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Canon 5D MkII

B

Biggus-Dickkus

pfm Member
Is it me or is Canon playing down the launch of the 5D MkII? I know the credit crunch is taking hold but there hasn't been much press, or a proper review done on the new 5D and it was supposed to have been launched at the end of November.
 
This was one thing that lead to me starting the bar raised thread, I'm in the market over the next 2 months to get seriously back into photography after about 15 years with sights on 5D D700 etc, I know you can wait forever but my feeling was that over the last 5 years the situation was beginning to "plateau" a bit i.e the pixel race was coming to an end for me at least and it was time to purchase. Along comes news of the 5D Mk11 and although above what I was expecting to pay, thought I would investigate. Launch was November, then late November, then early December. I enquired with some dealers one of who said that had over 150 genuine interested purchasers on there records, then it appeared on Amazon at £1999, then that changed to £2289 - its now back to £1999 with 2-4 weeks delivery.

I do find it odd that it was here then not then here. Is it the killer camera I've been waiting for? I still like the idea of a lower pixel density as in the D700. I know things never stand still but believe a purchase of this sort now could at least satisfy me for many years to come.

I too have been looking for a compressive review but cant seem to find anything other than a few in the know pros who have been trying them out out and nothing of any substance for me.

Martin (confused)
 
Martin, if your anywhere near London, go and have a look at the Leibowitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, you dont have to pay to see the full exhibit just have a look at the portraits of the queen in the side entrance hall, they were taken (as were a few others inside they exhibition, White Stripes, Nicole Kidman etc..) with the 1DSmkIII , more or less the same quality as the 5DII. They stand up to close scrutiny, and compare well to any other format thats been used in the exhibit.
If its good enough for Leibovitz it good enough for anyone.
 
Sounds like you are in a similar position to me Martin. I currently have a D200 with 18 - 200mm lens and the results I get from this are breathtaking. I was tempted to go D300, then the D700 came out and I have many Nikon lenses (mainly manual focus ones) including all the top ones. Therefore if would make sense to stick with Nikon and the D700. But then the new 5D looks to have everything, except integrated flash that is, which I have found very useful on occasions.

In the past I have always found the Nikon lenses are to be superior to those from Canon so its going to be a tough call.

Like you I have been waiting for a published review but so far nothing, only pre production sample tests. I reckon that the credit crunch has had a huge influence and I bet Canon are delaying launch in the hope things will pick up and there will be more customers for them. I heard a dealer say that despite many pre-order deposits taken many have cancelled so I don't think it will be a problem getting one. Also it's a lot more dosh than the D700 which I think will probably do me.
 
I think the cheaper cameras, are incredible quality too. Have a look at the Wildlife exhibit at the National History museum, even though some of the quality of the original images is lost in the transfer to the transparent panels for the light boxes, lots of the the images were taken on are cheaper non full frame Canons and Nikons etc, and some are even compacts.

The quality from cameras like the 450d is simply amazing for how much they cost, the images when printed look like they been shot on 6x9 camera, its only the large depth of field that comes with the smaller sensor that i find limiting.

Photographers have never had it so good
 
Martin,

I'd go for something cheaper, but if you want either the D700 or 5D and have the dough there's no reason to wait in the hopes that a "better" camera will be released in 2009.

Joe
 
Joe you may be right but I'm definitely not waiting till something "better" comes along, just wanting to find the best thing to get that will see me right for years.
 
The thing about this digital revolution (and it is a revolution) is anyone with a small amount of money can create images with same quality as any professional, the limit now is your own skill, determination, motivation and imagination, this wasn't the case before the cost of the equipment needed was prohibitive, not any more.

Ive been told RED (see link below) are really gunning for a share of the stills camera market.
http://www.red.com/epic_scarlet/

My friend is still wanting for the 5DII's to arrive, the first thing we're going to on them is shoot a short film, we're fairly excited about it to say the least.
 
