5The Canon 5D Mark II is an update to the venerable 5D (which we reviewed here), which proved to be a popular camera with serious amateurs, sports shooters and many other well-heeled photographers. But the original 5D was launched in 2005, making it positively ancient in digital camera terms. Now Canon has revamped the camera, boosting the resolution to an impressive 21 megapixels and adding the ability to record high definition video. Can the $2699 Mark II carry on the flame lit by its illustrious predecessor? If our impressions of a pre-production model that we tried out at the Photokina 2008 show are anything to go by, the answer is yes.
Conclusion The Canon 5D was beloved by many photographers, both amateurs and pros, as a workhorse camera that could take great images, and the 5D Mark II looks likely to continue this great tradition. Although our full review will have to wait until we can get one into our labs for a thorough probing, we didn't find anything that gave us cause for concern in our hands-on tests at the Photokina show.
And the Mark II adds a number of interesting new features to the mix. Although the video mode has its limitations, it looks to work well and could prove to be useful enough for the photographer who wants to produce occasional videos -- as long as they don't involve much focusing flexibility. In our limited testing time, we found that the best way to use video mode was to focus, then shoot and hope the subjects don't move much. We doubt the 5D Mark II will replace a dedicated camcorder, but it has a number of interesting touches (such as the external microphone port) that could make it good enough for occasional video clips, as well as being a totally kick-ass camera for the serious (and seriously well-heeled) shooter.
Likes
- Video mode looks very promising
- Full frame sensor means better use of wide angle lenses
- Menus are easy to navigate - Shoots RAW photos quickly
- Comfortable to hold and use
Dislike
- Camera is heavy and bulky
- Lower frames per second than some
- Focusing in video mode is awkward
- Costs a lot
The Canon 5D was beloved by many photographers, both amateurs and pros, as a workhorse camera that could take great images, and the 5D Mark II looks likely to continue this great tradition. Although our full review will have to wait until we can get one into our labs for a thorough probing, we didn't find anything that gave us cause for concern in our hands-on tests at the Photokina show.