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Canon EOS 5D Mark II EOS Digital SLR Camera
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera
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Rating
Canon 5D Mark II
Never Ever: Rent, borrow or use the Canon 5D Mark II, if you do, you will have to own it. It’s that good!
Pros:
Crazy high ISO performance
Fantastic amazing image quality you have to see to believe!
Great menus, sharper, brighter, easier to read then 40D
Video, did someone say video? I love it! You will need a tripod!
Fantastic rear LCD that you can check actual photo sharpness
Super low light high ISO photographic tool with 25,600 ISO!!!
Feels great in your hands, the grip texture is easy to hold and is well balanced
Low 50 ISO allows photos at F/1.2 aperture out in bright sunlight for shallow DOF
Cons:
No Built in popup Flash
A little slower shooting then the 40D
Very demanding of lenses, high end L lenses are a must have
Huge files: you will need larger memory cards and a larger hard drive
Ultra large bright sharp viewfinder makes my 40D finder seem dim and tiny
Hum… I’m thinking..
Intro:
I have had my Canon 5D Mark II for a little over two weeks now. And I’m having a hard time putting it down.
I tried switching back to my Canon 40D and the very first thing you notice is how small, dim and fuzzy the viewfinder on the 40D is compared to the 5D Mark II. Especially if you are older you will really appreciate being able to easy see and read information in the viewfinder not to mention you can actually manually focus with it. It reminds me of my switch from the Canon Rebel XTi to the 40D. It’s that big a difference.
The Images are huge and quite simply stunning. Plus I find that I can get away with very low noise all the way up to 3200 ISO on the 5D Mark II where the 40D was very noisy. In fact I would not hesitate to say the 5D Mark II photos has less noise at 9,600 ISO then the 40D does at 1600 ISO.
Lenses:
I have never had the pleasure of owning a Camera that is this demanding of the lens you use. It’s like an instant lens test. I haven’t seen much in-depth lens as used on 5D Mark II information on the other reviews and decided this would be good to be included in my review.
All of these lenses are brighter in the viewfinder and focus much better on my 5D Mark II then on my 40D.
So, with that said after several hundred photos I can give you a rundown of my most used, most favorite, best performing and least used lenses that I have used on the 5D Mark II and a few un-expected surprises along the way.
1. Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens. This lens is my new master of resolving power. Even wide open at F/2 it is sharper then any other lens I have ever used. I could go on and on but here’s a few highlights: Lightening fast auto focus, F/2 speed at 200mm, unbelievable perfect 10 Images, public attention hog, otherworldly image stabilization, great build quality, weather sealed, fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh and what a lens case! If you crave attention and demand the absolute best there is the do what ever it takes to get this lens on your Canon 5D Mark II. If you do not like public attention you may want to skip to number 2 in this list as I have never been asked so many questions about a lens as this one. But it’s all worth it as the clarity, sharpness, Bokeh and colors are: otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy!!
2. Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens. Without a doubt at F/4 (after the Canon 200mm F/2 of course) this lens delivers the clearest sharpest and most resolving power onto any photograph you care to take with the Canon 5D Mark II. The clarity has to be seen to be believed. At F/1.2 the Depth of Field (DOF) is scary thin and the edges are super soft which is great for female portraiture. The super soft creamy dreamy Bokeh at F/1.2 is much smoother on the 5D Mark II over my 40D. But stop this lens down to F/1.8 and it gets scary sharp and clear. Step it down to F/4.0 and it’s at its sharpest and the only lens I have that gives you 100% pixel peeping razor blade edge to edge top to bottom perfect clarity in every single area of the photo. For some reason this lens is even sharper on my 5D Mark II then my 40D or Rebel, don’t know why but it is. Guess it’s getting the full resolving power to the 21 megapixel sensor.
Looking at a photo on my iMac taken with a 5D Mark II with this lens stopped down to F/4 is like standing there looking through an open window at the actual scene! You feel like you could actually open up the computer screen like opening a window and climb in!!!
The 85mm F/1.2 is your low light monster on the 5D Mark II, I don’t have to harp too much on what an F/1.2 aperture and an ISO 25,600 can do for you at night. Let’s just say you can go out into what appears to be a dark night and do hand held photos.
Not all is perfect as it’s: expensive, heavy, and hard to focus wide open, focus lock does not work and it eats camera batteries at twice the rate of my other lenses. Also it doesn’t focus as close on the 5D Mark II as it did on my 40D so you can’t get head filling close ups. This isn’t really a problem, as with 21 Mega Pixels I can crop no problem. However, all this is forgiven when I get back to my iMac and view the results. This is the very first lens I will reach for when using the 5D Mark II and the one that’s on it 90% of the time. If I could have just one lens for a Canon 5D Mark II this would be the one! [...]
