Canon 5D mk II official owners/users thread, anything related to the 5D2

Yeah, I did think that I might be tempted to buy the MkIII, though I'm sure the MkII would be more than adequate for me - as you say, Yellowbelly! I just didn't want to spend £1500 on a MkII body if the price might drop a bit further in a couple of months, but I don't know, it's very difficult to tell - might not change much at all and then I'll have spent months waiting for no reason! Perhaps you guys have the right idea...

Yes Shutter Speed, totally agree!! I'm addicted though, can't stop checking it ;)

Jo
 
I bought my 5DMKII for similair thinking to daveharlow. Had the 7D but everything I wanted to do was Landscapes.

I honestly think it could be the last DSLR I will ever buy. Can't see any reason to upgrade. What could a MKIII offer that is better?
More Pixels? Don't need them?
More dynamic range? Will probably only be incremental.
Less Noise? Probably, but not much.
WiFi connectivity? Nice but not essential

I could go on and be very boring but you get my thinking. I strongly suspect that in 3-5 years there will be small form factor cameras with full frame sensors that are the match of todays technology. I can wait and for the moment love my 5D. :)
 
Joanna Nicole said:
Yeah, I did think that I might be tempted to buy the MkIII, though I'm sure the MkII would be more than adequate for me - as you say, Yellowbelly! I just didn't want to spend £1500 on a MkII body if the price might drop a bit further in a couple of months, but I don't know, it's very difficult to tell - might not change much at all and then I'll have spent months waiting for no reason! Perhaps you guys have the right idea...

Yes Shutter Speed, totally agree!! I'm addicted though, can't stop checking it ;)

Jo
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I'm in exactly the same boat! Cant help thinking that the MkII won't drop much and that the MkIII will be £1k more.
 
PCPhil said:
I honestly think it could be the last DSLR I will ever buy. Can't see any reason to upgrade.
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My thinking exactly.. after owning various bits of kit I bit the bullet (courtesy of redundancy) over a year ago and invested in the MkII, a 70-200 2.8 L and a Gitzo tripod with RRS head. As far as I'm concerned I won't be buying any new kit for some years to come... (did I really say that :wacky:)
 
Got to agree with everything aready said had mine for about 4 months moved up from a 550d which I`ve still got as a back up .
The only thing since I`ve had my 5dmk2 is the lens I`ve been buying everything has to have a L on it and boy has it brought some great results and brought me along into taking better pictures just need some better weather to really show what the camera can do with me at the controls .
To sum up it`s the best thing since sliced bread
 
I upgraded to my 5D MKII in October 2010 & haven't looked back if I'm honest.
It's not the newest camera out there but it's by far the best for what I need. I
read earlier someone mentioned them liking that Canon didn't include the flash
~ I wholeheartedly agree with that! I've never particularly used one & with this
camera's low light abilities it's hardly a necessity. I prefer using either natural
light or studio soft boxes.

I'm saving for my first L series lens ~ hopefully the 85mm f/1.2L MKII USM.
Lots of £! But definitely worth it I think, especially with the 5D MKII's full frame!
 
Any particular reason you want the 1.2 rather than the 1.8? (been having a similar debate myself recently and just about decided the 1.8 would be better for what I wanted but not got round to purchasing yet...)
 
dhracer said:
Any particular reason you want the 1.2 rather than the 1.8?
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The 85mm f/1.8 isn't an L series & I don't believe it would be that much of an upgrade
from my 50mm f/1.8. The 85mm f/1.2 creates amazingly detailed photographs & I'd love
doing more experimental photographs with that narrow DOF. It was seeing the quality of
the work it produced that made me consider it.
 
Joanna Nicole said:
I'm desperate for a 5d MKII! Trying to hold out until the MkIII so that I can (hopefully) get a better deal for it, but patience is seriously waning...I want it nooowww :). WEX have a very good price at the moment (or did last time I checked!). Wondering how much more a new 5Dii would go down in price once the 5Diii is announced.

Jo
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Have you tried Kerso for a price on the 5D2 Jo? ian kerso1123@msn.com or place your request in the thread

He was listing it for £1429 BNIB back in November. As a comparative, a friend of mine paid £1426 for a refurbished unit from Canon via EBay back in April last year.


