Canon 5D MII second hand for around £800

[moderategamer]

So I've been wanting to get a decent DSLR for some time now and after extensive research and advice from the forum and Youtube I think I've settled on the Canon Mark II. I want a full frame camera as it suits my needs better but I can't afford any current models, I've heard nothing but good things about the MII and I can just about afford a second hand model.

 

If anyone has any experience with this body I would really appreciate any advice or if there's anything I should be wary of. It would also be great if anyone could recommend any nice wide angle lenses that I might be able to pick up at around the £500 mark or below.

 

Here's the Amazon link for the second hand dealers they seem to all have pretty good reviews and prices.  

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B001E97GIK/ref=olp_fsf?ie=UTF8&condition=used

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

 

You can buy a brand new Sony A7 for £798 body only

 

(my current camera of choice, so feel free to ask any questions)

 

how they compare:

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_II-vs-Sony-A7

 

 

You can also buy a Nikon D800 for £550 used 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D800-Digital-Camera-Body/dp/B00763MHB4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1436256662&sr=8-3&keywords=nikon+d600

 

how they compare:

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_II-vs-Nikon-D800

 

I would rate both of these cameras WAY above the 5dmk2

 

 

(unless you are using a hacked 5dmk2 for video, then maybe go canon)

[.spider.]

IMO not worth it.

Do you know the shutter count?

[moderategamer]

IMO not worth it.

Do you know the shutter count?

 

Well it really depends on what's available in two months when I'm getting it but I'll definitely try and get one with a low shutter count. I wasn't sure if you meant count or speed so just encase the speed is 3.9 p/s which doesn't really matter to me as I'll be doing time lapse mostly with a very long exposure.

[moderategamer]

snip

 

Wow that does seem like a all round better camera only thing is it's mirrorless which could be a problem for astrophotography. Have you done any astrophotography and if so how did the shots turn out?

 

As for the D800 I've seen a few timelapse shots captured with it and they all seem to be a little less sharp than the MKII which is weird as it boasts better noise reduction etc. I think I'm going to have to have a good look in to this camera as it seems promising with outstanding video quality. Thanks for the suggestion.

[ShadowCaptain]

Wow that does seem like a all round better camera only thing is it's mirrorless which could be a problem for astrophotography. Have you done any astrophotography and if so how did the shots turn out?

 

As for the D800 I've seen a few timelapse shots captured with it and they all seem to be a little less sharp than the MKII which is weird as it boasts better noise reduction etc. I think I'm going to have to have a good look in to this camera as it seems promising with outstanding video quality. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Why would mirror-less be an issue for astro-photography? 

 

I can 100% guarantee the D800 is better than the 5dMK2, I have extensive experience with one (my friend who goes out shooting with me uses his, and I have seen thousands of his images)

 

For video you either need to hack the canon to run magic lantern or if using nikon or sony (or none hacked canon) an external recorder such as the Atomos or Blackmagic

[moderategamer]

it's very important to get as sharp an image as possible in astrophotography which can be difficult using a viewfinder in low light settings especially when the thing you are focusing on is essentially a tiny dot in the sky.

 

"When you're shooting outside in good light, the preview in a mirrorless camera's EVF will look close to the final image. But in situations where the camera is struggling (such as low light or with fast-moving subjects), the camera has to make some compromises to still display a real-time preview."

 

IDK that's what I have read anyway plus I think it's just nice to have a viewfinder in general. I won't be shooting much if any video so that's not really a problem but I have seen some raw Video shots with the MKII and they look fantastic. Why do you need to hack the canon for video I've not heard anything about that? Also it would be great to see some of the shots taken with the D800 if you have any to hand.

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

 

You can use an EVF in two ways, either it shows you in real time the exposure of the camera, or you can have the EVF adapt to local lighting conditions to give you a brighter view to help you focus

 

using an optical viewfinder in the dark is next to impossible, as you just literally cannot see anything

 

Also the Sony has Focuspeaking which draws a red outline around anything that is in focus, manual focus with the EVF on the sony is 1000000000x better than doing it with a canon or nikon camera

 

After moving to an EVF myself, I can never go back to an old school optical viewfinder

 

check out my friends page, lots of photos on here (obv he is not a crazy pro, but there are some nice examples there of a D800 in an amateurs hands)

 

https://www.facebook.com/BennisonPhotography/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums

 

 

The 5dm2 will shoot video without hacks, but its not the best,as the codec is a bit poo

out the box the d800 and 5dmk2 shoot video the same, the 5dmk2 can shoot raw with hacks

[moderategamer]

You can use an EVF in two ways, either it shows you in real time the exposure of the camera, or you can have the EVF adapt to local lighting conditions to give you a brighter view to help you focus

 

using an optical viewfinder in the dark is next to impossible, as you just literally cannot see anything

 

Also the Sony has Focuspeaking which draws a red outline around anything that is in focus, manual focus with the EVF on the sony is 1000000000x better than doing it with a canon or nikon camera

 

After moving to an EVF myself, I can never go back to an old school optical viewfinder

 

check out my friends page, lots of photos on here (obv he is not a crazy pro, but there are some nice examples there of a D800 in an amateurs hands)

 

https://www.facebook.com/BennisonPhotography/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums

 

 

The 5dm2 will shoot video without hacks, but its not the best,as the codec is a bit poo

out the box the d800 and 5dmk2 shoot video the same, the 5dmk2 can shoot raw with hacks

 

You certainly can't argue with the picture quality the D800 is getting in non staged mixed light level settings I think I might be turning to the Nikon side.