2. Tie! Canon 135mm F/2 L. It’s small light and stealthy and has fastest and best auto-focus of any lens I have ever owned (after the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L). It even focuses pretty close on the 5D Mark II. This lens is amazing, the Bokeh looks like sweet candy and it’s sharper wide open then the Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens is wide open and stop it down to F/2.2 and it’s as sharp as any lens I have. It’s not a zoom so it’s not as versatile but it’s a great waist up portrait lens out in public and in larger studios. It’s one of my most used lens at outdoor public events along with the 85mm F/1.2 II L (renaissance festivals etc.) where I’m photographing people. For some reason this lens is a little sharper on my Canon Rebel and 40D I guess because I’m using the center of the lens and it’s sharper on these cropped sensor cameras.
3. Canon 100-400 F/4.5 – F/5.6 IS L lens. This is the second most used lens in my 5D Mark II arsenal. This lens was my biggest surprise of the group. Its Ok wide open but it’s a monster of clarity at F/7.1 like it never was on my Canon 40D. It also becomes useable on the 5D Mark II in wider shot situations where on the 40D it was only usable as a longer lens. Sporting the longest zoom range of any Canon zoom this lens has to be without doubt the finest Zoo lens ever made, [...] You can frame almost any animal in almost any exhibit perfectly. This is also my lens of choice for taking photos of people at events with the 5D Mark II and is the King of versatility on a full-framed sensor camera. This is my sharpest and clearest zoom lens by a long shot (no pun intended. It’s as close to the you are there feeling of the 85mm F/1.2 lI lens as any zoom lens I have. It’s only drawbacks are it’s a little heavy, is slow aperture wise (that’s Ok with the 5D Mark II high ISO capability) and it gets a huge amount of attention out in public. I don’t care it’s all worth it this is a must have lens with the 5D Mark II. Again, for some reason this lens is even sharper on my 5D Mark II then my 40D or Rebel, don’t know why but it is.
5-26-2009 100-400 update: So I came back from the Riparian Bird Preserve yesterday where it was rather dusty and I noticed that my sensor and mirror box were full of dust. I decided to do a test on my 100-400 lens and sure enough it does pump dust into the camera body.
If you turn the zoom friction ring all the way loose and zoom in and out with the bottom end cap off there is no resistance. If you put the bottom end cap on tightly and zoom you can feel resistance. Then if you loosen the end cap just a little you can actually feel air being sucked in and out around the end cap as you zoom in and out.
Thank God for my FIrefly digital sensor cleaning system! And be forewarned if you own this lens.
4. Canon 17-40 F/4 L lens. This is my sleeper lens. A so so walk around lens on my 40D becomes a wide angle monster on my Canon 5D Mark II. This lens is soft wide open at F/4 but sharpens up noticeably at F/4.5 and becomes a super wide angle take it all in landscape and interior monster when stopped down to F/9 on a Canon 5D Mark II. This is a lens I always carry with me now since I never know when I might see a wide angle opportunity. Doesn’t have the you are there feeling when viewing the photos on my iMac as much as the above three lenses but it’s closer to perfection then you will ever see on a cropped sensor camera. I keep hoping that Canon will make a wide angle zoom that matches the performance of my Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. This lens has a similar sharpness on both the Canon 5D Mark II and cropped sensor cameras like my 40D.
5. Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L lens. This lens is actually about even with my Canon 100-400 IS L Lens in the zoom sharpness and clarity department but it’s no where near as versatile on my 5D Mark II as the 100-400. Still it’s a must have lens when shooting weddings when you need the super Bokeh background melting power of an F/2.8 aperture and lower light power of an F/2.8 aperture. The sharpness and clarity at F/2.8 that was Ok on the 40D is much improved for some strange reason on the 5D Mark II. And the Bokeh is much smoother creamier and richer on the 5D Mark II.
Just have to mention a great alternative lens the Canon 70-200 F/4 I/S L lens which I think is a sharper and better lens then the 70-200 F/2.8 as not only does it have a fluorite element but I did some back to back testing with my friends F/4 and my F/2.8 and the 70-200 F/4 was indeed better and at a great price. Additionally it’s much lighter in weight and smaller physically. However keep in mind at F/4 it is a slower lens.
6. Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens. This is the lens I reach for when I’m shooting closer photos at a wedding and I need the versatility of a zoom. It’s also the lens I reach for when shooting videos with the 5D Mark II. If I could shoot all day with the Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L I would. But at a wedding where you can’t always zoom with your feet I reach for the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L. Its good on the 5D Mark II but not as good as the 17-40 L but has better reach then the 17-40. But it does not have that uncanny you are there feel of the first three lenses on my list. The Canon 5D Mark II clearly out resolves this lens and that is very disappointing for an L lens that costs over a thousand dollars. Thank GOD for the auto peripheral as this lens is a Vignetting monster when shot wide open on a 5D Mark II, it was not on the 40D. With the Vignetting control built into Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and the on-board 5D Mark II auto control it’s perfect and Vignetting is not a problem. This lens is also very fragile and has required sending back to Canon for recalibration but is a must have in my arsenal only because I do weddings. I’m hoping Canon will come out with an Image Stabilized improved version that has that you are there feel of the 100-400 zoom. Once again it seems like this lens may be losing it’s calibration and I am starting to lose my patience. If you need this lens then get it just beware of possible maintenance problems.
