Отзывы о Фотоаппарат Canon EOS 5D Mark II Body

I already had a Canon 5D body that I have used for about six years and have loved. This was just an upgrade...which I am already starting to thoroughly enjoy. I haven't had it much more than a month but so far no surprises. It is a great up grade for me.

I previously owned a T1i (500D), having upgraded to a full frame, I can say two definitive things:1. The view finder is _much_ bigger and brighter. I still feel my father's canon film slr (FtB) has a better viewfinder, but this is a big step up over the cramp and dim viewfinder in the T1i. This is especially noticeable for someone wearing glasses, as the extra distance often removes the stats on the bottom of the viewfinder from view.2. Better ISO performance. When I view at 100% crop, the difference isn't that great. But when viewing the whole image, I can tell this gives me 2-3 stop of extra ISO before the noise ruins the image. So now I can confidently go from 800 on the T1i to 3200-6400 on the 5D as my default indoor/low light shoot. It's very necessary as I just went from a 17-50 2.8 to a 17-40 f/4 lens, so I lost a stop of light along the way.Otherwise, I think the AF is a little worse, it can't focus in low contrast very well, even on f/1.4. The extra setting is nice to play with, like color temp adjustment, extra custom settings that you get with the 6XD and 7D as well.

I've had my Cannon 5D Mark II with the kit 24-105 lens for over 2 years now...and I've loved it.The images I get are really beautiful...owing more to the camera than my skills as a photographer.It handles low light extremely well so I don't even own a flash for it.That big 21.1 megapixel full frame CMOS produces huge raw images...so you can zoom in quite a bit on them and crop and still have a large, high resolution image.The video quality is excellent...which just makes this camera all the more valuable...it's like getting 2 for the price of one.Like anything there are downsides of course. And as other reviews have already pointed out...the 5D auto-focus often won't work at all in very low light situations...and then won't allow a picture to be taken. So you'd have to be in manual focus to get an image.Then the 5D leaves manual focusing up to what you see in the viewfinder or screen. Since my vision ain't perfect, and especially in low light, this means I struggle to find focus.I had a Nikon that had focus rings in the lens as an aid for focus...that really helped and it's one thing I miss with this camera.Otherwise there is little else to really quibble about.I struggled 2 years ago making the decision about spending so much on a camera...but now 2 years on...it was a good decision about a great camera.If you'd like to see some images I took with this camera...see my Amazon profile and follow the link to my website where I've posted a few.

This camera is my favorite, go-to camera. It's light, well-designed and durable and of course takes extremely high quality pictures.

First, you can buy the body for 2600 from most stores/online, I dont know why Amazon is charging 3K.Let me give a quick rundown so you know where I am coming from. I am a serious amateur, did film photography (developed my own film:-) ) for 1 year in HS, then took 5-6 years camera free, and the last 3-4 years with a 30D. I like to shoot anything really: landscapes, macro and plants (my favorites), followed by animals, birds (70/30 rest vs flight), and people/portraits. No sports. I prefer B&W. I use the camera for my own enjoyment/photography practice and at parties and school club events, and lots of travel. It gets a pretty well rounded tour of duty. I had from a 30D before, which I loved. So let me get to the nitty gritty.(BTW, if you are looking for pixel peeping, you won't get it here. I'm looking to add a more detail and subjective feel of using the camera, and answer the questions I had before I bought. I shoot primes and have 2Ls, so IQ is limited by my skill. I have slightly more money than sense, and I am very anal about noise and IQ.)I've had the 5D mkII for about 2-3 weeks and have only taken about 100-150 images with it I would say. Sorry, I've been busy!#Image Quality/MegapixelsOut of this world. The images look very, very real. I don't know what else to say. Smooth colors and grades. Deep blacks. Colors comes out just how I remember them. Noise performance is great, super clean until 800, even 1600 ISO (by my standards. I used to hate anything above 400).. It is clearly aimed at people who like to print large, hi-res, fine art style work. Unfortunately the noise is that weird Canon stuff, but its not as bad as I feared, and could pass for film grain. I can shoot handheld indoors with very good results. 21 megapixels is WAY more than I want; but I can crop to my hearts content and still print big! I can actually crop images to "the exact same" frame that my 30D would have taken and have more MP... thats actually what pushed me over the edge to buy. Unforutately my 2.4 Ghz imac converts the RAW files very slowly. Editing is still fast enough. There is some debate online that as printers are able to print at higher and higher dpi, higher MP counts may make a difference. I agree with this, but only insofar as a medium format vs 35mm difference; 8mp will always look great at the common print sizes. PS: Canon, hire some of Nikons engineers to fix the look of your noise....#AF systemIt would have been nice to have new one, but my 30D AF never really failed me, and this is basically the same. For the money I would have REALLY liked to have the upgrade. Yet since it never hindered me before, and I don't shoot sports or BIF often, it's ok by me. People really complain about this, but seriously...the nine points system IS old, but it works and works well enough. To be honest I would rather have the last iteration of a proven AF than the first generation of a new one.#Build qualityThe slightly bigger size feels much more balanced, and "right", than the 30D. My 30D went shooting at glaciers, rain forest, jungle, and forests and in snow, rain, heavy fog, sand etc etc and didn't miss a beat, albeit in only 3 years. With upgraded seals, I have no doubts about this 5DII. The "real" weather seal of the 1D would be great, but I don't go shooting in downpours or sandstorms.#Full frame vs 1.6I really miss my 1.6 free zoom factor, especially when it comes to macro. A lot of my shooting is "screwed up" now, and I have to readjust. But it feels good to be so wide and landscapes are looking great. I'm gonna pick up a long zoom and I should be fine. It is mostly hard to adjust because the 100mm macro on the 1.6 was a real joy to use (BTW, that lens has given me the most keepers per dollar of anything, buy one if you are debating it).#Movie mode/live viewLive view is great for macro. The video capability is great and very fun, and it is easy to focus manually with the large screen. I was concerned about having to focus in movie mode, but I like it more than the AF. Even on camcorders the AF isn't great. I guess I might use it video once in a while sitting in the airport or for Grandpa blowing out the candles. The video looks great, having the lens capability and shallow DoF is cool...but I barely have enough time to edit my photos, let alone a video. All jokes aside, its useful and nice and a welcome addition; its better to have than not, especially for quick little moments.#Odds and Ends-The viewfinder is great. I really feel like I am looking through the lens; my 30D feels like a peephole now.-The AF matrix looks smaller to me, but I can't be certain. I don't know if the spread stays the same as the sensor size increases, but it certainly feels like it.-AF micro adjust lets me be sure my lenses are spot on (5/7 were), the dust shake is nice too.-RF remote capability is a plus-Rear screen is sharp sharp sharp!-Its great to have more battery bars; the life is excellent, and now more accurate.-Finally, I don't have a

