5dc to 5d Mark II - is it worth the jump?

So is it worth he jump and why?


I am considering selling my 5dc and one of my 7d's and trading in for a 5d mark II

I am heavily into portrait photography.

So those of you that upgraded, will this be a positive step?

(the basic functions of the 5d when compared to the 7d do bother me).

Yes, worth it considering you have 3 7Ds

Edit, sorry I was eating lunch....

The controls of the 5D MkII fit much better in line with the 7D, that was the biggest issue for me too when using a 7D and 5D classic, I just couldn't deal with the controls being completely different between the two bodies.

5D Mk II is an amazing portrait camera, although I doubt you will notice much, if any improvement over the 5D classic in image quality. Where it really shines is in low light, the ISO capabilities are phenomenal on the MkII.

You didn't get enough opinions from your thread a couple weeks ago?

You know my opinion. Get a 5Dc first with something like an 85L. Will give you better results than the body to body upgrade.

Having upgraded from 5Dc to MKII, unless you're looking for the FF video, I'm going to say No. But this is just a personal subjective opinion. I don't like the feel of the shutter on MK II and I just don't see that much improvement in the picture quality, yet.

TaDa wrote in post #12522838
You didn't get enough opinions from your thread a couple weeks ago?

You know my opinion. Get a 5Dc first with something like an 85L. Will give you better results than the body to body upgrade.

Not yet.

I just find the 5dc difficult to meter with compared to the 7d.

And as I have not had a chance to use a 5d II, I am not sure how close it is to the 7d in functionality.

Eric wrote in post #12522832
Yes, worth it considering you have 3 7Ds

Edit, sorry I was eating lunch....

The controls of the 5D MkII fit much better in line with the 7D, that was the biggest issue for me too when using a 7D and 5D classic, I just couldn't deal with the controls being completely different between the two bodies.

5D Mk II is an amazing portrait camera, although I doubt you will notice much, if any improvement over the 5D classic in image quality. Where it really shines is in low light, the ISO capabilities are phenomenal on the MkII.

I find metering on the 5dc difficult (using spot metering) and the screen on the back is not great.

Is the 5dII in line with the 7d in these particular departments?

^^

And stop teasing me with that 85l...

The 7d meters slightly better in difficult conditions than the 5D2. Personally It's not a big deal since I am shooting in manual most, if not all the time.

Going from a 5d to the 5d2....

The only reason I went to the 5d2 was better high ISO which is critical to how I shoot.

Since the upgrade the things I have come to appreciate other than better high ISO are more pixels, Liveview, MA, larger LCD making seeing the histogram much easier, sensor shaker (5d was never clean).

If the 5dc existed with micro adjust that would be perfect for my application. This alone is the reason why I wanted the 5dmk2.

I ditched my 1dmk3 because I am more heavily into portrait work. I purchased another 5dmk2 so that I have consistency in the files between the two bodies used. I will make due till canon makes a 70D or 7dmk2 or if the 5d3 has updated af system.

mtimber wrote in post #12522882
I find metering on the 5dc difficult (using spot metering) and the screen on the back is not great.

Is the 5dII in line with the 7d in these particular departments?

I believe the 5D2 and the 7D have the same screen. Metering will be slightly different as the 7D has the new 63 zone or whatever it is....but the info in the viewfinder on the 5D2 is just as clear as the 7D, slightly different, maybe a tad smaller, but a big improvement over the 5D classic.

7d is crippled in some ways because you cannot use a super precision focus screen. If you haven't used that removeable/replaceable screen disregard my comments because you wont miss what you've never used

It depends on the portrait work you plan on doing. If it is strictly studio style work in controlled lighting with low ISO...it's not that big of a jump. The 5DmkII does however offer better color gradients and fine detail in certain situations. In a studio setting however, it is not as big of a deal though.

If out door portraiture is what you do, having a weather sealed body that is perfectly clean at ISO 800 and very usable (for portraiture) at 1600 is a very good advantage. It lets you work with available light more readily than the classic. It also gives you more latitude when using off camera lights. I can get away with a few speedlights when shooting at ISO 400 or 800 versus needing strobes at ISO 100. The classic can hang just fine even at 1600 ISO, but you have to work the file and exposure a little tighter.

I use both the 5D, 5DmkII and a Leica M8 regularly and interchangeably. If all I did was portraiture, I probably would have never bought a 5DmkII. I love it, but my need was for my panoramic and architectural work where I needed a larger file size. Also for my dance work where I deliver work from 3200 and 6400 regularly.

The 5Dc deserves all its accolades, but the 5D2 is just that much better! One of the biggest problems I found with the classic was it attracted dust like no other camera I've ever owned. The 5D2 advancement with sensor clean is a great plus. Bigger, better LCD, weather seal are added bonuses for that upgrade. There are numerous other features that make the upgrade worth it, but it's what you want or need!

Good luck:

Brady

Thanks for all the excellent input folks.

Keep them coming.

Get a meter and make your life easy and lot cheaper.