5Dmk2 for €1000 with aroind 1000 accuations

oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
edited March 10, 2011 in Cameras
Hi
I am undecided if i should buy a 5Dmk2 7 months old for €1000. The reason is two fold.
I Had agreed with the owner to buy a f2.8 24 70 L along with the camera but he phoned a couple of days later and said his wife had decided they could not wait 2 weeks and had sold the lens. I felt let down as he phoned me on my mobile and told me i didnt really want it in the begginning.
The second problem is that he told me there is only 1000 accuations on the camera and if i decide to buy i have no way of testing the camera as i dont have an L lens. I am undecided at the moment.:scratch
What do you all think?

Comments

  • dantambokdantambok Registered Users Posts: 152 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    I think thats really cheap. IMHO, try any lens with it, if it works then buy it by all mean! :D
    Canon 7D, 450D, 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.2, Mp-e 65mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM, 580exII, some sigma lenses:D
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    dantambok wrote: »
    I think thats really cheap. IMHO, try any lens with it, if it works then buy it by all mean! :D

    All i have is a standard canon 17 85 kit lens that came with my 40D.
    I dont think that the 5D will work with this lens.
    I could buy a better lens instead but will the quality go up that much?
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    I phoned the guy and will meet up wednesday evening. Now all i have to choose is the perfect lens which i need for taking photos of vintage and classic cars inside and out. Any one know which lens could do the job? remembering here in ireland we suffer from alot of bad light with it being so cloudy most months of the year. I would be greatful for any responces.:D

    Thankyou
    Patrick.
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    You realize that with the 5D, you can only fit EF lenses to it, not EF-S? In addition, any lens that says its for "APS-C" cameras can not be used on this camera.

    I don't know a lens that is 'good for cars', though my experience suggests having a wide lens is very useful when at car shows and races where you do not get to choose where to place the car. In this case, the 17-40L is probably a fantastic lens for this.

    If you are trying to decide on the body, and don't want to spend that much, go pick up a 50 f/1.8, as it will be a great all around lens that is very inexpensive. If you think you want to use a 50 more often, the 50 f/1.4 is a significant upgrade in performance, but the glass is very much the same.
    Photos
  • dantambokdantambok Registered Users Posts: 152 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    You need to find a lens first which you can try or use on the 5D..
    A wide angle like 16-35 or 17-40 will do for cars :)
    Canon 7D, 450D, 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.2, Mp-e 65mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM, 580exII, some sigma lenses:D
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    Thankyou for your help.
    Regards
    Patrick.:D
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited March 8, 2011
    - you don't *have* to use an L lens on a 5dII (nice though it is), BUT you can't use any EFS lenses since those are specifically designed for the crop sensor cameras (eg Rebels, XXd and 7d). Regular lenses work fine on the crop cameras, but you can't use EFS lenses on a FF sensor camera.

    - I don't shoot cars, but most threads on that subject I've seen suggest something wider. If you can't spring for Canon, there's always something like the Tamron 28-75 2.8 which has quite a reputation.

    - +1 on the 50mm 1.8 as a quick option to test the body you're looking at. Cheap, sharp, and (hopefully) readily available.
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  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2011
    One last question. I am taking a look at the 5D MK2 tonight. Unfortunatly neither the seller or myself have a lens to try it out as he sold the only one he had last week. I know this is madness but can the canmera take a picture with no lens on it so i can find out if there is any scratches on the sensor and if there is any dead pixels there too?headscratch.gif
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,078 moderator
    edited March 9, 2011
    Dead pixels, yes. Scratched AA filter, no. You need a lens with a small aperture setting to determine whether the AA filter needs cleaning or is scratched.

    I suppose that you could use a pinhole approach. Simply take a piece of aluminum foil, large enough to tape over the lens mount, and make a pinhole in the center of the foil. Now photograph a bare, well illuminated (flash preferably), neutral wall or a piece of empty sky. It should be sufficient to show problems with the AA filter in front of the sensor.

    BTW, a third-party (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, etc.) crop lens in Canon EF mount should be safe to use on the 5D MKII, it just will not generally illuminate the entire sensor at the widest focal lengths.

