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Introduction
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01.Physical Tour
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02.Components
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03.Design / Layout
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04.Modes
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05.Control Options
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06.Conclusion
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07.Specs / Ratings
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08.Comments
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Previous: Page 2
ComponentsNext: Page 4
ModesModel Design / Appearance
The 5D Mark II will never be described as stylish. Functional is more appropriate, but that's fine in a camera like this; it's a tool designed to do a job, and the design has to serve this. And it does this very well; we found that the camera, although bulky, fits into the hand well and puts the most commonly used controls under your fingertips.
Size and Handling
The 5D Mark II is a large camera, but it fits well into the hand and is comfortable to hold for extended intervals. The leather-textured plastic on the exterior help you keep a firm grip, and the handgrip is wide and big enough to make sure that your grip is unlikely to slip. That's a good thing for an expensive camera like this. Although the camera can be used single-handed, the more comfortable position is to use two hands; one on the grip and the other under the lens, bracing the camera.
The 5D Mark II is also a pretty heavy camera; Canon quotes a weight of 28.6 ounces, and that is without the lens. Most lenses will add another 10 or more ounces to the weight, so you are carrying around a significant burden with this camera. Even with the neck strap, it does tend to weight you down after a bit.
The 5D Mark II is a large camera, but it fits comfortably in the hand
The menu structure is the standard Canon approach; the on-screen menus are broken up into 5 separate screens. The first is for shooting, and contains options like the resolution of the image and how long the image appears on the screen.
The second menu screen covers playback settings, such as erasing and protecting images.
The third menu covers other playback settings, such as what the histogram on the information display covers and whether blown-out highlights are shown.
The last three menus cover the settings of the camera, allowing control of features such as image rotation, language and the battery.
The Live View/Movie func. set option is where the video controls of the 5D Mark II live; we'll get to those in a bit.
Ease of Use
The 5D Mark II is a professional camera, so the number of features and buttons on offer are always going to be somewhat overwhelming. But it does a decent job of breaking down the menus so that the features are easy to find. Our only real complaint is that Canon decided to put some infrequently used options right up at the front of the menu structure; one of the first things you see when you hit the menu button is the option that allows you to set the camera to shoot without a memory card being installed, which you are likely to use about one every 10,000 years.
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