Canon EOS 5D Mark II: NOT WORTH IT – Save your money!

February 9th, 2009

Note: This post has been updated below. Last update on 04/08/2010.

After having written two posts about why the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is barely worth it (see the last one here), I have to take it a step up now and go ahead and say that the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is absolutely NOT worth it. Save your money for something better. Go get a Nikon D700 or something.

Seriously, do the research before you spend close to $3000 on a camera body that is seriously underperforming and has a lot of issues. You can start by reading this post of mine, which I have updated today as well. I am including the update to that post below. When you spend $3000 on a camera body, especially in the time we live in right now, quite frankly you should NOT have to worry about it working well or not while using it. We live in a time when $900 cameras can focus without issues, so why should you spend $3000 on a camera that has focus issues? Yes, FOCUS issues. One of the most critical functionalities in any camera, and it’s not working properly.

Here’s the update (read the full post and any links in it completely before you buy, you have been warned!):

Update 02/09/2009: In the mean time some more examples have been posted of the 5D Mark II focus issues. The fashion shooter I mentioned above, who had trouble getting his 5D Mark II to focus properly got another 5D Mark II body, and apparently he had the same issues with that one. Now he has decided to NOT use the 5D Mark II AT ALL. Here’s what he had to say:

There are a few issues with this camera which I can not live with. The AF is still pretty bad on this, my second 5D2 body in anything but the brightest of light. (the first one was returned with abysmal focusing and weird image quality issues.)
People right and left are reporting failures in damp conditions/light rain. There were a bunch of 5D2 failures on Michael Reichmann’s Antarctic trip.

…

I cringe every time I remember this scenario: I was shooting advertising with the 5D2 with models, hair, makeup, stylists, etc waiting on me. As I was shooting tethered, the art director was standing next to me looking at the monitor and saying “they are soft!”, and I was there thinking, yeah, I can see that, but I don’t know what the f*ck to do about it. This is after hours or working with the AF microadjustments, etc., etc.

I cringe when I think about something like that happening to me as well.

And that’s not all. Another photographer compared the old 5D to the new 5D Mark II, doing some tests with both cameras in the same conditions, and noticed that the 5D Mark II did not focus consistently, and that shots from the 5D Mark II were in fact slightly out of focus often:

I’ve come to the conclusion that the 5Deux has A.D.D. Sometimes it focuses very well. Other times, it’s slightly disappointing compared to results from the old 5D. I know the 5Deux can focus well, because I’ve got proof, it just doesn’t focus well ALL of the time, which is annoying.

…

I’ve seen other photographers say that they’ve had similar results, so I guess this is pretty common among 5Deux owners.

…

In conclusion, the 5Deux did not walk away with a clear decisive victory because of the focus issue.

So again, I have to ask, what the FUCK is the use of 21 megapixels when you can’t focus properly?!?! Take a good look at the sample pictures posted in the above mentioned review, and notice how the 5D Mark II images are out of focus compared to the old 5D. All the extra resolution you expect from the 5D Mark II can’t be achieved because of the very poor autofocus system.

And here’s what PDN had to say about the 5D Mark II autofocus capabilities in their review:

A bigger issue is the annoyingly slow speed of the 5D Mark II’s autofocusing in low contrast, low light situations. These are the sorts of situations where the 5D II should really shine especially since the High ISO/low light capabilities of its 24 x 36mm CMOS sensor are so impressive.

Though we didn’t experience problems with the focus while shooting inside the dimly lit subway station and in Grand Central Terminal, when I later went to photograph the park at night, I found that the 5D II would often hunt for focus, racking in and out until it would finally lock in. On occasion, the camera couldn’t find focus at all.

The problem really lies with Canon’s resistance to updating the 5D II to a new autofocus system. The camera uses the same 9-point selectable AF with 6 assist points around the center as its predecessor, a system which clearly is getting a little long in the tooth. While Canon’s resistance might be understandable—after it upgraded its Mark III series pro cameras to a new 19-point/16-assist point autofocus system it faced many complaints from photographers about autofocus misfires—it still doesn’t solve the problem of putting a creaky old autofocus system in a brand new camera.

Yep, I saw this coming way in advance.

Update 04/18/2009: Some more people talking about the issues with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Photographer Zack Arias said the following:

• The AF system sucks in low light situations. Every Nikon I have ever owned from the D100 to the D3 can lock focus faster and more accurately than the 5d does in low light levels.
• Nikon still pwns Canon at ISO 3200 and up.
• It’s slow as Christmas compared to the shooting speed and buffer of the D3.
• The ergonomics. The 5d feels like a brick in my hands even with the grip. The D3 feels like a glove.

He later also says:

I will tell you this though… when it comes time to shoot the reception tomorrow night I bet you the 5d goes back in the bag because the auto focus is useless in low light. You’d think they could do something about that. The D3 can focus in just about any dark environment I find myself in. The 5d requires you to be standing on the surface of the sun to have enough light to focus. Ok, maybe not right on the surface but pretty close. The AF system on the Canon can not even be compared to the Nikon. In this area Canon sucks and Nikon rocks. The rest seems to be up for debate.

Photographer Lloyd Chambers had the following to say:

This latest AF issue follows on the heels of a Live View exposure problem with the Canon 5D Mark II. I think it’s fair so say that with 3 professional camera models with issues, this firmly establishes Canon as having a track record of not testing products adequately. And at the cost of customer time, hassle, and perhaps money.

I couldn’t agree more. I have written a couple of posts about Canon quality control problems. Just search my blog for them.

Update 04/08/2010: Many users who’ve bought the camera for professional use have had no choice but to sell it again and move to something that worked much better and offered A LOT more, such as the Nikon D700. Here are just two cases:

Case 1: Sold Canon gear and switched to Nikon:

Canon was good to me, especially back in the day when I rocked a cropped sensor and a 35mm lens for 90% of my shoots. It was simple, reliable and dependable. Then I got a 5d. The 5d offered great high ISO features, a full frame, a nice big LCD and the worst focusing system money could buy. 🙁

Let me preface this next part by saying that I am a hard-core stickler for sharp images; “A little soft,” or “a little back-focused” is not ok by me. It’s tack sharp or it get’s the hose. So, as you can imagine, the 5d became quite a handicap for me. But, nonetheless, I figured out that if I only shot on One Shot and kept my aperture up, I could make in-focus photos.

Despite my near-constant frustration with Canon, I held out for the mythical 5d Mark II – a camera that promised even better ISO, an even bigger sensor, an even fancier LCD and (you guessed it), the same crappy focusing system. At that point, Canon had me by the you-know-whats (I don’t actually have you-know-whats… it’s a euphemism, silly) – I had *thousands* invested in lenses (see below). So I shot my 5d Mark II for the entire 2009 wedding season…. on One-Shot…. using a high aperture… constantly cussing under my breath.

Case 2: Sold Canon gear and switched to Nikon:

So, my 5DII came back from Canon’s repair center AGAIN on Tuesday. I took it out for a 45 minute stroll and took pictures of cats, leaves, berries, trees, the water.. etc. I used both the center focal point and the outer focal points. I spent the entire 45 minutes cursing after each shot as it became more and more apparent that it was just the same (if not worse) as it had been when I sent it in.

…

So, I sniffled a little, I paced back and forth, I thought. Then I typed up all the Canon gear I own on a forum and titled it ‘For sale’. I sniffled some more and grit my teeth and clicked the ‘post’ button. There. I said it. It’s for sale. I’ve been a Canon girl for eight years. I busted my ass to buy that 5D, and I love it. If I could afford to keep it and the 50mm lens that’s been with me for four years, I would do it in a heartbeat.

I’m done. I’m switching to Nikon.

Pingbacks

Condensed Knowledge - February 15, 2009 | Raoul Pop (15/02/2009)
Karel Donk » Blog Archive » Canon tries to take down Fake Chuck Westfall blog (17/02/2009)
To Canon and Loeb & Loeb: Thanks for the traffic! « Fake Chuck Westfall (18/02/2009)
YLovePhoto (20/02/2009)
» Blog Archive » Canon EOS 5D MkII, Pas si bien ? (21/02/2009)
» Canon EOS 5D MkII - Pas si bien (22/02/2009)
EOS 5D Mark II a risky investment? « Fake Chuck Westfall (09/03/2009)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II - septiņas vilšanās : Lietas par, ap un bez foto (05/04/2009)
Fucked, for the foreseeable Future « Fake Chuck Westfall (10/07/2009)
Karel Donk’s Blog » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 7D: Looking Very Promising (08/09/2009)
Incidents and accidents » Arg arg arg!! (21/10/2009)
Problèmes Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Les mauvais photographes blâment toujours leur matériel. - Photos de concerts, Shots Hervé LE GALL Photographe (28/10/2009)
Karel Donk’s Blog » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 7D Review: Noisier than 40D (08/11/2009)
uberVU - social comments (21/12/2009)
Karel Donk’s Blog » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 5D Mark II – Camera from Hell (07/04/2010)
Wedding and Portraits Recommendation - PhotoCamel - Your Friendly Photo Forum (15/04/2010)
» [REVIEW:] EOS 5D Mark II – Camera from Hell – Karel Donk - Photo News Today - All the imaging news, all the time Photo News Today: News and Pixelosophy - more than 34,000 posts (16/04/2010)
Photo Review Today » [REVIEW:] EOS 5D Mark II – Camera from Hell – Karel Donk (16/04/2010)
Canon 5D mark II (2.0.7) – shit happens « ElGrEeEn's Blog (04/11/2010)
Karel Donk's Blog » Blog Archive » Canon EOS 5D Mark II – A Piece of Shit (10/06/2011)
Karel Donk's Blog » Canon EOS 5D Mark III Review (13/07/2012)

Comments

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Greg February 11th, 2009 at 10:23 am

Karel, really go get lad, and save the world your frustration

Reply
- Karel Donk February 11th, 2009 at 11:35 am
  
  If I knew how to get “lad” I could consider it…
  
  Reply
- mike August 3rd, 2010 at 11:02 pm
  
  SHUT THE LIVE SCREEN OFF, AND NOW HIT THE AUTO FOCUS BUTTON it is extremely fast and if you adjusted your auto focus to the settings you desire, your picture will be extremely sharp.. now turn the live screen back on and shoot your scene. most of the things you say are incorrect. you need to read the manual as boring as it is.
  
  Reply
Mike February 13th, 2009 at 1:01 pm

I’ve had the 5D Mark II just around two months and love it. As an Electrical Engineer, I’m somewhat critical of technology, and with twenties years of design experience I have tendency over analyzing everything. While nothing in this world is perfect, I’ve been very satisfied with this camera and have no regrets purchasing it. Mr Donks view is just one opinion, and a very emotional one at that. Buy it, I guarantee you’ll experience a lot of joy using it just as I have.

Reply
- Karel Donk February 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
  
  My opinion might sound emotional, but there’s more truth in it than most “reviews” you find on the Internet. And if you look at my writing carefully, you’ll see that I give plenty of examples of other people having issues, so it’s not just opinion here, there’re plenty of facts. Nothing in this world is perfect, but a camera with crap focus like the 5D Mark II is not worth $2700. And that’s just one of its issues.
  
  Reply
  - Mark January 17th, 2011 at 11:43 am
    
    Mr. Donk
    
    There were plenty of other people who agreed with the accusers at the Salem Witch Trials too.
    
    Reply
    - Karel Donk January 17th, 2011 at 11:55 am
      
      So what are you saying?
  - yourt September 7th, 2011 at 7:25 am
    
    I hope you got more than one Nikon D700 foor your bashing quest. Do you own a 5DII? I do, and I mainly use it for concerts…. yep, in the dark, on moving objects; Maybe it’s not the camera that’s lacking but its badass users that call themselves professionals and that probably don’t have the time for reading the manual and getting used to their new gear.
    
    Reply
Fadzlan February 13th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

@Mike

As an electrical engineer who don’t mostly shoot for living, having out of focus pictures every now and then might seem okay. Plus, you don’t earn your living through the pictures you took. So bad pictures would just mean bad pictures, since you have a day job to hang on to.

For a photographer who shoots for living, the impact range from “having to spent some time fixing the issues, thereby costing me more time” to “creating photographs that my client can’t accept, thereby costing me money(money that I should get for doing the work)” , which is HUGE. If it happens that 50% of your client is not satisfied (this would depends on situation, as clients have different taste, if you work for commercial setting, they generally demands more quality), that would lead half of your work maybe unpaid.

In where I live $2500 is a lot of money. I would expect the camera to “just works” after I get used to it, especially if cheaper cameras keep producing consistent results.

Reply
- Karel Donk February 13th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
  
  That’s what I mean. A $2700 camera should just work. And $2700 is a lot of money anywhere, especially in this economy. Don’t forget that you won’t just be giving out $2700 either but likely more for accesories and lenses. Spending that much money on a camera that gives you soft images and causes you to screw up during jobs like that fashion shooter is unacceptable.
  
  Reply
Mike February 14th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

Hmmm. Well all I can say is that I’ve captured somewhere around 1000 photos so far. Half are sports related(soccer, swimming, running) and the other half are a mix of nature, portrait and landscape shots. Out of all the those shots I think I had somewhere around 35-50 shots that were blurry. Half of those that were blurry were most likely from me moving abruptly. This is a problem that I have trying to hold the camera at low shutter speeds. Photography is a side business for me and I’m not a full time pro, but I would think that this isn’t a bad average. The prints that I have gotten are amazing! I just did a 30×20″ print for a client of her boy playing soccer. It was incredibly sharp. Note the camera was in auto focus mode using a canon 70-200 IS lens, when I captured it.

Reply
- Eric January 12th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
  
  Mike, just maybe you should not voice an opinion if you are not a working professional, how would you feel if someone who does engineering work over weekends jumped into your blog post about about a new digital laser pointed level meter that is off by two degrees.. hey, 2 degrees does not sounds like much but it definitely would have a huge impact if you are say, building a bridge!
  
  Shooting 1000 images on your camera is nothing compared to a working pro who easily shoots 2000 images per wedding, or how about 200 – 300 shots per look on a fashion shoot? So just take a step back and keep quiet cause you are embarrassing yourself.
  
  I have personally went over to Nikon even before the 5Dmk2 came out because of focus issues with the 5D and I could not be happier, out of 1000 images I would get 10 out of focus problems, on my Canon 5D I used to get around 200 focus problems out of every 1000 images! So I know exactly what Karel is talking about. The worst is this, Canon must have known that their users complained about focus problems with the 5D, yet they did nothing to resolve it! that really gets to me more than anything else but hey, they don’t really care, they make more money selling happy snapper cameras than pro equipment..
  
  Reply
  - Valerie Watts January 14th, 2011 at 11:47 am
    
    Eric – what Nikon body and lenses do you recommend?
    
    Reply
    - Keith January 19th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
      
      When somebody leaves an opinion on a blog don’t attack it. Mike has been making very solid points. I am a professional photographer and I shoot with the 5d mark 2. If you know how to shoot none of the issues are relevant. I’ve never had a focus issue with my camera. Yes it is the older of the current focusing systems and the 5d mark 3 will have the newer one it. But isn’t anywhere near as bad as you claim it to be. and it definitely isn’t a problem in my day to day shoots. Mike you’re correct this camera is worth every penny.
  - Teila K. Day May 29th, 2014 at 6:51 am
    
    Hmmm… sounds like some people have a legitimate problem with their 5d2 focus system but most complaining have a person-behind-the-camera problem!
    
    I’ve been shoot in order to put food on the table. I bought the 5d2 in addition to shooting pro (Dx series) Nikon bodies & lenses for many years. I still shoot Nikon, but had enough common freaking sense to buy the 5d2 for what it was best at… shooting stills, and focusing in good light (whether that light comes from the sun, or modeling lights in your studio turned up just enough to negate focus issues if you want to use auto focus).
    
    Yes, the 5d2’s AF is horrid and Canon should be ashamed, however for the professional, the 5d2’s AF is better than shooting medium format so calm down- it’s not Canon’s fault that people didn’t do proper research before purchasing their gear. I knew the 5d2’s limitations long before I made my purchase and purchased the camera because it did what a D700, etc., couldn’t do… take video, provide me colors that were devoid of a slight green tinge especially when shooting green grass, and resolution. Even today there’s still a distinct colour difference between the two brands.
    
    The bottom line is that if you want to race, you don’t buy a station wagon. If you need space, you don’t buy a Ferrari. If you wanted a modern focus system in the 5d2, and knew Canon didn’t put one in it, then you should’ve used your God given common sense and purchased a camera that better fit your needs. I did. No problems… but of course I used my common-freaking-sense. 😉
    
    Reply
    - Keith May 29th, 2014 at 3:03 pm
      
      I don’t have the 5dmkII anymore! I completely moved over to Fuji. However, I can’t say I had much of a problem with the auto focus as some have reported having themselves. Some of my 5DMKII images can be seen on my small website and are fine from a focus point of view. My big gripe with Canon is the weight and size of their lenses and pro camera bodies, which in truth are fine for studio work where there isn’t much carrying to be done, but a bloody nightmare in any situation other than a static outdoor tripod scenario. Try lugging one around for the day with a rucksack full of L glass and you’d think you’d spent all day at the gym.
Rod February 16th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

you are just looking for a sensation in order to bump up traffic. u r just a big boy who can’t handle a good piece of engineering. yes go ahead, switch to nikon ….

Reply
- Karel Donk February 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
  
  Tell those photographers who I mentioned above who can’t do their work that I am looking for a sensation.
  
  Reply
  - Bombelicious July 7th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
    
    lolzzz!
    
    Reply
  - frankie December 28th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
    
    I agree with you. I think it’s the QA of Canon. I have the 5D Mark II and yes 3/4 pictures I took are out of focus when you look at them 100%. In fact, nowhere was sharp! Believe me I know what I am doing. I even used my old Nikon D70 for comparison. You could easily see the difference in sharpness. I also don’t think micro adjustment is the answer since I have a zoom lens. I wish we could all meet and demonstrate once in for all. But hey I know what I saw, and actually it’s a good thing people don’t believe it is a problem because maybe I could get more money when I am selling it soon. I am just going to do some more tests before giving it up since I am still going to loose some money on it.
    
    Reply
Scott February 16th, 2009 at 9:38 pm

Is it just me, or do some of these replies smell of astro-turf. I have watched Canon consistently screw up good camera lines over the last 3 or 4 years, and it’s kinda sad. I have quite a few friends who have switched away from Canon, and I fear I’ll be next. It’s like the patent lawyers and bean counters have taken control. Canon once dominated the digital camera market, both consumer and pro (consumer more so) and now they’re quickly making themselves irrelavent.

It just feels like Canon is completely out of touch with their users. Try going to their website to leave them an email. You can’t, the email addresses and contact information is pretty much all gone now.

Reply
Mike February 17th, 2009 at 10:30 am

May I refer you an excellent review “Canon EOS 5D Mark II In-depth Review, February 2009
Don Wan, Phil Askey”. I bought my last two Canon’s after reading their review. They are always honest and while this is a great camera it does have a few issues like everything else on this planet. Given that this is not a Utopian world, it’s still a good camera and worth what I have thus gotten so far. If I were you I would go with what you like. No ones twisting your arm to use Canon products. Why don’t you use your energy to write something really nice about Nikon or what every you prefer to shoot with.

DIGITAL PHOTO REVIEW(great review!)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos5Dmarkii/

Reply
- Karel Donk February 17th, 2009 at 10:45 am
  
  Mike, DPReview doesn’t review autofocus systems on the cameras. So while they may have a lot of good things to say about the technical capabilities of the sensor in the 5D Mark II, it won’t be very useful when you take pictures using the poor AF system and they come out soft and out of focus most of the time. Further, DPReview doesn’t mention anything about the banding and noise in darker parts of pictures, even at ISO 100, and other artifacts.
  
  Reply
  - Ben Rockener March 29th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
    
    Ha Ha, you are a idiot. Just the best camera that was ever made, You should just stick to point and shoots, does not sound like you are good at photography….. or just part of the Nikon fanboy club (who post here).
    
    Reply
Mike February 24th, 2009 at 10:55 am

Came across this interesting podcast from the The Digital Story website. Is it possible that this guy just owns a different 5D II? He seems to be very satisfied with product and backs it up with real world output. http://www.thedigitalstory.com/blog/media/tds090210.mp3

Reply
planetMitch February 26th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

I won’t try to argue with the original post, everyone is entitiled to their opinion, but from my experience, there are thousands of more people happy with the camera than unhappy.

What do i have to back that up? Well, I’m the owner of http://planet5d.com – the 5d blog and wiki. There are tons of reviews posted on the reviews page, as well as still and video samples that will knock your socks off.

yes, I’ve even covered the fashion shooter who was unhappy. There have been a couple of people unhappy, but for any product, you’re gonna find a small group who are unhappy no matter what.

Oh, and yes, i’ll certainly be posting this blog post in my blog because i am fair and post all the news and opinion i can find 🙂

Reply
Eric Bowman February 28th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

I wish to GOD that I had read this before I bought my D5 Mark II with EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM.

I thought maybe I was missing a setting or something, but after many dozens of test pics and several readings of the manual I can promise you that: indoors or out, zoomed in or out, high F or low, AF or Manual, this camera can NOT take a clear picture. I’ve done a comparison of the images from my Canon G10 and a Sony DSC W70 shooting identicle subjects under identical conditions and the G10 produces an OBVIOUSLY a better image, even at a lower resolution. The Sony can focus better than the 5D but obviously missing the pixel count.

I am now trying to get my money back from Pavillion Electronics (they want a 15% restocking fee that adds up to $547) and have started a dialogue with Canon support which is still in the silly questions phase (have you tried the Auto Focus?).

Buyer be stung – Nikon here I come!

Reply
Mike March 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pm

Still lovin my Canon 5DMII ! Did a track meet this past weekend and got really impressive results. The ultimate test for this camera was trying to capture the men’s 200m final head on! Note that I was inside a building with really shitting lighting. ISO was set for 1000 and camera focus was in full auto. Lens used was the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM. As these guys roared around the turn and down the track at me, I captured 10 consecutive shots in the last 100m. Out of ten shots, one was a little blurry! No focus problem here folks! Is it possible that some people just don’t know how to operate a camera?

