Canon 5D MKII disappointments
RekindlePhoto
27 Jul 2009 21:47
Well now I've had the 5D MKII for a while and love it's crisp clean video capabilities there are a number of very unsatisfactory parts. I've owned the Canon 20D and 5D and were very pleased with their photo capability and quality so some of these comments are comparing to these two fine cameras.
.
First the 5D MKII is excellent video quality, sharp, clear and well defined. Biggest problem is auto focus for sports or moving subjects is not possible with live view. The next is the mic is not a good quality. For background noise and environmental chatter it's fine but far from capable for much more. The video files are difficult to process straight from the camera; some new software has the capability but in large an intermediate codex such as .AVI is needed otherwise playback is slow and jerky.
.
On the phot side, this is where I'm most disappointed. I seldom had rejections with the 20D and 5D when submitting photos to stock agencies such as Alamy. With the 5D I get about a 90 rejection due to softness in the photo. When viewed at 100percent the photo is indeed very soft compared to my other cameras. Some say it is due to the very large amount of information in the photo as well as the extremely large print size. Sharp and well defined at 100 percent on a monitor is vry important and the MKII just does not meet the need of stock from my experience. To submit to Alamy I need to go back to the original 5D which has much sharper in the RAW settings.
.
So does anyone else see these issues or am I expecting too much from a 21mp camera?
.
First the 5D MKII is excellent video quality, sharp, clear and well defined. Biggest problem is auto focus for sports or moving subjects is not possible with live view. The next is the mic is not a good quality. For background noise and environmental chatter it's fine but far from capable for much more. The video files are difficult to process straight from the camera; some new software has the capability but in large an intermediate codex such as .AVI is needed otherwise playback is slow and jerky.
.
On the phot side, this is where I'm most disappointed. I seldom had rejections with the 20D and 5D when submitting photos to stock agencies such as Alamy. With the 5D I get about a 90 rejection due to softness in the photo. When viewed at 100percent the photo is indeed very soft compared to my other cameras. Some say it is due to the very large amount of information in the photo as well as the extremely large print size. Sharp and well defined at 100 percent on a monitor is vry important and the MKII just does not meet the need of stock from my experience. To submit to Alamy I need to go back to the original 5D which has much sharper in the RAW settings.
.
So does anyone else see these issues or am I expecting too much from a 21mp camera?
JHDT_Productions
28 Jul 2009 11:15
I haven't really taken photos with mine. I do have a small number online.
But I have found with the Sigma 24-70 it does have a "sweet" spot of about f-8 to be very sharp so I try to keep it there for photos
Yes, the audio isn't very good. There is some after market firmware that is being developed to help with that. I don't worry about it since I don't record audio for stock.
I guess if I did use the camera for something like an Indi movie or wedding I would record audio separately and sync the audio and video in post.
But I have found with the Sigma 24-70 it does have a "sweet" spot of about f-8 to be very sharp so I try to keep it there for photos
Yes, the audio isn't very good. There is some after market firmware that is being developed to help with that. I don't worry about it since I don't record audio for stock.
I guess if I did use the camera for something like an Indi movie or wedding I would record audio separately and sync the audio and video in post.
Normstock
28 Jul 2009 14:56
Don are you saying with Canon L glass you are getting soft images.
RekindlePhoto
28 Jul 2009 15:18
Much softer with the 5D MKII than with the old 5D. I usually shoot witht he Canon 70-200 L IS f/2.8 and sometimes with the 70-200 L f/4. Both are tack sharp with the 20D and old 5D. When photos from the MKII are printed or viewed on a monitor they look great but when looking at them at 100% on a monotor no sharp edges at all. The 100% is well defined just soft.
Normstock
28 Jul 2009 15:38
Quick search and came up with http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2009/02/09/canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-not-worth-it-save-your-money/ There are a lot of links in the text to other Photographers and their experiences, they all seem to agree with you.
Norman
Norman
JHDT_Productions
29 Jul 2009 02:15
GOOD, glad to see writings like that. Please, everyone do not buy a 5D
(Less competition for me.)
It seems all the problems they are talking about are with autofocus and photos. I don't do either with mine.
As I said I did find some photos were soft but when I adjusted the aperture I found a spot that made the photos extremely sharp. It may be something with the large sensor and some lenses.
(Less competition for me.)
It seems all the problems they are talking about are with autofocus and photos. I don't do either with mine.
As I said I did find some photos were soft but when I adjusted the aperture I found a spot that made the photos extremely sharp. It may be something with the large sensor and some lenses.
dapoopta
29 Jul 2009 03:57
I guess if I were to buy it I would like to get rid of my d200 and replace it. But if it takes soft pictures that might be an issue. Hmm... Not sure yet. I guess I could wait for the next round of whatever to come out and play with my fx1000 in the meantime while Jake has all the damn fun!
JHDT_Productions
29 Jul 2009 10:55
Don't get the 5D, its the devils spawn.
wideweb
29 Jul 2009 13:19
As for microphone, you can get external stereo mic. I could not find it in Hong Kong or China, though.
JHDT_Productions
29 Jul 2009 13:30
I see some people are using the rode mic but that isn't really the entire problem. the issue with the audio is you can't adjust the gain so the audio clips sometimes.
This is what some people are doing to get audio when you absolutely need it.
http://blog.planet5d.com/2009/05/great-audio-options-for-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii/
Or even one of these that would connect to the camera and you can adjust the gain.
http://www.beachtek.com/dxa5d.html
Of course it's not the easiest thing but even the $60,000 motion picture cameras don't record sound and have to be recorded separately.
This is what some people are doing to get audio when you absolutely need it.
http://blog.planet5d.com/2009/05/great-audio-options-for-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii/
Or even one of these that would connect to the camera and you can adjust the gain.
http://www.beachtek.com/dxa5d.html
Of course it's not the easiest thing but even the $60,000 motion picture cameras don't record sound and have to be recorded separately.