Finally, a Canon Digital SLR that will end the vicious and expensive upgrade cycle that I’ve been doing for years. As a long time Canon shooter the Canon 5d Mark II is the digital camera I’ve been waiting for. Honestly, every time I bought a Canon digital camera, I knew, before I bought it, that I would have to update it in either one or two model releases. Why? Because the Canon digital cameras I could afford simply didn’t have the features I needed (not to bring up the olden days, but this was rarely a problem with film cameras).
Reason #1: Price, Price, Price
Canon says they are going to release the Canon 5D Mark II at a significant discount to the original. Right now it is priced about $600 less for a camera that simply blows away the original. If you are wondering what the current prices on 5D Mark II, check them here. I use and recommend Adorama and B&H Photo (Price Check Adorama; Price Check B&H Photo). The price point on the 5D Mark II is simply unseen and unbeatable.
Reason #2: A Full Frame Canon Digital Sensor
It is hard to explain to somebody who has never used a slr camera with a full frame sensor why this is such a big deal. Do this. Take a picture with any 28mm or 24mm lens (or wider) on a full frame sensor and then a camera with a one with “a multiplier” (smaller sensor), such as a 20D, 30d, 40D, Rebel, and you will see why. I can’t tell you how much creativity I have lost out of my wider L-Series Pro zooms by not having a full frame sensor. Lenses that I paid thousands of dollars for never look like they are supposed to. Bring on the full-frame sensor of the Canon 5D Mark II and give me back my creativity!
Reason #3: An Incredible 21.1 Megapixels CMOS Digic Sensor
Let me tell you what a 21.1 Megapixel sensor means. I print large images to wide format printers. In the past, I was always worried about not having enough pixels to make high quality enlargement with the resolution and tonality my customers expect. I have a 44″ printer that makes beautiful prints. Granted, just having 21.1 mp doesn’t mean I’ll never have to upres and worry about filesizes, but it really passes a critical threshold that other Canon cameras didn’t. Again, at the price point of the Canon 5D Mark II (current B&H Price; current Adorama price), it will be hard to justify not feeding my wide format printer 21.1 mp files.
Reason #4: HD Video Capture
Ten years ago most of us would have thought this was a gimmick. A digital SLR camera with a HD video camera built in. I’m not ready to put it in the “must have feature” column, but I will say that is is an incredibly versitile and welcome addition to the camera. With many professionals, and even amatures and homeowners, packaging most of their work for the web, being able to shoot video on demand is just a great feature. I won’t have to carry (or buy) a video camera and I’ll have a wide variety of perfect optics to shoot video through. Who hasn’t wanted to grab some video while they were shooting?
Reason #5: ISO Range 100-6400
The expanded ISO range is a welcome addition to the Canon lineup. You can even set ISO of 50, 12800, 25600 using custom functions. No longer are we forced into a narrow range of ISO settings. And while I probably won’t be making many 44″ fine art prints with files shot at 25600 speed, it would be nice to have for those doing night and surveillence work. More practically, Canon most likely reduced noise with their update, which is always welcome at any ISO. Landscape and still photographers finally have an ISO 50 setting (although I’m not sure if anybody will be able to tell a difference between ISO 50 and 100).
Reason #6: Three RAW Formats
Again this is another feature that will be quite handy for times when you don’t need, or don’t have the storage space, for 21.1 mp files. Afterall, when your just grabbing some snaps of your kids birthday, do you really need 100 pictures at 21 Megapixels each? The new Canon 5D Mark 2 will take full RAW files at 25.8MB (5616 x 3744 pixels), sRAW 1 at approximatley 14.8MB (3861 x 2574 pixels), and sRAW 2 files at approximately 10.8MB (2784 x 1856 pixels). These two smaller formats mean you’ll be able to take those smaller RAW files of your kids birthday party, but still be able to have a true “digital negative” that you can manipulate like a RAW file in post processing programs.