Reply
P.C.Bos March 2nd, 2009 at 5:59 pm

This is what I call an interesting discussion..

I’m currently considering the 5D Mark II. About autofocus problems: I’ve had them with my first digital canon, the 40D. All these problems disappeared however when I finally got smart and bought the 70-200 L lens. So might there possibly be a lens issue here as well? I thought the pictures were ridiculously soft BEFORE I got good glass. And yes, I have compared photographs taken with the Nikon DX3 with those taken with the Canon 5D Mark II, and I can’t find a clear winner in sharpness -to my surprise, I might add, I expected the Nikon to be the clear winner. But I -sorry- heartily dislike Nikon lenses, so I probably will go for the 5D.

My background is reproduction photography with technical camera, 4*5 inch smallest format. What I am UTTERLY impressed about, is that these silly little digital camera’s, provided you use RAW of course, give me colourwise the same result as professional emulsion. That is why I will stay with Canon- though I sincerely hope Mr. Donk won’t prove to be right in my case-: because canon’s color is very, very good. And the software ditto.

Anyway, I don’t use autofocus. It’s too unprecise. I blow the picture up on a large screen, then focus manually till max focus is achieved. Which is why the remark about uneven focus makes me a bit restless. Can it be possible that this might happen even with manual focus? If so, I will return here and tell you so.

Caveat Emptor – so true.

Paul Christiaan

Reply
Eric Bowman March 4th, 2009 at 9:55 am

What part of “Auto” focus leads you to conclude that it’s a user problem?

From all that I’ve read, I must conclude that I simply got a “bad” one.

I guess that, these days, buying top of the line cameras is a lot like buying fruit. You’ll never really know if it’s good until you bite into it.

Just make sure you can return the fruit!

Reply
Richard Eng March 5th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Professional Photographer magazine awards Best Digital SLR of 2009 to the supposedly flawed 5D Mk II:
http://www.ppmag.com/web-exclusives/2009/03/canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-wins-best-1.html

Gizmodo rates the allegedly defective 5D Mk II higher than the D700:
http://i.gizmodo.com/5160540/canon-5d-mark-ii-vs-nikon-d700-review-shoot+out

Several other photographers rave about the purportedly deficient 5D Mk II:
http://www.planet5d.com/planet5d/Planet5d_Blog/Entries/2009/3/2_Reviews.html

Gee, I guess all of these people are out of their minds.

P.C.Bos. makes a good point: the AF problems could be related to the lenses. There’s no question that some people may have experienced such glitches. Camera bodies and lenses (and, indeed, all consumer electronics goods) from the factory do have a small defect rate. Typically, this rate is around 3 percent.

Let’s put this in perspective…

Suppose Canon sold 800,000 DSLRs in the last quarter of 2008 (a reasonable guess based on financial data). And let’s also assume that Canon has a higher than normal defect rate, say, 5 percent (I’m willing to allow that Canon may have some quality control issues). Then something like 40,000 Canon users may have complaints.

Suppose 2 percent of these complainants are vocal enough to go on the web to air their feelings on the photography forums and blogs that you follow. That’s about 800 whiners, just from the last quarter of 2008.

That’s enough to paint an ugly picture of Canon’s quality control issues and engineering design competency. But let’s be realistic — 95 percent of Canon purchasers are still happy. Seems to me, those are pretty good odds. So I would still recommend buying Canon if you’re so inclined.

I’ll bet if you count up all the complainants on these forums and blogs, they don’t add up to 800.

Richard

Reply
Derek Doublin March 8th, 2009 at 11:13 am

I am experiencing similar issues with my Canon 5D MKII. I am a photographer, a cinematographer, and a director for Jimmy Kimmel Live. I use top of the line L glass and have been having a very difficult time achieving focus. At first I thought it was me until I came across this post.

Recently I tried to process some HDR images and the result was quite astonishing. Despite the new firmware update I believe the black dot issue is still present and can clearly be seen when merging 3 images into an HDR tiff. If the black dots exist in at least two of the images they become extremely evident in an HDR image.

I am very sad to say that this camera needs work. If the video feature wasn’t so crippled I may consider having Canon attempt to repair it under warranty. But since the video feature is so limited, I am now seriously considering moving to a D700 or possibly waiting to see Nikon’s answer to the 5D MKII. Since Nikon does not have a video department to compete with, the Nikon D800 (or whatever it will be called) might just be the game changer. We’ll have to wait and see.

As for now, in my opinion the Canon 5D MKII is a risky investment.

Reply
Bill Wisser March 10th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

I love the 5D Mark II’s beautiful image quality from ISO 50 to 6400 (higher is a stretch) — and I think the camera is definitely worth the bucks. But without doubt its worst feature is its obsolete autofocusing system.

I have zero problems with it in daylight, but it misses many shots in dimly-lit interiors. My trusty 1Ds Mk2 is far better in those conditions.

As for the censorship issues, Sportshooter should be ashamed of itself. I thought those folks were professional journalists! What were they thinking???

I don’t agree with Donk 100% — I think he overstates his case — but I love that he’s out there forcefully with his opinion; and all the forums that censored him and his thread are being foolish. Maybe they’re frightened that they won’t get Canon advertising. If so, that’s pathetic.

In any event, with the exception of cyberstalking, libel, invasion of privacy and such, I’m in favor of maximum freedom of expression on the net, and Donk’s consumer complaint about a not inexpensive professional or semi-professional product is clearly within bounds.

It’s an important issue — it should be aired and debated, and it will generate traffic on any forum that includes it.

BTW, I currently own four Canon cameras and about 10 Canon lenses, plus a few Sigma and Tamron lenses. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Canon has shot itself in the foot several times in the last few years — and not just with the well-documented autofocus glitches on the 1D3s.

There’s also the astonishing inability of the super-expensive 50mm f1.2 lens to autofocus accurately at close range — apparently caused by not having floating elements! What were they thinking when they designed that thing?

And then there was an embarrassing flare problem with early samples of the 24-105 f4 IS lens, apparently caused by faulty baffling.

Supposedly that’s been fixed on later samples, but I experienced horrendous flare with the one I just recently bought with my 5D Mark II, so I sent the lens back to Canon to get it fixed on warranty. The problem occurred while I was shooting a portrait in front of brightly-lit white seamless. The 24-105 displayed lots of milky ghosting over the subjects’s face, while my trusty Canon 85 f1.8 and Tamron 28-75 f2.8 made the same shot perfectly crisply from the exact same position and lighting set-up.

Anyway . . . the 5D2’s less than great focusing doesn’t bother me as much as it does some folks, although I admit it’s frustrating in low light with f4 or even f2.8 lenses. Time to try some fast primes, but honestly the focusing should be better.

But even so, for me, the 5D2’s superb sensor is well worth the price of admission!

Despite the not inconsiderable flaws (the frustrating focusing, the less than Antarctic-strength weather sealing, the lack of a dedicated mirror lock-up button, etc) this is a really good camera — mostly because of the sensor and related circuitry.

Tthe video it produces is pretty impressive, too. The menus and the battery have also been significantly improved compared to the original 5D.

But it’s obvious that Canon economized on the autofocus and just stuck in the old 5D module.

What with the problems Canon honchos are having with the autofocus on the 1D3 cameras, I can understand that they didn’t want to take any chances, but the old 5D focusing system is just not as capable as this very good camera deserves.

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Karel Donk March 10th, 2009 at 8:23 pm

This is more for Derek Doublin, but everyone else too, read this thread, the whole exchange:
http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=553&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

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Derek Doublin March 11th, 2009 at 2:34 am

That is very interesting and rather amusing. It seems like Canon’s responses have been carefully crafted to avoid contributing evidence to a potential class action lawsuit.

Canon has really been messing up lately. By crippling their video feature, many Canon 5D MKII owners have just resorted to purchasing Nikon lenses due to their manual aperature controls. I find it funny that a Canon product is giving Nikon more business.

All eyes are on Nikon now. If they release the camera both photographers AND cinematographers are asking for, they’ll not only get my money, but the money of every cinematographer I know.

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Neil UK March 16th, 2009 at 9:58 am

I’ve just got back from a lovely spring day down on the south coast with the dog. Transfered all my RAWs onto the Mac and – What!!!!! Again.
Now I’m a professional photographer and have been using an original 5D for a couple of years. Got a Mk2 at the end of last year and initially was blown away with the resolution and, especially, the high ISO performance. I’d noticed though that my hit rate for sharp shots had taken a bit of a hammering. First up I just thought that soft focus was maybe a new issue because of the detail available from 21mp. But it’s more than that. It’s not even regarding the old and slow autofocus ting fitted either, I’ve been earning a living from snapping pics since before AF even arrived on the scene and I’m used to the leisurely, chilled-out focusing performance of the 5D. Today I was deliberately careful and stopped down plenty for a bit of depth of field on my 70-200 2.8L. Focus on the dogs eyes, sat in the sun on a cliff, f11.0. Soft as fuk. Out of focus really, but just no depth of field either. If other people aren’t experiencing this there are definately some bad uns out there and you should be glad you can just sit there all smug and claim operator error. Today I really made sure I wasn’t just being a dickhead and I’m gobsmacked that it misses focus like this. Too wierd. When it’s sharp the detail is awesome, but mine just misses all too often. I’m gonna have to send it to Canon. It’s a wicked camera in so many respects, but this focus ting is not right.

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Derek Doublin March 16th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

My MKII is currently at Canon right now along with my 24mm L lens. I too was having soft issues even when stopping down to F8 on a 1.4 L prime! I am having Canon thoroughly test the camera as well as the lens. I also asked them to calibrate the lens to the 5D MKII body. I should receive it by the end of the week. If I am still running into the same problem, I am going to return the camera and sell the lens ASAP.

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leek March 17th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

I returned my 5d Mark II in December after noticing it had a terrible viewfinder with lots of dirt in it (a bad focus screen I think). Then a day later, the black dots problem was publicized.

I sold all my Canon lenses on eBay, and got good money for them. I bought a Nikon D700 and have never been happier. It is much more responsive than the Canon, in terms of focusing and shooting. I don’t miss any shots anymore.

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salvatore salamone March 17th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

hi all i have to say i have spent two days testing the d5 mac for fashion work and its has grave problems with focus full length shots have no eye lashes that are crisp manual or auto!
the last job was only saved in photoshop and a very long time to get it back to some kind of
working picture . very sad, i have tryed everything to get it to be sharp to no avail
but close up shots come out crisp and clean! i cant use it any more for fashion only for close up work
or movies.
salvatore salamone 25 years in the fashion bizzzzzz. and yes a pro photographer!
i think im going back to my pentax 67. i never had that happen to me ever!

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extragee March 21st, 2009 at 3:22 pm

hey mate

great to read your comments on the 5d2. i was thinking of buying it as my old 5d got stolen.but now i’m going to hire it for a day to see if it forfils my requirements. i’ve been assisting for a while now & was impressed by the affordable price & MG to help me move on to shooting full time. i’m not sure of any othe real option as most rental houses only stock canon accessories. most pros here in syd, australia use either the canon 1ds2 & 1ds3 for 35mm digi

do you know if canon has solved the black dots problem yet? or are we still awaiting further comment?

cheers.

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- Karel Donk March 21st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
  
  extragee,
  renting the camera before you buy it is a good strategy. also make sure when you buy it that there’s a good return policy and that you test the camera as soon as you get it, and if it doesn’t work right return it immediately for a full refund.
  
  the black dots are supposed to be fixed in the latest firmware update. however, it seems that there are still issues when you want to create HDR images as Derek Doublin says in his comment above. so if you are planning to make HDR images you may want to do some tests first.
  
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Andy March 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 am

It is very understandable that people are furious about spending good money for a far from perfect product, especially during this financially uncertain period. Canon however was never an issue for me, because Nikon has always satified my photographic needs since I got my first SLR the Nikon F.

I think with 12 MP we have reached enough megapixel in a DSLR. Curently I see the same bad tendency like before in the compact camera class, where a continuous blow up of megapixel resulted only in execessive image noise. I think Nikon has reached a good compromise with their D3 and D700 bodies. The D3x is nice but certainly not worth the price vor the extra MP.

Recently I found some good information on this site: http://www.dxomark.com Browse through their clear information provided on this site.

N. David King hit a good point in his comparison Film Versus Digital which can be found here: http://www.ndavidking.com/Tech%20Articles/Film%20Versus%20Digital.doc Especially concentrate on his comparison of silver grain size to pixel size on a sensor. Mr. King is very smart.

Canon should take the complaints of professional photographers more seriously. Otherwise they’ll lose more and more potential customers to Nikon.

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Neil UK March 24th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

Hello again folks,
I was out in the woods today and did a few more experiments with my 5d2. I say experiments, but in reality was just very careful and deliberate in what I did regarding aperture, shutter speed, ASA, AF, IS, subject, etc, etc, etc, yawn. Jeez – for over twenty years I’ve just taken pictures and now all this boring, anorak bullshit just to try and get a decent sharp shot from an expensive, latest, greatest camera. Today – loads of blurry crap again. Outrageous. I remember when I first got my hands on a 5d2 and thought it might be the camera that stopped me bleating on about how good my old F1 was. But it’s not just the old git thing, at least my F1 took a sharp pic, even after being bounced down the Hoggar mountains, and without so much as a battery needed to fire the shutter. What’s the point of 25600 ASA when the world is fuzzy?
Now, being an old git I don’t totally love this interweb ting but I had to search to see if anyone else was getting weird results. I like what Karel has to say – harsh but true, and that’s always good. I’m glad to see a few more sensible, capable togs getting screwed-up results like me (well not glad really, but I’m not alone), and I’m horrified, as always, to see the nasty little people having a dig from the comfort of their tissue strewn bedrooms blaming operator error. Cock off and get back to your porn – wankers.
Now in another painful trip through another forum post on the soft 5d2 issue, I smiled – eventually. Here’s the link to the post:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=31072929

You too can traipse through the painful and horrific abuse of the geezer with the soft 5d2 if you want. People suggesting all sorts of ridiculous reasons as to why he was getting blur. Man, it was hard going through all the posts – someone even suggests reading p.63 of the manual and adjusting the sharpness in picture style. Others saying what do you expect looking at such a high mp image on just a monitor. Luckily I haven’t got a gas oven so managed to make it through. I really felt for the guy. His problems were just like mine – not every pic was rubbish and they were awesome when they weren’t blurry – but it was just missing all too often and his hit rate for sharp pics had taken an absolute hammering. So I was pleased at this point in the thread where the world came into focus for him:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=31226750

So just read this bit of the post if you want to avoid the misery of the bedroom experts talking shite and see a result. Now the only problem is to convince my retailer that they’ve sold me a dud and send me a replacement. Bugger sending it to Canon for them to deny that there is an issue.

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tony March 27th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

Ha ha ha, Karel donk dink donk is typical desperate Nikon fan boy, who can’t afford buying D3X . which sell 3x more expensive than this awesome 5DmkII , whatever !!! 5dmks r selling welll. really go get lad, and save the world your frustration as Greg said

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someguy6481 March 31st, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Tony,

I think Karel can afford a d3 or a d3x, and frankly Tony the 5D Mark ii is a piece of crap, you’re better off with a d700 or even sony a900. A camera with focusing problems and faulty mirrors doesn’t appeal to me, also having a video feature won’t save it neither, tell me Tony, why is it more and more professionals are turning to Nikon? better technology, superb high ISO performance, better reliability and the most important of all superb picture quality. Photographers (and their clients) don’t want error 99’s, loose mirror boxes or soft pictures, maybe you like soft pictures, error 99’s, loose mirror boxes and being ripped off.

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Dmitry April 5th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

Hello.
My name is Dmitry, I do photos for what might be called *half living* (I do assorted design works for the rest), and I am a longtime Nikon universe dveller (get ready to fanboyholywarrrrruuuumble!). Now with Nikon’s latest pricing policies (D3x my holy ass) I tried 5D of a friend of mine and decided to gice it a try…
Now what the hell I was thinking I have no idea, the latest hadnt been the best many times earlier (d40>d70, eh), but I got 5Dii. And I must totally second Karel.
What I mean is we had few hours together in the open with abovementioned “mark-1” 5D friend, and I could have swapped with him on spot would he be an idiot enough to accept. 5D’s ergonomics might take a while for someone with Nikon-tuned fingers as I am, but I got it to work for me within like, a hour. 5Dii? O RLY? Every single ergonomics change from original makes it goddamn worse. Sometimes AF just leaves to take a piss, and we hadnt been able to even conclude any system in that, only like, it happens more often as it grows darker in the evening. You just spot a sight, aim the camera aind all out of sudden it eats 30seconds of your worktime just getting there, and that’s bloody annoying even when I dotn do sports or anythign else fast-pacing, where I guess 10-bucks-disposable could do better simply by the virtue of having sharp image when you want it.
I cannot remember such an annoying perfomance from any worthwile Nikon piece in damn 5 years, and a friend of mine said it is equally abnormal for semi-decent Cannons either. Naturally, for all the doubtful pleasure of impromptu *free time to consider your shot* from 5Dii, the original 5D barely took his time once or tvice during the session, steadily just-goddamn-working.
What is the goddamn point of a camera that is miles worse then previous model is totally beyond me.

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Dmitry April 5th, 2009 at 2:43 pm

Oh yea, and the *improved* power svitch that totally suits itself over your shirt, unlike the slim one on original 5D, is the perfect improvement I can think about. For the *added convinience* of svitching it once in a day, I got an added inconvinience of it turning itself off every second time I let camera loose on the strap. Deal!

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vystoblasmic April 10th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

Terrific discussion!

I’m just about to upgrade my trusty 350D to a 5D1, I think…. After taking a 20 year break from photography, I got back in with the 350D a few years ago. Having built a small stable of Canon L glass, I’m ready to take my hobby to the next level. My obsession has been the 5D1 for several years. Then the 5D2 showed up. I’m not prepared to drop $3000 on a new digital camera. Having grown up in the technology world where last year’s $1000 computer can be had for $300 this year, I’m content to not be on the leading edge (for once). All that said, what’s the happiness level among this crowd with the 5D1? Related, how’s that happiness with the 24-105 F4L? This lens would, I think, be the suitable upgrade to the whole in my line up, dropping the 28-135 IS for L glass in that range.

Thanks All!

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Grant April 11th, 2009 at 12:39 am

I’m a combat journalis in the Army who shot over a year in Baghdad Iraq on combat patrols. I shot with a Nikon 2Hs. It is what I shot with in the Army.I think for the photo enthusiast the shortcomings- mainly the auto focus issue seems acceptable…but the truth is depending on the photographer the number of good or bad shots might be the same on any camera…however if someone is good enough.. dealing with only a few out of focus shots is acceptable….getting the average no matter how good you are is where my discontent is with this camera..If shots I would get with inferior are better because they are at least in focus…then its a problem.

.therefore i have to join in with the consensus that buying this camera was a mistake for me…as shooting with this camera. It is far more possible to overcome some lighting issues, but being badly out of focus is virtually a photo killer…. Unfortunately i have yet to find the program like those seen in movies that completely take a blurry photo and bring everything in focus…if that program existed then i’d be ok with this cameras shortcoming. it won’t matter how good your framing is or how little light you need to shoot….if the focus is soft….then what is the point….. With my work camera…a beat up Nikon D2Hs… I don’t have any of the out of focus problems I have with this canon eos 5d Mark 2. I’ve been back in the states shooting award ceremonies after a long tour in Baghdad and deciding to test out my new camera instead of my battle worn Nikon… I’ve taken my new canon for a spin…lets just say I’m taking my Nikon back out even though the connection between my flash and camera works sporadically….suffice to say if i could take the focus system of my nikon into my canon the canon would be perfect….but this canon is such a disappointment…I shoot on manual and auto…sometimes when I don’t have to i like to use the auto focus…with the canon…that isn’t an option…. for me these photos aren’t about money…. on all my patrols I gave the cleared photos to the other Joes….a lot of times there isn’t time to wait for the camera to focus and hope the photos are in focus, so that small amount out of focus which are acceptable to some, aren’t acceptable for me….especially since I ‘ve shot under worse conditions and gotten better results. This may all seem like nitpicking…but it’s the small improvements where the professional takes the pride of being better than the average guy off the street….this camera levels the playing field but in the wrong way….I think if you never use autofocus or the liveview the shortcomings on this camera is less…still I totally understand people’s frustration….if this camera works for you….I’m happy for you…. I just know its fallen out of my favor on its most important issue.

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Susan Radcliffe April 15th, 2009 at 8:35 pm

vystoblasmic –
I have been shooting the 5D Mark II for about two months, but for my magazine assignment tomorrow I am taking my trusty old 5D. I have been wondering if I had lost my edge, after shooting a couple of weddings, some family groups and several magazine lay outs, I finally did a google search on focus problems for the Mark II. I am going to send it back to Adorama and ask for a second 5D, and for a refund of the difference. I think you will be happy with the 5D, I was happy with the D60, the 10D, and then the 5D, my husband loves his XTi, I don’t know what happened with the Mark II, but it is not a step up. The L lenses are worth the cost.

