Canon 5d Mark ii Advice

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Hello All,

My friend is looking to buy a Canon 5d mark ii to photograph jobs his company has done. The company is cabinetry/joinery company, so will be shooting a fair amount of interior shots. He also want to film video case studies of his projects. He has a budget of £2,000.00, I would be very grateful of some experienced advice on which lens to go for?

Thanks
 
Does he want to do product shots then? Buying new or second hand? The camera is more than fine for this sort of photography, yet a flash is usually used for indoor shots to get rid of shadows on product shots. Lens depends on if you want to blur our shots with bokeh to make them stylish and artistic, or if you want the entire product fully in focus.

Personally I'd probably go for a second hand 5D mk ii, 17-40 F4L lens and a yongnuo/nissin flashgun
 
James J, thank you for your reply. The majority of the shots he will be taking will need to be, as you described, stylish and artistic but will be dealing with low lighting a lot of the time. He may need to take the odd product shot but not too many. He'll be doing a fair amount of film with the camera also. Thanks for your help.
 
The EF 24-105 F4L is the "default" standard lens for the 5D II. It has good range, is relatively light and by all accounts a good all round performer. It's not without faults, but makes for a good pairing.

The EF 24-70 F2.8 is another alternative - while you loose IS and some length you gain a stop of aperture. Again while this lens is not perfect it's still a great performer.

The 17-40 F4 is also a viable contender - It gives a wider bottom end, which can be useful for larger subjects at close range.

On my 5D (1 and 2) I prefer the 24-105 - it's a personal thing as find it just a bit more flexible (and a bit lighter). Although there is difinite room in my bag for both of the the others!

Budget wise you could probably grab a used 5DII (or even a new body and used lens) and either the 24-105 or 17-40 for your budget. 24-70 seems to be a rarer beast on the used market and might go slightly over.

In terms of quality all 3 will deliver sharp images, but I think you should try them to make sure they have the right range.
 
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I would probably throw in 1 50mm 1.8 very cheap and good for low light and blur too. Just my two pennies worth.
 
If he wants to film, the 5d mark ii plus a 24 - 105mm L will be ideal as it has IS which is pretty helpful when filming.
 
If he wants to film, the 5d mark ii plus a 24 - 105mm L will be ideal as it has IS which is pretty helpful when filming.

On a budget of £2k? A 5D+that lens blows £2k and that's before buying a flash and possibly a tripod if required.

Personally I think that many of the suggestions here may possibly be overkill but I suppose it depends on what size file / vid and quality print is required.

Maybe the starting point should be...

What are you going to do with the shots and vids? Going to produce prints? ie. Web site posting? brochure? Large poster in the showroom?

What you want to do with the shots may influence what kit you use and how much you spend.
 
On a budget of £2k? A 5D+that lens blows £2k and that's before buying a flash and possibly a tripod if required.

Personally I think that many of the suggestions here may possibly be overkill but I suppose it depends on what size file / vid and quality print is required.

Maybe the starting point should be...

What are you going to do with the shots and vids? Going to produce prints? ie. Web site posting? brochure? Large poster in the showroom?

What you want to do with the shots may influence what kit you use and how much you spend.

Fair point, 7D or 650D with 24 -105 would leave plenty for other bits and pieces.
 
Another point to consider is that a 7d can control multiple flashlights wirelessly without the need for an additional transmitter which the 5d would need.
 
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