I didn't realise you had to hack it to shoot RAW I thought you just needed a fast enough CF card to store the data I was aware of the terrible codec though and have seen it in action it certainly is a bit poo

[ShadowCaptain]

You certainly can't argue with the picture quality the D800 is getting in non staged mixed light level settings I think I might be turning to the Nikon side.

I didn't realise you had to hack it to shoot RAW I thought you just needed a fast enough CF card to store the data I was aware of the terrible codec though and have seen it in action it certainly is a bit poo

 

yeah its an amazing camera, considering its not far off the D810  etc and honestly is still an amazing sensor and camera, nikon are fantastic I have just moved to mirrorless

 

I want an A7RII, its pefect, but will cost me £2800

 

Yeah you have to use magic lantern, canon would never give their consumer camreas RAW, even the C500 doesnt shoot raw video and its like £20,000

 

Shit codecs are the bain of consumer cameras tbh

[moderategamer]

yeah its an amazing camera, considering its not far off the D810  etc and honestly is still an amazing sensor and camera, nikon are fantastic I have just moved to mirrorless

 

I want an A7RII, its pefect, but will cost me £2800

 

Yeah you have to use magic lantern, canon would never give their consumer camreas RAW, even the C500 doesnt shoot raw video and its like £20,000

 

Shit codecs are the bain of consumer cameras tbh

 

Better get saving my car only cost £200 more than that. It's depressing how expensive cameras at least it gives you something to aspire to though.

[ShadowCaptain]

Better get saving my car only cost £200 more than that. It's depressing how expensive cameras at least it gives you something to aspire to though.

 

my car was like..£11k haha and I regret it very much.. oh well too late

 

 

yeah Camera stuff is expensive unfortunately, only worse when you need lenses and lights etc

[Guest]

So I've been wanting to get a decent DSLR for some time now and after extensive research and advice from the forum and Youtube I think I've settled on the Canon Mark II. I want a full frame camera as it suits my needs better but I can't afford any current models, I've heard nothing but good things about the MII and I can just about afford a second hand model.

 

If anyone has any experience with this body I would really appreciate any advice or if there's anything I should be wary of. It would also be great if anyone could recommend any nice wide angle lenses that I might be able to pick up at around the £500 mark or below.

 

Here's the Amazon link for the second hand dealers they seem to all have pretty good reviews and prices.  

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B001E97GIK/ref=olp_fsf?ie=UTF8&condition=used

 

If you want a camera purely for high video, I hear good things about the Blackmagic pocket camera... £600ish

[ShadowCaptain]

If you want a camera purely for high video, I hear good things about the Blackmagic pocket camera... £600ish

 

He said he wont be shooting much,.. IF ANY video

 

The pocket cinema camera.. is nice, but no stills, poor low light, and ideally needs a rig to use properly, as well as proper audio so its not as cheap as it first appears

[Guest]

He said he wont be shooting much,.. IF ANY video

 

The pocket cinema camera.. is nice, but no stills, poor low light, and ideally needs a rig to use properly, as well as proper audio so its not as cheap as it first appears

 

Good point, we have a director who loves his lil BM pocket camera. And to be fair if you're shooting high quality video with any body you're going to need audio and rig equipment really, a built in mic and stabilisation isn't going to cut it really. But yeah, if it's primarily photo, bm is out of the equation, they're purely video production line.

[ShadowCaptain]

Good point, we have a director who loves his lil BM pocket camera. And to be fair if you're shooting high quality video with any body you're going to need audio and rig equipment really, a built in mic and stabilisation isn't going to cut it really. But yeah, if it's primarily photo, bm is out of the equation, they're purely video production line.

 

I honestly find super 16 too small, much prefer super 35 or full frame but yeah, for the money it can do some nice footage

 

but OP wants to do astro photography as he says in his posts, so ideally he wants a large sensor for better low light

[CaptRex635]

So I've been wanting to get a decent DSLR for some time now and after extensive research and advice from the forum and Youtube I think I've settled on the Canon Mark II. I want a full frame camera as it suits my needs better but I can't afford any current models, I've heard nothing but good things about the MII and I can just about afford a second hand model.

 

If anyone has any experience with this body I would really appreciate any advice or if there's anything I should be wary of. It would also be great if anyone could recommend any nice wide angle lenses that I might be able to pick up at around the £500 mark or below.

 

Here's the Amazon link for the second hand dealers they seem to all have pretty good reviews and prices.  

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B001E97GIK/ref=olp_fsf?ie=UTF8&condition=used

 

Have you considered the Full Frame Canon 6D? I know for sure it's a great option for video people looking for full frame. It also delivers the benefits for stills/photos. The pricepoint you mention with the 5d Mii isn't appealing for me. The newer sensor/controls/menus/functionality of newer canon bodies is much less of a hassle