70D vs 2nd hand 5DMkII

So I need a new camera for a family trip to East Africa - think long shots for wildlife, as well as a lot of snapping around 30mm for unposed family photos. Maybe some informal video.

I have a budget of around 1000-1400GBP all in, and have the opportunity to get a 5dMk2 and a 24-70mm f/2.8L (not sure what version yet, I'm guessing mark i considering the price)+ paraphenalia (batteries, 16G CF card) for 1200GBP.

How does that stack up against a 70D body with whatever glass I could get with the leftovers (say a 24-105f4L)?

The long shots will be taken care of courtesy of a borrowed 70-200 f4L.

Any advice much appreciated

The 70D isn't much better than the 7D, it seems to retain a bit more detail, but ISO levels at a raw level aren't that different at all, when you compare them with no NR or when you compare DPP settings for the 70D vs 7D with more aggressive NR values.

This means you can use 7D to 5D2 comparisons to get your answer regarding the 70D. I would expect my back to back comparisons of the 7D to the 5D2 would be very applicable to a 70D to 5D2 comparison. (Click my mini-reviews link in my signature below to find it)

Keep in mind that 24mm on a 70D is not going to give you the same field of view as 24mm on the 5D2, instead it will give you nearly the same FOV as a 40mm on the 5D2. Is that wide enough for what you plan to shoot? Many people find that when they buy an APS-C body, they need wider lenses than what they would normally shoot with on a FF due to the FOV differences. Something for you to consider when you think about a 70D and glass, and the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS lens on the 70D would be somewhat comparable to the 24-70L on the 5D2 in regards to FOV (27-88mm equivalent view). The 15-85mm would be an option too, but is a variable aperture.

£1200 for a 5D2 and a MK1 24-70 seems a very good price to me

Can I make a suggestion...??
If you have a budget of 1400 Squid.. Why not go for the 6D =1250 Squid and get a used 24-105 on Gumtree for 450 squid.. Ok, so you are 300 Squid short.. Borrow the money !!! Trust me the new FF cameras are the way forward !!!!!

If you are going to East Africa then as a minimum for a long lens I would be looking at 400mm. If it were me I would be thinking of hiring a 100-400L to take with me. I think I would pick a modern crop sensor body too just for the much higher pixel density. I see the OP currently has a 350D, the 5DII has almost exactly the same pixel density as his existing camera. I really don't think FF is the right choice for a safari trip, even 400mm is likely to be marginal to fully fill the frame on a crop body, and in all likleyhood he will need to crop from there. This is exactly where pixels count and a 5DII wont have any more than he already has.

Alan

I went on Safari in Tanzania last year and purchased a 7D and a 100-400L for the trip. Sold both when I came home and almost broke even. Saved paying hire rates. Loved that combo for wildlife.

I know that's not what you asked but it's food for thought

I agree with the longer lens recommendations. I would go with a 70D + 100-400.

xpfloyd wrote in post #16518770
I went on Safari in Tanzania last year and purchased a 7D and a 100-400L for the trip. Sold both when I came home and almost broke even. Saved paying hire rates. Loved that combo for wildlife.

I know that's not what you asked but it's food for thought

this is the best solution IMO. Lots of deals going around right now, buy it, and sell it during spring when prices typically rise.

Should have said I bought a used body and used lens, but like Charlie says there are deals around just now if you chose to buy new

70D+18-135 stm+tamron 70-300 vc

majix wrote in post #16519702
70D+18-135 stm+tamron 70-300 vc

I still don't think 300 is long enough. The longest I own is 300mm but I have rented the 100-400 now and again and the difference that extra 100mm makes is substantial. I would consider that 400mm should be considered the absolute minimum for max focal length. The new Tamron 150-600mm would be the ideal range, but it's not out yet.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #16520053
I still don't think 300 is long enough. The longest I own is 300mm but I have rented the 100-400 now and again and the difference that extra 100mm makes is substantial. I would consider that 400mm should be considered the absolute minimum for max focal length. The new Tamron 150-600mm would be the ideal range, but it's not out yet.

Alan

yeah but it will be much higher than 1400GBP and on crop body it's very long focal for other shots like family shots as he mentioned .
18-135 stm is also good for video

BigAl007 makes a good point.

Hmm, the STM looks nice, and the new autofocus via object tracking makes me smile, since I work on those algorithms for a living I don't think I'll be making any indie movies, but I guess it's nice to know I could...

So I guess it's the long end to take care of - I have the cashflow to hold onto a 100-400 for a few months, but is 2nd hand demand high enough that I will definitely be able to move it afterwards for a decent price?

Also, does the trombone suck dust into the lens cavities themselves (affecting my ability to flog it afterwards! , or just onto the sensor (follow-up , will the sensor cleaning take care of that?). It is safari after all, there may be some dust involved.

xpfloyd - any tips on keeping the tsetses away?

Thanks for the help all of you, it's been a while since I wore my photography hat. As you might tell from my sig...

Tsetses?

Personally I would look at a second hand 100-400 as this will minimise the difference between what you might pay and what you could resell for. The 100-400 is probably the most popular way to get to 400mm in a Canon mount, and you also have the benefit of that 100-399mm range of the zoom. As to the push/pull action, any lens that changes length when you zoom HAS to suck air in and out as the internal volume of the lens changes so the 100-400 is really no different to any other long zoom in that regard. It is Canon's biggest zoom lens so it will move more air than any other, but no worse than say a Sigma 50-500 for example.

I find no problem with operating it, but I used a "one touch" Vivitar 80-200 zoom on my Pentax ME Super for many years when I shot film, so I guess I'm used to the feel of it.

Alan