Canon 5D mk II official owners/users thread, anything related to the 5D2

Has anyone tried the Android app which allows you to connect your phone/tablet to your 5D2.
Noel
 
i'm now in the canon 5D mk ll club picked it up from Jessops today
will be nice to have a play with it.
 
captainjack said:
i'm now in the canon 5D mk ll club picked it up from Jessops today
will be nice to have a play with it.
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You'll love it. I have mine for couple of weeks and love it :love:

EDIT: the only thing is, I manage to get more dust on my 5d2's sensor in couple of weeks than in last few years of using my old dSLR... might be just my luck though...

I will have to buy some sort of cleaning kit, because the 'clean the sensor' option does not help.
 
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How many of you have the official grip for your 5Diis ?
I've had it on now for maybe a year and for most of that time the big wheel to tighten it up has been broke so I have no choice and I've kept it on as long as it feels solid. I wont resort to sawing it off just yet till there is more play between the grip and the camera body but just wondering though how many people grip theres and if they've had any problems?
 
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I have the official grip. Occasionally tighten the screw. Never take it off. No problems here, but it does occasionally loosen up occasionally...
 
=ReBeL= said:
EDIT: the only thing is, I manage to get more dust on my 5d2's sensor in couple of weeks than in last few years of using my old dSLR... might be just my luck though...

I will have to buy some sort of cleaning kit, because the 'clean the sensor' option does not help.
Click to expand...

Have a read of this comprehensive article
I sat through a talk by the bloke and it was all de-bunked common sense.
I've always cleaned my own sensors and it has never been satisfactory, but I've got the job done (eventually).
Listening to his talk I realised where I've been going wrong and it all makes sense now.
It's a two step process - 1) get rid of the dust 2) get rid of the other contaminants (oil, etc) with a wet clean).
I'd only ever done a wet clean and while it reduced the dust, it never got rid of it.

I was expecting him to sell us the kit, but he wasn't selling anything; just giving advice!
Also worth noting that his shop offers a £20 lesson in sensor cleaning so you never have to visit him (or anyone else) again.
Top bloke (y)
 
DuncanDisorderly said:
Have a read of this comprehensive article
I sat through a talk by the bloke and it was all de-bunked common sense.
I've always cleaned my own sensors and it has never been satisfactory, but I've got the job done (eventually).
Listening to his talk I realised where I've been going wrong and it all makes sense now.
It's a two step process - 1) get rid of the dust 2) get rid of the other contaminants (oil, etc) with a wet clean).
I'd only ever done a wet clean and while it reduced the dust, it never got rid of it.

I was expecting him to sell us the kit, but he wasn't selling anything; just giving advice!
Also worth noting that his shop offers a £20 lesson in sensor cleaning so you never have to visit him (or anyone else) again.
Top bloke (y)
Click to expand...

Best sensor cleaning advice I've read on that link. Just ordered a kit from them, very helpful guy (Pete) (y)
 
kiteninja said:
How many of you have the official grip for your 5Diis ?
I've had it on now for maybe a year and for most of that time the big wheel to tighten it up has been broke so I have no choice and I've kept it on as long as it feels solid. I wont resort to sawing it off just yet till there is more play between the grip and the camera body but just wondering though how many people grip theres and if they've had any problems?
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Given the need to buy another for my 5dMK2 I would go for one of the Meike versions here I bought one for a 450D body I briefly had and it just oozed quality and was a big saving on the pricey Canon version.
A Chinese supplier, and IIRC it only took just over a week to arrive.
 
Galaxy66 said:
Given the need to buy another for my 5dMK2 I would go for one of the Meike versions here I bought one for a 450D body I briefly had and it just oozed quality and was a big saving on the pricey Canon version.
A Chinese supplier, and IIRC it only took just over a week to arrive.
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Having tried - and returned due to bugs in the implementation - a non OEM grip for the 5D2, I would just bite the bullet and buy another 5D2 OEM grip if I were buying again.

