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
5
best full frame slr researched
on October 21, 2009
Posted by: redstiletto
from marysville b.c. canada
I have only had this camera for a couple of months and found it easy to use confidently.
I have been through the hoops with digital cameras from Panasonic, Leica (actually another panasonic) and Olympus and find the EOS 5D Mark II a beautiful piece of equipment to use.
I do not like using flash and found with the high iso settings it gave superb natural images suitable for available light photography.
The camera is heavy but it feels sturdy, reliable and of a high quality.
The live view is certainly not for point and shooters but can be used if care is taken in composing.
I would recommend this camera to anyone interested in serious photographic work.
I have been through the hoops with digital cameras from Panasonic, Leica (actually another panasonic) and Olympus and find the EOS 5D Mark II a beautiful piece of equipment to use.
I do not like using flash and found with the high iso settings it gave superb natural images suitable for available light photography.
The camera is heavy but it feels sturdy, reliable and of a high quality.
The live view is certainly not for point and shooters but can be used if care is taken in composing.
I would recommend this camera to anyone interested in serious photographic work.
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, easy to use, good battery life
Cons: noisy, Heavy/Bulky, live view not versatile
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
An amazing camera at a great price.
on January 7, 2010
Posted by: timecode
from Los Angeles
I have used this camera on several projects requiring video acquisition. A major plus is low noise and and exceptional performance of capturing video in low light. Seriously recommend for anyone seriously thinking abut documentary work. Only limitation is the mini plug for audio. Several companies have adaptors. Also, menu system needs to take video features into account, having auto focus for video would be a major plus. As a hybrid it works fantastically. Canon is ahead of the curve of what works for serious documentary filmmakers.
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: mini plug for audio needs xlr, no auto focus in video mode.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
makes you better
on February 8, 2012
Posted by: doug1408
from mililani, HI
i have owned this camera for 3 years--since it debuted and have nothing but good things to say....i know you already know what those are....for those that say they have fuzzy or bad images, i might add that for this body, you should be using the L series lenses and check to see if you're shooting in RAW as this requires post processing...sharpening, color saturation and contrast are not processed by the camera in this mode...also check to see that your settings in picture styles are correct...some people have the sharp setting on "softer than normal" and don't even know it...people will shoot softly for portraits, etc. and forget about re-setting their defaults...
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Feature Length Film on SLR
on February 15, 2009
Posted by: Gumbo
from New York, NY
As a Cinematographer, it was an easy choice for me to select Canon's 5D Mark II for filming on a tight budget. We are undertaking production of the very first independent feature length film to use this revolutionary DSLR camera with video capabilities. When I first purchased the camera I was dismayed to learn that it lacked manual control of the video function of the camera. After many hours of testing and experimentation, I found I could trick the camera into giving me viable image results for producing motion picture quality in a reliable manner. It's unfortunate that I have to work around a lack of software features, but the benefits of the hardware have proven useful for my needs.
One of the best features of the 5DmkII is that it has the largest sensor of any commercially available video camera today. The size of this sensor is the same as 35mm still camera film - nearly twice the size of traditional motion picture film. This allows for great depth and incredible field of view. The size of the sensor allows filmmakers to focus the viewer's attention to the important parts of the film, allowing unecessary detail to fall off into a painterly soft background known as bokeh. The extremely large sensor also allows for more efficient light gathering - providing an unprecedented ability to nearly see in the dark without unsightly noise or chromatic artifacts. No other video camera on the market can provide the level of sensitivity offered by the 5Dmk2.
Because the 5Dmk2 records video in an industry standard format, footage is easily edited and color corrected in any non-linear editing system. Other cameras require a lengthy recompression, reduction, or transformation in order to be usable, costing time and money in post-production. We can literally watch dailies immediately and begin catalogging them for editing while still on set.
Furthermore, the camera is amazing because of its size - allowing us to place it almost anywhere and get shots no one else can. It's lightweight, portable, and easy to operate. The wide range of Canon Prime Lenses and Zoom lenses assure us that we can get any kind of shot we want, with image quality that moviegoers expect.
People might not expect that you can produce a viable Hollywood movie with a digital slr, but we're blazing a trail and showing just what an amazing tool Canon has delivered to Filmmakers and Photographers the world around!
