Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) - Black
Average customer rating
4.5
(383 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 383 reviews
5 Stars
253
4 Stars
87
3 Stars
24
2 Stars
8
1 Star
11
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
340 out of
377)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) - Black
Customer Rating
4
Great Camera
on May 24, 2011
Posted by: AF Photo
from Prattville, AL
This is a great camera offering high quality images. I am a wedding and portrait photographer. I moved up to the 5D Mark II this year and could not believe how much better the images look when zoomed in. Of course the lens matters too, but when you combine a Canon L Series or Canon Prime Lens with this camera you will get great images.
I shoot in low light situations regularly and this camera is amazing. I often shoot at 2500 ISO and they come out amazing, sell-able images.
My only complaint, from a wedding photographer's perspective, is it is easy to brush the Mode Dial against my clothing when it is hanging to my side and change the setting without knowing it. This can be frustrating when switching cameras hanging on each shoulder. Nothing worse than raising the camera to take a quick shot and the Mode Dial is in the "B" mode for bulb. This needs to be addressed in future camera. There is a fix where you can send the camera to a company and they retrofit a device that protects the dial. Probably will not do this while under warranty.
Pros: good battery life, quiet, Nice features/settings, Quick Start-up time, excellent image quality, Superior build quality, Bright LCD, Solid Operation, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: mode dial to easy to accidentially move.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
LOVE THIS CAMERA
on September 1, 2009
Posted by: Paprophoto
from Lehighton PA
It's everything the first 5D should have been.. I could do without the video though. I think they should remove the video and use it to make the camera even better... if that is possible. With the battery grip I can shoot a 10 hour wedding and only use up one bar in the battery display. I shoot this camera everyday.. one to two weddings a weekend, and endless amounts of seniors and models....
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, quiet, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, easy to use, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Black dots spoil performance
on December 17, 2008
Posted by: Benjie
from CT
I have the 5d mark I, and have taken many great shots. Got my mark II, after long anticipation, and photographed several Christmas trees - 'tis the season. Along side many of the tree lights are black dots (squares or rectangles at the pixel level), which are visible on an 8x10, or when photo is cropped to 1/5 and printed on 4x6. Spoils the trees with their lights. Tried many settings, always get some dots next to blown highlights of a few pixels. Larger blown highlights don't seem to exhibit the problem, so I'm not convinced it is sampling saturation problem or too short settling time.
Otherwise, lLow light performance is great, just don't photograph lights in the distance or small lights.
Movie mode seems great, except for audio noise from the camera, if no external noise, so this was also annoying. I did find the focus system OK for simple panning.
For the money, I expect near perfection in a high end camera, and the black dots spoil an otherwise great camera.
Otherwise, lLow light performance is great, just don't photograph lights in the distance or small lights.
Movie mode seems great, except for audio noise from the camera, if no external noise, so this was also annoying. I did find the focus system OK for simple panning.
For the money, I expect near perfection in a high end camera, and the black dots spoil an otherwise great camera.
Pros: excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Nice features/settings, Quick Start-up time
Cons: Missing features/settings, black dots
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
need manual control of video
on February 20, 2009
Posted by: mchahn
from Laguna Niguel, Ca
I have found the still capability of the 5D2 to be excellent and beyond my expectations.
But I purchased the 5D2 over the competition for the purpose of shooting high-quality 1080p video using Canon lenses. The marketing material said I would be able to control the depth of field using low f-stop lenses. This has turned out to not be true because the camera in video mode won't let me manually control the aperture.
Pros: excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, quiet, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
Cons: no manual control on video
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
Great sensor, bad functionality
on February 24, 2009
Posted by: Elliot
from Parsippany, NJ
This camera takes amazing photographs and has the potential of taking video that is unlike any other on the market today. While I knew the video feature wasn't going to offer manual control I was suprised as to how unfinished the video mode seems. Issues such as freeze frames when the aperture changes or with the way the camera gets confused when shooting video with the 100mm f2.8 macro in video mode really suprised me to see on a finished product. I also wasn't prepared by the lack of true auto ISO for still photos.
The camera features the ability to shoot auto ISO however, this feature is only enabled in the already partial Auto modes (AV and TV) rending auto ISO useless for any serious photographer. When Auto ISO is set in manual mode the camera defaults the ISO to 400 and doesn't change. This is very disappointing as it could easily be enabled in manual mode. The positive side to the issues I have mentioned is that all of these can be fixed with a firmware upgrade by Canon in order to unblock access to manual video control and other vital features that a camera with this potential should posses.
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, good battery life
Cons: Complicated controls/menu, Missing features/settings, Heavy/Bulky
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Where does this camera lie
on February 24, 2009
Posted by: screeningroom
from New York City
Wonderful Still Capability and potentially very good video if manual control is enabled in a firmware upgrade.
After having this camera for 3 months I find that the low light ability of this body to be amazing in still mode.
However in video mode this ability lies buried when the autopilot takes control. By disallowing DOF and ISO control Canon has made a grievious error.
After having experienced these issues firsthand I can say that my cinematography is highly challenged without the control I need for the best look.
Canon PLEASE, PLEASE give this camera manual control.
By doing this you will sell many more cameras and gain back loyalty that these financially challenging times demand.
After having this camera for 3 months I find that the low light ability of this body to be amazing in still mode.
However in video mode this ability lies buried when the autopilot takes control. By disallowing DOF and ISO control Canon has made a grievious error.
After having experienced these issues firsthand I can say that my cinematography is highly challenged without the control I need for the best look.
Canon PLEASE, PLEASE give this camera manual control.
By doing this you will sell many more cameras and gain back loyalty that these financially challenging times demand.
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, low light capability
Cons: Missing features/settings, automatic video takes control away from user
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
My Favorite Camera
on June 2, 2009
Posted by: Motel George
from Las Vegas, NV
I traded in my 2 year old 5D for the Mark II and I absolutely love the camera. The improvements to the LCD and control menus alone make it so much easier to use than the 5D.
The image quality is fantastic, and the high ISO capability is hard to believe.
There are so many great features on this camera, I finally feel like I have my perfect camera.
Every day I learn something new about the camera and it is a marvel of technology.
The image quality is fantastic, and the high ISO capability is hard to believe.
There are so many great features on this camera, I finally feel like I have my perfect camera.
Every day I learn something new about the camera and it is a marvel of technology.
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, easy to use, good battery life
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Excellent all around camera
on January 25, 2011
Posted by: Bshooter
from Los Angeles, CA
Sadly I have never used a 1D but if you can tolerate a longer mirror blackout and a less than robust build this camera will deliver excellent pictures in just about any condition. I've had mine over two years now and have had it out on many cold nights in the dark. It's probably my favorite form of photography with this camera. It excels at low light and night shots. Any camera has weaknesses, many are quick to point out the less than stellar AF design, slower frame rates, etc. Well, I have to say this camera delivers top photos that really are second to none and that would have to be the main criteria for a camera wouldn't it? I haven't used video all that much but it is another great feature of the camera. I wish you could access mirror lock up a little easier and I wish it would shoot several shots in quick succession with the mirror remaining locked up but I believe that's common among most cameras. I have thoroughly enjoyed mine and have seen the quality of my photos go up since acquiring this camera.
Pros: good battery life, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: Missing features/settings
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com