In addition to problems with battery reporting which my non-OEM had, the Meike (and others) don't have the smooth shutter release the 5D2 has. They have more of a pronounced click...
 
ive litteraly had to saw a oem grip off my 5d mkII NEVER AGAIN would i buy a cheap imitation from ebay
 
facebook said:
ive litteraly had to saw a oem grip off my 5d mkII NEVER AGAIN would i buy a cheap imitation from ebay
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Do you mean OEM or non-OEM (I think you mean non OEM judging by the second part of the sentence).
 
facebook said:
ive litteraly had to saw a oem grip off my 5d mkII NEVER AGAIN would i buy a cheap imitation from ebay
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.......and the moral of the story is......NEVER over tighten it ;)
 
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DuncanDisorderly said:
Have a read of this comprehensive article
I sat through a talk by the bloke and it was all de-bunked common sense.
I've always cleaned my own sensors and it has never been satisfactory, but I've got the job done (eventually).
Listening to his talk I realised where I've been going wrong and it all makes sense now.
It's a two step process - 1) get rid of the dust 2) get rid of the other contaminants (oil, etc) with a wet clean).
I'd only ever done a wet clean and while it reduced the dust, it never got rid of it.

I was expecting him to sell us the kit, but he wasn't selling anything; just giving advice!
Also worth noting that his shop offers a £20 lesson in sensor cleaning so you never have to visit him (or anyone else) again.
Top bloke (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Duncan.

Off to read it.
 
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There is nothing special about this picture......except it is 100% crop and only a tiny fraction of the total image (approx 1/20). At full size on my monitor it still looks pin sharp. No photoshopping, nothing. Hand held at 1/800, f9

I was just messing around at zooming in, in DPP and it always amazes me how sharp, crisp and clean the 5D MKII is.


Test 100% Crop by PCPhilpot, on Flickr
 
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Im interested to know what folks use to process RAW images.

I've noticed that for handling RAW images DPP is much better than Lightroom and better than ACR. For best results I make minor adjustments in DPP and then save as TIFF for processing in Photoshop.
 
I use Lightroom (which means ACR) and I'm starting to make custom camera profiles for it for different lighting conditions. What do you mean by "better"?
 
arad85 said:
I use Lightroom (which means ACR) and I'm starting to make custom camera profiles for it for different lighting conditions. What do you mean by "better"?
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I need to experiment a bit more, as I've only recently got Lightroom, noticed inaccurate colours compared to DPP
 
I only used DPP for a short time after buying my first 5D mki. At that time I did not like it very much though and have been using ACR since (I.e. I haven't even tried DPP on my mkii). However after reading your post I guess I will need to give it a try again. Could you please specify in which ways you find it better?
 
=ReBeL= said:
Thanks for that Duncan.

Off to read it.
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Just to say, I went to see Pete when I first got my 5d2 as the sensor was filthy, and what an absolute top bloke. I'm more than happy to pay him to clean it again next time, but as said there was no pressure to buy anything just the desire to give me confidence to do it myself very simply.
 
gr4nchio said:
I only used DPP for a short time after buying my first 5D mki. At that time I did not like it very much though and have been using ACR since (I.e. I haven't even tried DPP on my mkii). However after reading your post I guess I will need to give it a try again. Could you please specify in which ways you find it better?
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Without too much experimentation, my findings are the 5D2 RAW images look more realistic, true to how I remember the scene in DPP, than Lightroom. Probably need to spend some time using Lightroom more.

Just interested to know what others use as 5D2 RAW handling?
 
ShrubMonkey said:
Without too much experimentation, my findings are the 5D2 RAW images look more realistic, true to how I remember the scene in DPP, than Lightroom. Probably need to spend some time using Lightroom more.

Just interested to know what others use as 5D2 RAW handling?
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The camera profile (last box in right hand column of the develop screen) has a massive impact on how colours are rendered. The default for a 5D2 is "Adobe Standard". Try setting to one of the Camera .... profiles. They are Adobes best guess at the way Canon develops the images in camera (which is probably what DPP does).

You can create camera profiles (actually DNG profiles) yourself, but it is made easy if you have a standard colour checkerboard such as the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. See this thread: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=366035 for how it can affect colours.

