dial. The screen is the same as the Rebel T1i as so it seems. The metal construction blows the Rebels out of the water. Lack of a pop up flash is a con, but I really didn't use the pop up flash on the Rebels anyway so it really doesn't bother me.The main things I love about this camera is the amazing build quality, full frame, large and bright viewfinder and the pictures the L lens takes. The camera is nice and large and is perfect for my big hands. The most amazing feature is the amazing image quality. The image quality has blown me away and this camera can do amazing things like shoot in low light, produce amazing bokeh even with the f/4 and the IS helps to reduce camera shake. The top LCD is SO convenient as I have been using Rebels without it. However, the most satisfying aspect of owning this camera is that people around you notice it and ask you about it. Either way, you purchased this camera to take great pictures and be envied!Believe me, I probably read all the reviews before I pulled the trigger and debated for months before finally deciding to take the plunge. I was torn between the 7D and the 5D Mark II for a very long time and I decided to go with the 5D Mark II because of the Full Frame although the 7D was MUCH newer and contained newer technology. For the type of photography I do, the 5D was perfect for me as I didn't have a need for a 19point AF system or a need for a blazing continuous speed shooting. What decidedly got me to get the 5D Mark II was Kai W's review on Digital Rev TV and boy am I glad I did.PROS:+Amazing build quality/construction+Image quality+High ISO capability+Full Frame+Comes with L lens!+It's a 5D Mark II! What's there not to like?CONS:-Price (but all the features make this camera a worthwhile purchase)I have bought the BG-E6 Battery Grip, Extra LP-E6 Battery Pack, B+W Haze MC Filter 77mm and a EF 70-200mm IS f/2.8 II L (will have a review for that soon) to compliment the Mark II. I haven't regretted purchasing the 5D Mark II for a bit. Now if the 5D Mark III comes out, then it is a different story.

Time to forget about Nikon as an overly hyped "has been" who have just sat on their laurels too long banking on their reputation as Canon has moved forward. Seems that they were strong competitors and Nikon just stopped "playing" while Canon pushed ahead. Anyway... your loyalty should be to your art and your photos... not some brand name. Right?Look at this... the Ultrasonic Motor (USM) (in Canon lenses)... a theory on paper till Canon took it and implemented it in a practice in their cameras... "dead silent"(Public candid shots -- no one can hear you are focusing on them). This camera even has a silent shutter mode! Just think... no more constitutionally clueless people thinking they have exclusivity to their own image in a public setting trying to infringe on your 1st Amendment asking, "Did you just take my picture?!!" LOLBiomimetics... reverse engineered nature--God's design... Canon does this... the L series II lenses are based on reverse engineered Moth eyes to counter flaring!This camera is a piece of the same... incredible. I got one... have used it for 6 months and I am totally FLOORED. Focus is dead on... features are incredible and I am striving to learn and use every single one! A few I will mention... custom white balance reference (get the Mennen white cap or cheaper model her... as low as $2). Digic 4 processor can do some darkroom work on-the-fly... lightening (burnishing) dark area to bring out details. Lens distortion compensation... the camera knows what Canon lens you have attached and if you are using a wide angle, etc. it can automatically compensate for vignetting (darkening in the corners) and barrel/pincushion distortion! The camera can do various types of "bracketing"... here is something that blows me away: Say you want to take a long depth of field shot and keep the foreground and background all in focus. Say... your kids on the playground with other kids... you want to get all the kids in focus from just a few feet away to infinity. Impossible you say? What you do is set focus bracketing to take a shot every so many meters... I use Hyperfocal Distance calculations to do this based on the 6.4um CMOS CCD pixel size... may take 10 shots or so and "stack" them to get a paradoxical photo where the entire photo is in focus. The impossible can be done with this camera! Great bokeh (soft out of focus backgrounds) when you want them too.I put the 24mm L-series f/1.4 USM II lens on this camera as a "leave on" walkabout lens. It is prime focus... edge to edge sharper than anything I have ever seen. I also put a Hoya DMC 77mm UV filter on that to protect the "eyeball" lens on the front. Comes with a tulip hood and great post production processing software that is amazing in itself.Now... you might read about Auto Focus (AF) problems... naught! (unless you get a bad copy... then send it back). But the AF is dependent on your settings and light conditions, the lens attached, and also the target you are focusing on. High contrast lines that are brightly lit focus faster and how fast depends on the lens you are using. When you get the camera test this to get this question behind you. Put a lousey lens on this camera and you may have slow focus. At f/1.4 the camera will AF on things I can't see with my own eyes (ISO to 6400...and beyond).I think it is always best to buy the body... then the lens that fits your particular need. Full frame... 35mm CMOS format and the camera will do 1080p video too at 30 fps (with fast CF Flash Memory). Incredible... simply incredible. I don't do Nikon anymore... they have a lot of catching up to do... oh yeah... one more thing:Canon has open sourced its scripting language so that there is a Canon Hacker Development Kit (search CHDK on Google). There is talent world wide working on very very cool scripts (custom programs that run inside your camera) to customize your camera to your specific application! One I saw recently was a script that looks for pixel changes and reacts. You can set your camera on a tripod on a flower bud about to open and instead of taking a shot ever hour... take shots only when the camer recongizes pixels changes of X amount. I have goose bumps...