Reason #7: Live Shooting Mode (Live Preview Mode)
When shooting video the mirror has to be “locked up” so the digital sensor is exposed to light. If it is not, it would be in the way of the sensor and diverting an image to your eye when you look through the viewfinder. In Live View Mode, you can see the image through the viewfinder and grab a still shot in the meantime.
Reason #8: Silent Shooting
The “mirror lockup” described above on the Canon 5D Mark II means you can shoot silently (with the mirror not slapping up and down which is what you normally hear when you activate the shutter of an SLR camera). Well you may not be able to shoot SILENTLY but you can at least control when the slapping happens.
Reason #9: LCD Viewer / LCD Monitor
The new LCD Viewer allows you to critically examine your images, in the camera, with more accuracy and detail than before. Who doesn’t want that?
Reason #10: Self Cleaning Sensor
Anybody that has ever used a digital slr has had dust on the sensor. The 5D Mark II has a self cleaning system to remove dust, and an electronic means to remove dust spots from files. No more crazy swabs and cleaning system necessary.
Conclusions
The Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR finally breaks through several major technological thresholds which means that virtually every advanced amateur, semi-professional, and probably most professionals can stop upgrading their camera bodies every 18-24 months. Yes, cameras will get better and better every year, but I believe one the biggest selling points of the Canon 5D Mark II camera is that people can buy it and stop worrying about what comes next. At least the time from buying the 5D Mark II to buying a 5D Mark II replacement will likely be much longer that it has been in the past. I expect that wedding photographers, photojournalists, fine art photograpehers everywhere will rejoice about that. I could write about dozens of other new features that the Canon 5D Mark II has, but I have to say that none of them would bring me to a better conclusion.
Price Check the Canon 5D Mark II Camera Body
Price check the Canon 5D Mark II at Adorama or and B&H Photo. I personally use and recommend both of these vendors. You can see my recommendations on where to by cameras online here.
Type Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera
Recording media Type I or II CF card, UDMA-compatible
Image sensor size Approx. 36 x 24 mm
Compatible lenses Canon EF lenses (except EF-S lenses)
(The effective lens focal length is the same as indicated on the lens)
Lens mount Canon EF mount
Image Sensor
Type CMOS sensor
Effective pixels Approx. 21.10 megapixels
Aspect ratio 3:2
Dust deletion feature Auto, Manual, Dust Delete Data appending
Recording System
Recording format Design rule for Camera File System 2.0
Image type JPEG, RAW (14-bit Canon original)
RAW+JPEG simultaneous recording possible
Recorded pixels
Large : Approx. 21.00 megapixels (5616 x 3744)
Medium : Approx. 11.10 megapixels (4080 x 2720)
Small : Approx. 5.20 megapixels (2784 x 1856)
RAW : Approx. 21.00 megapixels (5616 x 3744)
sRAW1 : Approx. 10.00 megapixels (3861 x 2574)
sRAW2 : Approx. 5.20 megapixels (2784 x 1856)
Create/select a folder Possible
Image Processing
Picture Styles Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1 - 3
White balance Auto, Preset (Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten light, White fluorescent light, Flash), Custom, Color temperature setting (2500-10000K)
White balance correction and white balance bracketing features provided
* Color temperature information transmission enabled
Noise reduction Applicable to long exposures and high ISO speed shots
Automatic image
brightness correction Auto Lighting Optimizer
Highlight tone priority Provided
Lens peripheral illumination correction Provided
Viewfinder
Type Eye-level pentaprism
Coverage Vertical/Horizontal approx. 98%
Magnification Approx. 0.71x (-1 m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)
Eye point Approx. 21 mm (From eyepiece lens center at -1 m-1)
Built-in dioptric adjustment -3.0 - +1.0 m-1 (dpt)
Focusing screen Interchangeable (2 types sold separately), Eg-A standard focusing screen provided
Mirror Quick-return type
Depth-of-field preview Provided
Autofocus
Type TTL secondary image-registration, phase detection
AF points 9 plus 6 Assist AF points
Metering range EV -0.5 - 18 (at 23°C/73°F, ISO 100)
Focus modes One-Shot AF, AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)
AF-assist beam Emitted by the EOS-dedicated external Speedlite
AF Microadjustment AF Microadjustment possible
Exposure Control
Metering modes 35-zone TTL full-aperture metering
• Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point)
• Partial metering (approx. 8% of viewfinder at center)
• Spot metering (approx. 3.5% of viewfinder at center)
• Center-weighted average metering
Metering range EV 1 - 20 (at 23°C/73°F with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Exposure control Program AE (Full Auto, Creative Auto, Program), shutter-priority AE, aperture-priority AE, manual exposure, bulb exposure
ISO speed
(Recommended Exposure Index) Full Auto, Creative Auto: ISO 100 - 3200 set automatically
P, Tv, Av, M, B: ISO 100 - 6400 (in 1/3-stop increments)
settable, Auto, or expandable to ISO 50 (L), ISO 12800 (H1), or ISO 25600 (H2)
Exposure compensation Manual and AEB (Settable in combination with manual exposure compensation)
Settable amount: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
AE lock Auto: Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus is achieved
Manual: By AE lock button
Shutter
Type Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter
Shutter speeds 1/8000 sec. to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode.)
