5D II Errors

[DLS]

Hi all,


Am in the market for a 5D II and have been reading up on various error messages that "seem" common. Particularly "Err30" and "Err20". Got me a bit worried. How concerned should I be about purchasing the 5D II given these problems? Were the problems related to firmware editions mostly? Comments, guidance? Thanks a bunch.


Damian

[Daniel Browning]

I don

[Trowski]

I love my 5DII. The image quality is outstanding, which I'm sure you've read here and in other forums. I've never had any problems with it. Those problems may "seem" common, since it iscommon for people to complain when they do have a problem and say nothing when everything is going well. What's sad is people who don't even own the camera then become convinced that most or all of them have some problem. Seems like this happens with just about any popular product, from cameras to phones.


That being said, it does seem like some of the first 5DIIs Canon made had some issues (which probably weren't common or widespread), but they seem to have been straightened out. Besides, if you buy one and it does have something wrong with it, any reputable dealer will immediately exchange it.



What you *really* need to worry about is infectious disease -- the 5D2 is known to cause L fever. /emoticons/emotion-2.gif


This would probably be your biggest concern with the 5DII. I was starting to come down L fever when I got the 7D, and I caught a bad case after the 5DII... and as far as I know there isn't a cure.


- Aaron

[wickerprints]

The only cure to L fever is to succumb to it.

[neuroanatomist]

L-fever seems most closely analogous to cancer - once you own every lens with a red ring, you have what oncologists call 'stable disease'. Release of a new L lens results in an immediate relapse.


Back on topic, personally I had never even heard of this 'common problem' before reading this thread, and certainly have not experienced it since getting my 5DII.

[wickerprints]

Yes, and treating it costs about as much :P But on the plus side, treatment is really, REALLY FUN.

[HDNitehawk]

I have had my first 5D Mark II since March of 09. My second early this year. I have never experinced those errors.


The only problem I have had is while doing a long session in live view, the mirror lock broke. It was still in warranty and canon fixed it no problem. When I was sending it in I was told (not by canon but the sales rep from the store I bought the camera) alot of people were having problems with the 5D Mark II around 50K - 60K actuations. I have not experinced this at all and would buy the 5D Mark II again.

[Joel Bookhammer]

On the same topic of the 5D II, I have also been considering purchasing either it or the 1D IV. My question isnt regarding errors or L disease (which I have already contracted and relapsed...acouple of times). But to any 5D II owners, do you ever feel limited by the autofocus speed/accuracy? I mainly shoot weddings/seniors, but enjoy all sorts of photography. And with my nephew just starting to run (he has seemed to skip the walking stage) I want to be sure I dont miss the shot due to AF.


Thanks


Joel

[HDNitehawk]

Not limited by the AF but limited by the shutter rate.


Occasionaly shooting somthing very intense limited by the annoying "busy" while the processor tries to catch up.

[neuroanatomist]

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But to any 5D II owners, do you ever feel limited by the autofocus speed/accuracy? ...with my nephew just starting to run (he has seemed to skip the walking stage) I want to be sure I dont miss the shot due to AF.





Accuracy is fine, speed of One Shot AF is excellent. AI Servo is less effective, IMO. Still and slow subjects are fine with the 5DII, in my experience. Seems like Canon intends it as a studio/landscape camera, not an action camera (else they would have updated the AF from the original 5D!). Moving subjects were a concern of mine as well, and I have found that my 5DII does sometimes have trouble keeping up with my daughter (nearly 3) running towards me in AI Servo mode - shots that my 7D will nail (and nail even with the thin DoF of an 85L wide open). I wouldn't expect a high keeper rate with birds in flight using the 5DII. For cross-scene motion, the 5DII does ok, with the caveat that the AF point spread across the field is not great (the 7D's AF sensor provides a bit more coverage).
</div>


The lower frame rate is another obvious difference. Less obvious but still noticeable are the longer shutter lag and VF blackout on the 5DII, compared to the 7D or even xxD bodies. The 5DII is faster at those than a Rebel, if that's any consolation. As I said, the 5DII is not the best camera for action, IMO - but it can work if you know and work around the limitations.

[Joel Bookhammer]

Thanks neuroanatomist.


