Can a 5D MkII handle sports?

TeamSpeed wrote in post #10926246
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I think in the end, with proper glass, the 7D could do a wide range of studio and portraits shots better than the 5DII could do a variety of sporting events, thus my comment that the 7D is a bit more versatile at the end of the day.

Agreed. The 7d is much more capable of portraits and landscapes than the 5d2 is of sports.

The 5DII is not bad for sports, depending on the sport. I just got a 7D so I'll see how many more keepers I get.

The one thing that a crop can't do is this

bohdank wrote in post #10926994
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The one thing that a crop can't do is this...

Those are very nice shots, but why couldn't a 1.6X crop take these?

The ability for shallow DOF.

First shot 300 F4..... on a crop you might do similar or better with a 200/f2. A 200/f2.8 would get you close, I think. Someone can chime in on this one.

Second shot 135mm F2. You could also do this one on a crop if you had the 85L although I'm not sure the 85L could keep up, in terms of focusing or IQ wide open compared to the 135L wide open.

So, in terms of DOF control, a crop can keep up in the longer focal lengths but it is going to cost you. The shorter you go, the less options there are on a crop.

If you want more sports.... how about pro snowboarders...

I've only shot 3 sporting events, ever, so I still have a lot to learn about how to do it... camera setup...etc.

I think it was well stated earlier, the benefits are when you look at things in aggregate. % increase in keepers over large #'s of images probably is reflected in someone's professional business. However, if you're just shooting an event for pleasure or for casual customers (e.g. kid's soccer team) the % difference might not matter so much because there is less emphasis on getting the 'key' play of the game like there might be in the pro realm of sports.

Yes it can, as Bohdan already demonstrated:

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A friend's Flickr page of 5DII sports sets and collections. He does pretty good with his.

http://www.flickr.com …ctions/72157603​758734826/

i use to shoot NBA with my 5D mkII and it was sufficient, minus the FPS. i eventually upgraded to the IV.

all these were shot with the 5D mkII..

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versedmb wrote in post #10927128
Those are very nice shots, but why couldn't a 1.6X crop take these?

it can.

Just get a 7D and a canon 135 F2 and you'l be able to take on the world!!!!!

It certainly CAN shoot sports. Is it the best for the job? Certainly not. The 7D with its much better AF and much higher FPS will surely make it easier to shoot sports, but the 5dii can shoot sports. I shoot sports as a freelance photographer with the equipment in my sig, and the studio has been please with my shots thus far. Of course timing is much more important, as is tracking the subject, but it will still get the job done.

canon rookie wrote in post #10928130
Just get a 7D and a canon 135 F2 and you'l be able to take on the world!!!!!

But this world is not called "High ISO"

aboss3 wrote in post #10928315
But this world is not called "High ISO"

Up to 3200, it's pretty much a wash. I even think the character of the 7D noise is better, less blotchy, more random grain.