7. Canon 50mm F/1.8 II lens. This lens which was pretty decent on the 40D and Rebel XTi comes completely apart on the 5D Mark II. No surprise since it’s only $89. I guess the surprise was how well it had worked on a Canon 40D and Rebel XTi. If you own a 5D Mark II then don’t bother. If you own a cropped sensor camera its a great little lens.
8. Canon 17-50mm F/2.8 EF-S L lens. Why am I mentioning this lens here? It’s a shame this cropped sensor only lens can’t be used on the 5D Mark II. It’s one of my most used and sharpest lenses on my Canon 40D and Canon Rebel XTi. In fact it’s my daughter’s favorite lens on those two cameras. Because it’s such a great sharp low light monster because of the Image Stabilization (IS) it would be fantastic on the 5D Mark II. Canon please make us a wide angle L lens with IS. It’s been very reliable un-like my 24-70, I highly recommend if you have a cropped sensor camera!
9. Canon 15mm Fisheye! This lens is a hoot on the 5D Mark II. A full 180 degrees of wide angle fun! Put it on and shoot the inside of a small car, or airplane, or take it to your local baseball diamond or anywhere you would love to see a 180 degree shot. And the curved effect on a full frame camera makes everyone who sees one of these photos go oooohhhhhh yeah cool shot. I listed this lens last because its one of those lenses you don’t want to over use but one that you just have to just have to have. It’s pretty sharp wide open but gets sharper at F/4 and reaches maximum sharpness at F/8. It has the old style focus system that’s a little noisy and slow but it really doesn’t matter as there isn’t much focus range anyway everything is close to infocus at 15mm.
Three old 5D complaints answered:
1. Vignetting or peripheral lighting issue
2. Dust on the sensor
3. The rear LCD
1. Vignetting:
You can either have the 5D Mark II auto-correct peripheral illumination on board for JPEGs or adjust images using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software that came with your Mark II. I have noticed on the full framed 5D Mark II my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens with the peripheral illumination correction turned OFF the 5D Mark II images will severely vignette or be dark in the corners when shot wide open (F/2.8). It’s almost like looking through a dark tunnel. It’s especially noticeable shot wide open with the sky as a background. Auto-correct to the rescue!! With the peripheral illumination correction turned ON it’s almost magical the darkening in the corners is gone! If you want you can even shoot in Raw mode and adjust the amount of Vignetting or darkness in the corners for effects such as when shooting portraits and you want to emphasis the person in the middle of the photo. Just open the Raw photo in DPP and click on the NR/Lens / ALO tab and select Lens Aberration Correction Tune and adjust the peripheral illumination to suite by dragging the slider or entering and amount. Or select all the photos in a directory and you can correct all your photos at once.
2. Dust on the Sensor:
The old 5D was a dust hog, no-one ever said it was not. The new one though now as a new fluorite coating and ant-dust shake. I did get some dust on my sensor after going out and switching lens in the field shooting birds but un-like my 40D I successfully blew off all the dust using my Firefly Digital Dust sensor cleaner. This new fluorite coating must make it much harder for the dust to stick to the 5D Mark II sensor then the sensor on my 40D.
3. Rear LCD
This has to be seen to be believed. The rear LCD is so sharp and so bright its shocking. The one on the 40D is now just OK. And I could never be sure if I got the shot or not. On the 5D Mark II you can zoom in an check fine focus. The only thing you may want to turn off is the auto light level adjuster so when walking in and out of shaded areas the brightness level does not change when the ambient light levels change. Some people may like it some may hate it. I like it myself as I can now see the image out in the sunlight unlike on the 40D where it’s totally washed out. Thing is Canon lets you decide and you can turn it on or off. When off it stays the same no matter the ambient light.
LOW ISO:
Holy cow 6400 ISO I can shoot at F/4.5 in a dark room!!!! Took some night shots in and outside of the house and downloaded. Booted up DPP and WOW!
Photos are great at 3200 ISO even in Raw mode with standard noise reduction. Once you apply the correct amount of noise reduction and converted to 17inch JPEG’s the 3200 ISO photos are AWESOME!!! The night shots of my Christmas tree at 3200 ISO on my 40D are almost unusable. But with the 5D Mark II they are fantastic. But my 24inch iMac seems a little slower looking through the photos… In fact it seems to be crawling! I ended up having to upgrade to a Firewire 800 external hard drive to fix the problem.
Black Dots:
I finally got a single photo with black dots by shooting at 25,600 ISO at night around some Christmas lights. You have to zoom in to 200% and pixel peep to see them. That’s one shot out of several hundred night shots! Still haven’t found any dots in day time photos.