X-sync at 1/200 sec.
Drive System
Drive mode Single shooting, continuous shooting, 10-sec. self-timer/remote control, 2-sec. self-timer/remote control
Continuous shooting speed Max. approx. 3.9 shots/sec.
Max. burst JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 78 shots (Approx. 310 shots),
RAW: Approx. 13 shots (Approx. 14 shots),
RAW+JPEG Large/Fine: Approx. 8 shots (Approx. 8 shots)
* Figures are based on Canon’s testing standards (ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style) using a 2GB card
* Figures in parentheses apply to an Ultra DMA (UDMA) 2GB card based on Canon’s testing standards.
External Speedlite
Compatible flash EX-series Speedlites
Flash metering E-TTL II autoflash
Flash exposure compensation ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
FE lock Provided
PC terminal Provided
Live View Shooting
Shooting modes Still photo shooting and movie shooting
Focusing Quick mode (Phase-difference detection)
Live mode, Live face detection mode (Contrast detection)
Manual focusing (5x/10x magnification possible)
Metering modes Evaluative metering with the image sensor (still photos) / Center-weighted average metering (movies)
Metering range EV 0 - 20 (at 23°C/73°F with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Silent shooting Provided (Still photo shooting)
Movie MOV (Video: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM)
Recording size: 1920×1080 (Full HD), 640×480 (SD)
Continuous movie shooting time: Full HD approx. 12 min. SD approx. 24 min.
* Based on Canon’s testing standards using a 4GB card.
LCD Monitor
Type TFT color liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor size and dots 3-in. with approx. 920,000 dots (VGA)
Coverage Approx. 100%
Brightness adjustment Auto (Darker/Standard/Brighter), Manual (7 levels)
Interface languages 25
Image Playback
Image display formats Single, Single + Info (Image-recording quality, shooting information, histogram)
4-image index, 9-image index, image rotate possible
Zoom magnification Approx. 1.5x - 10x
Image browsing methods Single image, jump by 10 or 100 images, jump by screen, by shooting date, by folder, by movie, by stills
Highlight alert Overexposed highlights blink
Movie playback Enabled (LCD monitor, video/audio OUT, HDMI OUT)
Built-in speaker
Direct Printing
Compatible printers PictBridge-compatible printers
Printable images JPEG and RAW images
Print ordering DPOF Version 1.1 compatible
Customization
Custom Functions 25
Camera user settings Register under Mode Dial’s C1, C2, and C3 positions
My Menu registration Provided
Interface
Digital terminal For personal computer communication and direct printing (Hi-Speed USB)
Audio/video output terminal 3.5mm dia. stereo mini jack (NTSC/PAL selectable)
HDMI mini OUT terminal Type C (Auto switching of resolution)
External microphone input terminal 3.5mm dia. stereo mini jack
Remote control terminal Compatible with remote control via N3 Type
Wireless remote control With Remote Controller RC-1/RC-5
Extension system terminal For connection to Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4/E4A
Power Source
Battery Battery Pack LP-E6 (Qty. 1)
* AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6
* With Battery Grip BG-E6 attached, size-AA/LR6 batteries can be used
Battery information Remaining capacity, Shutter count, and Recharge performance displayed
Battery life
(Based on CIPA testing standards) With viewfinder shooting:
At 23°C/73°F, approx. 850 shots. At 0°C/32°F, approx. 750 shots.