Good hunting

Weenson
 
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Joanna Nicole said:
Yeah, I did think that I might be tempted to buy the MkIII, though I'm sure the MkII would be more than adequate for me - as you say, Yellowbelly! I just didn't want to spend £1500 on a MkII body if the price might drop a bit further in a couple of months, but I don't know, it's very difficult to tell - might not change much at all and then I'll have spent months waiting for no reason! Perhaps you guys have the right idea...

Yes Shutter Speed, totally agree!! I'm addicted though, can't stop checking it ;)

Jo
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This is me. Knowing my luck, as soon as I buy it, the next week, just outside the return period, they'll announce the mk III, pushing the prices down.

Hence I bought a mkI to tide me over and am very happy with it. But I will be here eventually I think!
 
Houston1863 said:
Have you tried Kerso for a price on the 5D2 Jo? ian kerso1123@msn.com or place your request in the thread

He was listing it for £1429 BNIB back in November. As a comparative, a friend of mine paid £1426 for a refurbished unit from Canon via EBay back in April last year.


Good hunting

Weenson
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Kerso 5D2 body currently £1399 :)
 
I'd rather pay more and get a uk body with warrantee afaik they won't touch an imported camera...
 
dhracer said:
I'd rather pay more and get a uk body with warrantee afaik they won't touch an imported camera...
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No problems with warranty from Kerso. This is from the FAQ page of his website "All Canon products come with Canon USA warranty, which is valid in EU with invoice provided." http://www.flashcamera.co.uk/faq/

AFAIK, nobody has had a warranty problem with Kerso (check his feedback) aside from the fact that TP folks are too important to his business. Hundreds of TPers have bought from him, including me.

PS Contact him direct for best prices ;)
 
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Well DH you know what it's like.

These things are not always published in big letters and you only get to know by asking. As far as I'm concerned when you sell something, the warranty should apply across the globe. I don't see the reason why companies should say they won't recognise warranty on an item if it was bought in a different country or indeed even if used but the item still being within the warranty period. On the latter note, Rolex used to do that. Quite dishonorable IMHO.
 
Houston1863 said:
Well DH you know what it's like.

These things are not always published in big letters and you only get to know by asking. As far as I'm concerned when you sell something, the warranty should apply across the globe. I don't see the reason why companies should say they won't recognise warranty on an item if it was bought in a different country or indeed even if used but the item still being within the warranty period. On the latter note, Rolex used to do that. Quite dishonorable IMHO.
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Provided it is made clear "foreign" warranties won't be honoured in the UK then I have no problem.

Products are often specced differenlty to suit the market in which they are sold. It would be unreasonable to expect Canon UK for instance to hold a stock of parts which are only used in cameras on the American market.
 
The reason grey imports aren't often covered is that the operation in each country will be financed by sales within that country. If you service grey imports under guarantee, you are repairing stuff for free (as far as the local company is concerned).

My understanding was that it had to be a UK based invoice to qualify for a body. Lenses have a worldwide guarantee, but that the bodies were only covered by their point-of-sale receipt. If the guarantee were fully transferable, why do sellers from Hong Kong have "in house" warranties where you have to return them to Hong Kong?
 
Again here Arad I can only go by what I've been advised by Canon Elstree.

If for example you were a UK photographer baed temporarily in the States and your body went haywire. Surely you would expect Canon to recognize the warranty that came with the camera. I think Elstree operates on this very principle. If I should ever need to take my 1D4 into them and the reverse turns out, I will certainly have something to say about it.

Dealers who are not official importers ( grey dealers ) offer their own in-house guarantees. That's pretty much standard in other industries too. Simply Electronics for instance does that. I think their warranty comes via a third party equipment warranty underwriter.
 
Houston1863 said:
Dealers who are not official importers ( grey dealers ) offer their own in-house guarantees. That's pretty much standard in other industries too. Simply Electronics for instance does that. I think their warranty comes via a third party equipment warranty underwriter.
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But if the Canon guarantee stood in the country of user residence, why would they even bother offering their own guarantee - they could just say use Elstree.

