did i get in over my head CANON EOS 5d II

[sgt rock]

i been working mucho OT at work and took a military bonus to get a few toy.

one was a wacom cintiq 21'...which i can say i love at this point...

i have been taking classes at a local college to improve my level of photography. i have had a rebel xt that i have had used since 05 and have purchased quite a few lenses during the years- they are all canon...anyways my instructor the other day told me that he believes that many of these lenses will not work on new canons...

later this week i am going to tempe cameras here in temp to get some more input and am hoping that is not a true statement....

 

[Robthebrit]

There are two types of canon lens, EF and EF-S.

EF-S lenses have a white dot on the mount and only work with the reduced sized sensor cameras such as the rebel. EF lenses have a red dot on the mount and work with all cameras including all the new ones. If the extra lenses you bought for the rebel are EF lenses they will work but if they are EF-S they won't.

Some of the brand new version 2 L lenses do pass extra info to the camera but its certainly not needed. I have an old EF 28-80, it has to be 15 years old and it works fine on the 5d and 5d mkii

Make sense?

Rob

 

[sgt rock]

thanks robert

thanks robert- it makes perfect sense and will check again what i have...

 

[Tucson T4R]

One other option to consider would be to upgrade to something like the Canon EOS 50D. It's not the top end like the 5D II but it's pretty darn good. I just bought the 50D and since it's a cropped sensor design like Rob mentioned, it works with both the EF and EF-S Canon lenses.

 

[Robthebrit]

One other option to consider would be to upgrade to something like the Canon EOS 50D. It's not the top end like the 5D II but it's pretty darn good. I just bought the 50D and since it's a cropped sensor design like Rob mentioned, it works with both the EF and EF-S Canon lenses.

That is a good call and will save you some $$$

Rob

 

[sgt rock]

wise words taken in

wise words taken in- i was bought on the video mode function....

 

[neliconcept]

i will second the idea of a 50d
plus with the 50d and the 5dii, you get the option to microadjust the lenses to get the focus spot on, some lenses from the factory can have front or back focusing depending (sigmas, usually are the worst when comes to quality control)

plus with a 50d, that leaves you more money for a really nice lens! 17-55IS f2.8, fast and has image stablizing, however its an EFS lens, will only work on the crop bodies and if you think you may end up going full frame in the future you will have to sell the lens,, buut it does have good resale value.

 

[Rob O]

Based on the very limited information given, I think the 5D MkII is waaaay more camera than you need. And if you're sold on it for the video function, you needn't pay $2,700 any more for a Canon DSLR with HD video; this is the camera for you (IMHO): Canon's new $799 (body only) Digital Rebel T1i (aka 500D). :victory:

15MP APS-C sensor (similar to the 50D); Digic IV; 920k pixel 3" LCD; HD video capable (720p 30fps, 1080p 20fps) ... and works with all of your lenses, since it accepts EF-S glass the 5D won't.

 

[Rob O]

if you can afford it and you want something better than any of the Rebel style bodies, why not get the best?

Given what some folks on this list pay for some rather esoteric things, I'd say a camera body that will do what the 5D M11 will do is a great choice. Especially if the buyer can afford it and wants it.

I can't recall ever having bought a camera that I later regretted spending the money on.

Heh ... well, okay.

I guess I just see too many people spending money on equipment that's beyond they're need, whether capability or simply their intended use. It seems logical to provide alternatives that *may* be more inline with those things ... regardless of budget. I don't care what he buys really. If people want to spend $2,700 on a body when they'd be perfectly served by something as inexpensive as $800, more power to 'em.

And, FWIW, I own a 5DII and am an avid shooter (I also have a 30D as backup, sold my 50D to Brad (Tuscon T4R) and have had several other digital bodies). I could have bought a 1DsIII -- since budget isn't a limiting factor in my gear spend -- but why would I do that when the 5DII is more than enough for what I do? Would I grow into a 1Ds? Perhaps. Hell, maybe I'm already there. Regardless, as my skills/needs progress I can always sell the 5DII and graduate to the next level of equipment without having over invested to begin with.

Plus, the 500D recommendation is inline with his question about lenses, since anything he's using now would work on the newer Digital Rebel body without further investment.

 

[neliconcept]

if he can afford it and wants it, let him get it.

I used to work in the camera business and I found that once someone sets their sights on having what they perceive as the "best" item, they're not gonna be happy til they get it, whatever it is.

And again, given the amount of money that some folks here spend on gear and mods that are way beyond their needs, what's another $2700?...;^)

Personally I wouldn't buy any of the Rebel bodies, they're not even in the same ballpark when it comes to durability as the better Canon bodies. You make a good point about the lenses but I don't know that that was ever addressed fully by the original poster.