    Any lens, reversed and just manually held against the camera body lens mount, should be sufficient to form an image at close distances and to test the camera's basic imaging capability.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2011
    Just collected the camera 2 hours ago. Mint. What a bargain €1000.:D
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,078 moderator
    edited March 9, 2011
    oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »
    Just collected the camera 2 hours ago. Mint. What a bargain €1000.:D

    Congratulation on the new (to you) camera. clap.gif
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • dantambokdantambok Registered Users Posts: 152 Major grins
    edited March 9, 2011
    oakfieldphotography.com wrote: »
    Just collected the camera 2 hours ago. Mint. What a bargain €1000.:D

    I`m so jealous rolleyes1.gif
    Congrats wings.gif
    Canon 7D, 450D, 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.2, Mp-e 65mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L USM, 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM, 580exII, some sigma lenses:D
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    Remember as a child being awake in bed Christmas eve night? Well thats what i was like in the car as i travelled to a local town to collect this camera.wings.gif
    I tested it and true to his word it is in mint condition and working perfectly well. I got a bit of a scare to see the file sizes when taken in full RAW but i guess coming from a 40D the controls look to be the same on top of the camera and the menu system is ok to get around.
    I have to sell some gear to finance a good lens. This is my first full frame camera so the question goes...has anyone here heard of a lens that is good in low light, that can be used for group shots and for landscape?
    A lens that stands out as being the sweetest for both these purposes.headscratch.gif
    Thanks for all your responces, i can see that this forum has members who want to help each other out and in time mabey i can do this for someone elso too.
    Here is a link to the type of photos i take for a mag partime.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/oakfield_photography/sets/

    Thankyou again.:D


    Regards
    Patrick.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,078 moderator
    edited March 10, 2011
    What should be high on your list of priorities, IMO, is a fast aperture standard zoom. To this end the Canon EF 24-70mm, f2.8L USM is very nice. There are known sample variations, and the 5D MKII will show the poorer copies for what they are, so it's important that you purchase from a reputable source with good return/exchange privileges, just in case. The f2.8 aperture is fairly fast and works pretty well in most social situations. I do recommend appropriate lighting setups for any group portraits.

    For true low light nothing beats a few primes in your kit and the first place to start is the Canon EF 50mm, f1.8 or EF 50mm, f1.8 II. These both share the same optics but vary by their body and shell construction. AF focus can be all over the place (AF is not dependable) but if you have time for manual focus with assist this is a pretty good optic with the best/lowest price in the Canon lineup.

    If you want reliable AF then the EF 50mm, f1.4 USM is the ticket. While it uses a micro-motor USM, so not really fast enough for most sports, AF accuracy wide open is quite good in my experience.

    Then you need a wide angle prime for your intended purposes of landscape, which I suspect also includes vista landscapes at wide angle. The very best would be an EF 24mm, f1.4L USM II. This is a very pricey option but if you need its properties then it's worth the cost, again IMO. I suggest that you stick with the EF 24-70mm, f2.8L until you really, really need this lens.

    Stitched panoramas are another possibility for vista landscapes but I do recommend an appropriate panorama head and stable tripod. Obviously only good with static scenes but the results can be awesome. It also requires appropriate software but you can go pretty far with freeware. The above lenses can get you whatever angle-of-view you require or desire, as long as you take enough images to stitch together and have computer resources to process the composite image.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • oakfieldphotography.comoakfieldphotography.com Registered Users Posts: 376 Major grins
    edited March 10, 2011
    ziggy53 wrote: »
    What should be high on your list of priorities, IMO, is a fast aperture standard zoom. To this end the Canon EF 24-70mm, f2.8L USM is very nice. There are known sample variations, and the 5D MKII will show the poorer copies for what they are, so it's important that you purchase from a reputable source with good return/exchange privileges, just in case. The f2.8 aperture is fairly fast and works pretty well in most social situations. I do recommend appropriate lighting setups for any group portraits.

    For true low light nothing beats a few primes in your kit and the first place to start is the Canon EF 50mm, f1.8 or EF 50mm, f1.8 II. These both share the same optics but vary by their body and shell construction. AF focus can be all over the place (AF is not dependable) but if you have time for manual focus with assist this is a pretty good optic with the best/lowest price in the Canon lineup.

    If you want reliable AF then the EF 50mm, f1.4 USM is the ticket. While it uses a micro-motor USM, so not really fast enough for most sports, AF accuracy wide open is quite good in my experience.

    Then you need a wide angle prime for your intended purposes of landscape, which I suspect also includes vista landscapes at wide angle. The very best would be an EF 24mm, f1.4L USM II. This is a very pricey option but if you need its properties then it's worth the cost, again IMO. I suggest that you stick with the EF 24-70mm, f2.8L until you really, really need this lens.

    Stitched panoramas are another possibility for vista landscapes but I do recommend an appropriate panorama head and stable tripod. Obviously only good with static scenes but the results can be awesome. It also requires appropriate software but you can go pretty far with freeware. The above lenses can get you whatever angle-of-view you require or desire, as long as you take enough images to stitch together and have computer resources to process the composite image.

    Ziggy53
    You are my newest bestest friend. I dont know where you find the time to answer the meriod of questions that get fired at you from everyone here and a big thankyou from a small village in the Norh West of Ireland. You do have a far reach. I will take on board what you reccomend and i probably will go with the 50mm f1.8 or 4 first and then i will head for the Canon EF 24-70mm, f2.8L USM.
    Thanks again. Now i had better start selling some stuff to fund my new lens.
    Regards
    Patrick:D
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