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matt schramm April 16th, 2009 at 3:22 am

Had the camera for 3 days you have to love best buy full refund trying to find the old 5d hard 2 come by,i think canon is out of the race but they still need your $$$$$$ 5d 2 with 70-200 l 2.8
16-35 l 2.8 58011 flash do not buy this camera get the old one or d3 yes by by canon

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Lorraine Cousins April 17th, 2009 at 8:54 am

Had my 5D for 3 years and was delighted with it..great photos..even when taking from moving cars, coaches etc. I decided to treat myself at Christmas and upgrade to the 5D Mark II. What a mistake! I took my new 5D Mk II to New York in February and then to Singapore followed by a 2-week vacation in Vietnam in March this year. I shot over 8000 photos in Vietnam (and if you have ever been to Vietnam and toured from top to bottom you will know why – it is a paradise for photographers). Having transferred them all to Lightroom for final adjustments I couldn’t beleive how many were slightly out of focus. I really thought I had lost my touch. I wondered if the IS wasn’t working on the main lens I was using (24-105) but then I also had the same results with my 16-35mm Mk II lens so it couldn’t be that. A couple of nights ago in desperation I decided to see if others were reportin gthe same problems – and yes, there are loads of professional and amateur photographers out there with the same problem. As I love to photograph busy street scenes and people I realise that the 5D Mk II is a complete failure in this respect. I am now going to sell it and either consider buying a 5D Mark I to go with all my lenses or to follow Andy Rouse and go black! (Nikon – or even a new concept for me, the Leica M8.2 rangefinder camera). I labsolutely ove my Canon G10 (upgraded from a G9) and wish I’d shot all 8000 photos on that instead of ending up bitterly disappointed at losing the moment in so many photo opportunities in Vietnam that may not come round again in my lifetime. My advice to anyone to takes lots of photos in fast-moving environments is stay well clear of the Canon 5D Mk II – you will be very disappointed.

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Dan April 18th, 2009 at 9:52 pm

Very interesting blog! I have owned a EOS 20D for 4 years and now want to upgrade. I like the 20D except for the #$&$% autofocus. Using manual focus I can get sharp pix. AF Does not work!! I use an EFS 17-85 lens with image stabilizarion and usually shoot landscapes. AF does not work even in bright light, even using the center point, even in bright light, and does not work at any F stop. Since I am wanting to get a better lens too, I had planned to upgrade to 5D2 and go with an L zoom lens, but now am leaning twords the Nikon D700.

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Rick April 18th, 2009 at 10:39 pm

What is a “Pro” photographer doing using Autofocus anyway?
It’s obvious that you are the type of “Pro” who gets by, by having the most expensive new automatic camera get the “great” and “professional” shots….
A real pro ALWAYS focuses manually, can develop his own film, and can get “Pro” results even with a pinhole box camera.
Oh it’s too bad that the camera can’t wipe your butt for you…You Hack!

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Olivier RUBRECHT April 19th, 2009 at 4:19 am

As I found this blog particularly valuable for anyone who wants to understand why he (she) coulld’nt achieve his (her) goal with the 5D Mk2, I want also to be a witness ! And to help all french speaking people (I’m french) I give a short translation, as the subject appears really important.
In fact I’ve been shooting for years with all Canon’s Product (30D, 40, 50D and finally 5D Mk2) as for my living friend she shot previously with a Sony alpha and for more one year with a Nikon D300. And we had many opportunities to compare our results as we were pratically at the same place at the same time. (From time to time we exchange our cameras to experience something else and get better). To reach the quality level of the Nikon D300 I invested in serie L lenses (which are excellent) exclusively and avoid the risk of bad results due to poor lenses. Nevertheless, I was always short of the results obtained with the NIkon and finally decided to get the latest (hoped it was the best) camera from CANON : EOS 5D Mk II . => HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT ! Obviously the 21 Mpx are present but this apparatus is inconsistent :
1) unable to focus reliably and accuretly (even from time to time in good light condition) = no need for 21 Mpx
2) unable to focus in poor lignt condition = no need for high ISO and 21 Mpx.
3) NOISE is unacceptable especially with back ground light that makes very very poor picture quality.
4) I’ve also detected a problem with the CMOS iamge sensor position versus the focus plan : test pattern shot is sharp on the left part and out of focus on the right part : incredible.
CONCLUSION Too much problems to hope for solutions : I got all my Canon stuff back to my vendor and bought a NIkon D700. After only 600 picture I can say it’s another world : a professionnal world.

Ayant trouve ce blog particulierement interessant pour quii veut comprendre pourquoi il (elle) ne peut atteidre ses objectifs de qualite avec le 5D MkII, je me decide a temoigner.
En fait, j’utilise depuis des années des boîtiers Canon (30D, 40, 50D and finally 5D Mk2) alors que ma compagne a utilisé dans u premier temps un Sony Alpha puis un Nikon D300. Et nous avons eu beaucoup d’opportunités de comparer nos résultats pour avoir été pratiquement au meme endroit au meme moment. (Et de temps en temps nous échangions nos appareils pour expirementer quelque chose de diférent et apprendre en ce sens). Pour approcher la qualité du D300 j’ai investi dans les optiques Pro series L de Canon qui sont excellentes. Néanmoins j’étais toujours en deça des résultats du D300. J’ai donc fini par investir dans le nec plus ultra de CANON le 5D MkII. ENORME DECEPTION ! Evidemment les 21 Mpx sont bien présents mais cet appareil est incohérent 1° incapable de faire une mise au point précise et fiable parfois meme dans de bonne conditions d’éclairement = pas besoin de 21 Mpx
2° incapable de faire une mise au point correcte dans des conditions de lumière plus difficile = pas besoin des hautes sensibilités (1600 ISO et plus), et encore moins des 21 Mpx
3° le bruit est inacceptable particulièrement en contre jour qui donne des résultats catastrophiques
4° enfin j’ai détecté un défaut d’alignement du capteur par rapport au plan focal : sur une image test la partie gauche est nette, la partie droite floue : incroyable.
CONCLUSION Trop de problèmes pour espérer une solution => j’ai revendu tout mon matériel boitiuer et objectif pour m’équiper d’un Nikon D700 dont les 600 premières photos me font dire que c’est un autre monde, un monde professionnel.

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Alan April 23rd, 2009 at 7:57 am

I think comparing the D3 and 5DMK II is a little misleading. The D3 is a pro level camera and 5D MKII is not. You are expecting efficiencies that you should have known the camera isn’t going to have. The type of focusing system was well reported before the camera ever hit the street.

Is $2700 a lot for a basically a prosumer camera? Yes, but you are paying for things like HD Video and 21 megapixels. If these are things that you don’t need, don’t buy the camera.

I’ve used pro level cameras from both Nikon and Canon for years including the 1Ds Mark III and under certain circumstances there are times with any of these cameras when you have to grab the focusing ring and focus yourself.

For me, it’s a lot better researching up front so I can get the right tool for the right job rather then making a poor uninformed decision and whining about all over the internet later.

Alan

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Paul April 23rd, 2009 at 10:56 pm

Interesting…have you noticed how at the beginning people were only bashing the author and claiming that the 5D Mark II is the best camera in the world.
And now…after some time has passed and the flaws of autofocus, responsiveness have become more obvious and difficult to forgo people started realizing that Canon indeed, should have put that extra money into focusing modes instead of HD video.
What about myself?
Well, I was a “proud” owner of 5D Mark II for three months, inculcating myself with the notion that what I have is the best for my needs. I was wrong.
At least I realized it soon enough and was able to admit it, and two weeks ago have sold the camera.
I bought a Nikon D3 – and finally can say that if the photo does not come out the way I wanted – it is MY fault, and not the fault of slow autofocus, long shutter lag, poor exposure meter or not enough frames per second.

I lost 9 megapixels and a Video HD mode (must say the quality of which IS amazing) – but I gained so much more.

A camera should be practical, to be used in all types of conditions.

If this is what you are looking for – you better rethink your purchase alternatives and don’t be “closed” on only one brand or model.

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Marc April 26th, 2009 at 10:39 am

I have to agree with the comments made in this review.

As an owner of several Canon cameras, I recently took the plunge and upgraded to the 5d Mk II with excitement. Excitement for the 21Mp, excitement for the 1080p HD video and excitement for being able to use all my existing Canon lenses against this full frame body.

Having just come back from 3 weeks shooting in China, all I can say is good bye Canon. I will be selling my kit and most likely moving to the Nikon D700.

Utter disappointment at the ridiculous focussing system that has been put into this semi-pro camera and how so many shots are a little out of focus (but enough for a careful eye to spot) and how difficult it was to shoot with this camera, even spending far too much time selecting focus points and it still getting it wrong!

There appear to be many people suffering for the same issues and it is clear that Canon has got it severely wrong with the 5D Mark II.

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Nathan April 29th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

I purchased my new 5D Mark II a few weeks ago and noticed that I was also getting focusing problems. Being a fairly professional and regular user of the original 5D I couldnt work out what the problem was. I do alot of outdoor portraiture work and found with the 5D Mark II on a number of occasions that despite a number of shooting programs and options even when the autofocus point is pointed at the subjects head the whole photo came back blurred. I checked the settings and even at ISO 400 with f8.0 and a shutter speed of 1/250sec I was still getting out of focus shots. I found this to be very very odd and not something I had experienced with the original 5D.

See this link which shows the problems I was having with quite a few of my outdoor shots:

http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/blur.jpg

You will need to do a proper 1:1 view on this.

My 5D Mark II also suffered from crashing when shooting in Full HD mode even though the Scandisk Card was Ultra III and I also had issues with the metering where I sometimes had photos which were bleached out.

I phoned my camera shop where i purchased it and explained the problems and they contacted Canon. A day later the camera shop (Walters in the UK who I highly recommend) offered a full replacement on the body with no debate or the usual bull you get from some camera shops.

I went out today and did a series of test shots with my new replacement 5D Mark II body with a test subject Andy (thanks Andy!!) and all shots came back fine and no focusing problems using the same shooting conditions as I used above. I found that the metering was also far better under a number of test conditions so perhaps the focusing problems arent down to user error in all cases and may be a sign that there is a problem with this camera. I have a feeling for those people who know how to use this camera and are having focusing problems then my advice would be to contact Canon or the place where you purchased it and ask for a replacement or to have it checked with Canon.

This link below shows the shots I am now getting back on my replacement 5D Mark II body with the same kit lens that was used previously – so fingers crossed this may have solved my focusing problems. Notice how the subjects face is very sharp and in-focus compared to the previous shot even though the f value was 4.0! Hmmm so after taking around 20 test shots all of them came back perfect. I wonder then is it user error or is there a problem with the 5D Mark II that Canon is not being honest about? Something definetely isn’t right in my opinion and experience.

New shot from replacement 5D Mark II 🙂

http://www.portraitmale.co.uk/problems/focusok.jpg

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Jim Beau May 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Dude Donk,
My only question is….
where’d you get the groovy shades man?

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- Karel Donk May 7th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
  
  Jim, go to the website thesunglassmanonline.com
  Mine are the Matrix Neo sunglasses. Search for it there.
  
  Reply
Jer May 11th, 2009 at 9:56 pm

I just got a 5DmII and it is always surprising how well it works. I use only pro glass and it has put the D300, D700 and the D3 to shame. The AF is spot on if you don’t screw with it. It’s smart equipment.

I just want to be on the other side of things. I just switched over to Canon from Nikon as a pro photog and I’m very, very happy.

Always try before you buy, but I’m very happy with mine. Perfect focus. Every time.

Also, turn down the NR and do it yourself. It’ll save you loads of trouble.

Best of luck!

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Jonas May 19th, 2009 at 11:41 am

Emotional blog or not – I’m sorry to report that I agree with the author. I’ve had the new 5D since Dec-08 and have inconsistent results since then. It started with very soft images on 50mm F/1.4 where initially it looked like halos/ or a layer of oil on my lens.

I blamed it on low light photography, slow shutter speeds and even a crappy lens if used wide open. Nothing I have done has corrected this, not even the micro lens adjustments! Since then I’ve noticed it on other lenses too – like the 24 -70mm F/2.8 which is a great lens by all standards.
Most of my shots are out of focus if my subject is more than a couple of meters away from me. Perhaps it’s like that on most cameras, but it’s more noticeable on the new 5D because of the high resolution – but thinking like this is delusional and desperate!

I’m so disappointed and really wish my camera worked as you expect it too and I keep on using it hoping that things will improve. But it doesn’t and I can’t afford to get it wrong on a job.

I’m stuck with Canon because I own over $20k of it. This really sucks.

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Jon May 21st, 2009 at 6:00 pm

After reading this thread and many others it sounds like a percentage of early 5DM2 models had auto focusing issues which are being resolved by canon on a case by case basis. There are posts from a large number of new 5DM2 owners stating they have experienced none of the auto focusing issues.

How many 5DM2 owners actually have this issue, and is there a way to identify the serial number batch of cameras that might be effected by these problems?

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SheilaC May 23rd, 2009 at 8:11 am

Focusing issues… I am a Commercial Photographer and maybe it is due to low light but I have had no problems with focusing. There’s always Manual focus, then of course my image stabilized lens probably helps.

On a different note…

Is there ANY other software that I can shoot tethered with? The EOS Utility sucks, a quick preview of the image pops up but slows the camera down and while the images are loading it completely stops my camera from being used saying it is busy. So now I have to get my exposure where I need it & shoot untethered. Is there ANY solution?

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Carey Howe May 27th, 2009 at 9:22 am

All these problems are due to the fact you are using the wrong lenses, and to boot one of the most popular reasons Canon is rated the best DSLR by many more experienced professionals is the full screen HD video capability which only works with manual focus this alone has stopped other manufacturers in there tracks, and sent them back to the drawing board. You seem to be steering your post to the “Brand” you must owe something!! You have a very biased opinion, I like the way you gather folks with “shocking news” Nice way to get traffic… I will give you that!

You should give up shooting and go in to marketing! after all your shots are out of focus , ,but your Howard Stern Shock tactics are right on!!!

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Heinrich Orth May 28th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

This is a review I left on the Canon website and they have yet to post it!!!!

I know this will sound strange but I love this camera but it’s going back to be exchanged tomorrow! I’ve used it for 28 days (50mm 1.4, 24-105L 4.0, 85mm 1.8, vertical grip, 580 EX II) and made the mistake of assuming this product would work as advertised, but in the real world electronics don’t always work. I’ve done several photo shoots and two weddings, at first I thought it was just me being too overzealous trying to be creative and not taking my time focusing – but a steady pattern began to develop.

Close to 50% (30%-50%) of the shots were out of focus. Finally yesterday (5-24-09) and today I did extensive testing on a tripod using the 10 sec timer and ended up with the same 30%-50% shoots out of focus. I am hoping this is an anomaly and my replacement camera will work but unfortunately I found on the net that several people are reporting the same thing, “focus problems.” Others are saying they have no problem at all so it could be just a bad batch or a particular production plant (who knows).

What is for sure is that when it works it’s unbelievable and the video is incredible also (high quality short clips is all I need for advertising and this more than fits the bill). Plus, word is out that a free firmware update allowing you to shoot in full HD using manual exposure controls including ISO, aperture and shutter speed will be out in June.

I say it’s worth the try, be mindful and test it thoroughly (tripod w/timer) before the exchange period ends and make sure it is focusing and giving you the photos you deserve after spending this kind of money. I don’t want to go to the Nikon D700 but if the problem persists – I need a camera that works and produces usable professional results – my customers demand it!

Jury still out
no in body stabilization
Sony’s flash better design for portraits

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M.Matthews June 4th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

I’ve just received the 5D Mark II.

The first picture I took was on full auto with a 24-105L IS lens. It looked terrible. Exposure was wacky and not a single point was in focus, it went through the entire focal depth of a picture of a wall going into the distance from front to back and yet not a single part was sharp focus. I tried several other tries with manual and auto focus. Nothing was as sharp as it should be. I’ve taken maybe 30,000 pictures all on manual most with manual focus and have an idea of what I’m doing.

To the people who are knocking others who are having issues with this camera: Maybe you are trolls or just holes but I can tell you for a fact that there is an issue with the 5DM2 that I have. I am very disappointed.

I can see by the results that I am getting that the camera has great potential. The image depth and colors look really nice. But I MUST have focus also. And I’m not just talking autofocus.

While I’m at it I will comment on my Canon experiences. Quality control issues: Two point and shoots, both had issues, kept one and lived with the defective sensor with two big purple dots on all my pictures, sent the other one back for a refund. Then ordered a 30D with a 70-200L IS and a 24-105L. The 30D had a defective display. Exchanged it. The 24-105L didn’t seem to be as sharp as it should be and it had flare problems (it wasn’t the official serial number with the flare problems). Sent it back to Canon. Canon recalibrated it and it came back much better although I think their technician should have used more care to wipe of the lens glass (some fine scratching) and it made a new noise when it was running but it was much better performance. Later I bought the 70-200L IS lens. It too had issues with sharpness, again I shipped it off to Canon. They calibrated it, roughed it up very slightly and it too was much better performance after they tuned it up. Now I upgrade to the 5DM2 and I see once again I’m going to have to go through this quality control inconvenience time and expense again. So out of every Canon camera product I have purchased every one had a very significant issue. All of those issues wasted my time and money.

I have a big investment (roughly $10K for me) in Canon. But I’m wondering if it is time to let go of the rope with them. Their basic product seems good but their quality control issues make it too much of a headache.

I don’t know what to do now. I want a full size sensor for my decent lenses and have outgrown my 30D. $2700 was a loan I took for this 5DM2 and for me that is a lot of $$. I am on vacation for a week and planned to take pictures with this. Looks like that is not to be.

I feel sorry for those who went to China and Vietnam and wasted their pictures on out-of-focus problems.

Obviously many people have had great satisfaction with their 5DM2 performance. They can’t all be wrong. I suspect this is primarily a quality control problem but also some inherent design issue(s) that others are having problems with. I suspect the camera when working correctly is really nice.

I read this feedback from everyone and felt I should pass on my experience with it.

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Gary June 20th, 2009 at 12:16 am

Black propaganda? paid by nikon? hahahhahaha this blog made me Laugh HARD!! dont mislead people with your personal opinions (and your peers’) even collecting comments from nikonians (canon haters) I just wish Nikon has the ability to make cameras by themselves. all inhouse.

Recently Nikon was the one following Canon’s path. Its all now technology and Canon is years ahead of it

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Karel Donk June 20th, 2009 at 10:51 am

Gary, if you just do even a slight amount of research, you’ll find many people complaining about the 5D2 AF system alone. I see posts on forums almost daily.

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Bassaidai June 21st, 2009 at 5:33 am

Just want to add my 2 cents for a little rebalance on users opinions: I had my 5DMII since November last year and no focussing issues whatsoever! Couple of weeks ago I went to shoot a Motocross event and almost 80% of all images where tack-sharp spot-on AF! (center AF point, no tripod use, all handheld, sunny day). I used 70-200/2.8 and Sigma EX 120-300/2.8.
For the sake of curiosity I also tested the 85/1.2 II on that Motocross event and NO, this is a not an ACTION lens 🙂 Probably 99% misses… lol, one can say: results were as expected. BUT: thats definitely NOT the cameras problem…

BTW, I have the impression that the AF system has been sped up even a notch with the new firmware update (the latest, which also gives full control in movie mode…). Anyone had the same impression?

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Sick n Tired June 21st, 2009 at 8:04 am

I started photography in the days of 12 exposure 120 roll film an manual focus ‘Blads and Rollie’s (and often underwater at that!)…did a lot of field work aroung the world in wildlife and war coverage.

Nikon and Hasselblad used my photos for product advertising.

I’ve got a Canon 5D2 and love what this camera can do …in the right hands.

If ya can’t fucking focus a camera…take up golf.

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Jennifer June 30th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

I was glad I stumbled on this post. I have been having some major focus issues lately and starting googling it, and found this. Describes exactly what I have been experiencing at recent portrait shoots and my last wedding, which forced me to focus all of my lenses manually not to miss any shots. The problem is that I do not have perfect eyes and while the diopter compensates, it is not perfect either, and it can still be very difficult in low light, such as the reception, to tell what it actually in focus. Im going through this wedding now and am very disappointed by missing several shots due to the focus issue! Many are just very soft or off the mark. The focus just hunts and hunts, even in GREAT light and had a hard time deciding between the brides white dress or the grooms black tux, thus taking way to long to focus.

Even in a couple shots where I had time to play with the live view zoom, in an effort to zero in on a specific part of the image and know exactly where the tack sharp point should be, some of the images still came out soft, despite what appeared on the LCD.

I’m sending it in to Canon to see what they can do to fix or replace, but for a $3000 camera and as a wedding photographer where I cannot miss moments, I find this unacceptable.

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Sara P. July 1st, 2009 at 6:37 am

WOW!!! I am glad I finally discovered what has been going on with my new 5D MII!!!!! I’ve only had it for about a month and have become VERY unhappy with the focusing issues. At first I thought it was me….. but I have been a professional photographer for over 24 years, so to question my skills at this stage of the game, really gave me cause to scratch my head.

I am missing key moments. I am primarily a wedding photographer and when you miss things like the bride coming down the aisle, Daddy giving her away, the final kiss, or mom wiping away tears as she dances with her son on the dance floor….. this is UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!

This past weekend, I even had moments where the camera would not focus at all! I had to reach up and throw it into manual focus just to get them cutting the cake. And then go back to Auto-focus when the moment was over. Not to mention…low light situations with weddings is pretty standard. I enjoy the high ISO’s and they rock….. when you can get it to focus.

What is the point in having the new high ISO’s, if the damn thing won’t focus in low light??? Not to mention I had to do a little “Creative Financing” just to be able to afford the price tag in this economy.

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Bentography July 1st, 2009 at 12:06 pm

Well, all I can start off the say is, it’s a great video camera but I cant get that thing to focus properly for the life of me. I have done everything I can to make sure it is not me. I have owned 10D, 20D, 30D and the 40D. My 40D can kick my 5D’s butt any day of the week when it comes the image being in focus. I had two big projects that went down last month and I had to reshoot everything practically and still couldn’t get a super sharp shot. So two days ago I went to the local camera shop and told them my story- I have a new camera coming no questions asked.

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F. Scott Kennedy July 9th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

DO NOT PURCHASE A CANON 5D MkII!

I am a full time photographer and I have sent my 5d mark II back 2 times! Canon acts like I am crazy when I tell them I am getting soft images! What the hell! They said that they can not find anything wrong with my camera. I guess their testing does not include taking pictures because this thing is bad. And to top it all off my shutter locked up and I had to have them replace the mirror and the shutter. Wish that would have helped the soft images! Did a shoot yesterday, took 140 images and only (your gona love this) 6 were in sharp focus!

