Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera Review

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Digital Camera Review

5 The 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.
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Specs Table
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Specs
Type DSLR  
Price 2699.00  
Length 6.00  
Width 3.00  
Height 4.50  
Weight 28.60  
Mega Pixels 22.00  
Effective Pixels 21.00  
Sensor Type 36.0mm x 24.0mm (35mm Full-frame) High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor  
Image Size (1) Large/Fine: Approx. 6.1MB (5616 x 3744 pixels) (2) Large/Nomal: Approx. 3.0MB (5616 x 3744 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.6MB (4080 x 2720 pixels) (4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.9MB (4080 x 2720 pixels) (5) Small/Fine: Approx. 2.1MB (2784 x 1856 pix  
Aspect Ratio 3:2  
Color Filter System RGB primary color filters  
IR Cut Low Pass Filter Unknown  
Media CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4A)  
Image Format Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW1, sRAW2, RAW+JPEG Video: MOV  
File Size 25.8MB (RAW) to 1.0MB (smallest JPEG)  
Compression Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW1, sRAW2, RAW+JPEG Video: MOV  
Lens Mount Canon EF mount  
Compatible Lenses Canon EF lenses  
Viewfinder Eye-level pentaprism  
Diopter Adjustment -3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter)  
Frame Coverage Vertical/Horizontal approx. 98%  
Magnification Approx. 0.71x (-1m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity)  
LCD TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor, 3.0 in., Approx. 920,000 (VGA)  
Mirror Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cutoff with EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)  
Auto Focus Type TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor  
Focusing Modes Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)  
Focusing Points 9 AF Points (1 Cross Type) + 6 AF Assist Points  
AF Assist Illuminator When an external EOS-dedicated Speedlite is attached to the camera, the AF-assist beam from the Speedlite will be emitted when necessary.  
Metering Modes Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF)  
Metering Range EV -0.5-18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100)  
Shutter Type Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter  
Shutter Speed 1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)  
Self Timer 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay  
Modes Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE  
Speed Yes  
Burst Yes  
Exposure Compensation Manual: ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)  
Bracketing ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments  
Built in Flash No  
Sync Contact EX-series Speedlites  
Flash Metering E-TTL II autoflash  
Flash Exposure Compensation ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments  
Resolution 5616 x 3744 pixels  
ISO Sensitivity 100-6400, extendable to 50-25600  
White Balance Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting  
Playback Options Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotated image (auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show  
Direct Printing Yes  
Video Output Yes  
Battery Power Source One CR1616 lithium-ion battery  
Movie Mode 1080p .mov MP4  
Storage Type CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E4A)  
Resolution Maximum 5616 x 3744  
Resolution Minimum 2784 x 1856  
Ratings Raw Weight 
Color 13.61  
Color Modes 4.00  
Long Exposure 9.87  
Color Other Features 0.00   0.5 
Noise 6.90  
ISO Features 8.00   1.5 
Noise Other Features 0.00   0.5 
Sharpness 8.69  
Chromatic Abberation 8.23  
Picture Options 13.28   0.5 
Dynamic Range 8.31  
Image Stabilization 3.13  
Resolution Other Features 0.00   0.5 
Auto White Balance 13.26  
Custom White Balance 15.28  
White Balance Features 8.75   0.5 
Playback Mode 8.00   1.5 
In-camera Editing 0.50   0.5 
Software 7.00   0.5 
Direct Print Features 5.00   0.5 
Playback Other Features 0.00   0.5 
Sensor 4.00  
Viewfinder 8.00   1.5 
LCD 9.10   2.5 
Flash 3.00  
Lens Mount 10.50   1.5 
Battery 8.00  
Memory 3.00  
Jacks, Ports, and Plugs 5.50  
Hardware Other Features 0.00   0.5 
Shooting Modes 12.00  
Live View 3.25  
Scene Modes 0.00   0.5 
Picture Effects 4.00   0.5 
Focus 10.75   1.5 
Exposure 3.75  
DOF Preview 2.00   0.5 
Metering 8.00  
Shutter Speed 11.00  
Self Timer 3.00  
Handling 7.00   2.5 
Controls 9.25   2.5 
Menu 8.75  
Manual 6.00  
Design & Handling Other 0.00   0.5 
Shot to Shot 3.81  
Drive and Burst Modes 5.75  
Controls Other Features 2.00   0.5 
Video Handling 4.50   0.73 
Video Color 12.68   1.25 
Video Sharpness 10.59   1.25 
Video Motion 9.00   0.63 
Video Noise 11.19   0.63 
Video Controls 6.00   1.2 
Video Sensitivity 4.96   0.95 
Video Low Light Color 10.47   0.78 
Video Low Light Noise 12.18   0.78 
Video Compression 7.50   0.95 
Video Audio 2.25   0.3 
Total (weighted)   797.43

Conclusion Page 8 of 8 Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR First Impression Review Navigation
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