EOS 5D MKII for birding?

[arash_hazeghi]

I am getting a 5D MKII, I have a 40D that I use for my bird shots with 400 f/5.6L, I am getting the full frame for landscape and architecture work but I hear some people say its servo tracking performance is better than the XXD because of 6 invisible AF points. Have you guys ever tried this body for birding? Did you like it?

Thanks,
Arash

[beykirch]

Hi Arash,

my 5DII will arrive in a week or so, but I have used the 5D last year a lot with gulls, terns, puffins and cranes. The AF is usable for the big birds like cranes (>80% very sharp), but is not fast enough for terns and other birds of that size and speed (around 30% are really sharp). It is correct, that it is easier holding the bird in the focus area as with the x0D I have as well, but the six additional sensors don't add speed to the system.

Regards

Bernd

[Mike Tracy]

Since you already have a use for the MKII with landscapes and architecture utilize it in conjunction with the 40D. Have the 40D for BIF and the 5D for statics

[Robert Amoruso]

Arash,

I have the 5D Mark II. Canon chose, and unwisely I feel, to retain the original AF system in the Mark II. It is accurate, but rather slow. It will work well on BIF of larger species that are slow moving like a Great Blue Heron or Great Egret both of which I have done.

Though I bought it for scenics and landscape, I am using it a lot at Gatorland's avian rookery on my 600mm lens. With the full frame and not crop factor it proves to be a good combo to get tight images that are not too tight (i.e. clipping body parts due to a 1.5x crop factor) and since most of the birds are reasonably static, works great. BIF on the slower species just fine. However, for the BIF I am using a 50D with a 1.4x TD + 70-200mm f/4 IS handheld when there.

I would not judge the tracking to be better then a xxD series (40D or 50D) as I can track birds even with a foliage BG and still stay on the bird with my 50D. I think what some people may experience is that the slowness of the 5D does not let it lose focus as fast as say my 1D Mark III.

I see the posts on photo.net, fredmiranda.com and flickr on this and understand the confusion. The 40D and 50D have invisible assist points too. My take on this is the 40D and 50D tracking is more sensitive then the 5D and this may cause the "more keeper issue" mentioned in these forums.

I hope this helps.

[Alfred Forns]

Arash The only real answer is to try one and see for yourself !!!! No substitute !!! I'm sure you will run into someone in the field that has one !!

[Roger Clark]

Arash,
I recently returned from Tanzania where I took my 1D Mark II and 5D Mark II. I initially was using the 1DII on my 500 f/4 and 5DII on shorter lenses for scenics and large close animals. Occasionally I would switch the two cameras. The 5DII has pixel pitch the same as a 20D and 30D, so one still has the "reach" of those cameras if one wants to crop. After about 3 days into the trip and reviewing my images, I found I had much sharper images and a slightly higher keeper ratio (meaning extremely sharp focus) with the 5DII. For me this ratio is around 90%, but degrades as the speed of the subject increases. As the speed increases I experienced the 1DII gets close but not quite good enough focus. The 5DII either nailed it with an astoundingly sharp image or completely lost it. But for the subjects I was shooting, the 5DII was the clear winner for me. So after 3 days I shot mostly with the 5DII, only going through about three 4-GB cards on the 1DII for the rest of the trip. I did have to resort to anticipating the action more and rely less on high frame rate. This did result in failure to capture several small birds in flight at takeoff. But the advantage of the large sensor is that I knew I could crop to 8 megapixels to get to 20D/30D class images and have the space for those shots when the wings are fully open and not have to worry about fitting in the frame. So the 1DII for will be for the really small fast birds and the 5DII for everything else. (Now hoping for a 1D Mark IV with 20+ megapixels at 10 frames/sec.) :)

I should add the for moving subjects I use Av, AI servo, and a single focus point. I move the focus point around to keep a focus point on the eye of the subject and giving the composition I want. That way I do not have to set focus and reframe at any time.

I only have a few images up from the trip, at (some have commented about how cool it is when you can say things like "cropped to 14 megapixels"):
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries...009/index.html

[Roger Clark]

[quote=rnclark;220947]
I should add the for moving subjects I use Av, AI servo, and a single focus point. /quote]

I should amend the Av part. I use manual a lot, perhaps 30% or more, especially in tricky lighting.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks guys, my impression was that the AF is similar to the 20D which was good enough for egrets and herons but not fast enough for terns or northern harriers. So the assist points aren't a big deal. I wish there was a 1D series AF and shorter shutter lag in this camera but I guess everything is a compromise.
Al, if I may ask, I saw Fabs putting some of your really nice Nikon gear up in the classified, are you switching back to Canon? Did not like Nikon stuff? I was also considering getting a D700 for AF but I figured I didn't have Nikon lenses and they don't make any good tele under $ 4-5K. I really like my 400 f/5.6.

[arash_hazeghi]

Arash,
I recently returned from Tanzania where I took my 1D Mark II and 5D Mark II. I initially was using the 1DII on my 500 f/4 and 5DII on shorter lenses for scenics and large close animals. Occasionally I would switch the two cameras. The 5DII has pixel pitch the same as a 20D and 30D, so one still has the "reach" of those cameras if one wants to crop. After about 3 days into the trip and reviewing my images, I found I had much sharper images and a slightly higher keeper ratio (meaning extremely sharp focus) with the 5DII. For me this ratio is around 90%, but degrades as the speed of the subject increases. As the speed increases I experienced the 1DII gets close but not quite good enough focus. The 5DII either nailed it with an astoundingly sharp image or completely lost it. But for the subjects I was shooting, the 5DII was the clear winner for me. So after 3 days I shot mostly with the 5DII, only going through about three 4-GB cards on the 1DII for the rest of the trip. I did have to resort to anticipating the action more and rely less on high frame rate. This did result in failure to capture several small birds in flight at takeoff. But the advantage of the large sensor is that I knew I could crop to 8 megapixels to get to 20D/30D class images and have the space for those shots when the wings are fully open and not have to worry about fitting in the frame. So the 1DII for will be for the really small fast birds and the 5DII for everything else. (Now hoping for a 1D Mark IV with 20+ megapixels at 10 frames/sec.) :)

I should add the for moving subjects I use Av, AI servo, and a single focus point. I move the focus point around to keep a focus point on the eye of the subject and giving the composition I want. That way I do not have to set focus and reframe at any time.

I only have a few images up from the trip, at (some have commented about how cool it is when you can say things like "cropped to 14 megapixels"):
http://www.clarkvision.com/galleries...009/index.html

That is actually good news, with 40D AF is fast but not very accurate, I sometimes get only 2-3 shot in sharp foucs out of 10-15 burst, I get very excited in the field thinking that I got the shot, but when I go home and view them on my PC...meh :( I'd rather the camera not take blurry pictures at all :D

[arash_hazeghi]

One more possibility with 5DII is video! I found this guy's work online he has been videoing birds, footages are awesome! :) of course stationary birds but looks like documentary quality.
http://exposureroom.com/members/RomyOcon.aspx/videos/