This is what Canons European Warranty says (from: http://www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/Imaging_EWS_warranty.aspx)

Canon said:
2. To obtain warranty service
Warranty service is available in the authorized Canon service centres.
Any costs of secure transportation of the product to and from the Canon service centre will be borne by the customer. If the product is brought into a country which is not covered by EWS and which does not accept the warranty card, the product must be returned to the country where it was purchased in order to benefit from the warranty.
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So it's clear that if you take a European camera into "certain" countries, you would be expected to return it to the original purchase place. The Hong Kong warranty (http://www.canon.com.hk/en/services/consumer/warranty_terms.jspx) is fairly confusing too.

Bottom line is I think there'd be enough wiggle room for Canon to refuse if they wanted to because the camera wasn't bought in the UK
 
That is definitely not what Elstree said to me.

Not debating your opinion you understand. I'm merely passing on what Elstree said and my past dealings with them give me sufficient assurance that I won't be getting the run around from them. Perhaps the key phrase as give in your quote above is " If the product is brought into a country which is not covered by EWS and which does not accept the warranty card ". Products brought in from certain countries may indeed not be accepted for warranty work and the ones I asked about sounded and looked the part if you get my drift ;)
 
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Houston1863 said:
Again here Arad I can only go by what I've been advised by Canon Elstree.

If for example you were a UK photographer baed temporarily in the States and your body went haywire. Surely you would expect Canon to recognize the warranty that came with the camera. I think Elstree operates on this very principle. If I should ever need to take my 1D4 into them and the reverse turns out, I will certainly have something to say about it.

Dealers who are not official importers ( grey dealers ) offer their own in-house guarantees. That's pretty much standard in other industries too. Simply Electronics for instance does that. I think their warranty comes via a third party equipment warranty underwriter.
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There is also a fair amount of discretion excercised, and from the feedback on here over the years Canon has a pretty good rep. Other manufacturers may differ, and so might Canon under differing circumstances. Certainly, there does not appear to be a completely black and white policy.

For example, if you experience a clear manufacturing fault just outside the warranty period, Canon has been know to sort it FOC. They are not interested in the warranty card, but only in the sales receipt that should bear a UK suppliers address.

If you have bought a camera on the cheap from say Asia, and imported it with the clear intention of by-passing the official importers and perhaps not paying VAT, they might take a different stance.

There was also a guy on here some time ago on holiday from New Zealand who had a problem. I can't remember the details but he asked for advice and the general conclusion was that he had no UK warranty but also no real choice other than to send it to Elstree. They fixed it FOC.
 
7D sold & 5DmkII ordered from Kerso :D

Are there any guides or info on initial setup? Or is google my friend for this?
 
Ken rockwell has a pretty good setup guide that's a reasonable place to start imo (I'm still barely scratching the surface regarding settings though...)
 
I haven't used a 7D but can't think why your setup will be that different. The manual it comes with will be worth reading through the custom functions section but can't think of any big differences.

I went from the 40D to the 5D2 and kept my setup pretty much the same. (enabling the expanded ISO, defining the custom menu to access your commands quickly, setting the C1/C2/C3 and altering how you focus that was it?)

I only recently read the Ken Rockwell site and will admit to sitting there disagreeing with some of what he was saying - He said alot about shooting in sRaw as there is no point shooting in normal Raw. :shrug:

All I can say is enjoy the camera, and buy some bigger hard-drives as you won't want to stop taking pictures.

Mark.
 
I'm joining your club guys after long decision to upgrade or not. Skinned until payday now.
Does anyone tried already the Magic Lantern firmware?
 
Thank you for that. Been having a play over the past couple of days & there doesn't seem to be many differences between the 7D menu & the 5D's menu.

I'm glad I made the choice to swap to full frame!
 
There is nothing like unwrapping a shiny new camera. Enjoy it Shutter Spreed. You have bought a superb bit of kit.
 
