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thinking about a 5dMk2

kevinparis

Member
OK

been thinking of getting a full frame dslr... currently shoot a olympus 510 and a e-p1

have a groaning shelf of old manual lenses - Nikkors, Zuiko OM, Pentax, Contax and even a leica R... plus a 28-135 and 100-300 Canon EF

Original thought was a Nikon D700... then I was hoping that they would come up with a new version.

My question to you is what is the experience of using non-canon MF lenses on the 5D Mk2?

I know about the stop down metering... does metering work well with MF lenses

Do I need to buy adapters with AF confirm?... or like the D700 can i get focus confirm ( it does with Nikkors)

Any thoughts and input welcome

cheers
K
 
J

JohnW

Guest
I tried a Leica Summicron 50 on my 5D with a Haoda focus-confirm adapter. I wasn't taken with it. Maybe the lens performed a little better, but with Canon L glass, the trade-offs of no AF option and stop-down metering didn't seem worth it. I know some folks wouldn't have it any other way, but this is my experience.

If you had R glass already, it might make sense. Now we have Canon mount Zeiss lenses. If I were going manual focus, that's the route I'd take.
 

kevinparis

Member
john ... thanks for the response... but still slightly confused... As far as i understand on a nikon D700 with a old MF Nikkor lens I have the option to still get focus confirm in the viewfinder without any adaptors. I don't know if this works with non nikkor lenses.

My question is does the canon do the same... so if i add a zeiss with canon mount do i get af confirm?

K
 
J

JohnW

Guest
Yes, with a focus confirm adapter and a Leica lens, for example, a center spot lights up when in focus.

The Zeiss Canon mount lenses do the same, but they don't require an adapter. The also don't require stop-down metering because they integrate with the camera's metering system.
 

nostatic

New member
I can't speak to any legacy lenses, but I sold all my Pentax gear and got a 5D2. I went back and forth between that at D700 and in the end went for the body that felt better in my hands as well as what I thought would be a better bang/buck glass selection. Since buying the 5D2 w/24-105/4IS kit, I've added:

50/1.4 (relatively cheap but I'm not thrilled)
16-35/2.8L II (excellent and saved my butt on a shoot)
135/2L (sublime lens but I wish it had IS)
70-200/4L IS (amazing lens...seriously - worth buying a Canon body just for this)

Next going to add a 300/4L IS w/1.4 TC, and either 50/1.2L or 85/1.2L. I thought I would hate the Canon UI but I've gotten used to it and now like it. AF is brutally fast and accurate (I use single/center point), and the files are very nice, with iso3200 totally usable.

I think 16-35/2.8, 50/1.2, and 70-200/4IS covers a lot of ground and is relatively light and portable. Part of the reason that I haven't been happy with u4/3 files is being spoiled by the 5D2 output.
 

kevinparis

Member
thanks guys and gals for the responses

useful info... the decision now is do i really want a bigger heavier camera


K
 

nostatic

New member
You have to finish the question...."do I really want a bigger/heavier camera compared to..."

From a usability standpoint, I'm somewhat befuddled by mid-size cameras. A small p&s - no problem. I can fit that easily within my hand and, well, point and shoot. A 5D2 (which isn't huge) fits in my hand pretty well. The Pentax K20d that I had previously was right on the edge of being too small to fit in my hand (and the grip wasn't really deep enough for me). The K7 actually was too small, especially with a bigger lens.

This is highly an individual thing, but I think you have to consider what glass you'll use. I find any of the mirrorless cams (GF1, EP1) to be too small for most any zoom. They just don't carry/balance right to me. But it really depends on how you shoot as well.
 

kevinparis

Member
... compared to the olympus 510 i currently shoot. I am very happy with it - feels good in my hands - the controls work for me... and I am happy with the lenses i have. I can walk around all day with the 12-60 zoom.

The only real reason for considering a 5d or indeed a D700 is for higher ISO and the ability to use my legacy lenses at their intended focal length.

Will have to visit a store and pick up a 5d and see how it feels in the hand

cheers

K
 

ftbt

New member
I have a 5D2, a 7D and a D700. I do not use any Canon lenses with my Canon cameras. Here are the Zeiss lenses that I use: a C/Y 35-70/3.4 Vario Sonnar, a ZF 28/2.0 Distagon, and a ZF 100/2.8 Makro Planar, (the ZF's obviously do double duty on the D700.) I have 24-70/2.8 and a 80-200/2.8 that I use with the D700 (and I also use the 80-200 on the Canons ... and I would certainly like to get the adapter that would allow me to use the 24-70 on the Canons as well.)

I shoot both video and stills with the Canons. The Live View on the Canons is fantastic for focusing. I use Cameraquest adapters on all of my lenses used on the Canons. The C/Y and Nikon F adapters do not have AF confirm (and honestly using Canon's Live View you really don't need AF confirm). I find that focusing the ZF's on the Canons (using Live View) is actually quicker and easier than focusing the ZF's on the D700 (I am tempted to get a split screen focus screen on the D700 because I spend too much time concentrating on the green dot in the view finder.) Metering on the Canon with both the Zeiss and Nikon lenses works well.

I am extremely happy with the lenses on the Canons and I really don't mind MF at all. Just depends on what you shoot, your individual style, and the primary application for the camera (still vs. video).
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
...The only real reason for considering a 5d or indeed a D700 is for higher ISO and the ability to use my legacy lenses at their intended focal length.

Will have to visit a store and pick up a 5d and see how it feels in the hand
Kevin, in your situation, as well as making a trip to the store to see how the 5D feels, I would do the following:

* make a list of your legacy lenses
* systematically run a series of Google searches for "5d lensMaker focalLength aperture site:fredmiranda.com" and "5d lensMaker focalLength aperture site:forum.manualfocus.org".

(as in "5d olympus 55mm f1.2 site:fredmiranda.com" or "5d olympus 50mm f1.2 site:forum.manualfocus.org".

These searches will yield a bunch of results from the Alternative Gear and Lenses forum at FredMiranda.com and the Manual Focus Forum that will provide the kind of information you're looking for.

Frankly, for almost any legacy lens you could imagine, there's a strong possibility that someone is likely to have tried it on a Canon 5D (or 5D Mark II) and posted results/opinion in either (or both) of those forums.

I wouldn't bother searching for legacy lenses on the D700 (even though I have one) because as I understand it the Canon mount and register make it much easier to adapt legacy lenses for a Canon DSLR than any other make.
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I just got a 5DMkII and retired my 5D to a back up roll. I shoot both Leica R, C/Y Zeiss and Olympus Zuiko's with both bodies and have no problems. I do highly recommend the HappypageHK focus confirmation adapters.

I really like the 5DMkII as a refinement of the 5D if it just didn't have than Damn Video and a MLU button.
 

bradhusick

Active member
I use my 5DM2 exclusively as a video camera and it does a fantastic job. It's even easier to use and focus with one of these. EyeSpy Deluxe from RedRockMicro. The white wheel is called a "follow-focus" and links to the lens focus ring so you can twist to focus without moving the camera significantly. The loop device on the back is from HoodmanUSA.
 
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M

meilicke

Guest
135/2L (sublime lens but I wish it had IS)
GREAT CAMERA IDEA....
To hell with All your lenses
just get the 85 1.2 canon....Delicious !
Ah, the two of you... I am considering both of these lenses in FD mount for my G1. Well, the 135 wasn't made in an L version, but they do have it in nFD. I was hoping no one would tempt me by telling me how good these two are. :cry:

Sorry for going off topic!

-Scott
 
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