Memory Storage:
I’m going to have to buy larger Compact Flash Cards my 8GB card only holds about 267 shots when the 5D Mark II is set to Raw only. But it’s worth it especially for high ISO shots. At times I’m hard pressed on-screen to tell 1600 ISO from the 5D Mark II to the 100 ISO out of my 40D. It’s that GOOD!
Video:
I for one never thought I would be in this love for video. But this camera is awesome, low natural light great Bokeh low depth of field video. Just in time for the holidays. The only thing is after viewing the videos back on my iMac computer no matter how steady you hands are you will need a tripod. The tiniest movements when playing back on a computer or TV seem to be magnified no matter how steady I try and hand hold the camera.
40D to 5D Mark II transition:
Well, it looks a lot like my Canon 40D but the controls on the back are on the left instead of the bottom.
Has a similar feel and weight to me at least maybe just a touch bigger and heavier then a 40D. Focus is better in low light for sure. Looks great with a Canon 17-40 F/4 L lens mounted. Maybe a little more rubbery grip on the grip.
This will be a much easier transition coming from the Canon 40D to the Canon 5D Mark II then my transition from the Rebel XTi to the 40D as the control placement and use are very similar unlike when I switched from the Rebel to the 40D and everything was in a different location.
Setup:
Put the strap on while I’m waiting for the dead battery to charge.
Ok battery is charged now, put it in, turn it on and set the time and date.
Then plug into the Mac and set my preferences under the styles and choose my lenses under the peripheral illumination correction. Very nice and very easy.
Put in the owners Information and copyright info. Gotta love that it’s automatically on every photo now!
Menus:
Menus are a little different, but hey they are much sharper, this LCD is really sharp and bright!!!
Who the heck put 10 images as the default for skipping on review!!! That’s another one of the first changes to go!
Bottom line:
Bottom line is if you own a big L lens collection and do any shooting at all in the dark without flash and don’t have a full framed camera the 5D Mark II is a must have addition!
1-11-2009 Update:
I installed firmware update 1.0.7 which is supposed to correct the black dot problem and now I can’t get it to make a black dot photo at all. So hopefully this was the fix we were all seeking.
This full framed sensor camera continues to impress me and the sensor continues to be dust free!
4-1-2009 Update:
This full framed sensor camera continues to impress. Just got back from shooting the 2009 Arizona Renaissance festival where I shot both the 40D and 5D Mark II and looking at the photos the 5D Mark II just walks all over the 40D in image quality. So much so that I don’t reach for the 40D much any more the 5D Mark II is that much better. Got one spec of dust from lens changing at the Renaissance but it was easily blow off with my FireFly sensor cleaner.
4-27-2009 I just got back from photographing the World Premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and once again the 5D Mark II was awesome. I ended up mainly using two lenses the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L zoom and Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. When you have only one chance to get Hugh Jackman riding by on his Harley you want to make sure you have reliable quick focusing equipment.
6-25-2009
Still very in love with my Canon 5D Mark II. See photos and videos I have taken with this camera at http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantbrummett/sets/72157621665984915/
Rating
Yes, I have the mk2 in hand. About 5 days now. Pictures after processing looks very similar to the original 5d, which is good because I don’t have to change my workflow AT ALL. Of course the differences being size/resolution, and .. now I don’t have to have a different workflow for any ISO above 400. I am actually using auto ISO – previously unavailable on the original 5D – because the images look so good. It has not yet gone above 3200 in Auto mode (I have fast glass). It’s smart enough to know your focal length and seems to generally go by the 1/focal-length rule for shutter speed, adjusting ISO at it needs to.
Video? look on youtube for 5dmk2 Blueray Heli. Make sure you watch in HD.
There’s a couple things to get used to. 1) the shutter button is much more easy to press than the original 5d. I’ve taken a few accidental shots so far, but I’m learning. 2) the LCD resolution is fantastic. But in mixed light, esp. with fluorescents, the LCD shows kind of funky. Perhaps it is showing the true nasty nature of fluorescent lighting mixed with flash or sunlight.
Files are huge, transfer is slow using usb2 now.
No black dots so far. No banding. Don’t believe all the hype. I’m sure people have problems, but it’s been blown so way out of proportion.
As far as Amazon, they’re having trouble meeting demand like everyone else. The high prices are not theirs. If you don’t like Amazon’s price then go pick it up at a local retailer – you know the one with the big yellow sign – with a 10% coupon and cancel your order if they upset you so or if you really can’t wait.
Rating
I just got my 5D mark II today from Amazon (not the cold-blooded 3rd party dealer). My order was Camera plus 24-105 lens kit at $3499 but somehow it came with body only. I need to work out with Amazon later. Anyway. My 1st DSLR is Canon 40D, which is my baseline for the comparison.