Im wanting to upgrade due to my backup camera dieing as well as being limited at times by my 40D, not with the image quality (at low iso

[DLS]

Thanks a lot to all of you. Trowski - yeh, it is common for people to complain when they have a problem. As for L-fever......can

[cfnz]

5D III rumours have dried up, so probably not soon.

[neuroanatomist]

Another reaon I havent went with the 5D II is if it is geared towards studio work why is the flash sync only 1/200 when my 40D is 1/250 and the 1D series is 1/300? Now for some that might not seem like an issue by I use on/off camera speedlights alot.


Well, the 1D series goes to 1/300 s, but the 1Ds series (FF like the 5DII) is a little lower, at 1/250 s like your 40D and my 7D. Since the 1Ds III is slower than the 1D IV, I'd guess that results from the speed at which the shutter curtain can cover the distance (bigger sensor = more time needed). Since the non-1-series bodies don't get the absolute fastest shutter curtains, the crop bodies are one increment slower than the 1D and the 5DII is one increment slower than the 1Ds. But that's just my guess on the reasons...


From a practical standpoint, does hi-speed sync just not provide sufficient flash power for you?

[Joel Bookhammer]

To be honest I really havent messed around with the hi-speed sync. The couple of times that I did the results were not consistant enough for myself to rely on it. Maybe I should go and re-explore hi-speed sync.


Thanks


Joel

[DLS]

Another Q regarding extended warranty: Did any of you consider purchasing an (retailer) extended warranty when you bought your 5D II (or any other for that matter?) Just trying to see if its worth the few hundred. Or is the one yr Canon warranty sufficient....flip-flopping....

[DavidEccleston]

Did any of you consider purchasing an (retailer) extended warranty when you bought your 5D II (or any other for that matter?) Just trying to see if its worth the few hundred. Or is the one yr Canon warranty sufficient....flip-flopping....


I don't go for those, no. They wouldn't offer them if they weren't making money. For every $1000 they take in, maybe they'll have to pay out $100. If you buy these warranties on all your electronics, you'll lose. If you buy it on high-priced items only, you do have the potentially to be saved a costly repair. The exception to this rule was early XBox 360s. They just plain died, often.


If you buy enough electronics with these warranties, and one item does actually break, you're covered, great. Except for the average electronic item, you'll have paid more for all the warranties put together than you'll claim on fixes/replacements.


But the 5DmkII is more expensive, and potentially more expensive to fix. Lets says the average 5D repair is $500, and the warranty is $200. Most people will never make a claim, so the insurance company will make money. If *you* make a claim, you're going to save $300. If you don't make a claim, you're out $200. But, do you get the warranty on your L lenses too? If you have 3 lenses with $100 warranties, you'll have already pre-paid $500 towards repairs. In this case you'll need to make multiple claims to be ahead. What are the odds of you needing multiple repairs between year 1 and year 4 (or whatever the extended warranty period is)? The more you're considering insuring, the less worth it it will become.


If you'd rather not take the risk, then you have another option too. The retailer's insurance covers what? How much of that is already covered by your home insurance?If it doesn't cover much, you can consider getting the extra coverage added to your home insurance. Theft or fire is generally already covered by your home insurance. You can have them insured against whatever else you want (whatever you're willing to pay for), such as accidental damage. Dropped your camera and lens into the lake? Your entire backpack off a cliff? That's potentially covered... but will likely increase your future premiums.

[Daniel Browning]

Great post, David; my sentiments exactly. If you do get an extended warranty, check the reviews of people who have actually utilized it. The one sold by N.E.W. seems to be reputable (and covers accidental damage). Whatever you do, you should also get insurance for theft -- a rider on your homeowners insurance should be pretty cheap (at least until after you use it once).

[Trowski]

I have all my camera gear on my homeowner

[DLS]

Thanks guys a lot for your guidance. You

[Trowski]

Going to get any lenses with it? The double back deals would be hard to pass up. There's at least 2 lenses I'd get if I could! [:)] Plus don't forget the printer rebates. After rebate the Pixma Pro9000 Mark II is (or almost) free. It's the printer I have, and I love it.

