I’ve gotten the pleasure of using this camera for a month now and can say that I’ve finally fallen in love with it! It did take a few weeks to get the hang of it since it is a bit different than the original 5d (and any camera has a learning curve to really get it right.)

Other than that the camera is amazing. The clarity is even better than the old 5d, noise is a non-issue through ISO 6400 (and I shot at ISO 25,600 a while ago at a birthday party and it was totally useable up to about an 8×10 size – not bad considering the only light in the room was from birthday cake candles!) The AF even seems to have improved from the old 5d, even though they didn’t update that specifically. My 1dMarkIII still beats the 5dii in AF, but it should – it’s designed for sports as much as portraits. The 5dii is designed for portraits, wedding and landscapes and I can honestly say it does that very well.

My “old” 5d is going into the camera bag to hang out for a bit. During weddings I shoot with 2 cameras, so it will be nice to have the 5d to give my assistant when she needs it.

So yes, the 5d markII rocks in every way! I’m thrilled! That said, anyone looking to upgrade should be warned that a body like this needs good glass first and foremost. And really, invest in glass before bodies – you’ll have your glass for decades if you take care of it not to mention it will make even a consumer DSLR body look good. Bodies only last a few years before the technology gets outdated and they begin to need work. But if you have your L glass (primes are my favorites – yummy!) then I highly recommend the 5d MarkII.

Check this out… This is what makes a 21mp camera worth it! This is a picture of Teagan, taken yesterday:
(This is sooc crop with only a few quick color adjustments in LightRoom.)

And this is a 100% crop of it (meaning I took a tiny little section of the above picure at actual pixel size)

Wow! I could easily print the 100% crop at a 5×7 and get an amazing image from it. Plus, the clarity is amazing at 100%. It’s a full length image and I’m getting clarity that I normally only see in close-ups at 100%! I’m digging that, for sure!

I know some of my clients are equipment junkies (like I am) but for those of you who aren’t, you are probably wondering what this means for you. Bigger, better images. It’s as simple as that (and the reason behind any equipment upgrade.)

I have to admit, since I got the “new” 5d markII, my “old” 5d has been sitting sadly in it’s bag. I do feel bad for it – after all, it was there with me through the start of my business and has never let me down. But the features on the 5dii are so nice, that I just haven’t felt compelled to pick up the 5d. But then I come across pictures like this (this one was taken in December 2008) and I remember why I love it…

I took this image with the 5d, 135L combo. What is it about full frame that just makes the image so dreamy? Yumm… So while my 5dii is my camera of choice atm (and I promise – reviews coming soon!) I can’t forget how amazing the 5d is.