There have been a few digital cameras that have been landmarks in the industry, whether as major technological steps forward or impressive performers. One such groundbreaking camera was the Canon 5D Mark II, and this neat video takes a look at the camera and how you can still use it for great shots even 14 years after it was released.
Coming to you from Kai W, this fun video takes a look at the Canon 5D Mark II. The 5D Mark II replaced the 5D Classic and brought with it two major upgrades: a 65% bump in resolution to 21.1 megapixels and the ability to record 1080p video at 30 fps, making it the first full frame camera to offer Full HD video. This brought low-light and narrow depth of field capabilities for video to a consumer camera for the first time, making it a remarkable step forward for many creatives. In fact, I remember an entire episode of "House" being filmed on the 5D Mark II and just how neat it was that a major network hit was produced on a consumer camera. And even today, it is still a great camera that you can get at a very affordable price. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
I bought a used one for $400 last summer as a backup camera. It died on my 2nd day at the Grand Canyon, and was still in warranty, so I now have a replacement. My original 5DII got wet from falling snowflakes and is now a pretty paperweight.
I still use it as my main camera. But thinking to buy a R6 or a Fujifilm medium format... two different options.
I've been using 5DMkII and MkIIIs for many years. They're the workhorses for commercial and fashion photography. After moving to Fuji X (and later GFX) I ran into various reliability issues that make you all the more appreciative of how good these 5Ds actually are. Now back to FF albeit Nikon Z...
The 5D mk2 was a great camera in its day and for some even in 2022 it can be a great camera. It all depends what you are using it for. Back in the day combined with Magic Lantern it made a great camera for shooting video I used one extensivly.. If you are wanting to shoot video for online it will still do the job in 2022, though to be fair its low light capabilities and other features are no where near as good as cameras like the Sony A73 for example. If I had 2K to spend then it would be a no brainer, it would have to be the Sony. If you could buy a 5D Mk2 for 300 and had some Canon lenses then why not? The 5Dmk2 does have drawbacks but as long as you are aware of them it can still be used to do great work even in 2022. However if you want to shoot sports or wildlife then you night find the 3.9 frames per sec a bit limiting and the pretty noisy images even at 800 iso can be a bit of a killer. In a studio with a controllable light source then why not? it will still deliver pretty good 21 mega pixel shots. Horses for courses.
Even when it was new, it was never marketed as a wildlife/sports camera body. People did use it that way of course. It probably performs better than any new $400 camera out today even though it is 12 years old.