Cameras: Canon 5D Mark II Review – 029

Phil Hanson is impressed by the solid performance of Canon’s latest dSLR, which offers good low-light pictures and full HD video recording.

Canon stunned the professional and advanced amateur market in August 2005 with the remarkable Canon EOS 5D. So its successor, the 5D Mark II, has a tough act to follow.

A list of things that are new or different could fill the page, but hero features include its 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor coupled to the fast DiG!C 4 processor; an incredible ISO range; the ability to shoot full HD video; and a top-notch 3-inch VGA LCD screen with live view.

Feelgood factor

The Mark II shares Canon’s EOS ˜family’ feel, and many controls will be familiar to users of other of the firm’s cameras. Having spent time with the smaller-sensor 50D, I was right at home with its larger, heavier, full-frame big brother. It’s hard to fault the 5D Mark II for ergonomics, and balance with the packaged 24-105 lens is exemplary.

Users coming from the 5D will notice the different finish, the viewing screen with almost a million dots, a brighter viewfinder and a clearer, more intuitive menu. They’ll also find it works faster, despite having to process more data from its sensor, and has a ˜gruntier’ battery. In crud weather, they’ll appreciate better body sealing.

Night into day

A strength of the 5D was its excellent performance at high ISO, appreciated by those who work in low light. The Mark II goes further and has an ISO range from 50 to 25,600. Speeds beyond 6400 have to be set via an ISO expansion menu. Just for fun, I set 25,600 expecting absolute rubbish, but the images were surprisingly good ” the sort of thing photographers might have expected from 3200 to 6400 not so long ago.

Video

Adding video ” full HD 1080p at that ” seemed silly at first glance, but Canon is responding to the needs of photojournalists who have to send both still and moving images to their newsrooms.

It’s good for other users, too, including wedding photographers who can be taking stills, then push two buttons and record the bride walking down the aisle. Files of up to 4GB or 12 minutes can be made.

It’s not possible to take moving and still pictures simultaneously, but the photographer can instantly interrupt filming to shoot an important still photo.

Zoom

Canon didn’t scrimp when it came to choosing a kit lens. The L-range 24-105mm goes from genuine wide angle to ˜light’ telephoto that’s ideal for portraits. Its aperture maxes out at f4, but not to worry, there’s image stabilisation, and the quality of higher ISO settings means few will miss a wider maximum aperture.

Out and about

I threw the camera-lens combo in at the deep end, photographing fast-moving 4WD action deep in a forest after little more than a cursory look at the instruction book. I customised the Program mode, including auto ISO, and went to it. The lens is a great performer across its zoom range, and the Mark II works quickly enough that no important shot was missed.

Conclusion

I really can’t think of anything seriously wrong with this camera/lens combo. It exceeded my expectations.

Specs

Manufacturer: Canon

Model: EOS 5D Mark II

Effective pixels: 21.1 million

Image sensor: Full frame CMOS sensor with self cleaning

Monitor: 3-inch TFT VGA colour LCD, approx 920,000 dots

Shutter: 30 sec-1/8000 sec

ISO: auto, 50-6400 and customised to 25,600

Shooting modes: JPEG, RAW (21MP, 10MP or 5.2MP)

Exposure metering: 35-zone TTL full-aperture metering (Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted average)

Focus modes: One-Shot AF, AI Servo, AI Focus, manual

Media: CompactFlash card (Type I and II, UDMA compatible)

Flash: E-TTL II autoflash with EX-series Speedlites, max synch speed, synch 1/200 sec

Battery: LP-E6 or AA batteries with optional BG-E6 battery grip

Dimensions: 152 x 113.5 x 75mm (W/H/D)

Weight: 810g (body only)

CONTACT

www.canon.co.nz

PROS

• Superb picture quality

• Well thought-out controls

• Stellar performance at high ISO

CONS

• A little heavy

This review is from D-Photo issue #029.