I have been a 5D owner since it came out about 5 years ago. It is still a wonderful camera today. I purchased the 5D MKII mainly for it's video capability. Before I even started using the video, I put it to work in my domain, architectural still photography. To my surprise even without a grip it felt better for some reason. The viewfinder is sooooo much better. I was aware of some other changes with the CMOS sensor. One of my first shots made me a believer. Deeper and richer dynamic range. I feel it's a step closer to a more film like rendition. The menu is a bit more of a curve than I anticipated.. All in all of the photo options and improved quality are a valid improvement. The price on Amazon was one of the best I could find for a reliable supplier after much research. The following is not a review but a warning! I was on DPReveiw and a list of vendors came up while reading the review of the 5D MKII with a note to support our sponsors. I clicked Best Price Photo Com. The price was offered in the $1,879, I checked Resellers Ratings Com and they had an excellent rating so I ordered the 5D MKII from them. 2 days later they called to "verify" my order and "skillfully" as in slickly offered some other add ons which I declined. Then he slickly asked why I ordered the import model. I said I didn't, he said I did. My screenshots confirmed that they DID advertise the USA model number. Heres that catch about Resellers Ratings. They don't post information about cancelled orders. Best Price Photo is aware of this and they know that anyone with a brain will cancel once they are aware of the scam and not be able to post a negative review about them on ResellerRatings. BTW, BPP did offer me a special price for a USA model that was less than what I paid for here at Amazon. So why did I pay more? I can answer it in one word "Trust", Amazon Yes, BestPricePhoto NO! My recommendation buy this camera from a reputable company.

very nice my daughter very much so loved it,with all her heart yes, I'm so glad i took the timeto search it out to find the best possible price thanks so much we have nothing but the best fromyou,thanks so very much

I gave this 4 stars because the video suffers from moire and noisy iso in low light conditions. It also has no headphone jack!!!!It might cost more, but the new Canon EOS 5D Mark III does have a headphone jack, better low light capabilities, in camera HDR, more focus points, less shutter lag, shoots faster, and has two storage slots, instead of only one in the Mark ii.Believe me you'll be happy you bought a Mark III instead of a Mark II!!!