Purchased a 50D last year as a back up, shot with it for a week to test it out and sold it the next, very soft images and the ISO’s were worse than the 40D. My old 5D has been a camp, giving me great images all the time but it is getting old, wish there was a Canon camera I could purchase to replace it.

Canon must be forking out major money for all these reviews to be so good on most media outlets.

I have been using Canon for 14 years and the only thing they can do is act like it is a user problem! Well, that was the last straw, I have contacted my local camera store and I am changing all my equipment out to Nikon before the end of the year. It sucks that I have to change out all this equipment and spend all this money ($20,000.00 to replace all my lens, bodies, etc…) for something as fundamental as focus on a camera!

F. Scott Kennedy

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Zeusman July 16th, 2009 at 10:48 am

Disturbing!! I’m having the exact same issues. Awaiting my camera from Canon Service today, definitely nervous.

Not happy!!

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Gerry Comninos July 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

No doubt about it the 5d 2 does not take sharp pics. I really thought I had lost my mind, thanks to this blog I can see clearly now.Canon have really screwed me. I am definitely looking to Nikon. The only problem is loads of expensive Canon glass. It really hurts but out of focus images hurt more. Very very dissapointing ! Canon should acknowlege this cock-up before they lose all credibility with their user base and somehow reimburse the customers they have conned with this expensive piece of crap. CAVEAT EMPTOR “Let the buyer beware”

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John July 19th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

Several months now of owning mine. Africa and India and a few thousand frames here at home. Every one of them sharp and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

John

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Josh July 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am

Got a little worried about reading these posts, but doubled checked my AF and all are coming out sharp. Took some shots of my niece outside with 100mm macro from far away and they all turned out really sharp. I could see the wrinkles on her little 2 year old forehead.

I HAVE had a strange thing happen though. I was taking some bracketed shots with a remote and had the camera on tripod. It would do a set of three just fine and on the second set of three, it would just take one shot and the camera would lock up. pressing the shutter, the remote, or the play button did nothing. I had to turn the camera off and on after every bracketed set. It works in some situations and in others it locks up. Anyone else having this problem? I was thinking that it might be because the sun was directly in view and maybe there’s a sensor safety setting that won’t let the camera fire if the shot might damage the sensor from the sun… but it was about a half hour past sunrise and wasn’t that bright yet.

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Josh July 20th, 2009 at 9:22 am

Just read a post about the sensor safety feature that shuts off the camera if the sensor gets too hot. that might be it… but, c’mon… I wasn’t using liveview at the time and I was just taking bracketed shots one after the other.

anyone else experiencing similar issues with the “sensor safety” feature?

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Zeusman July 21st, 2009 at 9:48 am

The Live View images are much, much, much sharper than using the camera tradionally. But that is manual focusing, using a tripod and a slow methodical method. Almost like shooting 4×5 in the ‘old days’. But I definitely am not happy with my images from the 5D Mark II. My old 5D files are MUCH BETTER! Not sure what to do, like most here, I have a great deal invested in Canon Glass.

Would considering changing to Nikon but the thought of losing money on the sale of the lenses, and having to rebuy it all is not appealing. I wish I were one of the shooters contributing here that my Mark II files are magnificent. To those you that are fortunate to be among that group, I envy you. But please don’t make remarks that we need to learn how to focus, etc. This many users with the same gripe can’t be coincidence. Not to mention, that I did put the blame on myself for the first few months, figuring it HAD to be user-error. But even on a heavy tripod, stopped down to f/8 images were completely soft.

So debating whether to get a 1D Mark III or soemthing cheap to hold me over till the next generation of 1 series comes out. Would rather stay with the 5D series as I don’t really care for the size and weight of the 1 series but solid AF has become such a concern now.

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Liam Postle July 23rd, 2009 at 4:53 pm

I’ve been using canon for a fair while now.I currently have a 30d , 40d , and now a 5d mark ll with a 24-105 L series lens. I bought the 5d2 a few months ago and noticed straight away that the focus was extremely bad, all my photos were soft and unusable. I sent it to canon to be looked at because I couldn’t use it as it was, not even for a backup camera on shoots. They returned it and said it was fine. So I took it to the shop were I got it from and swapped it for another one the same. This new 5d2 is the same as the old one. I will have to ring canon and talk to them about it because it sits in my box and I take the 40d on shoots. Very disapointed. maybe the first 10,000 units were good and then they made a heap of lemons or something. If I cant get any sense out of canon I will have to sell it and go the nikon way.I hate spending a stack of cash for nothing.

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Matt Schwartzstein July 25th, 2009 at 10:20 am

I inherited a 5D Mk 1, and it quickly replaced my 10D. However I’ve been having similar issues with it as you have with the new model. It seems that 50% of my shots are soft. It’s particularly noticeable doing close-up portraits. I have quality L series lenses.

I take some test shots with a resolution chart and only notice very slight back focus, and its only on one of my lenses.

Is this some kind of defect or bad shooting on my part?

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Liam Postle July 30th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

I talked to canon and sent test photos, they said they were fine (are they blind,damn) Bernard at canon australia said that the 24 – 105 L series lense was’nt the sharpest lense, I said are you f###ing kidding me a proffessional L series lense the ducks nuts of gear was’nt the clearest lense.BULLSHIT. They have a big problem and everybody will be buying nikon very soon because of this mess up.

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M.Matthews August 1st, 2009 at 2:40 pm

This is a follow up to my June 4th post.

I sent my 5DM2 that had focusing issues back. They sent me another that was much better. Now a much larger percentage of the pictures are keepers. But there is a new problem; the replacement camera they sent has a sensor with bad pixels. They are stuck on on every picture no matter what exposure settings, same spot.

So now yet another different problem to deal with. But now I’m out of time to swap it again from my dealer so I’ll have to deal with Canon service this time.

I’m not happy. Also I’m a bit depressed and feeling a lot of stress from the amount of money involved. And now more time and money on top of it. Looks like I’m back to my old camera while I’m struggling to make payments on this new one.

I’ll post again with another update after I deal with Canon service or whatever I end up doing with this.

My advice to anyone who is considering this camera: Be prepared to put up with all this bs if you are contemplating this camera. Maybe you will be lucky and get a good copy but definitely don’t count on it. Buy it from a reputable dealer with a good return policy. Immediately check out the camera for focusing or bad pixels or any other problems. When they replace it with another immediately check out the replacement for any problems and if bad… send it back again while you can still use the return policy.

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Liam Postlle August 1st, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Hold the phone. Switch the noise reduction off, do SRAW1 and convert into jpeg and all my focus and soft awfull problems disapeared. now its a kik ass sharp camera. I’ve never had to use raw but now it’s the ONLY way the 5d m2 works. normal RAW is fine to but I can’t fit enough wedding shots on 1 dvd for the client without downsizing a heap of them. signing out never to return….

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Heinrich Orth August 13th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

Thanks Liam Postle – you’ve just confirmed the conclusion I came too last night!!! I returned a 5D mk II – when the new one came in I did extensive test to see if it was focusing correctly and it passed. Unfortunately I did not realize that by putting it on dual shoot mode I was helping the camera focus (who knows). Then I went to just raw shooting and the detail has been unbelievable – I mean ridiculously sharp. Yesterday I shot a deluxe package (8 hours of shooting 2p-10p) so I decided to put the camera on just jpeg (highest setting), huge mistake. 60%-80% of many series were out of focus – not just soft but “out of focus.” Sometimes 100% of the series was out of focus or supper soft.

The only difference was me changing the camera from raw to jpeg. I will shoot now with only raw to verify. Good luck to all – I’ll call canon to see what they say.

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David Calicchio August 15th, 2009 at 8:13 pm

My experience may be of help to this issue. I googled soft focus on 5DMKII and found this blog and responses. I shoot fashion at a fashion house on a daily basis from accessories to large sets with models. I have 5D, Mark II, and now two 5DMKII at the studio. What I found is that I have little problems with my older Canons. Between my new 5DMKII I have one that works great with great focus and another that is soft. I have even manually focused it and I am getting soft images. I plan to bring it to Canon for an inspection, but first I wanted to see if others had this problem. It looks like the quality could be uneven or perhaps I just got a lemon. But if my testimony means anything, the 5DMKII does have focus issues, but it is different on every camera.

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Daniel Lewis August 17th, 2009 at 7:27 am

I bought the new 5d 2 about five moths ago and slowly but surely noticed the focusing getting worse. At first I thought it was just me but after checking some passed jobs there was consistant blurring not just soft images through out so I put the camera into canon elstree in the uk, after a week they returned the camera stating they had cleaned, checked and updated the firmware but guess what it was even worse. I contacted them directly speaking to a keith Mc callum who said to return the body again with the lens I use mostly a 24 -105 f4 but I pointed out that all the lenses I use are L series and I also have a 1ds3 and 5d which all the lenses work fine on and couldn’t understand checking a lens against the camera would make any difference considering it was the focusing area’s on the body that wouldn’t lock on especially in low light. The body is still in the work shop but I’m waiting to hear from the shop that sold me the camera if they will refund me and if so I’ll let canon know just to return the camera to me. I’ll let you know what happens. Can I just say thanks to Karel Donk and the rest of you folks for all the information and proving there are some massive issues with the new 5d 2 and that I’m not cracking up.

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Adria August 17th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

I bought a Mark II hoping to experience photography bliss only to be greeted with bad focusing blurry messes!!! I agree..I have gotten some amazing shots but I think I could have achieved the same thing with spending half the money:(

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John Ohle August 21st, 2009 at 11:12 am

Hi, I am a professional photographer for the past 26 years, specialising in Public Relations/Press photography. I bought the 5D mark ii in January 09 and I find it to be a superior camera to the 5D, which I now use as a second body. It focuses quickly and accurately and with a fast CF card I find the buffer flushes quickly, even-do I shoot Jpeg and RAW. The only issue I have is with my 50mm F1.2 which does back focus but that seems to be a lens ‘feature’ not a camera issue.

The last Nikon I used was a D2x and that was junk. It had major focus issues. I could shoot 50 presentations with it and they would all look sharp through the camera but on the computer you could see the focus drift.

Maybe I am lucky to get a good body but even in low light at 3200 iso, and shooting wide open I get sharp images. My 2 cents worth to all is go and buy the camera. It works.

John

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jasonDil August 28th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

OMG Karen!! Seriously?! If you hate Canon so much then why the hell did you chose to shoot with in the first place.. I think that ALL YOUR NEGATIVE ENERGY is whats causing ALL the problem.. I have never encountered such bitterness in all these forums as I am here with all your angry, over emotional, over dramatic out look on this model and probably life.

Stick to what you love best and spend that energy writing positive things about it and I promise you’ll be a much happier person..

No one’s forcing you to spend your money on a Canon or any other brand of cameras out there so why would you criticize those who do decide (and are very happy) with the Canon 5d Mark II.

From my years of experience I’ve learned that it really doesn’t matter what you shoot with its the vision that counts.. if you want to prove something to the world do it through your art and not your words or “quotes” from other over dramatic, over emotional people like you.. Thanks have a good day Karen.. love you.. mean it!!

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benini August 29th, 2009 at 9:31 am

i think some people seem to be missing the point… reading the responses, some 5D mkII’s seem to provide great images, others not…
i shot with a rental 5D mkII in SA had had amazing results, although the 50mm 1.2L was out of focus compared to my 24 – 105.
i have just bought a 5D mkII, and had to stop using on an advertising shoot as my assistant checked the first shots and images were soft. i always test before a big shoot that lens / camera are sharp. had to go back to my D1s mkII, and 24-105… sharp sharp! am now on a trip in Europe and was intending to shoot the 5D mkII, rather than take my Hasselblad and Leaf back… now i am stuck using the D1s mkII, and hoping that there are no problems as i certainly can’t use my 5D mkII as it is.
BUT the problem i have isn’t focus (for me)… the shots are just soft all over, nowhere is sharp in the image, i often manual focus and have checked and tested… BUT i do understand that some people are experiencing focus issues. MY 5D mkII can’t hold a candle to my D1s mkII, and that can’t compete with my Leaf, whereas the 5D mkII i shot in SA bridged the gap.
have contacted Calumet to see if they or Canon will replace / repair, as it’s unuseable and only adding weight to my camera bag as it is…

so i conclude if you have a 5D mkII it seems you are in one of four groups

1. you have an awesome camera (as i used in SA)
2. your 5D mkII has focus issues
3. you have softness issues
4 you have softness and focus issues

am hoping to be in camp one soon…

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Savman September 3rd, 2009 at 1:13 am

Auto focus? professionals? why are you relying on AF? Surely your lenses have a focusing ring – an easier and more controlled way of finding positions to focus on rather than rotate the click wheel to find the point to auto focus on. If focusing manually resulted in blurry images then I’d be worried!

Though inaccurate auto focusing is a concern as it is a feature of the camera and SHOULD work for the dollars – I’m considering upgrading from my 30D to this full frame camera and have been battling with forum after forum of the same banter: AF crap in low light; auto LCD screen brightness hard to gauge exposure; white balance in artificial light poor; black dots (apparently fixed in FW 1.0.7) – For a $1000 less, like the 7D cost, I would jump in and make the purchase and work around the issues as the pros are impressive, but heck at AU$3800 it’s a lot of money for imperfection.

But I have to buy Canon as I have Canon L lenses – seems I’m faced with waiting for the mark III or 1DS! RIGHT! Guess I’ll stick with the 30D! 🙁

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Savman September 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 am

Since I am still trying to determine whether to buy the mkII, a question – does the camera capture a focused image correctly? so if the lens is focused manually will it be captured that way? Though a functioning AF is important – if the camera could shoot 90+% of images in focus what would the opinion be of the camera – seems all this hoo haa is about focusing and less about image quality, colour, contrast and other important considerations. The ‘focused’ images I have seen look exceptional.

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Liam Postlle September 6th, 2009 at 2:42 am

Looks like I need to say again. Shoot SRAW1 not JPEG and all the soft crap gets smashed by perfect sharp photos and yes the colour is very nice provided you have the white balance set to suit.

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Savman September 6th, 2009 at 6:24 pm

I went ahead and purchased the 5DmkII after exhaustive research and testing and I can categorically state that this article is over-hyped and misguiding – the camera is brilliant – no problems with focusing nor auto-focusing, white balance to a cinch to correct if it does not perform – auto-focusing at night – well, yes, of course, if the camera can’t find a detail to focus on then it will find the task difficult – but manually focusing is the answer – always the answer. Shoot RAW, use only Canon L series lenses – as the glass is critical for this camera – and you will find this camera to be a dream.

With regards to the LCD screen auto brightness giving the user misguided exposure impression – this can be turned off – or, you just place your finger over the light sensor and it will turn off.

Seems that a lot of complaints about the 5D comes about from user laziness – if you don’t have time to prepare and focus your camera on a photo shoot then get a 1DS or, with all this Nikon chest pumping just get a Nikon!

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Karel Donk September 9th, 2009 at 12:22 am

Also read the following:

http://artoftheimage.blogspot.com/2009/08/canon-eos-5d-mkii-autofocus-unhappy-5d.html

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Adrian September 25th, 2009 at 4:40 am

Hi Karel, Thought you and all your readers should know that following a Google search for soft focus / no focus issues with my EOS 5D MK11 I came to your website. Reading through your and other comments I recognised exactly the problems I had been having with my camera – some sharp pictures and lots of completely out of focus images. I had the camera for approx 5 months and the problem developed over time. To cut a long story short I have just collected my camera from Fixation in London who have replaced under warranty the AF Sensor and mirror box assembly.

Hopefully this post will help other users pin point problems over sharpness /focus and thanks for your help – I have warned my friends who use the MK11 to watch out for what may be a ongoing problem with this model. ( This would have been an expensive repair if out of warranty – wonder if Canon would have put their hands up to the problem and repaired for free ? )

FYI and others I have had numerous ( 3-4 ) Canon and Nikon bodies go out of focus over the last 8 years – I don’t remember this ever happening with film cameras or maybe we just did not spot the problems so easily with a loupe over a neg or print ? Thanks Adrian

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Livewire September 27th, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Hi there,

I must say that this post makes for some interesting reading. I am now on my 6th Canon Camera, (2 x 40d, upgraded to 2 x 50d then 2 x 5dII) all with issues (many lens changes along the way) and I for one, have had enough.

The soft focus on this range of cameras is appalling; with over £3000 of lenses, one would think that the reproduction would be spot on. From experience, the issue varies between units, the first 5dII was crisp but with hot, stuck pixels and there were contrast and WB problems, the replacement although beautiful in respect of contrast and WB has an image reproduction softer than petroleum jelly (well not quite but you get my frustration).

I have carried out a number of experiments, I wonder if anyone might like to clarify the findings to me? I set the camera on a ruler, using the live view setting (zoomed in) to set the focus manually. It was as crisp as one would expect, showing even the smallest of dust particles and scratches on the subject (I’m talking fractions of a millimetre here). I then took a shot and compared the captured image to the live view.

The strange thing is, that the live view was beautiful, yet the captured image was soft, soft enough to completely obscure the dust particles and scratches, even soften the edges of the numbers on the subject ruler.

Surely, if one can see a level of detail in live view, that same reproduction should be possible once the image has been captured/recorded? Why see a crisp image in live view and the system not record that exact image to card?

For clarification, I have tested this using both jpeg and raw settings, both set for the highest pixel resolution. I have tested in full auto, manual and every “temperature” setting within the camera and the results are the same.

With this in mind, I would agree that the 5dII needs some serious consideration, so much so, I may after 30 years go to the dark side and buy Nikon.

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charles lim October 2nd, 2009 at 8:37 pm

dude, 5dmark2 hottest selling camera now. Tell that to the people shooting HD video with it, building their careers around it. feeding their kids.

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MK October 6th, 2009 at 2:42 pm

Hey Karel,
Thanks for an interesting read–both in terms of the original post(s) and the followup commentary. Hadn’t heard much about the soft issues with AF… so this gives me some food for thought. Jack Neubart just did a review of the Canon Mark II over at Photocrati… but he didn’t mention anything about issues with AF… Now, I wonder if he had any issues with AF…

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An Objective Voice October 8th, 2009 at 11:52 am

Karel, you’re a knucklehead! I have had the 5D Mark II for over four months now and have shot thousands of images both in sRGB JPEG, an RGB RAW in all autofocus modes (e.g. single shot, AI Servo, etc.), I have used all AF points together and individually in very demanding situations such as near darkness and macros (every trying shooting a moving butterfly or bee? It demands a very good AF system) and YOU’RE WRONG!!!

I have had NO issues with the AF system on the 5D Mark II. What’s more, I know of many other happy owners who have not had any AF issues as well!!! You obviously don’t know how to use the camera or never took the time to learn how. If the 40D works for you, then that’s fine but don’t speak of what you know not of.

Don’t take my word for it, check the 5D Mark II group on Flickr and see for yourself. YOU’RE JUST WRONG—FOCUS YOUR HATE ON SOMETHING ELSE AND MOVE ON, KAREL!!!

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Adam October 11th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

Well as a pro shooter for the past 10 years i have used Nikon, Canon and Phase One. The current canon i own is the original 5D… Have had decent results and few focusing problems. Though i have come to accept the fact that canon has an inferior metering system than nikon, i never questioned canon’s focusing… until this weekend. I rented a brand new out of the box 5D Mark II from my local Dallas Camera rental store, threw on my 85mm 1.2L and shot about 16gigs worth of engagement photos over the weekend with my girlfriend who is a local wedding photographer. I initially noticed the problem when checking my screen and seeing the images coming out soft focus and i struggled to adjust on the fly… having never experienced this problem before i was flustered to say the least and to my dismay out of 16gigs of images i took, 90% of them were severely front focused to the point of being useless. To say the least i was appalled having spent 150 dollars to rent a “$3000 camera” and traveling almost 80 miles to the location only to be extremely disappointed with the end results… makes me think real hard about ditching my canon gear for another brand i know has better results than that… Upset in Dallas… later.

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Alexey October 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

Hi Karel,

I an amateur, who decided to buy his 3rd Canon camera, after brilliant EOS 300D I thought I am all Canon fan. But being frustrated with changing 2 bodies of 40D and still running into severe issues of focusing on 3rd one, I decided to buy 5D MII. Happy owner, I went to Latin America with 24-70 F2.8/70-200 F4 IS USM and one prime, 50 F1.4. No matter what you do, this camera does only work ok in high contrast, bright environement, it does not matter whether you use AF or MF, or servo, only way is to put it on tripod and to shoot live view…This is a shame. I thought I am going nuts, but guys, i went to Machu Picchu, taken from peers the EOS 500D and D300, and guess what – they just focus all right. And when people say here that 5D Mark II is soft or out of focus, they mean it, so I don’t undertsand, why some individuals offend people who have real troubles with this camera. AF microadjustment does not help, btw. Focus is kind of jumping if you do a salvo of shots. Mine is front focusing 30-50% and soft 80% of time. So I am in group number 4, I guess. Canon has very serious QA issues. Best regards from Russia, and thanks for the blog.

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Heather October 21st, 2009 at 3:28 pm

I am a pro photographer. I just paid $50 to ship my brand new 5dII back to Canon for repair for autofocus issues. I should NOT have to PAY to send them back something that should have never passed quality control in the first place. I’m shocked that this isn’t even an acknowledged issue.

I got home from a session last night to see that only 22 of the 354 shots I took were in focus. The rest are totally unusable the session will have to be re-shot, costing me more time and money. I set the micro-adjustments in the camera and thought I had it all worked out, but upon more testing today, it proves not.

I’ve never been so close to buying a D700, and if the 5DII comes back from Canon with the same issues, I WILL be buying the D700.

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Dandie October 21st, 2009 at 9:21 pm

LOW LIGHT AUTO FOCUS FOR THE 5D MK II IS UNACCEPTABLE

I for one have to say “rock on, Karel!” I can’t believe how utterly USELESS this camera is in low light! I have to say, though, the soft focus issue isn’t something I’ve had a problem with, and if there is light available, I’ve had excellent results with most lenses I use.

