Tell me why the 5D2 is better than the 5Dc please...

I'm pretty sure I'm upgrading to the 5Dii, I think it's about time I had some modern accouterments...

The question is would I be better served by more/upgraded glass?

I like to do portraits and tend to do a lot of low light shooting. I've heard conflicting views on 5Dc vs 5D2 on high ISO.

Just want some opinions on the matter, hopefully from people who own/have owned both...

Never owned the 5Dc, but played with a used one before I bought my 5dii. Low light is definitely better on the 5dii. I found ISO 3200 on the 5dii to be about the same as 1600 on the 5dc. The 5dii also has live view, a better rear screen, sensor cleaning and MFA. IQ differences at lower ISOs are minimal and some people prefer the 5Dc's "look". They are both great cameras so long as high perf AF isn't important to you.

If I owned the 5dc and wanted more modern "accoutrements", then I'd go for the 6d, or if I had the money, the 5diii.

If you do mostly portraits, then keeping the 5dc and getting an 85L might make more sense.

The price of the 5D2 has dropped a lot recently thx to the 5D3.

The 5D is a great camera and will be for a very long time to come.

The files are smaller and easy to work with. However you can't crop as heavily as the 5D2 files.

The 5D is a camera with no "frills" in my opinion. The menu system is simple to use without ever reading a manual for it. Great picture quality but lacking a little when going to higher iso such as 1600 and "3200" (Hi). The noise is pretty easy to clean up as well.

The 5D2 offers more in terms of features, as well as almost 3 times the cost.

Having nearly double the pixels to work with is nice as long as you have the hard drive space and a computer that can handle the files without much lag.

The live view is great to have too. The 3" LCD is a pleasure to use compared to the older 5D screen.

The sensor cleaner/dust shaker is another feature that a lot of people love although I never had a huge issue with dust on my 5D for the year I owned one

Micro adjustment could be a bonus as well if your lens/lenses require it. Better weather sealing is nice to have and the better LP-E6 battery lasts a LOT longer than the BP-511 one on the 5D.

The 5D2 has more expanded iso range and I found it very usable in the 3200-6400 range if needed (depends what you deem as acceptable of course).

Video I never really used though so I can't comment on that other than I think you'll need some dedicated video ad ons to make it more useful (loupes and external mics for example).

I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. The 5D is cheap now as I've seen them as low as $500 for a decent body. The 5D2 is more money but still a great price for used in the $1200-1500 range these days.

I sometimes miss the simplicity of the 5D and debate picking one up for $500 as a "beater body".

Anyways, hope that helps you a bit. (And yes, I've owned both of those bodies for a year at least until buying a 5D3 - but I'm a hobby shooter)

Good luck

I have been using 5D before moving to 5D mark II,
the minus point of 5D, mainly because it is era,
slow processing, I mean, very slow changing ISO, switch between menu, compare to 40D
ISO around 1600, 5D mark II can be push to ISO 6400 and still good enough
battery, 5D are using battery from the era BP511, battery not smart compare to LPE6 of 5D mark II,
also I don't think it is easy to find brand new originals BP511 and guarantee it's performance

other than that,
5D is a great camera, I love the results

I've owned and used both extensively, and the 5d2 is a better camera. It's not orders of magnitude better, but the LCD is far better in daylight, and believe having the extra MP really does help. My biggest complaint about my former 5dc and 5d2 was that the center AF point was the only reliable one, so I often had to shoot wider than I wanted in order to have the center AF point where I needed - cropping to the right composition later.

There really isn't anything the 5dc does better than the 5d2

Thanks for the input so far guys

paulkaye wrote in post #15593525
If I owned the 5dc and wanted more modern "accoutrements", then I'd go for the 6d, or if I had the money, the 5diii.

If you do mostly portraits, then keeping the 5dc and getting an 85L might make more sense.

Hmmm hadn't really thought about the 6D, but after reading up on it, it seems like a big step up with the hyper-sensitive center point and crazy high ISO performance.... Maybe I can scrounge up some more money. I wish I could step it up to a 5D3 but it's not in the cards yet. 3K+ is still out of reach for me as a student.

Also the 85L is dreamy but I'm not sure it's the lens for me. Not versatile enough for me to spend that kind of money on right now.


I want to upgrade but maybe I should just keep the 5Dc until I destroy it

h4ppydaze wrote in post #15594209
I want to upgrade but maybe I should just keep the 5Dc until I destroy it

You know, the great thing about cameras that have passed their 'babying phase' is that they tend to get used a lot more.

On top of that we all need to be cautious of Gear Acquisition Syndrome - esp with bodies - they bleed money. It seldom makes us better photographers and the money we save goes a long way to taking us places where we can find great photo opportunities. I went to a talk at the local camera club a while back and the speaker was truly inspirational with a collection of stunning prints. His sole equipment was a Canon 5Dc with a 24-105. Nothing else. Worth thinking about...