Pros:
1. Full frame = Real wide angle. My 17-40 lens can now work as it’s supposed to.
2. High ISO with amazing quality. The noise level at ISO 12800 (H1) in 5D ~= ISO 1250-1600 in 40D. Noise software (ex: Noiseware) can still produce an acceptable image with 12800. Poor quality in 25600 (H2) is expected, and it can be used just in case. So my upper limit boosts from 1250 in 40D to 6400 in 5D which is a 2-1/3 stop jump (Thanks for Johnny Chan’s correction).
3. High quality LCD with a light sensor, so no need to adjust LCD brightness from time to time. It’s neat.
4. Autofocus microadjustment by lens.
5. Others such as high pixel, HD video, HDMI port… etc, but those are not really a must to me. Still can get 30×20 printout with 10MP 40D by Photoshop.
Cons:
1. Sync speed = 200ns in 5D while 250ns in 40D. I use Canon 580EX II a lot for portrait shots. So 1-stop shutter speed matters. (Even I can use high speed mode in 580Ex).
2. Frame-per-second = 3.9 in 5D but 6.5 in 40D
Overall, it’s a great upgrade to me and worth every penny.
——————
12/24/2008 update
——————
1. After calling/email to customer support, Amazon has refunded $800 price difference in 10 hours. I cannot satify more than this.
2. New RAW from 5D MK II is no longer supported by Photoshop CS3 and earlier versions. That means upgrading to Photoshop CS4 is a MUST if shooting with RAW. It’s another “hidden” cost…
3. Just got the battery grip BG-E6 today from Adorama for ~$270. The pros is now it takes 6 AA batteries or 2 LP-E3 (which is also expensive ~$75 and also out-of-stock in most of places)… The cons is too heavy for me along with 24-70mm 2.8L lens.
Rating
This was my first full frame camera. Prior to it I had owned and operated a 40D, 30D and Rebel XTi. I am a wedding and sports photographer primarily, so I have been able to test the 5D Mark II out under both of these conditions.
For basketball I used it with AI Servo, Center Point focus, but went into custom settings and enabled the AF assist dots. It worked like a dream, focusing faster and more accurately than my 40D ever had. While no, the FPS aren’t ideal for sports, if you can lock on focus like this from the start, you can still achieve amazing sports photographs. Plus the fact that I was able to shoot at ISO 4,000 and not have noticeable noise was just incredible. The shots auto-white balanced correctly too which normally in the arena I shoot at is not what happens on my 40D.
My first wedding all I could say all day was wow. I was getting available light photographs I never would have dreamed of before. The new screen also made it incredibly easy to determine if something was in focus or not. When I would switch between my 40D and 5D2 I found out just how spoiled that screen had made me, since the 40D screen looked terrible to me now when previously I thought that had a great screen. I sure was wrong! 920,000 pixels is definitely the way to go on this LCD. I primarily shot with center point (one shot) for my focus and it nailed focus every time. I did a mix up of manual, aperture priority and some program (Program mostly for the formals)
What else do I love about it? The 98% view finder is awesome. I like being able to use UDMA cards in it…
Video! Although I’m not a video / motion person by nature, I prefer stills, I’ve been testing out the video quite a bit. At Christmas I took a few short clips of my nephew and was really happy with how they look. It’s very neat to be able to take high definition video of a little kid and have that awesome affect of a wide aperture blurring out the background. The only downside is that the files are huge. My 1 minute clip was over 300MB, but that’s what I get for shooting in 1080!
The batteries this camera use really do hold a charge for a while. I used mine with the battery grip at the wedding, and the two batteries after going for over 500 shots (maybe close to 600 shots that day?) still had about 72% charge each left on them. I could easily have shot 3 times that much and still have had left over charge on the batteries. Also the new battery info screen is really nifty since you can see what serial number battery has what charge, making it a lot easier to keep track of.
So far I’ve used a 35 1.4/L, 135 2/L, 70-200 f2.8/L, 50 1.4, and 100 2.8 Macro on this camera body and all have performed wonderfully. I don’t miss the pop up flash that my 40D has since I never used it anyway, I always throw my 580 EX II on top when I need flash.
This camera really is a gem and I highly recommend it if it fits in your budget!
Rating
The 5D instruction manual says that “The HDMI Cable HTC-100 (sold separately) is required” to connect to the 5D to an HDMI monitor/TV.
That cable goes for $69. I bought the Mediabridge 5ft Mini-HDMI to HDMI Version 1.3b Category 2 for only $12 and it works fine.
I think (maybe someone can verify this) that any 1.3b mini HDMI to HDMI cable will work just fine.
By the way, the camera is awesome. I have had it for a few days now and I love it. It shoots beautiful pictures at 3200 ISO, so there’s really no need for a flash. And it shoots usable (but noisy) photos at 25,600 ISO.
That’s the end of the review. Now a bit of advice on buying this camera:
My advice (for what it’s worth) is don’t overpay just to have this camera a few weeks early. You’re going to be using this thing for 5 years, so whether you get it in January or February doesn’t make a big difference. I was lucky enough to buy it (in kit form) from Amazon directly and not from some unknown electronics store.