The 5D Mark II represents the future of digital SLR photography/videography. I was fortunate to purchase my kit with the EF 24-105 f/4L at its actual list price of $3,499 through Amazon and sold by 6 Ave Electronics on December 29, 2008. That offer was only available for about 6 hours. Now that I have used the camera for 6 months, I would even now pay a significant premium over the list price to have it. In my opinion it is worth much more than the list price in terms of advancements in low-light, low-noise and quick exposure setting features. It also has markedly improved picture quality over all other Canon DSLRs with the exception of the 1Ds Mark III ($7,000 street) which it at least matches.This camera isn't perfect. The 5D Mark II does have a lower frame rate than some other very fine cameras at 3.9 frames per second. Nevertheless, this frame rate has been fine for my purposes, including wildlife and bird photography. I am able to catch hummingbirds in flight. Unless you are a professional sports or action photographer there is simply no need to consider the much more expensive 1 series camera bodies.I would have preferred more focus points than the 9 visible and 6 invisible points this camera provides, though in normal lighting conditions there has been no problem getting fast, accurate focus. In very low light where the shot requires an ISO of 3200 or 6400 and no flash, the camera does sometimes have trouble, especially with moving or flat, low-contrast subjects. But considering that we wouldn't even be able to get an essentially noise-free image with another camera at these settings it seems a small criticism.This camera also lacks an internal flash. Some people may feel this to be a loss, but with the extraordinary low-light capability of the 5D Mark II I haven't missed this feature at all. When I want to use a flash I can easily attach one, and that seems to be a rare event now. The ability to capture low light images without the exposure problems flash often causes is an enormous improvement for me. And when I need a flash I always have my 580 EX II available, though it does add some weight to this body.The high resolution of this camera will show up flaws in any attached lens. Thus, you are going to have to use high quality glass to get the most out of the body. Those who are not able or willing to make an investment in "L" quality lenses would probably be just as happy with a 50D or similar bodies from other manufacturers. On the other hand, this camera's ability to register most Canon lenses and eliminate problems like peripheral illumination has proven remarkable during my use.Notably, there are many other improvements over the original 5D, which was a wonderful camera that many people would still be very happy with. The Mark II's new display is outstanding; while a few other cameras now offer the same 3 inch high resolution LCD, the new display allows the user to enlarge the image enough to get a very good idea of what the final image will look like in print. When using auto ISO settings the camera makes very good choices to capture the best image possible. In fact, the algorithms this camera's DIGIC 4 processor uses for all its settings seem superior to any of the others I have looked at. And if you don't like the choices the camera makes, it is completely customizable, including 3 user settings on the main control knob.Then too, you do have to read the manual and take time to learn the many controls and settings that are available. I am convinced that several of the negative reviews on this site are simply the result of not understanding the full capabilities of this camera. For example comments about the "sharpness" of photos fail to take into account that the camera comes with certain sharpness settings by default, but that these can be changed and images sharpened to an almost garish degree. Other comments about supposed failings of different portrait mode settings or white balance adjustments likewise seem not to recognize that nearly every setting on this camera can be modified to match the operator's desires. This is a highly advanced instrument which requires some study before taking it out into the field.One way to judge a camera body is by the people who choose to use it. The outstanding professional photographer and professor of photography, Pete Souza was named official Whitehouse photographer earlier this year; his history-making first digital official Presidential portrait of President Obama was made using a 5D Mark II. Numerous photo journalists, wedding and event photographers and others who make their living with their equipment are using 5D Mark II bodies. I am also seeing this camera being used more and more by sports photographers, despite its 3.9 fps rate.I have said nothing about the video capability. This was not a reason for my purchase, but I have been impressed by the quality of the videos this camera produces. I did not at first recognize what a game changer high

I recently upgraded to the 5d Mark II from a Rebel T3i. I was considering purchasing the mark III, but the added cost was a large part in my decision to buy the II. I usually use the center AF point to focus an then recompose, and am not a sports photographer so the AF system on the mark 3 was not a huge plus. There are several other small things that are a little annoying that are fixed in the mark III (mic jack) but not enough to justify the additional $1400 premium to get them.

Anyone who knows about this camera knows its great! Bought this to use for more professional jobs like weddings and portraits and I cant say enough how much better this is that what I previously had! Yes I could have bought the 5d3 or 6d but for the price with a lens I at 2499 I was more than happy and will be for a long time. Oh and it was more fun buying this brand new and opening it and being the first person to use it (I used to only buy used camera equipment)

I purchased this camera to upgrade my gear. At the time I was shooting with a Canon Rebel Xsi. A few years with that, I was looking for something with lots more power and control... Without spending Mark III money.I can't see myself going back to a cropped sensor camera. This camera is a solid build. Feels great to hold. The images look fantastic, sharp and clear. This camera is great for low light situations too.