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, quiet, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, easy to use, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, amazing video
Cons: Missing features/settings, no manual control of video
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
So Close To Being Perfect
on March 26, 2009
Posted by: Robotica
from Dallas, TX
This camera offers so much to photo enthusiasts. There is no doubt that the picture quality is amazing. And while the auto focus system should have been improved, it does a very competent job. The problem is that the video implementation lacks the control that any serious user needs to get quality videos. And that is what we (new users) were expecting. I need the same, or more, control over the Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO settings than when taking stills. Why? because when the camera is in motion taking a video, then light and dark objects cause the camera to adjust exposure continuously. This makes the video lighten and darken over and over again, when it could just be locked in. If it were locked in, then the exposure would be consistent, even if you pan across a dark or light object, or a light source. Also, the audio really needs a manual control too. Without it, the same problem occurs as with the video exposure - a brief, loud sound makes the volume react and decrease. A bit of quiet, and the noise level rises to enormous levels, and then even a quiet sound is deafening, then this repeats again and again.
What a great camera this is, with the promise of excellent, unsurpassed high definition video. But without manual control of exposure and audio, the camera can only let us glimpse at what could be achieved. If Canon adds these features, then it will be what Canon promised, with the ability to control depth of field (and exposure), surpassing most all standard video cameras.
Pros: Superior build quality, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, quiet, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, easy to use, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
Cons: Missing features/settings, need manual video setting, need manual audio level
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Love this Camera!
on April 26, 2011
Posted by: Phoenix Shooter
from Phoenix, AZ
I've used Canon cameras for a long time now, first using film versions and now digital. I bought the Canon 5D Mark II as an upgrade from my old digital Rebel XS. I really like my XS (with a battery grip) and have taken thousands of photos with good success. When I got the new camera I was blown away at the difference in quality! I have now been shooting my 5D for several months now. The XS is still my back-up.
I have shot quite a bit of sports with the 5D, baseball and ice hockey. Mounted with my 70-200mm2.8LIS or a rented 400mm. I managed to get some fantastic images! I have also used it for just about everything else, portraits, landscape, etc. Always with tremendous results.
The 5DMKII is a solidly built camera, feels great in the hands and is heavy, specially when mounted with my 70-200mm 2.8LIS. That's not a complaint, I like the weight and feel, it just feels durable and solid. The XS now feels more like a toy, so if I want a lightweight camera, I use it.
I find the image quality to be excellent! I do considerably less post processing with the 5D images as compared to the XS's. Many images are just fine straight out of the camera! Functions are easy to understand with the control dials and buttons placed in strategically proper locations. For a "pro"/"semi-pro" camera it is very easy to use.
I read that you get better battery life when you run the battery down to almost 0% at least once and then give it a good overnight charge. Seems to be true as at first battery life seemed to be rather short until I tried this little trick. Now with one extra battery on hand I have had no issues with running out of power.
The larger viewfinder and LCD screen are awesome. Enough said there.
Besides loving the 5D myself, I have noticed an increase in compliments on my work from others. The better quality in images is very evident and is even noticeable to the casual photographer.
I love my 5DMKII. The only negative I have to say is that I wish it had a faster shutter for continuous shooting, 4fps just seems a little slow. But I knew that going in so I didn't mark it down because of that issue.
Overall I love this camera and can't get enough of it!!
Haven't used the video function enough to really critique it, but so far I like what I have seen to this point.
Pros: good battery life, Nice features/settings, Quick Start-up time, excellent image quality, Superior build quality, Bright LCD, Solid Operation, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: noisy
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
3
Video Problems
on February 14, 2009
Posted by: T-sandrine
from NY
I bought this mainly for the video - the promotional stuff I saw kinda' gave me the idea the video side would be a whole lot better than it turned out to be.
If you live in a PAL or SECAM country (most of the world except for Canada and the US) you will find lots of your shots ruined by flickering caused by the cameras frame rate clashing with your countries lighting which runs on 50Hz.
And not just indoor shots, but even shots outdoors in daylight and at night.
And not just indoor shots, but even shots outdoors in daylight and at night.
There is less control over video on the 5DmkII than on a cheap consumer camcorder, you cannot set anything, you cannot even keep the same shutter speed from one clip to the next !
Pros: Superior build quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, quiet, Quick Start-up time, Solid Operation, easy to use, good battery life
Cons: Missing features/settings
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Amazing Camera
on August 6, 2011
Posted by: DJDave
from Oshgosh, WI
The image quality of this full frame sensor is amazing. There is no built in flash on this camera, but you will not miss it under normal conditions. I do have a flash that I use for dim, in door, evening shots. I can get quality shots at 3200 ISO.
You will find some people are critical of the 9 AF points. Honestly, how many do you need or can you control? I use the stick controller to choose one for each shot and have yet to feel that I have problems focusing. I am not afraid of cropping my images down from 21mp to achieve my desired shot.
Pros: good battery life, Nice features/settings, Quick Start-up time, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Solid Operation, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: Heavy/Bulky
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com