With Live View shooting:
At 23°C/73°F, approx. 200 shots. At 0°C/32°F, approx. 180 shots.
Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D) 152 x 113.5 x 75 mm / 6.0 x 4.5 x 3.0 in.
Weight Approx. 810 g / 28.6 oz. (body only)
Operation Environment
Working temperature range 0°C - 40°C / 32°F - 104°F
Working humidity 85% or less
Battery Pack LP-E6
Type Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Rated voltage 7.2 V DC
Battery capacity 1800 mAh
Working temperature range 0°C - 40°C / 32°F - 104°F
Working humidity 85% or less
Dimensions (W x H x D) 38.4 x 21 x 56.8 mm / 1.5 x 0.8 x 2.2 in.
Weight Approx. 80 g / 2.8 oz.
Battery Charger LC-E6
Type Charger dedicated to the Battery Pack LP-E6
Recharging time Approx. 2 hours 30 min.
Rated input 100 - 240 V AC (50/60 Hz)
Rated output 8.4 V DC/1.2A
Working temperature range 5°C - 40°C / 41°F - 104°F
Working humidity 85% or less
Dimensions (W x H x D) 69 x 33 x 93 mm / 2.7 x 1.3 x 3.7 in. (Plug collapsed)
Weight Approx. 130 g / 4.6 oz.
Battery Charger LC-E6E
Type Charger dedicated to the Battery Pack LP-E6
Power cord length Approx. 2 m / 6.6 ft.
Recharging time Approx. 2 hours 30 min.
Rated input 100 - 240 V AC (50/60 Hz)
Rated output 8.4 V DC/1.2A
Working temperature range 5°C - 40°C / 41°F - 104°F
Working humidity 85% or less
Dimensions (W x H x D) 69 x 33 x 93 mm / 2.7 x 1.3 x 3.7 in.
Weight Approx. 125 g / 4.4 oz. (excluding power cord)
[...] Wer sich bezüglich der von Canon auf der Photokina angekündigten 5D Mark II noch nicht schlüssig ist, findet bei PixelsAndSuch evtl. Entscheidungshilfe [...]
One place where I suspect that ISO 50 will be useful will be in those sunset water shots where you want to leave the shutter open long enough to give the water that “cotton candy” look. ISO 50 might mean the difference between F/32 and 5 seconds and F/32 and 10 seconds… and that affects the water look.
Offering Beautiful Fine Art Maternity Photography, Pregnancy Photography, and Baby Photography. Blacksburg Photographer and Roanoke Photographer. We offer photography, writing, and teaching services across the globe. Specializing in documentary photography, photojournalism, and visual studies. Complete magazine, editorial, and corporate photography and writing.
PixelsAndSuch Media is a Jon Fritsch Company located in Blacksburg, Va and Roanoke, Va.
[Quick]Picks vom 13.10.08 - fotos.neuweger.com - … best viewed with open eyes … wrote,
[...] Wer sich bezüglich der von Canon auf der Photokina angekündigten 5D Mark II noch nicht schlüssig ist, findet bei PixelsAndSuch evtl. Entscheidungshilfe [...]
Link | October 13th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Mark wrote,
One place where I suspect that ISO 50 will be useful will be in those sunset water shots where you want to leave the shutter open long enough to give the water that “cotton candy” look. ISO 50 might mean the difference between F/32 and 5 seconds and F/32 and 10 seconds… and that affects the water look.
Can’t wait for this one!
Link | October 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
jon wrote,
Hey Mark,
Excellent point. There is nothing like having access to another stop here and there.
jon
Link | October 16th, 2008 at 7:23 pm