If you are a canon user with a significant investment in L-Glass from previous crop bodies, you will want to consider getting this camera or the next iteration of it. This is a full frame camera that provides great resolution for awesome cropping or wide angle shots. Although the current AF system is old, it is still very good. You will need to make sure your glass and body are at their optimum calibration as it is possible that even new out of the box to be slightly off. The factory will calibrate any Canon products within the first year for free. I suggest that you take them up on the deal. The only cost is your shipping to them. They are fast and good at what they do. Be aware that every lens can be off in either direction from zero being a front or back focussing issue. The body itself can be off, so do make sure the setup is right before doing any comparisons. All EOS models now offer micro adjustments to limit the need for sending out for calibration if you don't have the ability to part with your equipment for a few days.The 5D Mark II takes stunning crisp photos. I've tested with 24-70 2.8L USM, 70-200 2.8L USM, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8 with very good results. The HD video is a bonus. The lack of autofocus is not the worst trade off. The option to take clips of video when needed is nice though.If you are on the fence about brand to choose and have not invested to much in one brand or another, do look into both Nikon, and Canon for the best options for you. The extra focus points are really nifty on the d700, but the lack of resolution and HD video option on the canon side is a big plus. Those moving up from existing Canon Digitals will appreciate the faster and more accurate focus that comes with all 9 points being in focus with hidden focus point assisting the crisp focus to the corners. I'm very pleased with this model and the options for indoor and outdoor shooting. ISO is so good that 3200 is better than 1600 on my 50D. The only issues I've had are with the slower continuous shooting FPS, and the flimsy shutter sound that does not inspire confidence in comparison to my 50D's fast and bold thuds. Ironically, the 5D2's capable of locking on to the targets in low light even with a delayed shutter will capture action more reliably than the 50D. I shoot a lot of indoor night shots in poorly lit gyms that the 5D2 outshines the 50D on the keeper rate with the identical lenses. The 50D has become my outdoor maximum reach tool. Even then the crops from the 5D2's are better. Its just the case where I carry the contrasting distance lenses to avoid missing shots altogether.A great camera that is up there with the really high end SLR's with a much lower entry level. Glass is still expensive but you can keep that for ever if you take care of it.Edit:After several years of pure magic from this camera and replacing the 50D with a 7D. The 7D is the next best thing to the 5D2 when the 5D3 is not an economical addition to your gear. The 5D2 has an incredible ISO range with such great image clarity, even with action shots in less than perfect lighting. Shooting side by side with the 7D has me wishing I just had 2 5D2's. This camera is the most affordable professional Full Frame camera on the market. It is still that great after all these years. Lenses go up in price, while bodies come down in price. Always get the glass first.

Yeah she started photography a couple years ago and we think that now it was the right time for here to get a great SLR.The 5D Mark II makes wonderful pictures! I really doubted that this camera would make such a big difference but it proved me wrong!!I would by it again!

I love this camera! The image quality is truly superb. Low light image sensitivity is excellent. May need to manually focus in demanding low light situations, but gives great results!Only wish shutter were quieter, but will live with it happily for all other benefits!

I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago. I already owned the first version of the EOS 5D, but I thought it would be handy to have High Def video in the same unit. Many consumer grade handy cams have the ability to shoot stills, but their still photo resolution leaves much to be desired. I would have to carry both a high quality SLR and a handy cam to be ready for both situations. When the 5D Mark II came out I saw the opportunity to get high def both ways in a single camera.Indeed it does that, but the video capabilities of the 5D Mark II are not nearly as convenient to use as almost any consumer grade camcorder at 1/3 the price. Let me be clear about what I am saying. The quality of the high def video that the 5D Mark II shoots exceeds any consumer grade camcorder I have ever seen. Capturing that video however requires both hands whereas almost any handycam is a one handed breeze due to the ergonomic placement of the controls. Not so with the 5D Mark II.You would think that to start shooting video you simply select "movies" on the mode dial and click the shutter with your right index finger and everything happens automatically from that point. Not so. Not even close. With the 5D Mark II, first you press the "live view" button. The mirror flips up and the image appears on the LCD screen. Then you find the part of the image you want to be in focus and press the AF-ON button (assuming you are using auto focus). Step 3, you press the "set" button to start recording video.In the high def mode, the camera will record up to 12 minutes in a single run while making a digital file on the memory card of about 4GB. Think about that. 4 GB for 12 minutes! One 12 minute clip would completely fill a standard single layer DVD. That's a whole lot of data! In fact neither of my Windows based computers can play it back smoothly. Even the built-in playback within the camera itself is jerky. The more motion there is in the scene, the more frames that are dropped. Even the Canon web site acknowledges that the playback "MAY" be jerky unless your computer has a certain minimum configuration. To be fair, I will say that Apple computers seem to be much better playing back these huge movie files smoothly. This camera records movies in .MOV file format. That is Apple's Quicktime software. Even though Quicktime does run in a Windows environment, it seems to work much better on a Mac. A recent test I conducted showed that a current model Macbook Pro with a 2.53 GHz Intel CPU did a very smooth playback job using Quicktime.Speaking of focus, you would hope that you simply set the camera to the full automatic mode and your auto focus lens takes care of the rest for the duration of the clip. Once again no. It doesn't work that way. The only way I found to make this camera track the focus in movie mode is to set the mode dial to one of the non automatic positions, and set the focus to the "servo" position as though you were trying to capture still images of a moving subject.Zooming? Ah yes, that is another capability that is far less convenient. Most handy cams have a built-in powered zoom that is easily operated with one finger on the same hand that is holding the camera. With the 5D Mark II, as with any quality SLR, zooming is done by reaching around to the front of the camera and rotating a lens ring. Needless to say, that can't be done smoothly if you are hand holding the camera with your other hand.With all the buttons to push and settings to remember, this is not the camera you want for shooting candid spontaneous footage in a hand held situation. To be sure it does a great job shooting video in a controlled environment mounted on a tripod with a fluid head. Without a steady mount however, this camera is best for stills if hand held.