Lightroom and ACR are very powerful tools, but it's taken me a year of using the program to understand how the program develops images....
 
This my first post on TP. I hope i have done it right as i dont do much posting.If not i apologise ,but if its ok here goes. I have been looking and reading the posts on TP now for ages and i thought id join seeing as how i have a few questions to ask.Till now all my photography has been wildlife and mainly with crop bodies and telephoto lens. However lately i have become more and more interested in people and landscape photography.I still have mk1v and mk11 but am contemplating getting a 5d either mk1 or 11. I have never used a FF before and im not sure just what lens im looking for to go with it. I have a 50mm (plasticy) 1.8...28-135..is. 17-40 non is.sigma 150.2.8. 100-400 is. Then up to 500 f/4. I am thinking of possibly using the 5d for landscape and portrait work but i also like candids and ocasionally shoot from the hip stuff.Im deliberating if i should get one of the kits they are selling with the 5d 24-70 2.8 or the 24-105 f/4 is. Or do i just go for the body and get a seperate lens. Im totally confused and having never used FF i dont know how my present lens will work and so not to buy something that is simmilar to what i have.PHEW. Im wondering if someone could be kind enough to give me some tips .Please excuse my spelling and being long winded and thanks for any help you may have to offer. Regards...
 
17-40L? Lovely lens on full frame great for landscapes. They should all work, you'll just get wider fields of view (in fact 1.3x as much) than you are used to - that's all (I assume you mean 1DmkI and 1DmkII). I have a 24-105 as my general purpose walkabout lens - I have no direct experience of the quality of the 28-135, but you can compare test chart crops here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...meraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=3&APIComp=0 By virtue of its 21Mpix, the 5D2 does "demand" good quality lenses.

I suspect you will find the 5D/5D2 focusing systems a bit of a comedown if you use the 1D system heavily. Not that the 5D is bad mind you, just a step down.
 
Thanks andy. I know my post was a bit longwinded but i am sort of on a time limit to order another body and lens so im trying to get it right.The 28-135 i have owned for several years and is a pretty good walk round lens but maybee a bit plastic looking and now getting a bit Hmmm/loose. Yes sorry i meant canon eos id mk11 and mk1v.
 
TBH, I'd get one of the L lenses to replace it then. They are both very good and nice and solid.Choose based on need for 2.8 or not.
 
I am now looking at maybee the 70-200 f/4 is. Seems to be good reviews .Anyone else got any sugestions/tips. ?
 
You must know if you need a telephoto zoom or standard zoom?

For what its worth the 24-105 f4 zoom is an excellent all-purpose (most purposes?) go-anywhere lens for a canon 5d2. It has barrel distortion at the wide end but it can be corrected in software.

That would be my choice in your situation.
 
Just a quick question.

In falling snow (not blizzard) will the camera be okay to use either on tripod or handheld? I've yet to use it in snowy weather.

If not, would one of those plastic covers like the op tecs be okay, or would they freeze to the camera?
 
jpwild said:
Just a quick question.

In falling snow (not blizzard) will the camera be okay to use either on tripod or handheld? I've yet to use it in snowy weather.

If not, would one of those plastic covers like the op tecs be okay, or would they freeze to the camera?
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Unless you are planning a trip to some extremely cold climate somewhere it is usually above freezing point in this country when it is snowing.

I am curious as to why you want to take shots in the snow :)
 
Galaxy66 said:
Unless you are planning a trip to some extremely cold climate somewhere it is usually above freezing point in this country when it is snowing.

I am curious as to why you want to take shots in the snow :)
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Why not? Shots of falling snow I want in various landscapes / circumstances :)

Just wondering if getting a bit of snow on camera will break it, lol.
 
jpwild said:
Why not? Shots of falling snow I want in various landscapes / circumstances :)

Just wondering if getting a bit of snow on camera will break it, lol.
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Well I for one would not have my camera naked in a snow shower:) but I believe if you are shooting with an L series lens there is nothing to worry about for short periods.
 
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