The low light autofocus issue, however, is simply a deal-breaker for me. I started shooting evening events and in-door club scenes, and the lack of autofocus makes it impossible to get many of the shots I should be nailing. The camera hunts for focus, but either takes far longer than acceptable, or fails entirely. And the suggestion of manual focus doesn’t cut it for me because these types of gigs – people out having fun in the evening – by their very nature, require fast response times, or the shots are simply missed.

If you’re in a studio and have all the time and lighting equipment in the world to play with, then you will find this camera an excellent choice. Heck, even if you are using this camera to shoot video at night, this camera performs well. If you want to take photos with a flash in dimly lit interiors or outside in the evening, however, this camera will fail you, and fail you hard.

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Jarrod Knight October 23rd, 2009 at 12:56 am

Softer than a Care Bear !!!!

Just shot a motorsport event with my new 5D mark 11, 600 F4 IS, 1.4 extender. Some were shot at 600mm, some at 840mm. I also put my 5D M1 on as well so I could compare image qual’. I am so lucky that i did as the only shots that were in focus were the shots off my 5D M1. The lens was tripod mounted using my trusted gimbal head, it was a sunny day but not hot and no heat haze issues. Also as I was trying the camera for the first time I used multiple exposure/ISO/ aperture settings so that I had a bench mark for next time.

I am not very happy with this and a little shocked as I shot a magazine shoot a day after I got it (85 1.2 L, tripod, 3 elinchrom heads, outdoors, manual focus/exposure) and was very happy with the results. I printed one shot to A1 for the bike owner and was amazed at the sharpness, and a noticable increase in dynamic range (still not up to HD3 level, but not a 50K body either).

I am yet to have the body calibrated by canon but when I do if these issues remain then it will be going in the bin. I was going to buy a used 1ds mark 11 but decided on this body as I do a lot of motor bike shoots, and my personal work consists of a lot of landscape/nature work. Now I am worried about what will happen when I try to track birds.

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Ash October 23rd, 2009 at 5:55 am

Bad photographers blaming their tools. Classic…

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harvey October 28th, 2009 at 2:20 am

@Karel Please have a look following this link (in french, use Google translation) :

http://www.shots.fr/2009/09/04/pourquoi-jai-decide-de-me-separer-de-mon-boitier-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii/

@Ash easy but not true.

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Laurie Lee October 30th, 2009 at 2:50 am

Well to add my two penneth worth. Last night I was shooting people in a dimly lit cathedral (people dressed in black) and it was nightmare with the 5dmk2. I couldnt focus on s**t, even the 50 1.2 didnt help. The 5d mk2 is a wonderful camera in dimlight on a tripod with no action involved but as soon as you try getting action in the dark its crap, and yes indeed whats the point of 21mp if its OOF…I think I need another body for lowlight, any suggestions?

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WIlliam November 5th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

I have recently acquired a 5DMII and I am reading with attention this interesting discussion. I am an amateur photographer. I previously was shooting with a 450D that I kept for its crop factor.

I noticed this focus problem on some of my shots but I can’t really rule out that the problem isn’t on my side (movement during the shot, focus on the wro,g part of the picture, )…

I thing what is lacking in this discussion is… photos !! There isn’t a single photo example of those “blurry” problems… The only one I found is a male portait shot taken at 1/80s at f4.0 which, I think is not a very good example because at such a speed the photographer may have moved slightly causing the lack of sharpness.

Are there photos presenting this problem somewhere. I would find it very interesting to see some.

Thanks in advance.

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KB November 12th, 2009 at 4:56 pm

I recently purchased the Canon 5D Mark II. I was so excited, but since then I have had some of my worst shoots. The soft focus problem that many write about is exactly what I am noticing. Could I have set something wrong in my camera menu function options?

I have thought about trying to return the camera as I cannot have this happening. And as stated, it is a lot of money.

Does anyone have info regarding the Canon D50? If the AF is spot-on, I’d take that & deal with the cropped sensor. I just cannot keep seeing these frustrating result.

ANY knowledge about the D50 AF? Thanks in advance.

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Karel Donk November 12th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

KB,

Whatever you do, don’t buy a Canon EOS 50D. It suffers from a lot of noise in images:
http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-eos-50d-not-worth-it-save-your-money-part-iii/

The new 7D might be an option for you but it too has some issues:
http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-eos-7d-review-noisier-than-40d/

If you can I would be looking at the Nikon D700 instead. Right now it is the best camera available at its price point.

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KB November 13th, 2009 at 2:07 am

Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately switching to Nikon at this point in my game isn’t so likely. 5 years and lots of lenses, gear, etc. later….

I’m just so frustrated with my last few shoots (since I got my “upgraded” body). Maybe I’ll consider the 7D. I wish there was a better solution.

What does one know about getting the 5D Mark I (rather than Mark II)?

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Grant November 13th, 2009 at 3:22 am

Have been using the 5D MK 11 for 6 months now for studio as well as location shoots. Must say, I am very dissappointed with the AF! It really is very poor. I would not recommend this to any pro looking for a FF main body. This is my opinion based on the the camera that i have. But if Canon cannot be constant in their build quality, then I really must question my investment in their product!

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Karel Donk November 13th, 2009 at 8:31 am

KB:

I’ve read good things about the 5D Mark I, haven’t used it myself. I do know you should get really good image quality from it.
You could also look at a 1D Mark III or 1D Mark IV.

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Daniel November 13th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

You are funny. The D700 may be better at noise on a pixel per pixel view, but once you downsize the images of the 7D to 12.3 MP, it is sooo much better, not just noise, but the details are amazing as well.

As for the 5D Mark II, I have made about 13.000 photos with the AF so far, quarter of them sports related, and only very few, well below a hundred were misfocused. Often though I use manual focusing as well, especially when doing macro photography, but any decent photographer does that, so no problem here.

I guess before you start reviewing a camera, you should learn to use it first 😉

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Karel Donk November 13th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

Daniel:

About the 7D, read the following link:
http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-eos-7d-review-noisier-than-40d/

Enjoy.

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Guno Gerk November 14th, 2009 at 9:23 pm

For low-light focus issues and such, use a speedlite 580ex II.

/kareldonk.com

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William Bray November 20th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

I have the same issues with the 5d MK2 I posted this on Photonet. alot of the people went mad you have to read it it will make you laugh
http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00V0P4
Can anyone here let me know what they think of the 7d

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Jesse van Oort November 23rd, 2009 at 3:31 am

I have had several camera’s and now own a 5DII, mainly with L glass.
I also occasionally shoot a 5D1 and a Nikon D3.
Also shoot film, focussing manually.

I’m not a pro, but have been photographing fot roughly 20 years on and off. Last few years on.
I don’t shoot sports, but do shoot concerts in venues with (understatement of the year) rather bad lighting.
I also shoot portraits and such.

I have not have any troubles with my setup whatsoever! On a very few occasions I had problems focussing in real low light, but the Nikon shooters present also resorted to manual focus.

I do not deny your bad experience, but the thing with these sort of rambles is that they attract many others who feel the same. In the end it looks like almost all commenters have problems with the 5D2, but all commenters != all users!

So good thing you provide a place for unhappy customers to express their frustration, but don’t trick yourself into thinking that there aren’t any happy ones…because there are!

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April November 23rd, 2009 at 9:55 am

After an insane amount of trouble focusing with my 5d mark II I googled the problem and came across this post. I was beginning to think my auto focus was broken because at least 1/4 of my pictures are out of focus. I am very happy to hear that some people are not having this problem but believe me it does exist.

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vindog November 23rd, 2009 at 4:33 pm

I can only speak for myself and associates that use the 5d Mark II, and tell you it is a fantastic camera. I don’t use Nikon (which it seems like this thread is trying to say “Canon sucks, Nikon is the best”) so I can’t say how wonderful, glorious and pain-free Nikon’s bodies are. My Nikon friends love their cameras so my assumption is they must be pretty great too.

I can tell you that if you cannot take a fantastic high resolution photograph of commercial quality with the 5d Mark II, there is something wrong with you or the specific body/lens combination itself.

My work is proof of that (and I bought gray market.) Ripping on the 5D Mk II is a silly thing to do unless you are comparing it to something equally priced, equally functional.

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T. James Nguyen December 14th, 2009 at 8:15 am

I tried the sony a850, canon 7d and was not really happy with them. so I decided to take a chance and try the canon 5dm2 despite of the negative blogs. i’ve used it for a few weeks only, but i can say that maybe i am very lucky or maybe the camera isn’t so bad. the focus was acquired very fast, and my pictures are tact, tact sharp at 100%, even down to the hair and skin texture! so i just want everybody to know that i am very happy with my 5dm2. you might want to actually try it for yourself.

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Brian December 20th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

Karel,

Thanks for this posting. Unfortunately I read it about 9 months too late. As a wedding photographer I was in need of upgrading my equipment and purchased 1 5dmii. It performed pretty well for several weddngs so I bought another one to add to my arsenal. This 2nd body has consistently produced soft images time-and-time again. Now I wince every time I shoot a critical moment not knowing if it’ll be in focus or not. I commiserate with all the other duped photographers who have wasted their money on such a poor performing camera!

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Jon Garver December 20th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

You can add my name to the growing list of owners grossly dissatisfied with their 5D MarkII. Mine was sent back to Canon three times. Obviously, they haven’t been reading this blog. Finally, the retailer replaced the camera. Guess what, the new one is just as bad as the old one. Nothing like standing there waiting for your high-end Canon to focus while others around you are firing away with their point and shoots. It is shocking that Canon put out such an under performing camera. Sadly, I must caution potential buyers to think twice before buying a 5D Mark II.

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Emily December 23rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm

I am sitting here in tears reading this article too late!!! I waited 4 weeks for my 5dmarkii to arrive and was estatic to use it and put my old canon 40D to rest. Boy, how I regret not turning it in the moment I had problems. I have had nightmares over this camera! I thought I was paranoid-how on earth could my 40D produce crisper pictures than the new mark ii?? I did test after test and as my 70-200 2.8 IS lens is in repair/ I wonder is it not the lens but the camera body after all??!

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Tony December 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Actually, this is not new to me. Canon’s AF system has always some issues and it starts magnifying itself when 40D first came out. I dont think 40D focuses better than the 5Dmkii. Even 40D has it own issues too. You can get better focus using the left most or right most focusing points that the center one. Try it yourself. The interim solution is to use the “micro AF adjustment” Canon has introduced into the firmware and work around any miscalibration on each of your lenses. However, my guess is that Canon has some bad reference bodies somewhere. Now that the damage is done and certain lenses/bodies are calibrated against these reference bodies. Perhaps, there will be no “perfectly focusing” bodies anymore 🙁

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Emily January 3rd, 2010 at 8:23 pm

Thank you Tony for the tip. In the meantime, I sent the camera body back to Canon and I will be anxiously waiting it’s return into my hands!

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Thomas Fitzgerald January 5th, 2010 at 2:52 am

I have to agree with Karl here. I’ve had my 5DII since August and I too find the focus hit and miss. The other day I simply gave up and switched to manual focus. Despite what some people want you to think, this is a very real issue. I love it when someone who doesn’t have the problem, or doesn’t realise they have a problem because they don’t know what sharp images should look like assumes that because they don’t see it everyone who does must be lying or terrible photographers. I mean, you put the focus point over what you want in focus and push the button – it’s not rocket science.

The problem with the focus issue is that the supporters of this camera are nearly religious in their defence of it. I think too most are amateurs or those who simply sell their own prints. Anyone shooting for commercial clients or stock agencies will quickly find that “good but not quite tack sharp” isn’t good enough. People are so blown away by the thought of getting 21 megapixels for $2700 that they think the supposedly (according to the defenders) “minor” focus issues aren’t a problem – after all – you’re getting 21 megapixels !!!! But the thing is – if your camera is producing soft images, even slightly soft you’re effectively halving the resolution. A sharp 12 megapixel camera is much better than a soft 21 megapixel one

I know this post will probably draw attacks too – because the 5DII is so popular those of us with issues (and there are a lot) must be just idiots, right. And it’s usually people who say that looking at your images at 100% doesn’t reflect sharpness – and attack people who do check their images for critical sharpness. Most of the reviews of the 5DII were done over a couple of days and not tested in real world situations.

Softness isn;’t the only issue with this camera either. The shadow noise and banding on this camera, especially at lower ISO’s is ridiculous. Again, it’s a widely reported issue but kept “in check” by those who religiously attack anyone who dares to point out that anything is wrong with the jesus-cam.

It seems to me that Canon released this as a stop gap solution to prevent the customer bleed to Nikon and they bolted a few headline grabbing features like video and 21 megapixles onto an old system to get it out the door while they prepared their new line of revised bodies with the 7D. And kudos to them because it worked – and everyone bought the camera.

If the 5D makes you happy then good for you, but please stop the aggressive attacking of those of us who do have real issues and are critical enough to notice and have it affect our work.

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Marcel Vreemans January 10th, 2010 at 9:46 am

I am at the point of buying the 5MII. I have been reading and comparing for quite a while and was thrilled by the results and comments. Until I came across this discussion (and several more regarding this problem). What puzzzles me is that in the more “official” reviews (I have read dozens) there is no mentioning of this problem. And also, many users are very enthousiastic about it en call others “just crazy”.

I don’t know what to do know, while the 7D is not an option for me and I love the colors of the Canon camera’s much more than that of Nikon camera’s. And the MarkIV is just out of my league and far too heavy.

BUT…
I have one last crucial question. Canon cannot be stupid and must have read these complaints, apart from the fact that they have had dozens of 5MII returned and repaired.

THEN…

WHY DON’T THEY MAKE AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT ABOUT IT. RECOGNOSING THE PROBLEM, BEING TRANSPARANT, GIVING TIPS, COME WITH SOLUTIONS, GIVE INSIGHT IN THE RESAERCH THEY ARE DOING…(even if only the minority of camera’s has this problem)

WHY ARE THEY SO DAMNED QUIET AND ALMOST AUTISTIC???

Can’t we all press Canon to come with an official reply???

Like to hear from you all

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Karel Donk January 10th, 2010 at 11:19 am

Hi Marcel,

Canon simply cannot be bothered to do anything about this. To be honest they can’t fix this. It can only be fixed by releasing a new product update. And they purposely keep quiet about the issues, just read about another issue with the 50mm lens:
http://blog.kareldonk.com/canon-ef-50mm-f12-l-defective-by-design/

Look at how long it takes them to say something about that lens issue. This is why the blog http://fakechuckwestfall.wordpress.com exists. You might want to go overthere and read the posts.

You are MUCH better off buying a Nikon D700 or wait a month for the newer version of the D700 to come out.

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Marcel Vreemans January 10th, 2010 at 11:39 am

Thanks very much, Karel!

Are you dutch? Your name sounds dutch…by the way, I am dutch too!

Can you take a look at this review:

http://www.paulburwell.com/blog/2009/10/canon-5d-mark-ii-autofocus-sucks-not/

About the problem:
1) How can it be that there are so many others that seem to have no problems?
2) How can it be that camera’s are returned from repair and seem to be more or less allright (at least for a while)?

Apart from the autofocussing problem, I am stil thrilled about the 5MII. But as you said…what is the use of a swell camera if most of your pictures are soft or out of focus?

That is why I am still looking for a miracle. Or an official reply from Canon. Or even a firmware-hack.

Hope to hear from you or others.

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Karel Donk January 10th, 2010 at 11:53 am

Marcel, yes ik ben dutch 🙂

I think others who don’t have problems may not be so demanding when it comes to sharp focus, or they are using the camera in a way where the focus problems are minimized (like using large f numbers with lots of dept of field etc.). Others mentioned being satisfied with the 5D2 focus system, and when asked they said they mainly focused manually. Especially landscape photographers won’t have a lot of issues with it.

But for anything else it sucks. Check the following links:
http://cheninboutwell.com/stuffforphotographers/canon-liquidation-plus-why-i-s.html
http://www.crickie.com/archives/2649

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Marcel Vreemans January 10th, 2010 at 11:57 am

Afer reading your links:

It seems that Canon has become one of those companies where the management is:

– terribly “out of focus” (great metaphore)
– has the usual arrogance of a marketleader
– are looking only at their yearly bonusses
– think shit of customers

As a management consultant I know that these kind of problems take years to solve, as the management in such companies are excellent in keeping themselves in the saddle and hide problems. Only a major scandal or markektshare drop will do the job. By the way, unlike the USA, Japan or any other country, bad service is a trademark of ALL dutch companies, so my expectationlevel is never too high.

I think I will do some more investigation, wait at least for the Nikon D700X (or D800 or whatever the name is). Ik will keep reading your discussion anyway.

Thanks sofar.

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Marcel Vreemans January 10th, 2010 at 12:06 pm

One last remark

In that funny “Goodbye Canon” link, one commenter greeted her with “Welcome back to the dark side”

Very funny (or in dutch…zeer geestig!)

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Marcel Vreemans January 11th, 2010 at 10:28 am

Hi Karel,

Some extra information:

Go vist the page below and go to the section “Sharpness & Detail” and read all about it.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E5D2/E5D2IMAGING.HTM

Also (below) an example of a picture I came across on the same website that has an amazing scharpness (allthough it is of smaller size when viewed in 100%)

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E5D2/FULLRES/YIMG_7799A.HTM

Offcourse, it doesn’t compensate for the very poor autofocussytem and all other flawbacks of both camera and company, but I thought maybe this is a nice nuance.

I am curious what you make of it.

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Barett Henry January 20th, 2010 at 2:35 pm

I really dont understand where everyone is getting such a bad vibe about the 5D Mark 2’s focusing system…I just shot a wedding with this camera this past weekend and the images came out beautiful. Whenver an image was not that great it was usually because I needed to make adjustments to my shutter speed or ISO or in some cases because I didnt react quick enough to focus the camera and get the shot. For real this camera is amazing at capturing beautiful images…I really feel folks are just jumping on the band wagon when it comes to dissing Canon. If you prefer shooting with Nikon well thats great for you…Nikon has a great selection of camera. Since Nikon selling point is its “focusing” system…and Canon’s is its “high-resolution” cameras then let the user select which suits their needs. But really ya’ll weather I have a Canon or a Nikon I can take beautiful images and I personally think its completely crazy to sell thousands of dollars of equipment just because a few images might of come out blurry. Maybe the photographer whom shot the images needs to practice more on being more reactive to a situation. or maybe they need to use a larger DOF until they can get the sharp images they want with the smaller DOF…for real though sounds to me like alot of folks thread are talking to much about their equipment instead of their possibly lack of good photography skills.

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Caleb Santos January 23rd, 2010 at 1:39 am

you guys forgot to read page 84 in your user manual, “When autofocus fails”. LOL You got a bad copy. Use your warranty or whatever. At least its not a life threatening problem like exploding car tires and laptop batteries.

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Melanie P. January 29th, 2010 at 3:12 pm

Wow, this has been very insightful! I have a 5D and quite a bit of glass to go with it. I have not been happy with my focus on the 5D and feel like I get 6 out of 10 shots that are usable. My favorite children’s photographer Angela Crutcher uses the D700 and a 24-70 and I am in awe of how shap her images are. Truly in Awe. I think that sharp images are the most important thing to me. They say that a new D700 is coming out in Feb 2010 so I will be waiting to see what it is and mostlikely switching to Nikon. I don’t know how I am going to sell all my glass, but I don’t want to take a chance that I could get one of the defective 5DII’s… it’s just not a chance I want to take after reading this. Has anyone had issuse with the D700 not focusing very well? Is 51 focal points difficult to navigate thru?

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Marcel Vreemans January 31st, 2010 at 2:01 pm

The last few weeks I have emailed dozens of well-known and less welkk-known photographers and owners of the 5D MarkII and asked them to be honest about any problem. Moren than 95% is very satisfied and have no problem whatsoever.

Call me a fool (many will do so)…but I just orderderd my new camera, the 5D MarkII!

And if I encounter problems, you can all say “told you so”.

Luckily I can try out the camera for seven days and send it back when problems occur.

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Ryan Fisher February 1st, 2010 at 10:03 am

I think it’s odd for people to question the basic skills of other photographers, especially those who are professionals. It’s ridiculous to attack the technique of others if you have absolutely no basis for your argument. Many who’ve posted here have taken the time to carefully test their 5D mII and they are still getting soft photos.

I have the 5D mII, and I know several others with the same camera, and we’ve all complained about an unacceptable number of photos in soft focus. I don’t think my technique is lacking, and I don’t think my professional friends lack skills either.

The sharp photos that I get are INCREDIBLE, but the 30+ percent of photos that lack the sharpness I need are terribly frustrating.

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Barett Henry February 1st, 2010 at 11:25 am

Everyone really needs to quit with all the negativity…they would have you believe that Nikon’s never miss-focus. Any professional photographer that sharpening and much detail can be added to photos in Post-processing. I am a Canon shooter but I dont go dissing Nikon’s equipment. Some photographers just need to practice more…plain and simple.

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Guru Walia February 2nd, 2010 at 10:48 am

I’ve got a Canon kit. I’ve been using it for around 6 years.. from wide angle, macros, to 600mm..
i got 5d, and recently got 5d Mk2, its great. i ve not faced any such problem..
the camera has got great resolution, and amazing iso expansion with noise reduction.
and any professional does not use the AUTO FOCUS,… So, this cant b judged upon it. as its a true professional camera.

regards
Guru Walia
theguru_101@yahoo.com
India

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charles lim February 5th, 2010 at 6:37 pm

hahaha lots of people are making $$ with their 5dmark 2 now.
Even in hollywood, they are using it in parts of feature films and cable TV.

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Gribben February 8th, 2010 at 2:52 pm

I bought a 5D mark II at christmas 2009, after 4 weeks of shooting I sold it, lost $400.
This is a plastic like toy, really really bad ergonomics, poor picture quality (unless you are taking pictures in sunshine at 100ISO). Autofocus totally out of control. Worthless piece of junk.
Throw it out !