I have had a Canon Rebel for T1i for a couple of years, before that I had a couple of the Canon G series cameras. As I have slowly worked my way up through different levels of Canon camera, I felt as if I made a huge leap from the Rebel to the 5D MkII. I decided to skip the xxd series and the xd series and go right to the top, wanting a camera that I could grow into and use for many years to come. I do not know a whole lot about cameras, but I absolutely LOVE this one! I have gotten some terrific shots already - the ISO performance truly stuns me after the T1i. I have a long way to go on my road in photography but I truly feel I have the right tool to grow with. I bought a great guide for this camera David Busch's Canon EOS 5D Mark II Guide to Digital SLR Photographyand just learning it a little at a time.I was afraid of the weight, especially with the 24-105mm lens; but it hasn't been so bad. I purchased a different neck strap Crumpler The Industry Disgrace (Brown)to help distribute the weight of the camera much better than the included strap. My biggest fear was that this would be 'too much' camera for me, but it truly is not. It has some beginner modes and the guide and information available online has gotten me a great start.So don't be afraid to go for this one - there will be no regrets if you do.

When I first heard a 21 megapixel camera would be coming out at a reasonable price (ie. not a ridiculous price like A$12,000.00) I couldn't wait to buy it. My previous camera was the EOS 1V film camera which had under-exposure problems and suddenly died a year after the warranty expired. I've had the EOS 5DII for three months now and recently took about 300 garden and landscape photos on a trip to Japan using a 28-70mm zoom. I had to work quickly because a lot of the sites we visited were very crowded. The 21 megapixels alone make this camera worth it - being able to zoom in and in and in and still use the full resolution with only a bit of sharpening is really something to behold. However, like my 1V, this camera isn't perfect and I had to fight it to get my shots exposed correctly and in focus.Other people have said that their 5DII's exposures are perfect every time but mine gave inconsistent exposure on nearly every shot I took and it seemed to favour over-exposure rather than under. If I had used a tripod I could have tried the live view mode with exposure simulation function before shooting - but for hand-held work next time I'll have to autobracket. None of the exposure modes (Evaluative, Partial, Spot, or Center-weighted metering) seemed to help in my quest to get correct exposure in one shot. Every photo had to be taken again at least three to four times for me to get the exposure right. I nearly always had to meter from the brightest part of the scene because of the light meter's tendency to over-expose but with some scenes the bright parts were too bright and I ended up under-exposed.The only downside to using 21 megapixels is that I became aware of auto-focus problems at full resolution. All of my lenses were either forward or back-focusing (at least when viewed at full resolution). Although you can fix this problem with the AF Microadjustment function for dedicated lenses like the 50mm f1.4, it will not work consistently across the entire range of a zoom lens (ie. you might be able to get it perfect for wide-angle shots but it will be out of focus on mid to telephoto shots). If you like pixel-peeping, want super-sharp focus and have the time, I would recommend that you use this camera with a tripod, set the screen to live view mode and focus manually at full resolution because auto-focus is just not accurate at high resolution.Another problem revealed by 21 megapixels is camera shake. In my case I found this particulary when using auto-ISO with aperture priority. Many of my hand-held shots with the 28-70mm zoom in low light were blurry at full resolution because of the minimal shutter speeds chosen by auto-ISO. The auto-ISO consistently chooses a shutter speed that is a little too slow for the focal length used in my opinion (ie. for my 28-70 f2.8 zoom, the auto-ISO set the shutter speed to 1/70 of a second when the lens was zoomed to 70mm). I still got camera shake and blurred photos even though theory says this shouldn't happen if the shutter speed matches the focal length of the lens. I think Canon need to update the auto-ISO on their larger megapixel cameras so that it chooses a slightly faster shutter speed. I know a lot of landscape photographers will be very critical of auto-ISO but while travelling I thought this would be a good feature to use to help save time as we often had to move quickly, taking pictures indoors and out under varying lighting conditions and this feature would have been useful - I imagine wedding photographers would be interested too.I think that digital cameras are undergoing a rapid evolution at the moment - on the one hand we have point-and-shoot models and the new "bridge" cameras which meter and auto-focus directly from the sensor and on the other we have the older SLR designs which use a mirror to reflect the image to separate auto-focus and exposure chips - a design which worked well back in the days of the first auto-focussing film cameras but which now seems out of date and ill-prepared to handle the new high resolutions on offer. Which is why Canon and others have added live view as compensation but it still has a way to go I think.Anyway, I still think I will have no trouble getting my money's worth out of this camera in the years to come.** As an update to this review - I took my 5DII to my local Canon service center where they sent if off to check the light meter. It came back recalibrated and is now exposing correctly and I'm very happy with it.

