5D mark ii?

xFireSoul · Oct 12, 2014

So I was about to change from Nikon to canon 70d, used, with a 24-105, but now it came on my mind that I could get a 5D mark ii used for like 400$ more. Do you think i should go for it, or keep with the idea of 70D and after a year or so get 5d mark iii?

that1guy · Oct 15, 2014

you should just get the mmiii now if you're going to upgrade from a 70D in a year.

you should probably try out the 7d mkii it looks like a beast! unless you absolutely need a FF

curtyoungblood · Oct 15, 2014

I would think that the 70d is probably a better camera in most situations.

I've used a 5dii extensively but have no experience with a 70d

Scatterbrained · Oct 15, 2014

I think it would depend on what you shoot. Resolution wise there isn't much difference between the two. The AF on the 70D is going to be much better. The video controls are going to be better. Whether or not you want a FF sensor vs an APS-C will be more of a deciding factor I would think. What's more important, the larger sensor, or the better AF?

KmH · Oct 15, 2014

Resolution wise there is a significant difference between the 2.
The 5D MK II has a 21 MP full frame image sensor. The 70D has a 20 MP 1.6xcrop factor APS-C size image sensor.
Though they have about the same number of pixels, the 5D MK II's pixels are quite a bit bigger which significantly improves resolution, and other image sensor metrics like ISO and color depth

Canon EOS 70D versus Canon EOS 5D Mark II - Side by side camera comparison - DxOMark

JerryVenz · Oct 15, 2014

I own both the Canon 5D-MKII and the 70D and both are great cameras but for different reasons.

I use the 5D-MKII for PORTRAITS because we're selling wall portraits and want the best quality for the 30", 40", and 50" family portraits we sell. In addition I like the high ISO performance of this camera when doing Milky-Way images at 3200 ISO.

The 70D was purchased mostly for our video-hybrid line of work--the auto-focus during video is great!
It's also great for general wedding work and I use it for action--sports--photography.

JerryLove · Oct 16, 2014

KmH said:
Resolution wise there is a significant difference between the 2.
The 5D MK II has a 21 MP full frame image sensor. The 70D has a 20 MP 1.6xcrop factor APS-C size image sensor.
Though they have about the same number of pixels, the 5D MK II's pixels are quite a bit bigger which significantly improves resolution, and other image sensor metrics like ISO and color depth

Canon EOS 70D versus Canon EOS 5D Mark II - Side by side camera comparison - DxOMark

I don't think you know what resolution means. Or you've accidentally misused it.

The general advantage of larger elements on a sensor is improved low-light performance. And in your link, low-light is exactly where the 5DmkII did noticeably better than the 70D.

OTOH: The 6D does better still and is priced similarly to the 5DmkII. And the 7DmkII is looking pretty awesome.

TCampbell · Oct 16, 2014

I don't have a 70D, but I do still have my 5D II. The two camera really are completely different.

There's the obvious distinction that one is full-frame and the other is crop-frame. Sure the photo-sites on the 5D II are larger so they are more efficient at gather light and that translates to lower noise. And sure the crop-factor difference means that a 24-105 lens on a 5D II body will really achieve quite a different "look" than the same lens on an APS-C body.

But beyond that...

The 5D II has a focus system a lot more similar to the older Rebel bodies. It's a 9 point AF system with 8 single-axis focus points configured in a roughly "diamond" shape pattern and a single "cross-type" AF point in the center.

The 70D has a 19 point AF system where all the points are cross-type (it basically pinches the 7D's focus system with the exception that a 7D can do spot AF and the 70D cannot.)

The 70D also has a fairly quick continuous burst speed at 7 frames per second. The 5D II is 3.9 (slightly better than half as fast.)

If your'e doing landscapes, portraiture, and lots of low light... the 5D II is for you.
If you're doing wildlife, sports, and action photography... the 70D is probably for you.

Both do video but the 70D has the continuous focus tracking during video -- and 5D II does not.