Whatever you do, avoid J&R in New York. If you are thinking about buying the 5D from them please send me a note and I will explain what happened when I pre-ordered the camera from J&R (I ultimately cancelled my order and I have resolved to never buy anything from them in future.)
Rating
I’ve used and throughly enjoyed a 5D for a couple of years, and have found it to be a simply outstanding full-frame camera. Like a lot of people, I was eagerly looking forward to the 5D Mark II, and pre-ordered one. After using it for a few weeks, I am pleased to report that this is an excellent update to the 5D.
If you’re researching this camera, you’ve probably heard about the “black dot” problem (basically, some dark pixels to the right of blown highlights). Unless you’re printing photos in the several feet by several feet size, you’ll never see them. Sure, I’ll download a firmware fix when it’s available, but in the meantime, I’ve never encountered even the slightest problem in real-world use.
Size and controls are very comparable to the 5D – you’ll feel at ease very quickly. The viewfinder is fantastic — bigger, brighter, and a very welcome addition. There are many “under the skin” upgrades, the biggest being 21.1 megapixels. So much more flexibility in shooting, but be prepared for some huge raw files! A processor upgrade (DIGIC 4) keeps things moving along at a good clip. I can’t comment on the HD video capture since I’m just dabbling with it at the moment and have essentially no experience as a videographer. But, looking forward to learning. The video capture was just icing on the cake for me – bought it for still photos.
Disappointments are very few and far between, such as the fact that the battery pack is a different design, so it can’t be interchanged with the 5D. Supposedly, it has a longer life, but model interchangeability would be nice to keep the add-on costs down. I also regularly shoot with my 40D and Rebel (with the latter converted to IR), so the greater the interchangeability, the better.
In short, this is an outstanding camera, and one that will be a welcome addition to anyone’s kit. If you already have a 5D and use it a lot, the Mark II is well worth the cost. The kit is a good value versus the body — the 24-105 f/4 L IS is one of the best walk around lens available. Should you not have a need for it, you can get a good price for it on the used market.
If you’re presently working with a crop sensor camera, you will be amazed at what a full frame will do for you (although, be prepared to spend some coin on some good glass — once you get the L lens fever, you’ll never want to go back!). Keep in mind that the original 5D is still available, and going at a very nice price new (and some outright steals for used bodies). The original is still a fantastic camera, and well worth considering if budget is tight.
One final point — the RAW files are not compatable with CS3. But, the recent update to Lightroom (2.2) solves that problem. No need to update to CS4 just for that.
Rating
The 5d Mark II is a very sturdy pro camera. The original 5d was the camera of choice for many full-time National Geographic photographers because of its outstanding image quality coupled with a small portable body. For the Mark II, Canon has added weather sealing, a host of dust reduction features, an expanded ISO range, and increased resolution (no small feat), along with a handful of other features. ISO 5000 on the Mark II is comparable to ISO 1600 on the original 5d, in my opinion. This camera is a workhorse for anyone who needs pro camera features coupled with portability. Ideal for hikers or the traveling photographer. Black dot issue? 100% fixed with a recent firmware update from Canon. This camera is, for me, more intuitive to use than the D700 and the pro features are worth the extra money over the EOS 50d. An 8gb flashcard will hold about 250 RAW photos.
Rating
The 5D Mark II represents the future of digital SLR photography/videography. I was fortunate to purchase my kit with the EF 24-105 f/4L at its actual list price of $3,499 through Amazon and sold by 6 Ave Electronics on December 29, 2008. That offer was only available for about 6 hours. Now that I have used the camera for 6 months, I would even now pay a significant premium over the list price to have it. In my opinion it is worth much more than the list price in terms of advancements in low-light, low-noise and quick exposure setting features. It also has markedly improved picture quality over all other Canon DSLRs with the exception of the 1Ds Mark III ($7,000 street) which it at least matches.
This camera isn’t perfect. The 5D Mark II does have a lower frame rate than some other very fine cameras at 3.9 frames per second. Nevertheless, this frame rate has been fine for my purposes, including wildlife and bird photography. I am able to catch hummingbirds in flight. Unless you are a professional sports or action photographer there is simply no need to consider the much more expensive 1 series camera bodies.
I would have preferred more focus points than the 9 visible and 6 invisible points this camera provides, though in normal lighting conditions there has been no problem getting fast, accurate focus. In very low light where the shot requires an ISO of 3200 or 6400 and no flash, the camera does sometimes have trouble, especially with moving or flat, low-contrast subjects. But considering that we wouldn’t even be able to get an essentially noise-free image with another camera at these settings it seems a small criticism.
This camera also lacks an internal flash. Some people may feel this to be a loss, but with the extraordinary low-light capability of the 5D Mark II I haven’t missed this feature at all. When I want to use a flash I can easily attach one, and that seems to be a rare event now. The ability to capture low light images without the exposure problems flash often causes is an enormous improvement for me. And when I need a flash I always have my 580 EX II available, though it does add some weight to this body.