Buy a REAL camera D700 etc. and move on.

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Simon February 10th, 2010 at 1:57 pm

Bought a 5D MK2 saturday, returned it today (four days)! Shot over 300 pics and not one was really sharp. This was with L lenses. Second time in my life I felt like a newbie behind a camera, thought it was me but it was the camera. First time was with my very first camera, aged 8!
The 5D MK2 is a piece of junk. BE WARNED!!!
Canon should be ashamed! Will never touch their stuff again after this!
Btw, anyone need a bunch of Canon L lenses?

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Gribben February 13th, 2010 at 2:31 am

I have been a photographer since 1977, are you telling me I dont know how to use manual focus?
I did intensive testing on a tripod, a little focusing to the right, and now to the left..center…. there it is. Spot on, sharp in the wiewfinder. Later on at my computer, it was blurred. What the f”’?? I did NOT do anything wrong. Now for the mystery: I went out on the balcony, took some pictures in bright sunshine (with autofocus) and they all turned out fantastic. Looking at those good pictures you think twice: should I keep the camera anyway?
No I sold it, I cant live with a camera that takes good pictures monday and blurred ones tuesday if you get the point.
I sold the 5D2 w. the 24-105 L, 300/f4 L, flash 580ex mark2,50/1.4 USM, all new and lost more than 1100 dollars within a month. Would you do that without a good reason ?
I now have Nikon D700, D90, D40x, D100 and many nikkors. Even the old D100 NEVER let me down on autofocus (or anything else).
I was openminded and Canon let me down. I will not make that mistake again.

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Barett Henry February 15th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

I find it funny how ya’ll filter it out every-time I try to post a link to an article in which someone is dogging Nikon because of autofocus issues with the D700. For any real professional photographer…Canon is an excellent system to use.I also question the mental stability of anyone whom would sell all that equipment to goto Nikon and then have to deal with their lower resolution images hahhaha…oh well whatever…poor people.

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James Craig February 20th, 2010 at 4:41 pm

Out looking for more info on this and ran into your site. I have posted my problems with the Mark II here, on another site:

http://blog.planet5d.com/2009/06/canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-and-focus-my-images-arent-sharp/comment-page-1/#comment-1122

To be brief, I’ve been at this for a long time, and am using the same lenses I used with the old 5D. After extensive tests I’ve determined that I do not have a focusing problem, but DEFINITELY A SOFTNESS PROBLEM – one that is frustratingly inconsistent, even on a tripod doing repeat shots.

I’ve come to the conclusion, although I could be wrong because who knows what really goes on inside these things, that there is a micro-vibration issue going on with the sensor. I have considerably reduced the problem by mounting the camera on a rail on the tripod, bracing the lens at the front. This is because, oddly TRIPOD SHOTS, USING A CABLE RELEASE AND MIRROR LOCK UP WERE CONSISTENTLY SOFTER THAN HAND HELD. The rail brought tripod images within range of hand held, convincing me that vibration of the sensor is somehow involved. But, there is still some frustrating variability in sharpness. Under control conditions, I can usually get one razor shop image out of four tries on any specific shot. This is downright weird.

What to do? I love the camera, and have three lenses. I’ve had it almost a year, using it out of the country for a few months. I’ll be calling Canon Monday to see if I can get any advice. Not all that hopeful. There is definitely a problem, and columns like this help.

I do wonder if the sensor is not properly insulated from being effected by shutter movement. Oddly, my tests confirm that the mirror effects the problem minimally.

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James Craig February 21st, 2010 at 10:30 am

I have a short experiment I would like to have someone try with another SLR model. The 5D Mark II, locked down on a tripod, on a rail with the front of the lens braced, and with a small medicine cup of water balanced on the flash shoe. Using a cable release, the vibration on the water is considerable. Lock the mirror up and the vibration is cut in half. I wonder if this jives with other models. I no longer have access to my old 5D.

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Dan D. February 26th, 2010 at 3:01 pm

I want to thank Karel and all of you who has contributed your valuable feedback on this forum. I read each and every one of the comment and concluded that like everything we purchase in life, there will be hits and misses. If you are one of the lucky ones, the item you purchase, in this case, the Canon D5 Mark II won’t have any defects. To everyone else who made sarcastic or negative remarks against someone else’s comment, you should really go and get a ‘live’ because if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all. This forum is designed to share information. However you use the information given on this forum is up to you, but please don’t put other people down by telling them that they do not know how to use their gears especially those who have been in the photography profession for over 10 years. My 20 years experience as a CEO taught me that an opinion or a voice of one person may represents 10 or even 100 individuals who share the same opinion at the company. Needless to say, the number of people who took out their time to voice their opinion on this forum should deserve some validity for their complaints. We should all learn from the recent recall from the Giant ‘Toyota’ that even the best of brands can have flaws. And Canon or Nikon are no exceptions! I hope we can all benefit from this forum.

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Donnar Party February 27th, 2010 at 6:25 am

I don’t understand what the problem is: send it back, demand a replacement. Keep doing it until you get a perfect one. And to the pro shooters: what are you doing bitching about a prosumer camera having issues. Get the 1dsiii and get back to work.

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Barett Henry March 1st, 2010 at 11:10 am

I think the major problem with this whole thread is the fact that although certain people are voicing their opinion…the are very one-sided in voicing it. Its one thing if someone wants to complain about Canon or Nikon…but its completely different if someone wants to talk badly about Canon and saw how Nikon is so much better or talk about Nikon and say how Canon is so much better…their attitude is very shallow and fickle like the wind because they are speaking as if them having Canon or Nikon makes them better photographers then folks with the opposing equipment. If you have a problem with Canon or Nikon thats all good but dont come and complain about one and say the other is perfect. If you’ve been in the photography industry for decades then start acting like it. Answer me this…for all of the “smart people” in this thread whom sell all their stuff because they feel it will make them a “better photographer”…my question is…does Nikon ever miss-focus??? Yes or No???

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James Craig March 3rd, 2010 at 5:58 pm

A solution for my Mark II, of sorts. I called Canon and described my test results, described in an above posting. They had me send it in, a month out of warranty, and “fixed it”. Of course they did not say on the “repair” sheet what the problem was. The result is that I NO LONGER HAVE THE PROBLEM ON HAND HELD SHOTS. I spent half the day running extensive tests. I am much relieved, if still a little upset that I lost so many shots and Canon has not found it within their grace to explain. TRIPOD SHOTS WITH THIS CAMERA STILL REQUIRE A GOOD DEAL OF CAUTION. My tests conclude:

1- DO NOT use the Image Stabilizer when using the tripod. Results will be inconsistent from very sharp to very blurry. A large number of tests reveals results evenly scattered along a scale from super blurry to sharper than sharp.

2- Mirror Lock up is great BUT WAIT A FULL TWO SECONDS OR MORE between locking the mirror up and tripping the shutter. sounds odd, but locking the mirror up seems to start something of a shake inside and immediate (a second or less) shooting will make for very fuzzy shots. Combine this with the built in fuzzines that was “fixed, and it explains a tripod shoot I had that was almost a disaster.

3- I use a rail with a lens brace on the front because of the heavy lens 24 to 105. This eliminates some residual / occasional inconsistencies.

A final comment: man, some people posting here seem to just want to post an opinion, with no real interest in solving a problem. Sometimes, like in Toyotas, major problems are very rare but real. And finally, there is no excuse for a 3,000 $$ camera body acting this way, ever. As for Canon, I am grateful for the fix but upset over the lack of information and communication.

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DBrock March 7th, 2010 at 3:15 am

When I bought this camera in the summer to replace my 5D I was pretty excited. But the images I’ve produced with this camera were nowhere nearly as good as the 5D. I’ve spent so much time in Photoshop trying to get soft images to look right… finally in frustration I googled, and found myself here and not alone.

To those who are saying “My camera works fine so yours must”… you must be Toyota employees or something, that argument makes no sense whatsoever, and as can be seen, one of the mightiest companies in the world is now having to bite the bullet on defective systems that do not cause a problem for the majority of people.

There are two separate issues with this camera: first is the autofocus hunting, failing to lock on, and locking on the wrong distance. I’ve been using Canon for 20 years and I long for my old AE-1 which never got focus wrong… ever.

Dumb argument #2: “Why are you using autofocus at all, use manual focus!” Response: it’s a camera feature I paid for, I’ll use it because it ships with a focusing screen which is NO GOOD below F/2.8, so if you actually have a fast lens, you have to count on the camera to get it right for you because the viewfinder is guesswork. As well, I may not have time to lock in focus on that bird flying by or I need to shoot fast for various other reasons, and my eyesight is no longer something I’m willing to consistently trust. I sure would like the assistance of the camera for these various reasons, and when you put it head to head with one that works better, as a consumer it’s in my best interests to choose one that works better. And it’s fair enough that I have an expectation of every advertised feature working properly on the camera I bought.

The second problem is just the general image softness. I have not been getting the sharpness that my L series 85mm, 180mm macro, and 400mm telephoto lenses should deliver. The sharpness that they *did* deliver on the 5D. So this would seem to rule out my technique.

Lastly, when you shoot with something like the 180mm F3.5 L series lens, you get a super shallow depth of field. If you are shooting on a tripod, at a shutter speed of 1/400, over a subject with depth, you have to have an expectation that *some* part of this image is going to be sharp. If the most in focus parts of this image remain soft, then you’ve ruled out technique, focusing, hand shake, and so on. It’s just the hardware failing to capture a sharp image. I know this 180mm lens is razor sharp and it has almost perfect corner to corner performance. I know it from the images I have taken with my 5D, and the mk II just has been a major step down in the quality of the images in terms of the sharpness.

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serdar tibet March 7th, 2010 at 4:10 pm

Mark II 5D is a great body , one of the bests I ever worked with

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Garrison March 11th, 2010 at 7:56 am

Folks, listen to what Karel is saying – he’s on the mark. I own Nikon and Canon cameras and I recognize the different strategies used in the design and performance of their products. They are both excellent companies. However, Canon made a serious mistake with the 5D Mark II. I recently purchased one and had to return it because of serious AF focusing problems. If you offer a product with Auto Focus the system should work – in the 5D2 it frankly doesn’t. I found Karel’s description of the problem to be accurate, this points to fundamental design problems with this camera. Beyond that I believe Canon is having some serious production quality problems with the 5D2; I don’t know if this is a vendor parts problem, random manufacturing error, testing deficiency, or other issue in the fabrication process. I’ve spoken with dozens of people quite happy with their 5D2 and others, like me, that couldn’t make it work despite microadjustments, tweaks, and every other gimmick possible. I had a long conversation with my retailer (one of the largest in the business) and he confirmed about 15-20% of the 5D2s are coming back to him – that’s a huge number. As a manufacturing engineer when I see production problems like this I worry about the longevity and robustness of the product being sold. When you hear about moisture issues with this camera it’s hard to avoid concluding you’ll need a good repair shop. Normal humidity should not constitute “abuse” under the terms of warranty, but Canon seems to think so with regard to the 5D2. My recommendation – listen to Karel and pass this one by. And to Canon – listen to your customers and fix this camera; correct the errors made in the design and production of what should be a revolutionary product.

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VJ March 16th, 2010 at 2:03 pm

Does this mean I will no longer have drift with audio when using the 5D in 30P and my H4n?

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Paulgi March 16th, 2010 at 6:41 pm

it’s great to know that i’m not the only one who find this piece of shit, the worst reflex digital camera ever built. sadly i lost my old 5D, and i can’t find a replace anywhere. 5D markII is not for exigent users, it’s just an expensive toy for tourists.

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Barett Henry March 30th, 2010 at 1:45 pm

The 5D Mark II totally rocks…however…I can understand someone being upset if they got a lemon out of the bunch of good ones. That must totally suck…however for the people whom received properly working ones…they have been extremely happy with the camera. Anything that doesn’t function correctly is going to suck obviously. However whenever they camera is working as designed…its 2nd to very few camera’s out there when it comes to image quality…

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Mike April 7th, 2010 at 6:33 am

I’ve been lusting after a 5D Mark II, but all the issues make me want to go for a used 5D, which go for $1,000 to $1,300 in good condition here in NY.

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Mark H April 7th, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Hi Karel,

I haven’t read all the responses but I can’t believe some of the assessments of the camera based on limited shooting situations. I’m a wedding photographer, shoot 2000-3000 images per wedding in all kinds of lighting and all situations, and yes, low light shooting with the MK2 sucks compared to even prosumer cameras like the 40D. IMO it’s the outer autofocus points….focus dead-on with the center point (to hell with the rule of thirds or any sort of off center composition) and you’ll do ok in low light (in most situations), but try “getting ready” shots with a window behind the bride’s head (bright backlight), or low light church shots and good luck getting 30% of them in focus with the off-center focus points. I shoot a lot wide open at 1.4, so I know when it’s on and when it’s off. It’ll focus fine in bright light (so it’s not needing microadjustments or a lens problem), it’ll focus fine with off center points in bright light most of the time, but go indoors and be careful. Get trigger happy if you want some images to choose from. I love the resolution, love most of everything about the camera, can live with the speed of the autofocus, but a “low-light” camera that only has 1 “usable” autofocus point in low light is kinda disappointing.

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Brock April 20th, 2010 at 1:22 pm

I did some testing with my mk II which has been subject to the autofocus issues (slow, missing completely now and then, often off) and has shot many a soft image that has needed to be rescaled and heavily sharpened in Photoshop.

I’m not claiming this is the end all of tests, but it looks to me like this camera has a problem with the sensor vibrating. Someone else in this thread posted his own testing that seems to have similar results. I sent my camera to Canon and they said there is nothing wrong with it. However, with their Macro lens and trying to take a clear macro picture at 1/100, I’m getting a tragically blurry photo with a normal shutter, an improved but still poor photo with mirror lockup, and a crisp and clear photo with live view. To me, that means something is not right in the camera.

My results are here:

http://chromatropic.com/fuzzy

I did the experiment twice, and will (when time permits) try on different subjects.

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codepantry April 28th, 2010 at 12:26 am

Clearly this camera has an issue for me to. No need to beat the horse but is a class action suit possible. This is clearly false representation by canon so they can sell and not the first time. How can a company get away with this time and time again. Think Gold Man sacs, Merrill Lynch and all other companies accused of fraud in the past decade and yes, not far fetched at all to place Canon in the same league. If you advertise and evangelize that a camera does A,B and C then it should do A,B and C. We are in an unregulated industry hence the propensity to get away with inferior products. If Canon was selling food, how would the consumers react ? They do not respond to these issues and wait for the tide to flow away. I have had auto focussing issues from day 1, soft images, lack of consistency in image quality, plenty of chromatic aberration and noise at ISO 200.

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Mike Shutzu May 2nd, 2010 at 11:54 pm

I have been using a Canon 40D with grip for the past 2 years, and the same for my female associate. We are impeccable about using our equipment, never dropped, bumped or in moisture. Both these cameras blew the shutter at less than 70,000 clicks. Both cameras were repaired by Canon. Additionally my camera had the PC board replaced. Two months later, my camera is back in for overexposure, underexposure, lac of focus and manylost images. My associates camera (now a backup to her 5d Mark II) is now overexposing and giving multiple error 99 messages and shutting down. Her Canon now has to go back. Tell me, what is it worth to go through this with such a reliable company such as Canon? Couldn’t they have made, for about $1700 retail, two cameras with more reliabiltiy than this? What is a photographer’s time worth loosing images and having to drive 70 miles each way to have equipment repaired, let alone the down time? Guess what? After hours and hours of research, I’m buying a Nikon D700 with reliable autofocus in low light, great weatherproofing, a batter grip that my hand moulds to and generally great images at high ISO’s. I think sometimes that when people buy their favourite equipment, they really don’t want to admit to themselves or anyone else that they might not have made the right decision. At this point, I don’t trust the Canon products at all for standing up. Great images if you can focus.

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Efrain R. May 3rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm

I am very happy to have read this entire post. I am currently in the market for a FF camera and was stuck between the D700 and the 5D. I am a Nikon lover but at that price I had to make sure that I was getting exactly what I needed. On paper, the 5D sounds like the godly camera. How can you go wrong with FF, 21mp and 1080p video. The D700 sounds so puny next to the 5D until I tried both of them out and realized that the picture quality of the D700 was slightly better. As much as I would love to have the video feature of the 5D, we have to remember exactly what it is we’re buying here. A DSLR primarily. Well atleast I am. Oh yeah, and going back to Barrett’s immature comment……”I also question the mental stability of anyone whom would sell all that equipment to goto Nikon and then have to deal with their lower resolution images hahhaha…oh well whatever…poor people.” You were doing so good with your argument until you said that. Did you get upset that people were bad-mouthing the 5D…..rich people.

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chris k May 3rd, 2010 at 9:11 pm

I would dare say of allllllll the blogs on this and that camera the list is to numerous to count. I should think if maybe all of you would spent a little more time honing your skills you might take better pictures and generate the certificate of a dollar rather than a certificate of honor. So get your ass out there and do it.

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John May 10th, 2010 at 8:59 am

5D Mark II has some great features and I would love to own it, but overall it’s a POS.
I went through 3 5D bodies before I got one that did not have rear focusing issues.

I picked up the Mark II last week and pulled a body out of the box in store and tested with 3 L lenses. Rear focusing issue.
Found one that appeared to be a bit sharper – took it home and tested and attempted to fine tune with the “micro-adjustment” feature. No luck.
This camera produces less focused photos at 5.6 than my 5D did at 1.6.

Taking it back today – keeping my old 5D and considering selling the whole lot and switching to Nikon.
I honestly feel neglected by Canon and their QC issues with focus.

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Barett Henry May 11th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

You what this applies to everyone in the thread…like it or no like it the camera by itself doesn’t make the photographer. I know of plenty of people whom have been shooting photos for years and they obviously still don’t get it. Photography is obviously very technical oriented but it also takes vision and it sounds to make like too many people in this thread are speaking only of the technical side. The question is…is the 5D Mark II perfect? No of course not. Neither is any other camera out there from any other company though. I remember whenever I started getting into professional photography someone whom most people would consider an “armature” in professional photography told me “Its not all about you’re equipment”…and you know what he was right. Actually getting good images is about your professional work-flow and basic common sense.

For example…someone above mentioned above that they took 2000-3000 thousand pictures…now if the wedding was 10 hours that would be at least 200 photos a hour and 3 photos per minute. I don’t know of any photographer that is going to take that amount of images at that fast rate…using a wide Aperture like with an F-Stop lower then 2.8 and expect those to come out decent. Remember volume doesn’t equal quality. On top of that it doesn’t matter to me if I am using Nikon or Canon…I love taking pictures and I love capturing memories of people…sometimes you have to remember why you are into photography in the first place and maybe that will help you improve you work-flow.

As for folks whom think my comments about were “immature” well sorry if you took it the wrong way…I just think its very silly for someone to rely only on their camera to make them different from others…remember the camera only sees the angles you see. Also…if someone doesn’t practice their focusing they will get tons of blurry images especially if you are shoot with 2.8 and lower F-stops.

Finally…if you think just because your images right out of the camera are better than others that makes you a better photographer well you are crazy because here enters Photo-shop. And some people might not like to use Photo-Shop to enhance their images but if you want to have the best images you can have…you will realize that its not only your camera and lenses that matter but also your post-processing skillz…

I will let all the 5-D Haters digest all this…you might not even read it all but it basically all says…getting beautiful images is about your work-flow….not just your camera.

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John May 12th, 2010 at 2:02 pm

Hey Barett,
The underlying issue discussed in this thread had nothing to do with workflow.

Would you purchase a car that only drives in reverse or only makes left turns.
Same goes for a camera which doesn’t focus and perhaps a computer that doesn’t have enough memory to run PS or LR.

Yeah, I understand workflow, but if the tool inherently sucks, there’s no need to spend the $$ on it.

I will however purchase a mark II if I want to reproduce images that look like they came out of an SX70 or Holga.

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Barett Henry May 13th, 2010 at 9:49 am

Ok thats a good point John…this thread isn’t speaking about work-flow…its basically for the sole purpose of bashing the 5D Mark II as a complete waste of money. My question is…what about all of those photographers out there whom have the 5D mark II that get extremely beautiful images from their camera…its kinda difficult for someone who gets excellent images from the camera to accept someone saying it sucks…especially if they get beautiful images. One would have to question if the person whom was bashing it was using it correctly. On top of that…a common statement has been…”I’ve sold all my Canon stuff and moved to Nikon” as if having a Nikon camera is going to “automatically” make someone a better photographer. Start of with it…if Nikon was the perfect camera for everyone…Canon wouldn’t be in business. Just because I have all Canon stuff doesn’t mean I create threads bashing Nikon stuff as if just because I have Canon camera’s I am going to capture “better” images…that is completely silly. Getting “better” images is all about your work-flow not just your camera.

With that said…my heart goes out to anyone whom has purchased any piece of expensive equipment and then found that they got a “lemon” or a “bad apple” out of the bunch…that obviously sucks to the most extreme degree but sorry I have a hard time believing the extremist comments of certain folks here as if Canon is all bad…and Nikon is all good. I am pretty certain there are some crappy D700’s that go out from Nikon also people…if all of Nikon’s cameras worked perfectly…they wouldn’t have “technical support”. Anyway…everyone needs to just start taking pictures and quit all the company bashing…thats just my thoughts…

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John May 14th, 2010 at 1:09 pm

Agreed.
Some of the posts in this thread are a bit extreme.
My perspective is from someone who has shot Canon for 19 years both professionally for a government institution and my own business as well as personally.
I’ve randomly tested 4 mark II bodies in the last 2 weeks and have discovered consistent results – the type of results this thread is touching on.

Prior to the mark II, Canon had rear foucsing issues with the early 5Ds being released a few years ago – I also went through 3 bodies here prior to obtaining one that worked as Canon had intended.

Brand bashing aside (because Canon was good to me for years), Canon has an issue, they are aware of it, and I think it’s a bit said they continue to neglect their long standing clients in order to provide some bells an whistles.

