Canon EOS 5D Mark II Full Frame DSLR Camera (Body Only) (Old Model)

So nice. I’m a noob, but will work to learn. This camera was way too expensive when it first came out, but luckily because of the rush to mirror less and ensuing models the Canon 5d Mark II is something I can afford. I have a 5d Classic and the Mark II’s screen is miles better. Also for me the low light abilities of the Mark II is fine, clearly less than modern cameras but for a slightly more than a point and shoot guy, this is great. My camera was built in September 2011, near the end of Mark II’s run, and according to the seller only had about 4,000 activations. Sure seems new to me. At $285 delivered, it’s a steal. Will use my nifty 50 on it, along with a Nikkor 105mm F/2.5 (with a Canon adapter). All good here.

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?!!" LOL Biomimetics... 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...

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!

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 am coming from a Canon 10D so In comparison to other models I have nothing, but there is nothing I dislike about this Camera. I purchased this with a 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens as well. I have no review on the video abilities yet. 21.1 MP gives me an incredible about of room to work in Photoshop if I want to re-frame my composure, or make 11x14 or 12x16 prints at 300 DPI. I couldn't even make an 8x10 on my 10D at 300DPI. The color reproduction has left me with very little Photoshop work, which is fine, saves me a ton of Post Processing. Pictures have been sharp corner to corner, and even looking through the viewfinder is crystal-clear and bright (that could be attributed to the f/2.8 Lens). Speaking of bright, the LCD is amazing compared to the old 10D. I do not however use live view, I use the viewfinder, as when shooting moving objects there is quite a bit of lag between live view's image and shutter. I usually take ~100 Pictures each time on my nature shoots, and the battery has held up great. I usually recharge it every few shoots. I do plan to get a 2nd battery before the wedding I'm shooting next year however. I've read notes about focusing problems, but I have encountered none. And I have shot from less than a foot away to infinity focus and everywhere in between, and the only noticeable issues I have had were when my cheap $20 tripod didn't like the shutter shake on 1/3 sec or longer shots. Ruled it to be the tripod by switching to self-timer and putting a little weight on the tripod with my hand. Pictures then came out razor sharp. The image sensor seems to perform far better than my 10d especially when confronted with very sunny areas mixed with shadows. I have taken pictures with little to no Blowout and Black Crush that my 10D (same settings and lens) suffered from. I have taken indoor pictures at ISO1600 that, short of being at 100% crops,you have a hard time pointing out noise. I've taken some very nice flashless pictures at 1600 and when printed at high dpi or used on webpages look great still. 10D at 1600 would look like your tv when the cable goes out more or less. The software that comes with the camera is great for making adjustments and converting your RAW to JPEG's if needed. NOTE: When I registered my camera, I got a note from Canon that Firmware 2.0.7 is now out, check it out if you have 2.0.3 or 2.0.4 still! So my short sum up. Pros: High Resolution, Great ISO Performance (including expanding to ISO50), Great Color and Gradient Reproduction to minimize post processing. Cons: Shutter Lag when using 'Live View' (not a con for me, just wanted to make people aware), 30MB CR2 files fill up your space fast, Large sensor has more area for dust to stick to, so get a good Cleaning Kit and squeeze blower.

Had to return first one to Amazon as auto-focus was not working at all, this was replaced OK. Second one worked OK for a little while but with the poor low-light auto-focus and sharpness issues that are pretty well documented with this camera. After a few months started having power supply issues and the LCD screen stopped working so had to be returned to Canon service center for repair. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT CANON ABSOLUTELY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR WARRANTY and I now have a repair bill of one third the value of the camera (or a very expensive paper weight). They have now lost a long term customer who has spent many thousands of dollars on their equipment over the past few years, first time I try to use their warranty I get screwed over and totally stone-walled by their 'customer service' representatives. In my experience this has been a very unreliable piece of equipment and Canon a total disgrace in the way they deal with a loyal customer. My advice is to buy a Nikon, which is what I will be doing in future.

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.

This camera was an upgrade from the original Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) which I loved. I never thought the image quality could be improved upon enough to warrant $2,500 to upgrade, but I was wrong. It was still painful to plop down this much money since I am only a serious amateur, but it turned out to be SO worth it. I'm not ready to completely give up my old 5D though and still use it as a 2nd camera body. First off, the image quality has to be seen to be believed when coupled with "L" quality lenses (non-L lenses will show numerous flaws). Low light performance alone makes the upgrade worth it: Virtually noise-free up until ISO 800 (barely noticeable), starting around ISO 1000 (acceptable) and really doesn't become bothersome until around ISO 4000 or so. If you use a good noise control program like Noise Ninja or others, you can get away with even higher ISO's. I coupled this camera with a Lexar Professional Series 16 GB 300x UDMA CompactFlash Memory Card CF16GB-300-381 and the write speed is almost instant, even though the camera is moving 20+ MB of data with each shot. I would recommend a card reader though, because going directly from camera to computer can be slow. The new menu system is 100 times better than the old one, very easy to go from tab-to-tab rather than all the scrolling of the old menu system, and you can find your selection much faster. The true VGA LCD screen on the back is a VERY welcome change. Larger and brighter, you'll notice it self-adjust the brightness when you're outside too. Live-view is awesome! I've been using it in my macro and studio work for razor sharpness and it's made my poor eyes much happier than all the squinting. I had a pirate eye-patch for doing that work with my old 5D. The dust-reducing facilites are another welcome change. I had to clean my sensor before every important shoot with the old model. I've had the 5D MK II for about 3 months now and have yet to clean the sensor on it. Dust will still adhere to the underside of the focusing screen, but easily blown off with your Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black) . Finally the resolution. I've been able to take wildlife shots at some distance, and crop out the subject and still have a superior quality photo. It's really added a lot of flexibility for composition in post-production. I have successfully printed up to 24x36 with absolutely no distortion at all using Alien Skin's Blow-UP 2 Software. It's my belief you could easily do a perfect 11x14 or 12x18 straight out of the camera though. Some people love the Digital Photo Professional software that comes with it, but my personal preference is Photoshop. Note that if you're still using CS3 or before you will need to convert the CR2's from the 5D MK II using Adobe's DNG converter (free download from Adobe) or upgrade to at least CS4. I am currently using this camera with the optional Canon BG-E6 Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR and 2 batteries in the grip. Battery life with this combination is amazing. I can easily go weeks between charges, and an easy menu on the camera gives detail on battery life. The incremental battery life indicator on the top window is a lot more accurate than the old 5D. It's just my preference but I disagree with the reviewers who say there should be a pop-up flash on camera. This camera is pro level quality and as any serious amateur or pro will tell you, built-in flashes are useless. In combination with my Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras it's a winning combination for flawless flash photographs with no red-eye and no harsh shadows when bounced. If you're going to spend this much on a camera, a good speedlight is a must. The latest firmware version 2.0.4 fixes some bugs and improves movie performance so if your new model doesn't have that version, it's a free download from Canon. I do not have experience with movie mode yet, so I will update this review later on that. I'm still have a bit of sticker-shock, but after using this camera awhile, it seems more an investment. Once you see the quality, it should alleviate your pain.