frederdane Loc: Orlando, FL

Better yet, go to amazon.com and, after reading the extensive and detailed narrative on the camera's features, you will see that it has been reviewed fifty-seven times as of a few minutes ago:

Here's a summary of the results:

43=5 stars
4=4 "
4=3 "
2=2 "
4=1 "

I have nothing against cowboys (see my hat?), but are you sure you need this pricey guy?

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

I have the 50D and love it. Do you NEED the 5D? Since you are asking, probably not. After you master taking pictures with your 50D, it will be an easy decision. However, very few get to this point. They think just one more thousand dollars is gonna make my mediocre pictures pop! Not true; they just become expensive mediocre pictures. Renting before you buy is a very good option. Good luck with your decision.

DougW Loc: SoCal

UhnHo. There's that " need " word again. :-(

allen finley photography Loc: Sunshine State.

Forewarning on the 5d markII. This is a full frame camera and only will accept EF lenses. So you will have to buy new lenses as well. My advice is to buy a 7D. It has a better focusing system and dual digic 4 chips for great noise control, flash commander, and uses EF-S lenses as well as EF. Yes, the 7D is used by professionals.

jekbeck60

HA ha ignore this post - I just realised my mistake - guess I wasn't fully awake

jimberton Loc: Michigan's Upper Peninsula

100% true on every point. same with a piano or a guitar....buying a more expensive instrument doesn't make you a better musician.

renting is the way to go. i rented the 5dmk3 for 3 days. it's nice but not worth the extra bucks. not to me anyway.

i take awesome pics with my 7d and it's my favorite. i am selling my 5d. i will rent the 1dmk10 when it's available to test it. i like the idea of the ultra high iso. my 7d is great to 1600 and some 3200. my 5d was great to 3200 and some 6400....i would like to see iso10,000 and a good photo. that's what will make me buy another camera body.....not whether it is full frame or crop sensor. for me, it's all about the iso. i have a friend that has the 1d and he shoots iso8000 all the time and his shots are awesome. he can shoot anywhere.

i haven't mastered my 7d yet..but i practice every day of the week. learning about lighting is everything

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

For sports photography, the 7D is better. Both because of low light focus, but I think the frame rate is better overall.
but if you aren't a sports photographer, the 5D is very, very impressive.

Creakj

In order to buy this camera, I need to sell my Canon 50D. Anyone interested, make offer. it is for body only, excellent shape....no scratches to body etc.

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

i would go for the 7d after that go for the 5d 111
you can buy the 5d 11 on canon site for 1450 now just need to trade in any old canon

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Yeah!

I'd be all over that MK II!! 1407.00???
They are more expensive used!!!!

Just trade in a broken canon point and shoot.

Photogdog Loc: New Kensington, PA

Creakj,

This is like deja vu all over again. Believe it or not, I have both of these cameras. I had intended trading in my 50D on the 5D MK II, but I had some lenses for the crop sensor on the 50D that won't fit on the 5D MK II. The reason I wanted the 5D was the for the full frame sensor. Getting the 1.6X crop factor is nice at the telephoto end because you get more reach. However, you're kind of screwed on the other end with wide angles, e.g a 24mm becomes a 38mm on the 50D. I started doing a lot more with wide angle & wanted to get the full effect.

The learning curve is pretty short. Once you've adapted to the 50D, upgrading to the 5D MK II is a snap. There's obviously more controls, but they're fairly intuitive. Where you're going to the feel the pinch is when you realize that you just can't live without that L (as in Luxury) glass, but it's well worth it.

One last point; grab a MK II now while you can. With the MK III already on the shelves, I'm not sure how much longer Canon will keep producing the MK II. For ~$1,300.00 more, I'm not really sure if the MK III is worth it.

PD