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canon 5d mark ii - reliable?

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DanaSech

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found a 31k clicks Canon 5d mark ii for $800.

I'm looking for a full frame camera to play around with, but am on a low budget. I thought this might be a good one but at the same time heard that there might be some reliability issues (with the focus mainly).

Any advise?
 
Here's a link that might help:


31k clicks really isn't very high for this great camera. But $800 seems a little pricey--I'd try to get them to knock off a couple of hundred bucks.

I used two 5D II professionally for several years and loved the image quality. Their biggest drawback is a focus system that is pretty horrible for action or sports. Aside from that, the 5D II is a great camera.
 
DanaSech said:
found a 31k clicks Canon 5d mark ii for $800.

I'm looking for a full frame camera to play around with, but am on a low budget. I thought this might be a good one but at the same time heard that there might be some reliability issues (with the focus mainly).

Any advise?
Click to expand...
I bought a 5DII new in December 2012 and used it up until recently. The camera worked flawlessly for me. Never a hiccup! The focus system is the Achilles heal of the 5DII (IMHO). If your plan is to use it mainly for "non action" shots (i.e. landscapes, portraits, general photography...as I did), the focus was spot on...very reliable. For anything that moves quickly though, the focus system is a bit on the antiquated side. So, depending on your style of photography, it might be just fine.

One thought is to look at a new 6D instead of a used 5DII. The 6D is 4 years newer technology and up until recently at least could be bought for around $1.150 (body only) new if purchased with a printer deal. Those deals may be over now....not sure!
 
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+1 on the so-so AF. It is also pretty slow by current standards. May be the 6D is better choice?
 
It was reliable for me but I used the centre point most of the time. People were saying the outer points were not as reliable. I did not do any testing but when I occasionally used them they were fine. However I was using f4 glass so I can't say how faster lenses AF did.
 
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Zee Char said:
It was reliable for me but I used the centre point most of the time. People were saying the outer points were not as reliable. I did not do any testing but when I occasionally used them they were fine. However I was using f4 glass so I can't say how faster lenses AF did.
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It really isn't the speed or accuracy of the 5D II AF that is the drawback; it simply cannot consistently nail action, no matter what focus point or tracking is chosen. It is perfect for still subjects, however.

A true scenario that repeated again and again in different variations: I would shoot environmental portraits for a newspaper and ask the guy to walk along a pathway or hallway. One frame would be sharp, the next three would be unusable, the next was so-so, the next frame was sharp, the next two unsharp.

Another time I was shooting 70-85-year-olds playing senior basketball. About half my stuff was useless. (These guys aren't that fast, folks!)

What finally made me sell my 5D II bodies was an assignment on birding in the Katie Prairie in Texas. I missed at least 75-80% of my shots, even with a 300 f/2.8.

So, the 5D II is a wonderful still camera, but a real dog for action photography. But if you shoot stills, it is great. It was also the first camera to incorporate HD video--a huge breakthrough.

--
photojournalist
http://craighartley.zenfolio.com/
 
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DanaSech said:
found a 31k clicks Canon 5d mark ii for $800.

I'm looking for a full frame camera to play around with, but am on a low budget. I thought this might be a good one but at the same time heard that there might be some reliability issues (with the focus mainly).

Any advise?
Click to expand...
I got over 65k clicks on mine. It works like a charm. I don't have any issues with it. As others have mentioned, the AF is a bit slow, but it's fine. It hunts in low light with various lenses, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, no issues.
 
My experience is that when I switched to back button focus, alot of my images were better on moving targets.
 
Zee Char said:
Don Finch said:
My experience is that when I switched to back button focus, alot of my images were better on moving targets.

--
Happy Shooting
regards,
def
http://www.donefinchphotography.squarespace.com
Click to expand...
I can't tell. I used the shutter for so many years I have no issues keeping it ½ pressed between bursts but I will say it is easer once you get used to it. There are also advantages with new bodies that provide additional sub menus you can program when setting up the BBF.

I can see it being easier for new DSLR owners. I do find that if I don't make a conscious effort to use it I catch myself using the shutter. I just started using the BBF last year and it did take a few years to warm up to it.
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I just noticed last week while I had the 70-200 on the 5DmkII that I got more keeps with the BBF than previous. An a haw moment so to speak. I was using the 5Ds as well and It does well like that for me also. I think after 10 years on the 5D line of cameras that I am steadier at 73 with BBF than half shutter focusing. I must say with two cameras on my body at an event it wore me out after 6 hrs.



fly over quick grab with 5DII and 70-200
fly over quick grab with 5DII and 70-200



--
Happy Shooting
regards,
def
 
DanaSech said:
found a 31k clicks Canon 5d mark ii for $800.

I'm looking for a full frame camera to play around with, but am on a low budget. I thought this might be a good one but at the same time heard that there might be some reliability issues (with the focus mainly).

Any advise?
Click to expand...
It's a very old system (same as the original 5D). I fount it to be reliable in good to so so light. Yes with action shots too I mainly photograph dancing but low light it is struggles and is terrible compared to modern cameras (when I have a play with friends newer cameras). But I am talking quite low light and moving subjects. If they aren't moving I just go to live view and contrast detect focus.
 
I own a 5d2 and 6d and love them both. Got my 5d2 in 2011 and 6d in 2014. After using both extensively (hobby), I can summarise as follows:

- 5d2 AF is spot on but slow and only excels with static subjects. Terrible in low light...

- 6d AF is even in low light consistently spot on with the central AF point. However, this AF is not much better than the old 5d2. It's useless with moving targets.

- In terms of image quality, the 6d wins hands down. Low light performance is fantastic and has no ugly banding like the 5d2 from ISO 3200.

If you are on a tight budget but want full frame I would still recommend the old 5d2. Good bang for buck these days for any non action subjects. I wouldn't worry about reliability if you find a copy with low click count and overall good shape from an amateur. Mine look still like new without any ding or dent (not a pro...).

If you are able to shell out a bit more then the 6d is well worth the extra money. However, I believe one can be very happy with either camera. Much more important is good glass. I have the 70-200/2.8L II IS most of the time on my 5d2 and the images are stunning.
 
If you are not shooting sports, its AF is very good, even in low light. But then I am using good lenses.

Probably the lowest light I can shoot corresponds to 35/1.4, 1/35 sec. or so, ISO 3200. No problems with the AF. Lower than that - the IQ is so low, it is not worth shooting (but I have done it nevertheless).
 
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