I will continue to express my displeasure with Canon and their in-action to resolve his issue.
Unfortunately this isn’t something firmware can address. Canon needs to sit back down at the table and re-think putting an antiquated focus system in a 21mp body.

On another note, I know professionals who own and use this camera – and I’ve held a mark II which is sharp and is an awesome tool when it works. I also know 2 photographers who have been shooting weddings and receive 3 out of 5 images in focus and have had the camera shut down mid ceremony.

I’m going to take a wild stab here and say that the majority of people purchasing this camera are “tourists” who are using this primarily for the HD video feature and are unaware of what a truly sharp “soc” image looks like.
This is why so many online “photography businesses” are posting sub-par images.

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Karel Donk May 14th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

I couldn’t agree more with John. I hope Canon does something about all the issues with the next releases. My 40D’s are getting old and there’ no way in hell I’m buying a 5D Mark II or a 7D with a noise sensor.

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Barett Henry May 17th, 2010 at 9:09 am

Well…if Canon ever releases a 5D model that has the focusing points of the 7D…that will be a major blow to other companies because at that point they wont be able to say their camera “focuses” so much better than canon’s premier full-frame camera.

Now no disrespect to John or Karel…but for real…whom in the world is going to call the 5D Mark II just a “tourist” camera???!!! Arent you aware that Canon markets the 5D Mark II as the camera with its “highest and best image quality to date”?? That in basic terms means…no other Canon camera better image quality than that of the 5D Mark…and that goes for all of its camera’s…even the more ridiculously expensive ones. So my quest is…if the high-end camera like the 5D Mark II is just for “tourist” then all the camera’s before it and after it like the 7D are just toys that should be given to babies as their first camera. That mean anyone that own’s a camera from the 20D to the 50D or any other Canon camera is using a toddlers camera.

That’s how silly that “tourist” argument is…on top of that I would love for someone to give a real world example of how there was a shot they captured with any other camera…Canon or Nikon…they couldn’t be caught with the 5D Mark II…please make it a portrait or wedding shot…we all know the 5D Mark isn’t meant for heavy action.

Most “tourist” buy point and shoot camera’s…not high-end SLR camera’s last time I checked. But then again you might know “tourist” whom shell out over 2K for a camera that they probably dont even know how to use…however I dont know ppl like that…

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Jim Sizemore May 27th, 2010 at 6:29 pm

I frankly don’t like autofocus period on ANY camera, digital or film. I didn’t like it on my old EOS film camera. I loved my old split image manual focus and getting a split image screen for any camera is my top priority. Why Canon got rid of it I have no idea. In the time it takes to autofocus, I can manually focus – at least on an SLR. On non-SLR cameras it’s like going back to my old Brownie I used as a kid. Camera makers need to know some features like focusing are throwbacks to the old Brownie days. You’re quite correct – often enough to ruin otherwise great shots autofocus sucks.

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Jim Sizemore May 27th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

However, for those who want to get rid of their 5D2, I’m looking for a body (cheap, used OK) to fit my collection of EOS lenses. Like I said previously, first thing I do is convert to manual focus and having got on the Canon merry-go-round years ago in the film age it’s hard to get off. And if you want to throw in a 135mm f/2.0 along the way I wouldn’t mind. At the risk of getting spammed, you can email me at jimthomas_s at yahoo dot com and we can do business through ebay and PayPal, that is, fair-and-square, no squirrly deals. I hope this post doesn’t violate the site policy. I apologize in advance if it does.

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just another photog June 20th, 2010 at 10:42 pm

Well after reading some of these posts, I was beginning to worry about my 5D II. I came on here because my 50D seemed to be locking in focus slightly faster than my 2.5 times expensive 5D II….in low light only.

I have found that the 50D locks in faster, but the accuracy rate is not as high (I went back through 5000+ photographs and checked…it’s true).

With that said, the ACCURACY of my 5D II copy is nothing short of dead on. My photos are razor sharp, using any of the 9 points (better in the center of course). And I do look at all of them, and I would say 90% of the time, if I’m holding the camera steady in normal to low lighting, the photos are razor sharp. So much so that viewers (non pros) ask me what I am shooting with because they are astounded at the clarity, color and beauty of the photos. I think I am a decent photographer, but this camera pulls it’s weight. Can the AF system be upgraded? Hell yes, but for me, and it seems, for MOST (not all obviously), the camera produces top notch photos that stand out beyond other cameras. I’ve actually gotten so good at picking up the quality earmarks of the 5D II that when I go through a photo page, and the forum or site allows for EXIF disclouse, when use the Firefox EXIF viewer, I’m about 80% correct when I say to myself “this is a 5D II shot” BEFORE I look at the EXIF data.

So to all who think the 5D II is a waste because of these posts, I say, try it out, if it sucks, take it back! But if you have a QA’d copy like mine, you will LOVE it!

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Jennifer G. June 30th, 2010 at 12:40 pm

I love my new Canon5DII , i*m still learning it…. i switched over from my nikon d300. Nikon is great, but the colors canon gives me, 21mpg, the full frame, the hd video, etc. are totally worth me paying the differences. With Nikon I have to press 12 Buttons to get correct exposure! With Canon, not so much, the interface is much much more friendlier. But I do have to give it to Nikon, they*re skintones are far more realistic. NOTHING OUT THERE is PERFECT, if the PERFECT CAMERA were up for sale, do you think, anyone will ever need an Upgrade?! It*s all about personal preferance, I started as a Nikon shooter, since my first film camera, then the d40, then etc. i was in love…. I started using friend’s canon’s and I couldn’t believe how COMFORTABLE I was. I am much more comfortable in how light my canon is, as oppose to my d300… being a girl 🙂

I get POOP at high ISO with Nikons…. inside venues. i don*t know about Canon, I will find out this weekend 🙁 LOL

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Rob Davies July 14th, 2010 at 8:53 am

My Canon EOS 5D Mark II is currently back with Canon for repair under warranty. When it returns it will be sold, along with my lens the Canon 24-105mm L series zoom. Meanwhile, I have a Nikon D700 and 24-70mm lens on order. I was extremely disappointed with my 5D Mark II – why? SOFT FOCUS. It could not take a sharp picture not even with in-camera sharpening jacked up. I am not the most experienced of photographers but I work on a newspaper (writing not photographing) so I asked our picture editor to have a go with it – he had the same result, so too did the store manager of our local Jessops, who sent it back for me.
Like many others, no matter what I tried,auto focus, manual focus, noise reduction on, noise reduction off, different focal lengths, apertures etc – the same result. Our picture editor got a somewhat better picture when he put a different lens onto the body, I think it was a 70-200mm and the guy in Jessops achieved a better result when he put my lens onto a 7D. So maybe both my lens and camera body are not up to scratch. Either way, I am switching to Nikon which I just feel ticks a few more boxes for me anyway. I will be happy to let people know what the 5D Mark II is liike however, when it returns from repair.

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Bevin July 22nd, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Hmm, I have had no issues with focusing in low light situations. In fact, I shot inside a barn at 8:30 at night and had no problems. Is this on a camera-to-camera basis? I guess I got the luck of the draw.

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chuck August 9th, 2010 at 2:43 am

well let me add my 2 cent i own a 40d with 17-40mm f/4L and very pleased.witch i have little over $1200 buck in it.ive also been looking to upgrade trying to stay with canon because the prize of lens.but i have to say im not impressed with any of canon’s camera’s after 2009.(with in the prize range of $2000 bucks)right now im going to wait and see if the new 60d is some what of an upgrade over the 50d as far as noise.

now the old 5d a great camera,you can pick 1 of around $1000 bucks but she old and striped down from the mark 2 but still has a great picture. back to the mark 2 way over prized for the quality and af points. that only leaves 1 body that rocks the charts for $2000 bucks and that’s a nikon d700. i give canon till the release of the 60d to see if they produce a camera as solid as the 40d was if not ill be selling all my canon gear and become a nikon fan for life.

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Paul August 19th, 2010 at 6:28 pm

Well, it seems I’m another new 5d ii owner who should have read this blog first… I’m an amateur who’s been using SLR gear since the early 70s (a Pentax Spotmatic – great camera) and have moved through the Canon digital range with first a 20d, then a 40d and now a 5dii. I wanted the 5d for its better low light capability and of course its better IQ on large prints. However, I find that unless I use Live View ‘contrast AF’, I get way too many out-of-focus shots. It’s really inconsistent though. Sometimes all is fine and the images are superb, other times it just keeps front-focusing by ALOT. I really don’t think it’s technique being exposed by more pixels. To eliminate camera shake, I’ve tried using tripods, high shutter speeds, mirror lock-up etc. I’ve had no problems on either the 20d or 40d; maybe sometimes they didn’t perform too well is bad light, but nearly all the shots that did lock-on were well focused. The 5d ii shows focus lock and then delivers a out-of-focus shot. I think a trip back to Jessops is in order and I’ll wait to see if the 5diii is any better.

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ania August 22nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm

Well. I’m a pro photographer and I’m not happy with D5. Yes it is an amazing camera BUT it has a focusing problem. And I’m not even talking about AF as I don’t really use it.
I’m not use what is happening but I shoot on tripod, remotely to Capture One and images that are shoot below 1/4 of the second are out of focus! Really bad! I tent to open up aperture to be able to shoot and have faster time but can’t do that all the time and I m a studio still life photographer and in industry those days images HAVE TO BE 120% sharp!
Will contact Cannon tomorrow as it happened twice on shoot when camera went shit and it is unacceptable. Will run some tests tomorrow and get back to you with updates. Not happy and wish I had enough money to get digital Hasselblad.
Ania

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Rod Ostoski September 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 am

I had a session this last weekend where we were doing a trash the wedding dress. Using my 5D2 and 24-70 f2.8. Most of my shots were done in the shade with a softbox. I was surprised at the amount of out-of-focus/soft shots I had. Come on… I’m standing 10 feet in front of models and get soft shots? This bothers me. Keep thinking I’m doing something wrong or my lens is bad or a ghost is bumping the camera…

Here I am searching the internet for solutions. I’m quite picky about having sharp pictures. I keep hearing how nice the D3 is… Arrrrrg!

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Marcel Vreemans September 6th, 2010 at 8:33 am

In spite of all the warnings I decided top buy the 5DMarkII and own this camera since february 2010. In the beginning there were not so many problems with the autofocus. Most of the pictures were sharp with a few mishits (of which I am not sure if it was a cameraproblem or my own mistake). But since a couple of weeks I have had more and more problems. After extensive testing it now seems that my autofocus is completely impredictable with a mishit of 40%. And I made sure that no other cause then a cameraproblem is the case. In a controlled situation, using the middle focalpoint, half of the pictures is out of focus. And not just back- or frontfocussed, but out-of-focus as a whole. I sent my camera to the repaircenter and I am praying this will not become an everlasting problem and the need to send it back every three or four months.

I told you so…is probably what the blogger will say…

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Marco September 20th, 2010 at 11:26 am

I am a professional fashion photographer from Milan,and I am agree with Karel that Canon Eos D5 has big problems with auto focus.
Don’t even think to shoot people in moviment, in 10 frames you can have 1 or 2 pictures on focus.
I work with canon Mark III DS and I send it back to the service to fix the focus.
I think Canon has to fix this problems or all the profesionals will change to Nikon as I am seriously thinking.
Marco

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40d-owner September 23rd, 2010 at 5:38 am

I think with all goods which are mass produced, there are bound to be a few bad apples in each basket. However, given the money we pay for the products, we deserve much better service especially given the fact that the company is aware of such issues.

I totally sympathise with you Karel as I have also had a few bad experiences with Canon myself.

A while ago, I bought a 24-70 F2.8 lens and after a few hundred shots, realised it was soft especially at the wide end. I performed some lab ISO tests using my friends’ two 24-70 lens and confirmed that my copy had an issue. When I took it to the service center, I was insulted and told I did not know how to use the camera properly. They took the lense, attempted to recalibrate it but didn’t improve the problem. Instead, the narrow end was soft and the wide was sharp. Additionally, they decided to leave some dust in the lens which I complained about but they denied it and blamed on wear and tear ( the lense had only been around 200 hundreds shots old ). After starting the process to take Canon to small claims court, they decided to ask their “senior” technician to recalibrate the lens. It is now a bit better but still not as good as my friends’ copies. All the stress and time wasted took alot out of me so I just learned to live with softer images. I also don’t have the conscience to sell the lens on so will just keep it or give it as a gift to someone when I get rid of my Canon gear.

I’ve read this thread and am quite disgusted by those who are fortunate enough to have decent copies of a camera/lense and then label those who do have issues as incompetent users. I guess it’s a case of you won’t understand until it happens to you one day.

To those “professional” photographers who like to talk down to “non professionals”, I would like to remind you that us non professionals have chosen to earn a living using other skills but that doesn’t mean we are incompetent. In fact, it’s likely we know quite a bit more about the camera and physics but we refrain from making egotisical comments as we are genuinely seeking advice and expressing views.

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M Price September 25th, 2010 at 10:31 am

Been using the Canon 5D mk2 for months there is nothing wrong with it your probably using some shit non canon lenses.

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Nikon is Great September 29th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

Hi,
I am a foreigner and a stock and documentary style advertising photographer. I was an old Nikon user. Bought Canon 5dmII last year. But I had many focus problems.

It is always finding wrong focus points which I never want. I have 85, 1.8 and 50 1,4… It is a bit better with 50 mm but with 85mm made me really sorry most of time… Many images went to garbage.

last month I turn back my first love, Nikon. Bought a D700 body… I am so happy with my ferrari now. Except eos 1, Canon is garbage…

Canon cheat me too

all the best

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Marcel Vreemans October 7th, 2010 at 6:25 pm

Got my camera back after repair…still the same problems!! Canon KNOWS about the problem, believe me, but neglects it on purpose…and its customers with it. They just persist in saying there is nothing wrong. I feel misled in many way and Canon is an autistic, arrogant company. What a bunch of shit! I can’t rely on my camera anymore and hope Canon goes down the drain. I am desparate and a couple of thousand dollars (including lensen for FF size) poorer.

Why don’y we stand together and make a collective complaint…with a lot of bad publicity!

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Bal Mhanna October 24th, 2010 at 4:37 pm

Hi All,

I’ve been reading your reviews and experiences. Can I ask, is the problem with focusing is aimed at still photography or shooting film? I want to buy the 5D for documentary making. I am not interested in stills.

Please advice.

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- Karel Donk October 24th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
  
  The problem mainly affects still photography since you have to focus manually when shooting film. So you can go ahead and buy it if you are going to use it for film.
  
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JM November 10th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

Hi-I am also a professional photographer, losing money for every out of focus shot. I have owned the 20D,30D,40D,50D,rebels-the whole line of ‘prosumer’ cameras. Tired of grainy shots-upgraded to 5DMII-IT DOES NOT FOCUS! Hunts all the time to ‘grab’ the focus, soft images not acceptable. I have the same L Series lenses that work with my other cameras. When it does focus correctly it looks lovely, but this is not even half the time. Switched it once, doing it again till I get one that works. Incidentally I had a loaner from Canon CPS that worked much better (bait and switch?). Canon quality control is gone-I have to switch my purchases at least 3 times till I get equipment that works. Additionally, I gave up on Canon flash and switched to Nikon (1,00000000 times more reliable) and only use Canon for ‘no flash’ situations. It’s a shame, as I much prefer Canon images, the white balance and also the lenses. The higher end cameras are just too heavy with all the gear I carry on the street.

Canon needs to stop focusing on VIDEO and other marketing gimmicks and make a camera that WORKS. Photographers, pro and non need a camera that FOCUSES and has Less grain on higher ISO’s. The 5DMII is the worst focusing of the entire Canon series of cameras in the last ten years. This is inexcusable. I will keep swapping out until I get an acceptable model.

PLEASE Canon when you make the MIII (if rumors are accurate) MAKE SURE IT FOCUSES!!!!! PRIME NUMBER ONE issue.

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milton freeman November 26th, 2010 at 5:47 pm

Not sure that I want to cry yet, so thought I’d see if anyone else out here shared my latest issue/woe. Alas, no. But I’m adding my limbo to the mix anyway.
I purchased a 5D MKii two months ago (my first digital camera), for £1575, was happy. Immediately ordered a couple of L series lenses from (provisualdirect.com) totaling £2175, very hopeful to the photographic future being paved.
This was thwarted when (provisualdirect.com) decided to send me instead of my lenses, a crappy ‘KamKorder’ shoulder pad worth £90. Trying to get this company to sort this out has been nothing short of a 2 month long ball ache. They admitted their mistake and agreed to my refund request. However they did not comply to it, and although saying that they had, THEY HAVE NOT refunded my £2,175. Stating lastly before ignoring me completely that I should get my bank to deal with it. My bank inform me that following all procedures they also have not been able to retract the funds from them and have now taken the matter to their bank directly. This could last a further 45 days! Blah Blah Blah… (Matter Unresolved) VERY UNHAPPY over here. So today I was loaned £2000 so I went to two stores (calumet) and (wilkinsoncameras), bought me the two Canon lenses I had hoped to have 2 months ago. Tried them on my still unused 5D MKii to find after changing these lenses 3/4 times there appeared two horizontal black lines across the viewfinder. ??? Took the lens off to find out that the mirror had fallen. Quality? Solid build? Durable? Nope just EXPENSIVE!

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Erik Smits December 7th, 2010 at 12:58 pm

5 months ago i bought my Canon 5D mark ii. I red this forum, so i was warned. But, nothing happened…. I am a very happy user of this amazing camera, but maybe i am just lucky..?

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Matt December 12th, 2010 at 12:03 am

I have had the 5d Mark II was 2 years now. I use all L lenses and am a full time photographer. There is definitely an issue with the auto focus. 2-3 out of every 5 shots are slightly out of focus. Whether I use a tripod or extremely fast shutter speeds at F6.3 there are still issues. I am just trying to hold out long enough for an upgrade to come.

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gabe f. January 23rd, 2011 at 12:02 am

Auto focus seems to be the problem. 9 points of focus is abit short hand for such a big sensor. my question is if the auto focus is such a problem when switching to mf manual focus for shooting still photos is the focus still off. my opinion is that as a professional photographer you should be adjusting the focus according to artistic approach and subject matter and lens type. focusing in manual does take more time but if done properly there should be no problems with the shot.
has anyone had problems using mf ?

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Adria January 27th, 2011 at 3:13 am

I agree with the author. Have owned the Mark II for two years and always thought I just didn’t know what I was doing..I’ve practiced, read, paid tons of money for classes and actually have a sense of peace knowing that these soft ass photos are not all my fault. Super frustrating for such an exspensive camera.

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Chelsea Parsons January 31st, 2011 at 7:28 am

Sae story here too. Had my 5SM2 for a few yrs and about 6 months ago started noticing incredible amounts of out of focus shots. Missing so many good shots now that shoudl be in focus and its driving me insane.

I borrowed a friends 5DM11 for a few weeks and didnt have a problem but now Im back to using mine and I hate it!

My question is does anyone have a positive story with Canon admitting whats wrong and doing something about it? My camera isnt under warranty any more and will they be able to fix it? Or do I need to replace it with a new one?

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MP Sing February 15th, 2011 at 12:19 am

Bought a 5D Mark II. Thought I would use it for years, even bought the extended 5 year guarantee.. Out of focus here, out of focus there.. using L lenses… Local service center verifies the “out of focus” issues, but say within “manufacturing specifications”, and so while visiting a dentist client.. he had a D3 with the 105mm AFD 2.8.. took it, manual focused it.. sharp and sweet spot on focus.

Went back, took the whole Canon lot, sold it, got a D3 and a D3x.. now I use as old as 1970’s lenses (almost 40 year old lenses: 105mm AI f/2.5 and 105mm AI micro f/4), and they all focus on the spot within “my specifications” and “my expectations” 🙂 …. If it works for you, good and well, enjoy.. as for me:

Err… Never again!!! Never!

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Cat Scorpio March 29th, 2011 at 6:23 pm

I bought a 5DMkII and a 16-35 f2.8 LII to use as a digital cine camera after I retired as a TV cameraman. I’m accustomed to Sony BetaCams and Canon broadcast lenses so for me this is a cheap rig. Since when did professional stills people rely so entirely on autofocus? I’ve never used it, and don’t expect to (what’s the point of minimal DOF if you don’t use it creatively?). So if there really is something wrong with it, I don’t suppose I’ll notice.

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KeithT April 22nd, 2011 at 7:11 am

Yes, mine is soft too. I upgraded from the original 5d classic because I had had it for four years and got fed up with the dirt it sucked in. Now I wished I had got the 7d instead. Loke the author, anything less than tack sharp is about as useful as a pork pie at a Jewish wedding. I’m not sure what I will do yet, but I won’t let it go on for long that’s for sure, as it is still under warranty.

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Kimberly Miller May 13th, 2011 at 7:27 pm

I was so glad to find this blog post today! I am am Canon shooter and own a 5D Mark II. I have become increasingly frustrated with the autofocus on that camera! For the past several months I have blamed myself and my lens for the focus issues thinking it couldn’t possibly be my super expensive & high tech camera body. Then, a couple of months back I purchased two additional new L series lens thinking that I just needed to upgrade my older lens which have been beaten to hell and back. I am still having the same problems when I use my new lens but only when I shoot with the 5D Mark II. My older 5D is still the same old work horse it has always been. It is disappointing to read all the comments about folks that have sent their body in for repair and it comes back with the same issues. At least I can take comfort in the fact that I am not alone:)

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Mark May 22nd, 2011 at 12:45 am

I’m a colorist then used a Canon 5D MKII for video after watching so many youtube clips claiming the camera is great in video mode. I guess if there are other colorists reading, they will feel the same frustrations as me.

Dear God it sucks VERY VERY at video mode. It’s not capable to record colors in their proper hue values. You’d expect the camera to record yellow as yellow and green as green right? Wrong, almost 4 years after it went to production, it never managed until the Technicolor Cinestyle Profile which came out recently.