I agree and thats part of my "wait". The HD capability of the thing isn't my first priority, however, you are dead right about the point of this technology giving access to many more people, and I'm not taking the £2K lightly, something which the spec of only a few years ago was only in the hands of Michael Mann and Viper Filmstream thingy like he shot Collateral with, it must of cost 10's of thousands at the time
 
xl.jpeg
 
Martin, i waited for the 5DII to use as a stills camera, supposedly it has the lowest noise at higher iso than another camera, its just a bonus that you could shoot a movie on it, lol.

Have you had a digital SLR before?

Jon
 
Nope I was from Nikon F2 and FM 24/50/105mm, long story but was very serious, own processing and printing at an arts venue in Bristol. Unexpectedly, twins came along, we had to move, interest waned a bit. 15 years on am desperate to get serious again - how technology changes ah!

BTW got in touch with Parkcameras.co.uk they now say mid to late December!

BTW 2 I've been using a Leica D-Lux 2 in the mean time for a couple of years as a sort of stop gap

Martin
 
Martin,

The sensor in both the 5D and 5D Mark II are good - canon hasn't fluffed a sensor design in any of their DSLRs, so i'd be surprised if they put a foot wrong with the latest camera. The bodies seem to be basically identical, with the same autofocus. The difference comes down to pixel density, and the trade-off between low light performance and resolution.

If you don't need the resolution, the only other reason to get the 5D II is the movie feature, which if you are into these things will be a wonderful feature.

Personally i'm disappointed that the bodies feature the same autofocus as before, and the slow laggy mirror compared to the 1D series. If you don't need the movie feature, i'd seriously consider the 1Ds series second hand. Ask park cameras if they have any 1Ds Mark IIs available, and what sort of price they are asking for. The 16mp sensor is lovely, fine for ISO1600. The body is very solid, very nice confident autofocus, and the shutter is very snappy - makes you feel you've got the shot you were trying to catch.

Cesare
 
Yes, but the 1Ds MkII is so big and heavy, which in my opinion takes all the fun out of photography. I certainly don't want to be carrying something as big as that around with me when I am on holiday in Italy for example, whereas a 5D would be a much better size/weight etc. At the end of the day it depends what you want out of photography. I currently use a D200 and 18-200mm lens and it is almost perfect for what I need. It could do with better low light performance but then it has integrated flash. However if you are a Pro then it won't be good enough and a 5D MK II might be the answer. I thought the ISO performance was supposed to be very good in the 5D MK II. I would have though it better than my D200.
 
Biggus-Dickkus said:
Yes, but the 1Ds MkII is so big and heavy, which in my opinion takes all the fun out of photography. I certainly don't want to be carrying something as big as that around with me when I am on holiday in Italy for example, whereas a 5D would be a much better size/weight etc. At the end of the day it depends what you want out of photography. I currently use a D200 and 18-200mm lens and it is almost perfect for what I need. It could do with better low light performance but then it has integrated flash. However if you are a Pro then it won't be good enough and a 5D MK II might be the answer. I thought the ISO performance was supposed to be very good in the 5D MK II. I would have though it better than my D200.
Click to expand...

Big and heavy is relative. Sure, the 1D is bigger than the 5D. Weight wise, the 5D is 0.9Kg, the 1Ds 1.2Kg. Without a lens. That's not much difference especially when you add something like a standard Canon zoom (24-70 2.8L) which weighs 1Kg on its own.

The high ISO performance of these cameras is limited by the physical amount of light that is collected, and there is no way around that. Yes, the jpeg images from the 5D II are great, but they are a product of image noise reduction software not some leap in sensor design.

Cesare
 
Nope I was from Nikon F2 and FM 24/50/105mm, long story but was very serious, own processing and printing at an arts venue in Bristol. Unexpectedly, twins came along, we had to move, interest waned a bit. 15 years on am desperate to get serious again - how technology changes ah!

BTW got in touch with Parkcameras.co.uk they now say mid to late December!

BTW 2 I've been using a Leica D-Lux 2 in the mean time for a couple of years as a sort of stop gap

Martin
Click to expand...

Well if thats the case Martin and youve got no Nikon lenses left to use, why not get a 450d and give that a go, im sure its more camera than most will ever need, apart from the view finder being small compared to the 5D, i think youll be knocked out by the image quality.(saving about £1500 into the bargain)
 
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