This top of the line Canon Camera along w/ the L Type lens will make any photographer into a pro in no time. Great combo price!

From all the reviews posted here recently, you know a lot of consumers complained about Canon 5D Mark II's quality and features. As a previous owner of Canon T1i,7D, and now the 5D mark II,I can say clearly that you DON'T need to "upgrade" to 5D Mark II until you REALLY know what you need and what you don't. 5D Mark II is NOT suitable for everyone. Actually, in most conditions, it's just a "downgrade" choice especially for 7D owners. For shutter speed, build-in flash, autofocus, metering, menus and a lot of advanced new technical specifications, 5D feels like an old generation toy, it's not even comparable with 7D. I'd suggest that you should seriously consider 7D rather than 5D Mark II, if you are the one who likes shooting sports, social events, family activities, travel and normal landscape pictures. That's say, 7D maybe the BEST camera for 90% photo enthusiasts. But 5D Mark II is solely for the "rest of us" who are searching for the camera of best available picture sharpness and best color capture at an relative affordable price. I'd say 5D Mark II is NOT made for general consumers, is made for serious landscape, architecture, advertising, commercial, publishing photographers and advanced amateurs. 5D Mark II lacks a lot of cutting-edge features which are very important for most customers, if you are one of them, you'll certainly not satisfied with its old generation of functions; but for me, all the cutting-edge features are not as important as 5D mark II's full frame sensor which enables me capture the widest range of lights and colors when I meet the once in a lifetime scenery. Other than the FF sensor, I think the 2nd most important feature of 5D Mark II is that I can now take full advantage of my L lenses, I don't need any more to consider the 1.6x crop factor which reduces enormously the ultra wide angle features when using 7D. In short, 5D Mark II's Pros and Cons in my opinion: Pros: 1. Full Frame Sensor - As good as 1Ds Mark III; 2. Possibility To Take Full Usage of L Lenses At Their Original Focus Range. 3. Very Good Low Light Performance And Usable Higher ISO Until 3200; 4. Much Better Dynamic Range - With just one shoot of RAW you can get a very good HDR. Cons: Almost All Other Features Are Inferior To 7D even 60D. So the most important thing before to buy it, ask yourself if you REALLY need 5D Mark II?Update 12/29/2010: After almost 2 months use of 5D Mark II, I'm absolutely satisfied with its picture quality(sharpness,color saturation, low light performance). A lot of my landscape pitctures taken with 5D Mark II look like Pro class postcards and I feel more confident to my ability even I'm only an amateur. It's absolutely an invaluable investment.

This camera is amazing. I shoot 90% video and the low light quality is very impressive. You can't go wrong