The high resolution of this camera will show up flaws in any attached lens. Thus, you are going to have to use high quality glass to get the most out of the body. Those who are not able or willing to make an investment in “L” quality lenses would probably be just as happy with a 50D or similar bodies from other manufacturers. On the other hand, this camera’s ability to register most Canon lenses and eliminate problems like peripheral illumination has proven remarkable during my use.
Notably, there are many other improvements over the original 5D, which was a wonderful camera that many people would still be very happy with. The Mark II’s new display is outstanding; while a few other cameras now offer the same 3 inch high resolution LCD, the new display allows the user to enlarge the image enough to get a very good idea of what the final image will look like in print. When using auto ISO settings the camera makes very good choices to capture the best image possible. In fact, the algorithms this camera’s DIGIC 4 processor uses for all its settings seem superior to any of the others I have looked at. And if you don’t like the choices the camera makes, it is completely customizable, including 3 user settings on the main control knob.
Then too, you do have to read the manual and take time to learn the many controls and settings that are available. I am convinced that several of the negative reviews on this site are simply the result of not understanding the full capabilities of this camera. For example comments about the “sharpness” of photos fail to take into account that the camera comes with certain sharpness settings by default, but that these can be changed and images sharpened to an almost garish degree. Other comments about supposed failings of different portrait mode settings or white balance adjustments likewise seem not to recognize that nearly every setting on this camera can be modified to match the operator’s desires. This is a highly advanced instrument which requires some study before taking it out into the field.
One way to judge a camera body is by the people who choose to use it. The outstanding professional photographer and professor of photography, Pete Souza was named official Whitehouse photographer earlier this year; his history-making first digital official Presidential portrait of President Obama was made using a 5D Mark II. Numerous photo journalists, wedding and event photographers and others who make their living with their equipment are using 5D Mark II bodies. I am also seeing this camera being used more and more by sports photographers, despite its 3.9 fps rate.
I have said nothing about the video capability. This was not a reason for my purchase, but I have been impressed by the quality of the videos this camera produces. I did not at first recognize what a game changer high def video capability in an SLR would become. It is interesting that Canon has now issued a firmware upgrade to allow full manual exposure control during videography which in my experience works very well. You must, however, have a good quality computer with a fast processor and high end video card to be able to edit the high def output.
Like any other camera, there are a few small things Canon could have done to make this an even more remarkable improvement over the original 5D. But taken as a whole, for my money this is far and away the best, most feature rich and useable DSLR available for professional and serious photographers.
Rating
I shot 35mm film ages ago, but stopped when the cost of purchasing film and processing fees became prohibitive. I have been a photographer in one form or another for nearly 20 years. I decided that I definitely wanted to go digital, but was not happy with any of the cropped sensor bodies available at the time (early 2000′s). When the 1Ds and 5D models first became available, I drooled, but couldn’t justify the amount of money. So I waited. Along came the 5D Mark II (or as we say in the software industry, version 2.0) The price was lower than the original 5D and the quality and speed were even better then the now-three year old model. I saved my pennies and nickels for a while and finally purchased one!
From the moment I picked up the demonstrator model in the store, I knew this was the camera for me. Well balanced, large view-finder, and *gasp* video! I’m not much of a videographer, but seriously, taking HD clips with a prime lens on a full-frame sensor is just insane!
Pros:
- Low-light performance has to be seen to be believed. I’m sure you have heard the hype, but it’s not hype. You really can take reasonable pictures in much darker rooms than you ever thought possible.
- Well balanced in your hands
- Simple menu system that does not require an engineering degree to use.
- Image quality (IQ) that simply blows away everything else in its class.
- Price is actually reasonable for what you get; hundreds less than the competition.
- Video!
Cons:
- The IQ is _too_ good. You can actually tell the difference between pictures taken with “L” glass and those that were not.
- Frame rate isn’t great for sports. If this is your intended use, look at the 7D or 1D.
- Video limited in odd ways. Then again, this is a DSLR, not a camcorder.
In spite of what I just said about taking pictures with “L” glass, this camera is perfectly serviceable with regular lenses. Just realize that they are “consumer” grade and will have issues when shot wide open or when at the minimum or maximum of the zoom range. That said, the “nifty fifty” (50mm f/1.8) that sells for around $100 takes astonishingly good pictures.
If you’re just starting out, the lenses that I would recommend buying with this body are:
17-40mm f/4 L – Eye-popping landscapes. The 16-35mm f/2.8 L is a stop faster, but neither lens will see much indoor use as you would have to be mere inches away from your subject to fill the frame. The extra stop also doubles the price with little benefit in the scenarios that it is likely to be used. At 2.8 the faster lens is quite soft, and the image quality in general is not quite as good. Save your money and get the 17-40. You won’t be sorry!
24-70mm f/2.8 L – Fantastic walk-around lens. The 24-105mm f/4 that comes in the 5DMkII kit has more reach and is image stabilized, but I still prefer the speed of the 24-70. You can do more with it in lower light sitations.