[DLS]

Well, the 24-105 comes with it if one buys the kit and for my shooting the 24-105 will be a great fit. Down the road as my skills and particular photographic interests evolve I may revise my lens choice but I

[DLS]

BTW everyone, how do I copy what someone else has commented on and put into my post for reference??

[Trowski]

By the way, what are two lenses you would get Trowski? I think if I had the extra money, I'd go 24-70, 70-200 IS II...


I personally would get the TS-E 24mm f/3.5L Tilt-Shift lens, just because I would love to play with that thing. I've been tossing around the idea of buying it, but I'm not sure I can justify the price for how often I'd use it. Then again maybe I'd find myself using it all the time... ugh, decisions...


For the second, I would consider getting the 14mm f/2.8L, 85mm f/1.2L, or MT-24EX macro flash. But that's what I would want, since I have some of the other lenses on the rebate list.


I don't know what lenses you have already, but with the 5DII and 24-105mm f/4L I'd recommend the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II if you could afford it ($400 off is a spectacular deal!), otherwise the 70-200mm f/4L IS is very similar in image quality, mostly you're just losing a stop of aperture. The 16-35mm f/2.8L would fill in your ultra-wide angle well, and it's a great lens. If you're into macro, I love the 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens. You might also want to consider an external flash if you don't have one, since the 5DII doesn't have a flash at all.



And I haven't even really thought about printers....I have a Canon Pixma IP8500. Haven't used it in a while. I like it for small prints for family and such. I get larger prints done externally.


The prints from my Pixma Pro9000 II are amazing. The prints look as good or better than most normal prints I would get from a photo lab. 95% of the time I'm just printing smaller prints as well, but it's great to have the ability to print larger prints. Just thought since it would be so cheap with the camera you might be interested. I'd recommend getting it since you have the chance.



BTW everyone, how do I copy what someone else has commented on and put into my post for reference??


If you click reply below a post, it opens up the little box where you can type. If you then click on "Use rich formatting" it brings you to a page where you can click on a Quote link above the text box that will add the text of the previous reply with quote tags around it. Often I edit that, adding other quote tags where I want them, and deleting irrelevant parts of the post. Sometimes I also just open the post in a new tab and copy and paste the parts I want, especially when quoting multiple people or posts, as I had to do here.

[DLS]

I don't know what lenses you have already, but with the 5DII and 24-105mm f/4L I'd recommend the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II if you could afford it ($400 off is a spectacular deal!), otherwise the 70-200mm f/4L IS is very similar in image quality, mostly you're just losing a stop of aperture. The 16-35mm f/2.8L would fill in your ultra-wide angle well, and it's a great lens. If you're into macro, I love the 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens.


You might also want to consider an external flash if you don't have one, since the 5DII doesn't have a flash at all.





Thanks! I have the old EX430 so I'm good for a flash - my old camera I only used the pop-up in emergency situations.


I was looking at the 70-200mm f/4 L IS a couple of days ago...more within my price range for now





Another topic: What CF cards have you/do you prefer. I suppose it depends how often you exceed the buffer but I'm just curious.


Damian

[Trowski]

The 70-200mm f/4L IS would be a perfect complement to the 24-105mm f/4L. Now you just need to talk the misses into it. [:)]


I

[DavidEccleston]

Often I edit that, adding other quote tags where I want them, and deleting irrelevant parts of the post.


If you select text, then hit quote, it will make a quote of that part of the text, so no editing is required.

[DLS]

The 70-200mm f/4L IS would be a perfect complement to the 24-105mm f/4L. Now you just need to talk the misses into it. /emoticons/emotion-1.gif



Ha ha, she already suggested that this be the last major "camera gear" purchase until next year (hee hee, thats only 7 weeks away)


Been reading a lot on CF cards: It seems the real advantages of the fast cards really only come into play ifyour bursts are significantly longer than what your buffer can hold (I think the 5D II's buffer holds 8 RAW shots).


Cheers


Damian

[neuroanatomist]

I think the 5D II's buffer holds 8 RAW shots


A little more than that - the spec is 8 shots of RAW+JPG, but 13-14 with just RAW (personally I get ~15 at full frame rate before it slows down). Fast cards also allow you to transfer your images to the computer much faster.

[DLS]

Thanks Neuro (John, right?). I was just quoting what I