As a qualifier, I've been using Canon cameras professionally including a several year stint as a newspaper photographer since the manual focus F-1n days. Currently using a 30D and an old 1D for bodies as I don't shoot much for pay any more other than the occasional corporate job and some youth sports.

And just to beat this horse a little deader...people who aren't using cameras for work don't have the same need to justify their purchases as those who make a living with them, if they did, places like Samy's and others would go out of business completely as they rely on the well heeled amateur photographers in the world, if they relied strictly on the purchasing habits of the working pro, they'd all starve.

5d2 isnt fully weather sealed, so the most robust camera will only be the 1d series for now, it thats the argument you are going for with the OP needing the 2700 dollar camera (body only)

imo for 2700, either the 500d or the 50d and some good glass is the best option, not sure if the OP expects to be taking this out in weather or having it banging around on rocks (camera armor will help to)

lenses = make the picture, a body can only do so much with crappy glass, yes its different then film days as it was the film and the glass and the body just performed the functions, the 50d has pretty good high iso control, not as much as the 5d2 per say but imo you dont need to be shooting above 1600 iso in the first place.

 

[Rob O]

if he can afford it and wants it, let him get it.

The OP asked if he was in over his head with a 5DII. That says to me he's not sure about spending $2,700

The OP goes on to say later in the thread he was sold on it having video. Again, that feature alone no longer requires buying a 5DII with the introduction of the T1i. (setting aside the other significant differences between any of the Digital Rebel bodies and the FF, semi-pro 5DII because he mentions nothing other than video being a desirable feature)

The OP says he's taking classes to improve his skills. That says to me he likely isn't a pro or earning a living from his photography. Doesn't mean he wouldn't do well with a 5DII but does bring into question the need to invest in such a body given the alternatives (50D without video, for example).

The OP mentions seeking further education on lens systems, indicating he's relatively inexperienced overall. That doesn't sound like someone who *needs* a FF, 21MP body ... so why encourage them to spend the money on one? (the "given how much people spend on other ******** they don't need" thing doesn't work for me).

Personally I wouldn't buy any of the Rebel bodies, they're not even in the same ballpark when it comes to durability as the better Canon bodies. You make a good point about the lenses but I don't know that that was ever addressed fully by the original poster.

No doubt xxxD (and xxxxD) bodies are in a different league than x0D and xD bodies. And I wouldn't buy an xxxD even for backup, if only because they're too small (ergonomically don't work for me and totally imbalanced with L tele lenses mounted). You're a pro/former pro, so of course you wouldn't buy one either. Doesn't mean it's the right recommendation for others ... particularly the OP, given reasons outlined above. ;-)

 

[Tucson T4R]

Here's some examples of night shots at 800 ISO on the 50D with the 17-55 IS Canon lens. So far, I really like the image quality and performance of the 50D with good glass on it.

Here's one with the 70-200 L IS Canon lens:

 

[Rob O]

I'm not saying that anyone NEEDS a 5DMk11, what I said, or rather what I wrote was if the original poster wants one and can afford it, then let him get one.

I think you're misinterpreting my alternative recommendation (T1i instead of 5DII) with trying to keep the OP from buying something he wants (and may even be predisposed to getting, regardless of the feedback here). I'll state again: I don't care what the OP ultimately buys.

He asked about the 5DII, gave some general information on why, and my response was simply aimed at informing him of an alternative that met those same boundary conditions (Canon, works with current lenses, has video, is an upgrade to what he has now, etc). It also happens to be considerably less expensive.

Hell, if he has to make further investment in glass as a result of going from his current Digital Rebel to a 5DII (i.e., his current lenses are EF-S or APS-C specific), then I'd recommend he consider jumping ship from Canon all together and get a Nikon D90 with new Nikkor DX glass. Excellent body, excellent consumer-grade lens options to go with it and it has the "requisite" video capability. He could do that bundle for less than the cost of just the 5DII body ... and further offset the cost by selling his Canon gear.

As for suggesting the 50D, didn't the original poster say something about being sold on the video recording ability of the 5DMk11?

Far as I know the 50D doesn't record video, at least according to the Canon website it doesn't.

That's why I said "50D without video".

No one here knows what the original poster NEEDS, all we know is what he wrote, he has some extra money, he's sold on getting a digital SLR with video recording ability and he already owns a Rebel body and apparently wants something better, the 5dMk11 fits his WANTS perfectly.

Agree the 5DII fits his wants. So does the T1i ... for $1,900 less (assuming he doesn't also need lenses for the 5D).