Canon 550d to 5d MkII Upgrade

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jonnybloo

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Hi, just looking for opinions here. I am looking at possibly upgrading my camera body from a 550d. I keep getting drawn in by the feel, handling, low light, bigger sensor of the full frames. This may be naive but im hoping to get some opinion to see if im barking up the wrong tree or not?

Although i have no niche as such my main subject is my daughter so portrait photography. I realise the MkIII has a much better AF system but its completely unaffordable.

I keep reading for portraits/kids etc the MkII just isnt good enough but can you put my mind at ease, surely its better than the 550d? Im not knocking the 550 as i have loved it and its given me the interest in photography. I just wonder of the criticism of the MkII AF system is more when justfying the upgrade to MkIII

Is the 550d to MkII upgrade worth it or is that 600 better spent elsewhere until the upgrade path is more worthwhile in a year or 2 ?

Cheers

Jonny
 
if you are okay with your 550D AF system, then 5D2 won't be of any issue. it won't be a massive upgrade, but AF system in 5D2 is still better than 550D.

it's not the latest multi-million dot AF system, it's a humble AF system that just works. no need to get hang up by this non-existence issue.

you will certainly get better body, better low light performance (2 stops, from 550D, 1 from latest, better APS-C sensors) and focal lengths that makes much more sense.
 
I've found the AF system of the 5D mk2 fine. Granted I generally use the centre focus point and recompose if necessary, but I did that with my 7D as well so there's no difference there. The handling feels pretty similar to be honest but there is definitely far less noise at higher ISO's and as a lot of the pictures I take are of the kids indoors then I feel it was the right choice for me. The lenses I have acting at their proper wide setting makes a big difference to me as well, I find that my 24-70 is far more useful than it was on the 7D.
 
Thanks for the replies, out of interest what do you see most worthwhile assuming the upgrade is about 600-700 quid to mkii. The mkii, less on a 7d (better af? And that solid feel) or 600 on a new lens for the 550d

If I go for the mkii I just want to make sure its a wow that's good rather than me trying to justify it features that may not be relevant to me.

Is the picture quality that much better?
 
There's not much between the 5d mk2 and 7d when held in the hand, they both feel solid and well constructed. If your main usage will be portraits then the mk2 could be better suited. The 7D's advantage would be its superior AF system but I'm not sure that's got much weight with portrait photography ? For what it's worth, I haven't used the 7D since the mk 2 arrived, basically due to just preferring the output from the mk2.

Is there a lens you really want instead of the camera upgrade ? You could look at the 135mm f2 from panamoz for £600. Might be a bit long on a crop sensor though.
 
Funny you should say the 135, the last purchase I made was that from panamoz due to the great reviews and good price. I guess the price reflects the fact its a random length, 200 crop equivalent. That's paid off the credit card now which has made me think upgrade body.

I actually love the 135 but its hard to justify to keep sometimes as it is sometimes too close for my liking. My sensible head keeps thinking trade it for something more practical. The only lens I fancy that I would swap for tho is the new sigma 35mm but that's not anything immediate, the price needs to settle first.

I wonder if I'm also thinking of upgrading the body to suit the 135 too?!

Possibly an obvious question then but do you find the mkii produces significantly better images/colours than the 7d?

A better af system would be nice especially with how fast my little un moves, but better iso may help there anyway
 
Other considerations might be loss of built in flash and need to buy new memory cards, no selectable maximum auto ISO either
 
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I went from a 500d to a 5d2.

Basically, one shot AF is about the same, burst speed is about the same but i'd say servo focussing is a bit more responsive, but there isn't much in it.

The outer focus points are fine. A bit iffy at times, but not bad and more than usable.

The 5D2 was my first full frame, and first 'pro' camera and i loved it. i'm so glad i purchased it. i've captured some wonderful memories of my children growing up, and if that is what you want to do then the camera will do everything you need.

Here are a few of my shots from the 5D2 with with the 135 f/2 lens (the last one was taken with the 35L)

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two lenses i think were made for full frame are the 35L and the 135L, and if i could have only two those would be it.

What I'm trying to say to you is that if the 5D2 is the only full frame camera you can afford, buy it now and enjoy it. If you feel like I do about photography you won't regret it for a second. :-)
 
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Cuthbert, Thankyou very much that's exactly what I wanted to hear and see. Fantastic pictures too. The 135 is amazing I would love to be able to use it more but English weather and on a crop rules out quite a bit as its just too long indoors. Thanks again!
 
it's really not worth getting any other crop sensor if you've already got a 550D. all other current Canon crop camera has exactly same sensor, you won't gain much. the pictures will come out pretty much exactly the same.

as long as you are fine with 550D's AF system, the 5D2's AF won't disappoint. full frame will give you the big wow factor you are looking for, it will really make your 135L shine.
 
Have you considered the new 6D? I know that it's not released yet, but price should be a lot more affordable than the 5d iii, can't see the focus being any worse than the 5d ii, but in a smaller neater package, any 5 series is much bigger than a 550d.

It will still have a great viewfinder image as per all ff cameras, portraits are much easier than through a tunnel vision crop penta mirror one.

Another thought is to get a lightly used 5d classic, which has similar af to the mk ii, reputedly better skin tones than the mk ii and can be bought for not much these days. An affordable way to dip your toes in ff. If you don't like it you can pass it on at little loss.
 
Thanks everyone for their thought so far.

Fulwood, I have looked at initial reviews of the 6d but again its out of my price range. The mkii would be a 2nd hand purchase as they seem to go for around 900. It does look a nice camera though if not a little gadgety for my requirements with the GPS and wifi. Nice to have but ultimately the main thing I want is better quality tho I'm sure it would achieve that too.
 
jonnybloo said:
I keep reading for portraits/kids etc the MkII just isnt good enough
Click to expand...

Believe it or not, people used to take photos of kids with film cameras! With basic one-point AF! Or no AF at all! :nuts:

Seriously, don't let it put you off.. not every child portrait involves them running round a park at 50mph, and even then your skill with the camera will play a big part in getting the shots you want.

A.
 
Ha ha thanks anorakus, that's reassuring. Sounds good.

I will keep an eye on 2nd hand market.

My brother is actually buying a Nikon d600 and thinks its crazy to even consider the mkii when for 1150 ish you can get brand new d600 - though a grey import. Various forums suggest the same thing.

I don't fancy selling all lenses etc anyway just to swap over though at first glance it looks like Nikon have the better option all round
 
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