Question about the 5D mark II

Tzetsin wrote in post #14698475
I have both the 7D and the 5D2, I'll give you some advice. Take that 5D2 back ASAP and get the 7D.
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lannes wrote in post #14700181
I'm actually using the 7d more than the 5dm2, as the IQ difference below 1600 is not much difference.
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For me it was the exact opposite. I had both and I kept the 5DII and sold the 7D. I prefer the images coming out of the 5DII to those from the 7D .. far less noise.

I have both and I'm not taking either back. Best of both worlds. Now I can concentrate on glass, oh yeah, and my technique.

I took some shots yesterday night, and I can see the difference in the IQ, I mean I could see it before, but it's more obvious, and people tell me that they are sharper, so it's all good, and yes I would love to get the MarkIII but my budget and needs are not all that high....yet!

I just want to make something very clear. There is ABSOLUTELY NO difference between the 7D and the 5D2 in sharpness. Sharpness is the function of lens, technique, and post. not sensor.

The 5d2 can capture very sharp images of anything, even bullet trains at max speed. the autofocus system problem does NOT cause images to not be sharp. It causes the camera to not focus properly, quickly or intelligently. If its in focus, its in focus though and will be just as sharp as any camera.

The problem is that when you shoot moving objects it will miss MORE than it hits. Not that it will never hit, of course it will, but like I said before, missing 6 out of 10 shots is utter BS. You'll still have 4 shots in 10 in focus though. The 7D on the other hand will shoot almost 3 times as fast and 10 out of 10, or 9 out of 10 if its a bad day will be IN focus. That is a truly HUGE difference.

Lets say you see this crocodile attack a heron by the river when you're shooting a sunset. You swing over, point your camera and fire off 3 frames on your 5D2 (the moment only lasts a second, so thats all you get. Considering the terrible low light performance of the one good AF point on the 5D, and the slow shutter (which is ok most of the time) I'd say this is a garanteed missed 3 shots. The only thing that might save it is that when you're shooting a sunset you probably have it set for a very wide depth of field anyway, so when the camera missed the focus, it still landed in the range of DOF.

If you're shooting at night, you will definitely see the difference between the 7D and the 5D2. the 5D2 does a fantastic job with ISO. The 7D is no slouch either, but the 5D2 has to be good for something right?

I do have both, and as such, I do USE both. But for 90% of my images the 7D works better than the 5D, even when shooting things the 5D would seem to be suited better for.

Tzetsin wrote in post #14698475
I have both the 7D and the 5D2, I'll give you some advice. Take that 5D2 back ASAP and get the 7D.

The 5D2's sensor is better than the 7D for sure, but for the very great majority of people you'll see very little difference. The low light ISO performance of the 5D is also a couple stops better than the 7D, but thats where the good stuff stops for the 5D

At 3 frames a second the 5D2 is slooooooooooooooow... too slow to get any good action.

It has 9 AF points... which is a total scam. Only ONE (the center one) is accurate enough to be used for any reason. This center point is pretty useless in low light as well.

The AF system as a whole is abysmal. The single greatest weakness of the entire unit, which cripples it when taking pictures of moving objects is the AF "system" (and i use system very loosely)

There are two important areas the 5D2 excels, the full frame sensor, and its low light ISO performance. BOTH are worth nothing when 6 out of 10 shots are out of focus.

The only two areas of photography where this camera is any good is portraits and landscapes. The two areas of photography where you have a completely immobile subject. If it moves, the 5D2 will miss it.

Thats not to say the camera can't be used. Lots of professional wedding photographers use it, but its a mystery to me how they pull it off... manual focus maybe?

The 7D on the other hand is a FANTASTIC camera.

The AF system on it is top notch, even for the age, there are few cameras that can rival it. It has 8 frames per second and every one of them will be sharp and in focus no matter what your subject is. (assuming you are using a lens with a motor fast enough to keep up.)

It does have a crop sensor, which is the only thing on the unit I would change. Its low light high ISO performance is very good. Not quite as good as the 5D2, but you can comfortably shoot 1600, 3200 in a pinch, vs 3200, 6400 in a pinch on the 5D2.

between the two cameras, each has its use. the 5D2 is a portrait / landscape camera and the 7D is an action camera. Thats not to say the 7D doesnt do portraits or landscapes just fine because it does. The same cannot be said about the 5D2.

I'm going to have a half dozen people argue this whole post right away, so I ask this to all you who come to argue:

"Is what I've said about the AF system untrue."

If the answer is no, then you have no argument. Nip it in the bud before it even starts.

The 5D2 takes a beautiful image. But if your forever fighting for focus, wtf good is it.

In my opinion, take the 5D2 back before its too late and get the 7D.

It's all true, I did bring it back and ask for the 7D, the salesman who has 2 cameras 5DmarkII was looking at me in a stance way, but I told him that I wanted to try the 7D.

Also my Tokina 11-16 did not fit correctly the markII.

Anyway the 7D is fantastic , sure it's not the best resolution and depth of color as the markII, but the pics that I take are very nice, it's such a fats camera that you can take anything on the fly.
The autofocus is way better.

They are two different camera, but so far I like it.
If it could be a full frame and 22 megapixel I'd by it right away....

I have a 7D and a 5D MkII, in my opinion a skilled photographer will get more keepers of birds in flight with a 5D MkII then a poor photographer who uses a 7D and relies on spray and pray shooting.

If I am specifically out to shoot BiF I will use my 7D, mainly for the added "reach", but I will not hesitate to shoot with my 5D MkII if needed.

If you cant figure the IQ difference on print, then return it and get a 7D. Comparing a 5D2 vs 7D is like comparing micro 4/3's vs APS-C.... it's a completely different format. If you cant appreciate the difference, then save yourself some money.

btw, if you get 6 out of 10 shots OOF, you should really consider your technique..... You'll get more shots OOF with the 5D2 by default since DOF is a bit thinner.

The 5D2 isnt in the same league when it comes to action compared to the 7D, but to say it cant shoot action is absurd. the 7D isnt in the same league when it comes to image quality compared to the 5D2.

Charlie wrote in post #14753846
The 5D2 isnt in the same league when it comes to action compared to the 7D, but to say it cant shoot action is absurd. the 7D isnt in the same league when it comes to image quality compared to the 5D2.

That i agree

Hummmm, someone else thinks that OOF images happens more often on the 5DmarkII

Nikkito at the bottom of this link....

https://photography-on-the.net …ead.php?t=11996​14&page=53

sega62 wrote in post #14754458
Hummmm, someone else thinks that OOF images happens more often on the 5DmarkII

Nikkito at the bottom of this link....

https://photography-on-the.net …ead.php?t=11996​14&page=53

well he is comparing the 5D2 to the 1DX... I skipped the 7D because the IQ was slightly better than the 30D at best. The 5D2's IQ is noticeably better than the 7D, and no amount of AF can make up for that. If you're not a specialized sports/BIF photographer, the 5D is simply better.

Just ask yourself do you primarily shoot high action sports/BIF? if so, 7D advantage, otherwise 5D2 advantage.

sega62 wrote in post #14754458
Hummmm, someone else thinks that OOF images happens more often on the 5DmarkII

Nikkito at the bottom of this link....

https://photography-on-the.net …ead.php?t=11996​14&page=53

The 5D II is probably a fantastic camera compared to what was out 5 years earlier but it's focusing system is saddled with a lot of af sensors that are sensitive to one direction or another - horizontal or vertical.