All other cameras I used, include cheap mobile phone cameras were able to record yellow as yellow and green as green, of course the cheapest cell phone cameras also had a certain degree of hue shifts, but any $50 cell phone were able to record colors more accurately than the Canon 5D MKII.

Of course I thought it was incorrect WB or just me, being a colorist, had a unreasonable demand on the colors. Then Technicolor Cinestyle Profile finally fixed it … a bit too late …

So the Canon 5D MKII is not capable to record yellow as yellow and green as green out of the factory, which defeats the purpose serving as a “camera”.

It’s a utter piece of junk.

I switch to Panasonic GH1 / GH2, and yes, these cameras are able to record colors very accurately.

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shannon daly May 22nd, 2011 at 9:15 pm

I really am seeing what you are saying.. I actually feel like my 5d classic has much better focus, and seems to be a much sharper camera.

Realizing that I am not as deep into the technology aspect.. I really love a sharp image.. And I find that a lot of my images are really soft.. And yeah 3500 for the kit two months ago is a lot of loot..

However, I will say. When my camera has the perfect focus, and everything is spot on… I love that image.. I love that clarity. I love everything about.. If I can just get it to do it all the time.. I would be stoked.

I understand some of it is probably user error or my eyes not be as sharp as they once were. But a lot of the times there is no excuse for a soft camera at all.

So I might get flamed.. I might not.. This is just a very non technical opinion. Just an opinion of someone who has put a lot of money into this, and expect something better than soft.

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adams June 11th, 2011 at 4:22 pm

FOR SALE:Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21MP DSLR Camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a stunning 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a vast ISO Range of 100-6400, plus EOS technologies like Auto Lighting Optimizer and Peripheral Illumination Correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more.

PACKAGE CONTENT:

1 Canon EOS 5D Mark II Body
1 Eyecup Eb
1 (EW-EOS5DMKII) Wide Neck Strap
1 (STV-250N) Stereo Video Cable
1 (IFC-200U) USB Interface Cable IFC-200U
1 (LC-E6) Battery Charger
1 (LP-E6) Battery Pack
1 EOS Digital Solution Disk
1 Software Instruction Manual

EMAIL CONTACT: adams_yorke@yahoo.com

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al July 14th, 2011 at 6:47 pm

What a relief its been to find this site, I’ve been losing my mind for the last 4 months since upgrading from a 550D to a 5Dmii. My 550 was tack shap, unbelieveably so. Im not a pro but not a noob either, over 10 years with slr’s going back to old Pentax film models.

The images arent back or front focusing, they’re just soft, with L lenses? The same lenses that blew my mind on the 550D, it just didnt make sense.

I was torn between this and a 7D, Im sick I didnt get the 7D.
I can get sharper shots with an old ixus than with a 3 grand setup, no excuses Canon, unaceptable.

I’ll be onto Canon to get this sorted in the morning,

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Russell Spencer July 28th, 2011 at 5:36 pm

My 5DMK II has been sent to Canon 5 times from 2009 till today when it came back every time it goes back to being soft. They will not replace it after 30 years of Canon Cameras
(F-1, EF, AE1 x2, AT1, AE1 Program, T80, T90 x2, EOS 650, EOS 620, EOS 10D, EOS 20D and EOS 5D Mark II) My next camera will be a Nikon.

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Juan Dela Cruz August 2nd, 2011 at 6:48 pm

@ adams – how much is the package?

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Canon 5D Mk2 August 8th, 2011 at 12:05 pm

Karel, your blog post is pathetic… Do you really call yourself a photographer and able to do reviews if you rely so much on focus and autofocus?! I use Zeiss glasses on my Canon 5DMk2. Yeah, ZEISS glasses, have you ever used those? They are leagues above your Canon/Nikon AF lenses but i think you wont be able to use them since NONE ZEISS LENSES HAVE AUTOFOCUS! They’re all manual focus. So my question is, do you really think that professionals who use Arri-PL, Zeiss and Leica manual focus only glasses on their 5DMk2 would be pissed at the focus performance of the 5DMk2? Hah! Time to go learn about professional photography and the pro techniques. My point is, if you’re a noob, you shouldnt do reviews… And my message to those who were mislead by this review, go check other review sites, look at the signal-to-ratio noise of the 5DMk2, and then decide. Dont base your purchase decision on this… blog…

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- Karel Donk August 21st, 2011 at 11:42 pm
  
  A lot of pulitzer prize winning pros rely every day on autofocus. If it doesn’t work well, that’s a disadvantage and a problem. And I know that Zeiss glass is awesome especially for manual focussing. But us mere mortals cannot afford Zeiss glass. So we want our autofocus to work.
  
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gibbygoo September 4th, 2011 at 2:21 am

I own a full suite of EOS gear, but my employer owns all Nikon. I am one of those rare birds who really does shoot both systems (FULL systems with top glass) so take my opinion with that in mind. I am a full-time shooter. (Niche magazines.)

There is a lot of fan-boy emotion here, on both sides. Kind of fun to watch.

So here’s my take:
Canon’s 5d2 and 1DsIII “beat” Nikon in color rendition, exposure accuracy and overall IQ, in our experience. Nikon’s D3 has crazy low noise, but the 5D2 and 1DsIII have crazy high resolution. (It’s a wash, with perhaps a slight edge to Nikon.) Nikon’s D700 also trumps the 5DII in autofocus across the board, especially with pro zooms wide open. That is just a plain fact. It DOESN’t trump the 1dIV, however, and neither does the D3s, but that’s another topic for another day.

Something that shocks me about this discussion is how little reference is made to the specific lenses being used. When I shoot the 5d2 with an 851.2, I understand that the AF is going to be glacially slow AND sporadically inaccurate. (Not much different than a D700 with an 85mm 1.4, BTW.) Now, replace that 85 1.2 with a 135 2.0 or 300 2.8 (especially the new one) and it’s a new ball game. Those lenses on that camera (on any eos camera) are lightning fast and accurate. HOWEVER, I’ve calibrated my 35 and 85 primes several times. They are often slow and inaccurate (esp. the 85). Is that a weakness of the 5D2’s antiquated AF system? Partly, but it is also due to how these lenses are being used–WIDE OPEN for portraits (which are in fact moving subjects) with razor thin DOF.

If a combination of accurate focus, focus speed and sharp-wide open pro-model zooms are most important to you, it’s Nikon all the way. If you are more into IQ, creative work with fast primes’ shallow DOF and/or high-end sports work with a 1DIV + long prime combo, say hello to Canon. Nikon isn’t bad at the stuff that Canon excels at, and vice versa, except for the 5D2 AF system with most zooms and fast wide-to-medium focal length primes.

Hell, I’ll catalog it for you:
14 2.8L Fine, just like the Nikon, except the Mark II version is sharper by a hair
24 1.4L Mark 1: sucks, but OK speed
35 1.4L OK after a successful calibration, still kind of slow
50 1.2L SUCKS anywhere near the MFD, and slow, but faster than the next one…
85 1.2L Totally sucks at AF. Slow as molasses. Too bad cuz IQ is superb
100 2.8L Faster than 85, AND it’s a macro! Whatever. Still sucks.
135 2.0 Kicks ass! Super fast and accurate on my 5D2 w/o calibration
70-200 2.8L II Not impressed. It’s inconsistent enough to be an issue.
300 2.8L II Fantastic. Same as 135.

I won’t do the same for Nikon here, but I’ll tell you this: A D3s mated with a 24-70G is the best all-around DSLR you could dream of. Paired with the new 70-200, it truly is the flagship of DSLRs for any working pro not caged into field sports.

….I guess if the whole point of this thread is that the OP thinks the 5D2’s AF system sucks in some particular way, well, he’s right. His concerns are valid. I share them. Unfortunately, he didn’t articulate his concerns in a rational way. He seems to lack the verbal temperament to express his frustration in a way that would actually spur rational conversation. Sorry Donk. I’m only jabbing at you for style points, not the content of what you’re saying. The juvenile response to the first followup comment (which had an obvious and quite forgivable type-o) is a good indicator of where this discussion was destined to go.

One final reason I shoot the 5D2–video. But of course that has no bearing here. It only matters to you if it matters to you. Period. It just so happens that I am tasked with providing a fair amount of multimedia content, specifically pick-up shots for subjects that are mostly captured with our dedicated camcorder rigs.

This is the longest post I have ever written. Sorry.

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gibbygoo September 4th, 2011 at 2:29 am

Donk–

I just took a gander at your last post about Zeiss glass. The price points are in line L glass, for the most part. Your note that “us mere mortals cannot afford Zeiss glass” makes me wonder more than ever–what lenses are in your kit?

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- Karel Donk September 4th, 2011 at 3:40 am
  
  Yes for the most part they are but not all. I mainly own L lenses but not everyone can afford L lenses. Telling people to buy Zeiss glass should not be the solution for obvious autofocus issues on the 5D2. The issues on the 5D2 should be fixed.
  
  Reply
Rob Shaw October 10th, 2011 at 2:28 pm

It is only today that I have become aware of the focus problem on the 5D MkII. I have two of them. This last week I have noticed the focus becoming soft. This body is 16 months old so out of warranty. I spoke with Canon CPS about a repair and they never mentioned anything when I explained the problem I had. I have tested all of my lenses on both camera bodies and they are all ok on the one body but I get soft focus images from the faulty one. If I had read this post before I would have bought Nikon. Like many others on here I had previously used the 5D and I have many L series lenses so a considerable investment to give up. I am sending the camera to Canon tomorrow in the hope they can fix it. After all it did work ok for 16 months.

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Norwegian October 11th, 2011 at 8:41 am

Karel,

I own a 5D Mk II, and have access to a D700 both at the office and through a good friend. After testing 5D Mk II vs. D700 in same light conditions, from dark to bright, my opinion is the D700 is terribly slow in focusing compared to the 5D Mk II. The 5D almost always focuses instantly, in everything from dim desktop lamp light to bright office lights, while the D700 struggles and is quite slow. Not unusable slow, but noticable slower than the 5D Mk II. So I wonder, is there something wrong with your 5D Mk II, or perhaps you haven’t even bothered testing it? Please, answer me honestly.

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- Karel Donk October 11th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
  
  What you should also check is the accuracy of the autofocus. Take a picture after focusing and view 100% on a computer monitor. Then see if the images are as sharp as the D700.
  
  Reply
Isabel Corthier October 18th, 2011 at 10:39 pm

Hi Karel, I completely understand your frustration. I have the same problems.
Did you hear of anyone noticed problems with ETTL flash when you put on a wide angle lens on you markII?
We are four people already who are having this problem…
Please, if you do so, contact me, cause I would like to make a report and go to Canon with this issue.
thanks, isabel

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Greg December 6th, 2011 at 8:47 am

As a profesional commercial photographer I have left my 5d Mark ii in my bad these days as a backup. It has been the most formidably disappointing purchase from Canon I have ever had. The focusing is horrendous. My 5d out performs it any day autofocus wise which is sad. I mostly use it with the 50mm1.4 and 85mm 1.8 which are sharp lenses on my 5d but a crap shoot with my 5d Mark II. I’ve sent my camera into canon for servicing on this issue twice and both times they said that there indeed was a problem and they “fixed it”. It is aggravating to find no help from them and makes me question my loyalty to the Canon brand. If you are thinking of getting one, you might get lucky and receive one that works. On the other hand your better off with the original 5d or if a new one comes out wait for it.

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Pedro December 8th, 2011 at 9:42 pm

I have already worked with a 5d and now with a 5d mark 2 for the past 2 years.
My main cumplaint is about the softness of the pictures. Expecially when you take the pictures in horizontal mode, there is a great amount of picture sharpness when comparing to the ones thaken vertical mode.

Another problem i allways have (and several other pro’s i work with), is the e-ttl flash/camera relationship simply does not work. We have to me constantly correcting the flash unit ev stops to compensate both under or higher exposure.

I have never worked with a d700, but i really would like to get my hands on one and try it.

Note that i have taken 10.0000…. or more pictures each with the 5d and the 5d mark 2.

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Keith December 18th, 2011 at 8:05 am

I have had mine a year and shoot with two lenses: 17-40 and 70-200 F/4 IS. In many respects I found the 5d classic to be about perfect in every aspect except the constant dust bunnies and cleaning of the sensor. My upgrade to the mark 2 was to use the sensor clean mode which so far has worked brilliantly. For what I do the camera is fine and I have no issues with focus other than it being too sharp if you have in-camera sharpness turned on. My biggest issue is in grass. When I put an image up in Photoshop any highlight reflecting from grass looks as though it is pixelated from over sharpening until I bring the image up to fill the screen, and then it smoothes out. I get the same from waters reflections. From my experience the need to use a CPL filter with shots that have this kind of reflective light in them is essential (or could it be the enormous amount of mps this camera has and really doesn’t need. 18mps would have been ample and even 16.5 would have been about perfect in my view. I have all camera processing turned off as of now (not that I had any turned on in the first place apart from focus set at 2) and will be carrying out some further tests with this phenomenon. Is the camera worth the money? That depends of course. Whilst the Nikon D700 might perform better or not, Nikon do not have the range of lenses that Canon have, and the L series brand are up there with the likes of Carl Zeis and Leica in my view. You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes.

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Nick December 31st, 2011 at 12:04 am

One word. “Nikon” lover bashing Canon. A true photographer should love camera’s not the Brand.

I sense this in this blog only. I love my 5dii. It’s very sharp with my 24-70 and 70-200 IS II.

I’ll stick with my 5Dii, thanks. Also, there’s hundreds of users that says it’s good. How come you don’t post the users that say it’s good in your blog.

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Assistor January 2nd, 2012 at 11:36 am

This is laughable. Another militant Nikon fanboy who can’t handle Canon having come out with an imperfect camera that’s still better than his D700, which is an aging, pathetic thing at this point. I’m a full time assistant to commercial shooters and those that shoot with DSLRs (as opposed to using a MF digital setup) pretty much all use Canon, and a lot of them use the 5D MkII. You know how many times I’ve seen a focus or sharpness issue crop up during a shoot? None. Zero. Never. It’s got some problems, sure, but so does every camera. To claim that the 5D MkII is as bad as you have purported it to be is a clear demand to be admitted into the Nikon brandfag hall of fame. You have gone above and beyond to besmirch a quality product. You, sir, suck.

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Keith January 2nd, 2012 at 2:02 pm

Fully agree with the above poster. Only two cameras that I have owned have beaten it without a shadow of doubt, both film cameras: 1, the EOS 1, and 2, the Contax G2 with a fistful of CZ prime lenses.

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eric January 4th, 2012 at 2:17 am

Are we photographers, arguing about brands? Or bitter children of automation, whinging when our investments do not magically reward us with their prompt servitude…
Complaining about autofocus? With this advanced grade of camera? These are not point-and-shoots, folks.
Manual focusing, combined with an understanding of depth-of-field are all you need, to make pictures as sharp as you want. Nikon, Canon, Olympus…Holga…Polaroid, I don’t care, doesn’t matter. The camera isn’t the one taking the pics. No matter how much one spends, this remains an immutable truth.
Learn how to use your tools, your medium, and whatever brand you choose, then try to do something with it. The giant step then will be to say something with that: art, reportage, whatever. Do yourself the favor.

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5 aces down January 20th, 2012 at 12:06 am

I had random issues with focus on my 5D II. It was the same story with any of my ‘L’ lenses and I couldn’t find a pattern until l looked at the instruction manual.
In the menu C.FnIV, setting was at ‘1’ which means, when the back button AF-ON is pressed, it cancels the AF from the shutter button. Since my fat thumb is resting over the AF-ON button,I kept having out of focus images. Canon should think of moving that button.To make sure there won’t be other focus issues, I selected a setting ‘4’ in the C.FnIV menu whichdisable the AF-ON button.
I also used the micro adjustment in the camera menu for two of my lenses (50mm 1.4, 24-105mm 4.0)
and the focus is spot on.

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- 5 aces down January 21st, 2012 at 12:22 pm
  
  The settings in menu C.FnIV explained above are in group ‘1’ out of the 6 possible groups of settings.
  Hope this fixes some of the unexplained out of focus from your 5D II.
  
  Reply
mR. nONAC February 5th, 2012 at 5:10 pm

THIS BLOG IS FULL OF SHIT

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Go for a life June 13th, 2012 at 4:02 am

Love to see this kind of shitty posts over the time….”go for a D700″….hahahaha, poor frustrated fanboy, I will give you some statistics:

– 5D Mark II: About 9 million units sold.
– D700: Less than 1.8 million units sold.

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Jimmy July 30th, 2012 at 4:06 am

I come across this blog after searching for my soft image issue with new 5d2 that I bought from canon.com.

After tons of researching, i decided to go to 5d2 from Nikon D40 because of of the pro grade camera of the 5d2 and because of its currently low price.

I took multiple pictures of the same objects, kids at various time of the day, using same aperture settings. I use 35mm 1.8 on the nikon and 50mm 1.8 on the canon.

I expected the canon would out perform the cheap Nikon. It is 4 times more expensive. But almost all pictures (raw) when viewed from photoshop and compare side and side, I was disappointed that the Nikon produced sharper images.

Yes I know how to use both cameras and the settings and it has the latest firmware Since I do not own many lens, I can go with either brand that gives me a better and shaper images. For non pros, I just want to pick up the camera, apply minimum settings and shoot. At this point, either the 5d2 has an inherent problem or its autofocusing system is not good but I will have to return this beauty and look at a different camera. Mabe 7D or D7000…

I am not a canon or Nikon fanboy. Just a fan of sharp pictures. If you search for soft image issue of 5d2, you see there are lots of discussions about this. There is a reason why so many of the complains are out there.

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- Karel Donk August 1st, 2012 at 10:07 pm
  
  Get a 5D Mark III instead. It is MUCH better. Check my review.
  
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Peter John Desmond November 1st, 2012 at 5:03 pm

Agree with Karel on this , i have the 5dm11 the first body i sent back with issues regading soft images and guess what same with the second body , my 550d captures cleaner crisper images hand held then my 5dm11 can on a tripod , dissappointed much .i wish i never invested so much money in canon glass .

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Sally Sue June 11th, 2013 at 12:10 pm

I wish I had found this blog a long time ago. I did my homework and research on the 5DMII before purchasing it. I was already a Canon shooter and wanting to launch a business at the time I purchased my MII. This is the worst camera I’ve ever spent money on. I had to send the camera into Canon 4 times – 3 times of which something major had to be changed out (LCD screen, internal motherboard, etc). Worse than all the repairs is how Canon treated me. After the sending it in the 3rd time, I demanded a different camera stating how clearly this camera was a factory lemon. They didn’t care – telling me I had to just keep sending the camera back into them for repairs because it was still under warranty. How are you supposed to start a business if your camera is always in the shop for repairs?? I waited a long time and worked very hard to get the money for that camera (my prior camera was the 20D) – never did start my business. Still have the P.O.S. MII and have decided to sell all my Canon gear and switch to Nikon. I’m so disgusted with Canon.

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Alex B. July 21st, 2017 at 8:57 pm

I just found this “review” / complaint by pure coincidence and am truly aghast by what I’ve read.

I’ve owned a pair of 5D Mk II bodies since early 2009 and work as a professional commercial photojournalist and war photographer around the world documenting the effects of wars on women, mothers & children for various NGOs etc.

The 5D Mk II is without any doubt one of the best and most rugged digital cameras I have ever owned and used, and in some ways better or as good as the two 1D-X bodies I also happen to own. I used to shoot Leica M3 and M6 cameras for a living and instantly fell in love with the overall simplicity of the 5D Mk II when I transitioned to digital photography.

I have no idea why you fiddle about with micro focusing adjustments and all the other nonsense, because 5D Mk II bodies work perfectly well straight out of the box.

My two 5D Mk II bodies are currently on roughly 260’000 & 170’000 exposures and still going strong, after having been subjected to every imaginable environment from Antarctica to the Sahel desert. Focus is still fast and accurate, and images wonderfully crisp and clear when viewed on screen and printed at sizes up to A3.

Last but not least, blaming the 5D Mk II for one’s own inexperience is simply embarrassing, considering how many truly professional photographers have won the World Press Photo Awards using the trusty and reliable 5D Mk II…

https://www.worldpressphoto.org/search/images?search=Canon%20EOS%205D%20Mark%20II&title_selective%5B%5D=Canon%20EOS%205D%20Mark%20II

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- Karel Donk July 22nd, 2017 at 10:48 am
  
  The 5D Mark II is a piece of shit. I refer you to the following (read the full details by clicking here):
  
  Back when the 5D Mark II came out, I was one of the first persons, if not THE first, who pointed out that the autofocus system on that camera was too old and too inadequate for a camera like the 5D Mark II […] When I wrote that, the camera was just announced and not even shipping yet. However, I could already see what was going to happen when it got out and people would start using it. It’s interesting to read the comments again in all my posts about the 5D Mark II, and see how in the beginning I was vastly outnumbered by people who thought I was wrong. But as people started using the camera in the following months, the issues with the autofocus system and soft pictures became painfully evident to a constantly growing number of photographers. The autofocus system on the 5D Mark II became famously known as an “out of focus system,” and along with the 1D Mark III it became somewhat of a running joke in the industry that Canon cameras couldn’t focus. Photographers like Zack Arias and others would frequently make jokes about it in blog posts and during workshops. Even Vincent Laforet, who single handedly launched the video hype around the 5D Mark II with his short film Reverie, would later mention, albeit in a more diplomatic way, that the autofocus system on the camera was old and in desperate need of replacement. Other well known photographers who complained about the 5D Mark II AF system include Lise Gagne, Thom Hogan and Ryan Brenizer. Many photographers who upgraded from the first 5D to the 5D Mark II were disappointed and many of them switched to the Nikon D700. I have documented some of these cases here on my blog. Fake Chuck also reported many of them and some comments from other photographers can be seen here and here. Not surprisingly, the people who were complaining the most about the poor autofocus system and image quality issues on the 5D Mark II were professional photographers who demand a lot from their equipment.
  
  Reply

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