I am going to be picking up the Canon 5d mk2 in the future and I had a couple of questions I need help with:

•Should I buy the body alone ($2,500) or buy the body with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens ($3,300) (im thinking body with lens)

•What lenses would you recommend for this camera. (I will already have the canon 50mm and I guess I will have the 24-105) im looking to purchase 2 additional lenses. 1 wide angle and 1 zoom.

•The 24-105 would be a good lens to use in-between the wide angle and zoom lens right?

This is what I’m thinking of getting:
Please advise if you would recommend getting anything in addition with these items.
•EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera Kit with Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens

•Wide Angle: need recommendation: I was thinking of Zoom Super Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Autofocus Lens

•Zoom Lens: im thinking of picking up the Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus Lens again. (I had it before but returned it because my camera body was wack and I wasn’t ready for a new body)

So basically my backpack would look like this.
5d mark II
Canon rebel xti (backup)
16-35 wide angle
24-105 lens
70-200 zoom
Fixed 50mm


Anything you guys would substitute?
Please give honest opinions.

Thanks.

 

What do you shoot? Which 50mm is that in your bag now?

 

F 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens


i like shooting everything.
scenery, landscapes, portraits, sports events, lot of night shots, architecture, EVERYTHING.
not getting into macro yet.

 

Well, I guess that explains your desire to cover everything off the jump! The 24-105mm will have a surprisingly wide field of view on the 5D2 if you are coming from a crop. I would suggest holding off on the 16-35mm until you've determined it as a need. It's an amazing lens -- just trying to save you some money if you decide that the 24-105mm does what you need.

You can't go wrong with the 70-200, as you said you actually owned it before. I'd caution you against the weight, but you're likely well aware.

Seems like you've got your bases covered. Your checking account is taking quite a hit but you should enjoy that kit for many, many years.

 

im going to take your advice and hold off on the wide angle.
i figure its more economical in the long run to get the right things off the bat then buy, sell and upgrade constantly.

 

While the 24-105 is a very nice lens, I can't help but notice you mention "lots of night shots", so thought it was work bringing up whether or not the 4.0 will be fast enough.

 

Crank it up to H1 for ISO; it'll be ok

 

Maybe you want to consider either the 7D or the 1d??? You obviously have the money, my choice would be the other two. If you want the greatest all rounder, the 5Dii isn't it.

 

What's wrong with the 5D2? The 7D is a bit cheaper, but suggesting a 1D at 2x the price is pretty bold.

 

There are a lot of things I didn't like with the 5D2. While it's just my personal opinion, I hate the AF system, hated it's lack of weather anything, and those two alone killed the camera off my list. For the money, a 7D and a 5D classic is a much better purchase. A 1D3 could be had for close to a 5D2. the 5D2 is a great camera if you are planning on using it indoors or on a tripod. Other than that, it's a bit too limiting. Great landscape camera though.