In real world and in the studio, I'm shocked at the image quality difference from my old 5D I bought 4 years ago. I'm kicking myself for not buying this earlier. Color fidelity, contrast, sharpness, color balance, focusing all better. I'm surprised that the extra resolution really did help. The large files have a lot of headroom for mistakes.While most reviews for this type of item are rationalizing a large purchase, here it goes anyway. When I first purchased the camera, I had cold feet and was ready to return because of the price. But after 2 months, I would buy it again even if I broke it.Alternatives are really overrated. Nikon has a far more aggressive marketing team than in the past that exaggerates differences, so take what you read with a grain of salt. Lots of people are drinking Nikon Kool-Aid right now and defend them to the death. Overall Canon is a better SYSTEM, although I openly admit things I like better about Nikon: button layout, viewfinder, body design, built in infrared flash control, built in flash, and the 14-24mm lens. But other things: low resolution alternatives, poor third party support (pocketwizard and adobe raw), overprices lenses with no midprice alternatives, poor video or no video, etc. For instance, Canon makes a 17-40L for much less than the 16-35L. A 70-200 4 IS or no IS, 70-200 2.8 IS or no IS. Nikon only makes the expensive versions, which is why I always see Nikon owners with cheap lenses or mid-prices Sigma Lenses. Canon owners almost always have Canon lenses. Anyway:Pros:-Outrageous RAW headroom for mistakes, far beyond the 5Dmk1. In outdoor portraits with strobes, I can still get a high quality images when the strobes don't fire and leave me with a -2ev shot. When making outrageous changes in Photoshop, files respond beautifully. RAW files are monstrous, however.- Picture quality out of camera saves serious time in photoshop.- The screen is finally useful in judging exposure. You can clearly see if the skin tones are over and under exposed, hotspots in a poor lighting setup, etc. You'll still see more detail in shadows on the computer, however.- ISO sensitivity: one of the best today. I shot out of a car window at twilight in a spooky looking town and got amazing shots at 6400+. I shoot more for fun since I've had this camera.-Great customization and cool menu controls.-I laughed at video but am starting to use it regularly at weddings. Amazing quality of expensive video cameras. Tricky to learn with autofocus. Must use a tripod.- Even more detail out of my lenses (except 100-400)- Everything improved from old 5D- Much better image quality than 1Ds Mkii and iii.- Canon lenses a much better value than Nikon.Cons- MINUS ONE STAR - second position of power switch was broke when arrived, so I couldn't use any manual features. Had to order a new one.-Pre-planned obsolescence; just look at the 7D with built in speedlight control, extra video switch, auto-focus system, pitch-leveler, 1.0 viewfilder, etc. The sensor on this thing is still WAY better, and I needed another camera body now. But, it has features such as video that are way ahead of the competition.- File size is getting ludicrous, especially when you need to export to TIFF, but WORTH IT. Unlike 7D and others, however, that extra file size actually has way more detail. Other high MP cameras can't justify their file sizes. sRaw not much smaller.-My 100-400mm L Canon lens cannot keep up with this high mp, full frame camera. Your worst glass will look REALLY BAD with this camera. Even sigma lenses look better. Looks much better on an APS-C.-I still sometimes miss the focusing system on my old 20D. Maybe I'll buy a 7D for bird shooting. People really exaggerate the differences in focusing systems, but it honestly could use improvement.-Viewfinder not as good as Nikon's or Canon 7D.Notes: shoots with 17-40 4L, 24-70 2.8L, 70-200mm 2.8 IS L, 100-400mm L, Lensbaby, Sigma 12-24mm fullframe,

I shot 35mm film ages ago, but stopped when the cost of purchasing film and processing fees became prohibitive. I have been a photographer in one form or another for nearly 20 years. I decided that I definitely wanted to go digital, but was not happy with any of the cropped sensor bodies available at the time (early 2000's). When the 1Ds and 5D models first became available, I drooled, but couldn't justify the amount of money. So I waited. Along came the 5D Mark II (or as we say in the software industry, version 2.0) The price was lower than the original 5D and the quality and speed were even better then the now-three year old model. I saved my pennies and nickels for a while and finally purchased one!From the moment I picked up the demonstrator model in the store, I knew this was the camera for me. Well balanced, large view-finder, and *gasp* video! I'm not much of a videographer, but seriously, taking HD clips with a prime lens on a full-frame sensor is just insane!Pros:- Low-light performance has to be seen to be believed. I'm sure you have heard the hype, but it's not hype. You really can take reasonable pictures in much darker rooms than you ever thought possible.- Well balanced in your hands- Simple menu system that does not require an engineering degree to use.- Image quality (IQ) that simply blows away everything else in its class.- Price is actually reasonable for what you get; hundreds less than the competition.- Video!Cons:- The IQ is _too_ good. You can actually tell the difference between pictures taken with "L" glass and those that were not.- Frame rate isn't great for sports. If this is your intended use, look at the 7D or 1D.- Video limited in odd ways. Then again, this is a DSLR, not a camcorder.In spite of what I just said about taking pictures with "L" glass, this camera is perfectly serviceable with regular lenses. Just realize that they are "consumer" grade and will have issues when shot wide open or when at the minimum or maximum of the zoom range. That said, the "nifty fifty" (50mm f/1.8) that sells for around $100 takes astonishingly good pictures.If you're just starting out, the lenses that I would recommend buying with this body are:17-40mm f/4 L - Eye-popping landscapes. The 16-35mm f/2.8 L is a stop faster, but neither lens will see much indoor use as you would have to be mere inches away from your subject to fill the frame. The extra stop also doubles the price with little benefit in the scenarios that it is likely to be used. At 2.8 the faster lens is quite soft, and the image quality in general is not quite as good. Save your money and get the 17-40. You won't be sorry!24-70mm f/2.8 L - Fantastic walk-around lens. The 24-105mm f/4 that comes in the 5DMkII kit has more reach and is image stabilized, but I still prefer the speed of the 24-70. You can do more with it in lower light sitations.70-200mm f/2.8 L - The IS version of this lens is silly expensive, but the standard version shares the same glass with its brother. For portraits and weddings, you cannot have a finer lens. The f/4 cousins are smaller and lighter. If you plan to shoot outdoors most of the time where there is sufficient light, then you should be fine with it. Indoors you will find yourself using a flash more often, even with the IS version of the f/4. The bokeh from the f/2.8 is noticeably better too.50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 - The "L" version of this lens is f/1.2 and about $1k more. It's soft at f/1.2 and shoots its best at f/1.4 and higher. The "L" glass _is_ better than its cheaper cousins, but is it really worth it? This is one of the rare cases where there is little need to buy the "L" version. Buy the f/1.4 for $350 or the f/1.8 for $100 and enjoy it.