^^Alex, My 5D MkII was delivered this morning along with the 24-105L :D

Had a quick look at lunchtime but need to sit down and have a good old play and work through the settings/buttons etc. The controls are a step change from the 500D and I need to quickly get my head around them so I can go out and shoot!!

Sadly, it does mean I am putting my EF-S lenses up for sale - have loved my time with the 10-22 and 17-55 f2.8 - great lenses but they don't work on the MkII!
 
I forgot to ask - which screen protector(s) would you guys recommend? I want to keep the screen mint but would like people's experiences of use before I order one.

thanks
 
Buck said:
I forgot to ask - which screen protector(s) would you guys recommend? I want to keep the screen mint but would like people's experiences of use before I order one.

thanks
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My old 5DII had no screen protector and I never had a problem despite years of abuse.
My replacement 5DII has a Giottos screen protector fitted, which If I had known was fitted would have put me off the purchase; they are not removable.
Canon made big bold claims for their advanced screen coating - mercifully, this particular screen protector doesn't seem to noticeably detract from the legibility of the screen.
But I haven't yet done a side by side comparison with a naked 5DII.
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
My old 5DII had no screen protector and I never had a problem despite years of abuse.
My replacement 5DII has a Giottos screen protector fitted, which If I had known was fitted would have put me off the purchase; they are not removable.
Canon made big bold claims for their advanced screen coating - mercifully, this particular screen protector doesn't seem to noticeably detract from the legibility of the screen.
But I haven't yet done a side by side comparison with a naked 5DII.
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I have the same Giottos screen protector and they are removable
 
romeo21 said:
I have the same Giottos screen protector and they are removable
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Yes, apparently you use a hairdryer about 5 cm away from the glass. Applying the heat all the way around the edges, whilst lifting up a corner then gently lift remaining edges/corners clear
 
markta said:
Yes, apparently you use a hairdryer about 5 cm away from the glass. Applying the heat all the way around the edges, whilst lifting up a corner then gently lift remaining edges/corners clear
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Hmmm :thinking:
Seems like a lot of hassle (and risk) to remove something that isn't getting in the way.
It's not a problem, but it doesn't appear to be adding anything useful (no idea how much it cost).
 
ok so while spending the time waiting for the battery to charge I had a good old read of the manual (god forbid) and learnt of couple of things I really should have known even with my 40D lol, guilty as charged....Im not sure how much it would cause a problem, but light leaking into the viewfinder can cause amendments to the exposure.....lol...anyhow, its all charged, I have been shooting various things in the living room at low light and am quite simply amazed at the ISO performance, the 24-70L feels great, pictures are stunning, now where are those extra hard drives lol
 
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shutter_speed said:
ok so while spending the time waiting for the battery to charge I had a good old read of the manual (god forbid) and learnt of couple of things I really should have known even with my 40D lol, guilty as charged....Im not sure how much it would cause a problem, but light leaking into the viewfinder can cause amendments to the exposure.....lol
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I've found that Live View is barely affected by light coming in the viewfinder.
On the other hand - in Aperture Priority I can usually get a sensible exposure reading with the lens cap on.......

There are many reasons for getting to know Live View better...
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
I've found that Live View is barely affected by light coming in the viewfinder.
On the other hand - in Aperture Priority I can usually get a sensible exposure reading with the lens cap on.......

There are many reasons for getting to know Live View better...
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If you wear glasses, the exposure meter will be affected by situations like sun shining over your shoulder. Happens with any DSLR really.

With very long exposures in daylight, such as with a 10-stop ND filter, you'll get lighting creeping around the mirror and through the piggy-back AF mirror. Use the little rubber viewfinder cover.
 
HoppyUK said:
If you wear glasses, the exposure meter will be affected by situations like sun shining over your shoulder. Happens with any DSLR really.

With very long exposures in daylight, such as with a 10-stop ND filter, you'll get lighting creeping around the mirror and through the piggy-back AF mirror. Use the little rubber viewfinder cover.
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It is very anoying that a camera costing as much as the 5D MKII does, dosn't come with blind and lever built into the finder. I've moved from a 28 year old Cannon T90 that has a blind built into the finder, so it's not rocket science and not something that Cannon hasn't done before.
 
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