Canon EOS 5D Mark II

94

"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Canon EOS 450D

48

Runner-up

Canon EOS 450D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 450D

Size
Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Sensor cleaning
Self cleaning sensor
Avoids dust in your photos
Thickness
Thin
2.4"
Weight
Light-weight
524 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 450D

Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
Around 30% more lenses available
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
Around 40% smaller
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 160 ms vs 206 ms
Help
More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 3"
Help
Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 524 g vs 850 g
Help
Around 40% lighter
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Lowest price Cheaper $803.48 vs $2,330.54
Help
The best price we've seen is $1,527 cheaper (2.9x less)
Canon EOS 450D Learn more about
the Canon 450D

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 692 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the 450D
Overall image quality Much better image quality 79.0 vs 61.0
Help
Around 30% better image quality
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 21.9 bits
Help
Distinguishes 1.8 more bits of color
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 10.8 EV
Help
1.1 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
4x higher resolution screen
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.54x
Help
Around 80% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.2x14.8mm
Help
More than 2.5x larger sensor
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
Capture more than 70% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 500 shots
Help
70% more shots per battery charge
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs None
Help
Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
2x faster max shutter speed
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 3.9 fps vs 3.5 fps
Help
More than 10% faster continuous shooting
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 450D Canon EOS 450D
48 vs 94
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 450D
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II
CanonEOS 5D Mark II
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
5
4
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
1
5
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
1
6
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
1
6
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
1
4
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
1
5
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
450D:3.5 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens

Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Canon EOS 550D

Canon EOS 550D

Entry-level DSLR

$652 - $888 body only

$778 - $932 with 18-55mm lens

Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$860 - $1,035 body only

$922 - $1,099 with 18-55mm lens

Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker

Canon EOS 450D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$484 - $648 body only

$570 - $659 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Screen size Much smaller screen
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Canon EOS 500D

Canon EOS 500D

Entry-level DSLR

$599 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Battery life Slightly shorter battery life
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens

Movie format Shoots movies
Overall image quality Better image quality
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Canon EOS 1000D

Canon EOS 1000D

Entry-level DSLR

$474 body only

$561 with 18-55mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen size Much smaller screen
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Canon EOS 400D

Canon EOS 400D

Entry-level DSLR

$559 body only

$150 with 18-55mm lens

Color depth Better color depth
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only

Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Focus points Many more focus points
Movie format Does not take movies
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only

Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality

appearance

Canon EOS 450D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 450D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 450D Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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