First the good...If you're looking for an excellent, full-frame DSLR, the 5D Mk2 is very, very good. It's at least 1 full F-stop more sensitive to light than my Canon 1DS Mk2. A setting of ASA 800 or 1000 yields about the same noise level as my older camera at ASA 400. It's autofocus system is very fast and accurate on single shot mode. (I don't think EF-L series lenses are capable of faster focus action.)The new LCD screen is gorgeous. 3" diagonal with 900,000+ pixels. It's possibly the best quality LCD screen ever put on a DSLR. The menus are easier to understand and navigate than the 1DS Mk2's menus. "Live View" is an excellent way to do critical focusing. If you've never used a DSLR with live view, you'll love it. The only negative of live-view is that it really drains your battery and it can only be used for a certain length of time before the CMOS imager circuitry heats up, adding noise to the image. (In real-life typical shooting, overheating is not a problem and besides the camera will auto cancel live-view if it senses an over temperature condition.)The huge 21 mega-pixel RAW images are excellent. The camera uses an updated variant on Canon's .CR2 RAW format so if you use an older version of Adobe's Lightroom or Photoshop for image processing, you'll need the latest Lightroom 2.2 or Photoshop CS4 to get the proper RAW converter. I've personally never liked the included software for RAW image processing, but many people are happy with it.The auto-exposure system seems very accurate... more accurate than my 1DS Mk2.I never experienced any "black dot" phenomenon. But I've only shot RAW images at less than 1200 ASA. The "black dot" sample images that I've seen on the internet look like simple, in-camera, over-enhancement of highlights. Besides, unless you're shooting sports at night or are part of a CSI team, who shoots at 3200+ ASA anyway? If you're doing a night shot of a city use a tripod, a longer exposure, and a lower ASA. This will yield rich, clean blacks and much higher detail in highlights. Also, although JPEG's are much smaller, every professional photographer that I know shoots only RAW images.I ordered the camera with the optional BG-E6 battery grip. This grip makes the camera taller and easier to hold. It allows simultaneous use of 2 Canon lithium batteries or 6- AA alkaline or rechargeables. It's a very valuable accessory to consider.Now the bad...I primarily purchased the camera for its ability to shoot great looking 1080P HD video for commercial TV projects. I thought it would be a great source for "B-Roll" cutaways and inserts.The biggest single problem in the video mode is that you have no control over iris, ISO setting, or shutter speed. There's an exposure lock button that will lock the exposure variables to whatever the LCD displays at the time you press the button. There are no on-screen indicators that show the settings that the camera has chosen for you. The only control you have is the color temperature setting. Basically, you pan the camera around in the scene and let the brightness float up and down. When you see what you think is a good exposure on the rear LCD screen, you press the lock button. Since the exposure lock resets after each scene or take, chances are you won't have consistent exposures over multiple takes of a particular scene.Working with the auto exposure system can sometimes be difficult. I was shooting with my 85mm F1.2 lens. By looking at the iris, it appeared the camera had decided to only open the lens to about an F2.8 and use a much higher ISO setting than necessary to achieve proper exposure. By pointing the camera to some very dark shadows, the iris fully opened. I then panned back to my original scene which appeared to be much cleaner and free of noise. You really need to be able to manually set the ISO & F-stop when shooting video.I adjusted the camera's custom settings to lower the detail enhancement and contrast. These controls effect the quality of jpeg stills but seem to have no effect on a video recording.The camera only records at 30.00fps, not 29.97fps. This tiny .03fps difference means that you have to alter each file's header, using a program such as Apple Cinema Tools, before you can edit 5D footage into a normal, broadcast 1080P/1080i, 29.97fps timeline. Failure to do this header alteration requires setting up a 30.00fps timeline or rendering every 5D scene on your 29.97fps timeline which yields periodic skipped frames.There is no 24P (23.98) setting. As far as I'm concerned, there is no logical reason that Canon chose 30.00fps instead of 29.97fps. No broadcast TV or film standard operates at 30.00fps. Maybe Canon will correct this with a future firmware update. Please note that if you're only shooting high quality videos for web release, the 30.00fps speed won't present a problem.To simulate the film-like cadence of a movie camera's 180 degree shutter at 30.00fps, the 5D Mk2's shutter should be set to 1/60 of a second exposure time. There