70-200mm f/2.8 L – The IS version of this lens is silly expensive, but the standard version shares the same glass with its brother. For portraits and weddings, you cannot have a finer lens. The f/4 cousins are smaller and lighter. If you plan to shoot outdoors most of the time where there is sufficient light, then you should be fine with it. Indoors you will find yourself using a flash more often, even with the IS version of the f/4. The bokeh from the f/2.8 is noticeably better too.
50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 – The “L” version of this lens is f/1.2 and about $1k more. It’s soft at f/1.2 and shoots its best at f/1.4 and higher. The “L” glass _is_ better than its cheaper cousins, but is it really worth it? This is one of the rare cases where there is little need to buy the “L” version. Buy the f/1.4 for $350 or the f/1.8 for $100 and enjoy it.
Rating
I’ve been looking at the Canon 5D Mark II for a long time – since before it came out in late 2008. It’s taken a while but I finally pulled the trigger.
My first Canon SLR was the EOS 650 – the autofocus SLR that “started it all”. Then in early 2000′s I got the Digital Rebel, then an XTi and quickly after that the Canon 40D.
I’ve liked all the digital SLR’s I’ve used to date but only the 40D reminded me of the build quality and “heft” that my original 650 had. And although you get used to it, the 1.6 crop factor of the sensor size is really a big difference on the wide-angle side.
Over time I also upgraded my lenses to the 17-40 F4L, the 24-105 F4L, the 70-200 F2.8L and the 100-300 F4.5-5.6L – with IS in all but the 17-40.
I guess I’d call myself an “advanced amateur”. My usual approach to photography is to compose a good shot and then crop later to a better composition to get my “keepers”.
With the 40D and my outfit of lenses I can pretty much do it all – especially on the telephoto side. However, I noticed that when you crop significantly a 10.1MP image, the end result can have significantly reduced image quality.
So – I determined a little more megapixels to work with would be helpful.
Next, the 40D’s max ISO is 1600 but at 800 the noise can be a bit of a distraction. The simple solution is to stay below 800 but that requires a flash or photos of stationary objects in darker settings.
So – I determined that something with better light sensitivity would be helpful.
I noticed that some of my lenses were sharper than others on the 40D. I sent the body to Canon with my 24-105 to get the focusing “matched” and the results were good. But it was a one-size fits all solution.
So – I determined that something that offered lens microadjustment would be helpful.
I watched and waited patiently for the “brouhaha” of enthusiam for the 5D MarkII to settle down as I’m not the sort of sucker that pays more than MSRP for anything. I knew my time would come, I’d get my 5DMarkII – even if my wife said no. Now the MSRP is $200 less!
Finally, along comes this blasted Canon 7D to totally ruin my plan. It solves my megapixel issue, it solves my ISO issue, it has lens microadjustment (as does the 50D) it even offers an advanced video capability and “new and improved” autofocusing system. And it’s $800+ less expensive. What a quandary…. now what?
With much consternation and angst I debated over and over the 7D or 5DMII. On the one hand, on the other had – you know the drill. Is the 5DMII worth it?
I put my 17-40 lens on the 40D and then on my EOS650 and like I said – the difference is huge between a full frame and cropped sensor. I’m not a video-enthusiast and I’m not really sure what the big deal is about “24p” vs “30p” so that wasn’t too important. I believe with autofocusing – “it’s not the arrow, it’s the indian” and unless something’s out of wack your images should be focused or you’re making a mistake.
So, I took the plunge and purchased the 5D Mark II.
It’s awesome.
The look and feel is very EOS-like. Not too different than my 40D – probably a little better in fact. I like the Creative Auto mode a lot and the menu on the LCD is great.
The ISO range is totally worth it. I take shots routinely at 3200 and they look like 400 on the 40D (very minimal noise / graininess). When I use a flash – the results are amazing.
I microadjusted the camera for all the lenses I own, and as expected the settings for each were slightly different. Now my images are spot-on, unless I screw up (again – it’s not the arrow, it’s the indian).
To top it all off – Canon is coming out with a firmware update to add 24p (et al) to the 5DMark II.
The Live-view mode is much simpler than on the 40D and focusing is very easy.
The 21 Megapixels is way more than I really need but when I crop my images I get great results so I’m delighted there. I delete images I don’t like so my storage constraints are limited.
Finally – the full-frame sensor gives me all the image my considerable lens investment can provide and offers me opportunity on the wide angle side that the 7D couldn’t. It’s a big deal and not to be discounted (although you can get an EFS 10-22 to make up for it on a cropped body).
I’m sure the 7D is an awesome camera too and I bet the autofocus system is an improvement. However – if you’re like me, you’ve got great lenses, you’ve been patiently waiting for the hysteria to calm down, and you’re ready to change camera bodies then I totally recommend going full frame and getting the 5D Mark II.