I don't own MK II because I have another DSLR to compensate my 5Dc weak poins:
No video, no high ISO, no high MP. And if I'm not mistaken the shutter sound on MKII is not so loud as on 5Dc. Plus - focus MA.
But 5Dc is providing files with closest to film look, which I like.
If you going to do a lot of low light - MKII or 6D.

kf095 wrote in post #15595334
I don't own MK II because I have another DSLR to compensate my 5Dc weak poins:
No video, no high ISO, no high MP. And if I'm not mistaken the shutter sound on MKII is not so loud as on 5Dc. Plus - focus MA.
But 5Dc is providing files with closest to film look, which I like.
If you going to do a lot of low light - MKII or 6D.

Funny. Those weak points are some of the reason I bought a 5D. No video, no LV, screen is so bad you CAN'T chimp with it. If I need ISO > 1600, I can use my 60D and go to 12,800. It takes about 4 seconds to use a Rocket-blower on the sensor. Center point focus is as good as the 60D, maybe better. I didn't see any reason to go to the 5D2/3. Near as I can tell, I gave up the cropability of 21MP and saved about $1,100 in the process.

I have the 5D3, 5D2 and 5Dc

For Weddings, I use the 5D3 and 5Dc (I leave the 5D2 at home)

The reason I choose the 5Dc over the 5D2 is because it has a more classical look - I find it has several IQ advantages:
- Stronger sensor vignette caused by peripheral microlenses inefficiency I think - this gives a very strong vignetting effect which is very beautiful
- Less "clinical" looking than the 5D2
- More neutral colours rather than the 5D2's pink/orange tones (in certain conditions)

The downside is the smaller resolution - it's hard to crop out of the 12.8MP of the 5Dc compared to the 5D2

The noise level is slightly more grainy than the 5D2, which is more splotchy. I find I dislike both
The 5D2 is better at ISO 3200+. At ISO 3200, the 5Dc bands badly, whereas the 5D2 holds up.

smorter wrote in post #15595572
I have the 5D3, 5D2 and 5Dc

For Weddings, I use the 5D3 and 5Dc (I leave the 5D2 at home)

The reason I choose the 5Dc over the 5D2 is because it has a more classical look - I find it has several IQ advantages:
- Stronger sensor vignette caused by peripheral microlenses inefficiency I think - this gives a very strong vignetting effect which is very beautiful
- Less "clinical" looking than the 5D2
- More neutral colours rather than the 5D2's pink/orange tones (in certain conditions)

All the things in the list regarding "look" there can be added or subtracted to taste in a couple seconds in post processing...the higher ISO capabilities and more MP for cropping are always a clear winner for me, not to mention the more accurate screen and difference in menu/processing lag time...

Mashimaro wrote in post #15593532
and the better LP-E6 battery lasts a LOT longer than the BP-511 one on the 5D.

how long do the LP-E6s last? I'm getting 700-900 shots with the BP-511s, sometimes I think they last too long because I forget to charge them

paulkaye wrote in post #15595128
You know, the great thing about cameras that have passed their 'babying phase' is that they tend to get used a lot more.

On top of that we all need to be cautious of Gear Acquisition Syndrome - esp with bodies - they bleed money. It seldom makes us better photographers and the money we save goes a long way to taking us places where we can find great photo opportunities. I went to a talk at the local camera club a while back and the speaker was truly inspirational with a collection of stunning prints. His sole equipment was a Canon 5Dc with a 24-105. Nothing else. Worth thinking about...

I only have a minor case of GAS... I find it hard to justify any big purchase if I'm not using it a lot. In fact, I have to update my sig because I got rid of the 70-200... Not to buy more gear either... to go on vacation and take some time off work. I just didn't use it after I got the 100L, which is a damn near perfect lens. Now my whole kit fits in a very compact bag and I have everything I need. A backup body/newer body is the only thing I can think of getting next...

I work at my school's daily paper so when I need the 70-200 for covering sports, I can use their gear. I've used all sorts of awesome gear, and for the price I still find it hard to find any faults with the 5Dc.

smorter wrote in post #15595572
I have the 5D3, 5D2 and 5Dc

For Weddings, I use the 5D3 and 5Dc (I leave the 5D2 at home)

The reason I choose the 5Dc over the 5D2 is because it has a more classical look - I find it has several IQ advantages:
- Stronger sensor vignette caused by peripheral microlenses inefficiency I think - this gives a very strong vignetting effect which is very beautiful
- Less "clinical" looking than the 5D2
- More neutral colours rather than the 5D2's pink/orange tones (in certain conditions)

The downside is the smaller resolution - it's hard to crop out of the 12.8MP of the 5Dc compared to the 5D2

The noise level is slightly more grainy than the 5D2, which is more splotchy. I find I dislike both
The 5D2 is better at ISO 3200+. At ISO 3200, the 5Dc bands badly, whereas the 5D2 holds up.

Thank you. I was afraid I would miss the 5Dc IQ, and I think a lot of people have experienced that. ~13-1500 dollars for video and an extra stop of ISO I guess is what it comes down to for me...

Also I find the biggest "missing features" on the 5Dc compared to the 5D2 are:
- No Live view
- No AF Microadjust
- Much smaller LCD
- Can't set ISO in full stops (locked at 1/3 stops on 5D afaik)

Thank you again, those would all be very nice features to have but not really deal breakers by any means for me for a number of reasons.

I'm mainly looking at high ISO/low light/autofocus and can't afford the 5D3... Shucks.