Front (8.0)
The Canon 5D closely resembles the visual form of the Canon 20D, with some features borrowed from the 1D series. The most notable departure from the 20D's look is the 1D-style viewfinder hump. It doesn't jut out over the lens mount in part because, unlike the 20D’s hump, it doesn't house a pop-up flash. Instead, the hump looks flat-faced, with the 1D series' very smooth curves.
The lens mount dominates the front of the 5D, with its very large bayonet. The release button for it is a large rectangle on the left of the mount. Below it is the depth of field preview switch, a glossy black bead that electronically activates the lens's iris. Canon put an “EOS 5D” logo on the upper right of the camera, following the marking pattern of the 20D. The lower part of the body is covered in a leather-textured rubber material that's good for gripping, though no actual vertical grip is present, while the top portion offers a matte plastic finish. The Canon 5D's handgrip is rounded smoothly from front to back, with an indentation for the user's middle finger. The indentation is a feature it shares with the 1D series. In use, it's a tactile cue for the hand, guiding it into the right spot. The shutter release is on the top of the grip, isolated on an incline toward the front. A control dial pokes up vertically from a spot behind the shutter release. An infrared sensor window is unobtrusively placed between the handgrip and the lens mount.
Back (8.5)
The Canon 5D has a spacious 2.5-inch 230,000 pixel LCD, which dominates the back of the camera. The LCD, along with a direct print button above the LCD and to the left of the viewfinder, is a feature that distinguishes the 5D's back from the Canon 20D's. Like the 20D, the 5D features a column of buttons that runs down the left side of the LCD. They are: MENU, INFO., JUMP, and playback, which is indicated by an icon. The delete button is below the LCD to the left, and the power switch is below the LCD to the right. The very large “Quick Controller” dial is low and to the right of the LCD, and the SET button is placed in the middle of the dial. The smaller “Multi Controller” dial is above the Quick Controller. A status light that indicates when images are being written to memory peeks out at about a four o'clock position from the Quick Controller. In the upper right corner of the camera, situated near the user's right thumb, is the exposure lock button and the autofocus sensor selection button.
Left Side (8.0)
The left side of the Canon 5D features a split rubber cover for the camera's ports. One half covers the PC flash sync terminal and the remote control terminal, and the other half covers the USB 2.0 port and the analog video out port. The split cover allows the user to access one set of ports while keeping the others protected from the elements. A bit higher up on the left is the wide, beefy shoulder strap lug, which protrudes from the camera body.
Right Side (7.0)
The right side of the Canon 5D features the door to the media card slot. It is very much like the door on the 20D. It unlatches by sliding back with a positive click, after which it swings open. Above the door, there's another heavy lug for a shoulder strap. On this side, the lug is recessed, so that it won't interfere with the grip. The Canon 5D’s grip is thicker than the 20D’s.
Top (7.5)
The top of the Canon 5D is simple, and very much like the 20D. At the far right, there's a large mode dial. It differs from the one on the 20D in that it lacks automated scene modes. The 5D features a hot shoe on the viewfinder hump, and it's compatible with the long line of flashes for EOS cameras. To the right of the viewfinder, along the front edge of the camera, the 5D has the same row of buttons as the 20D contains. From left to right, they are: the display illumination button, the Autofocus/White balance button, the drive mode/ISO button, and the metering pattern/flash exposure compensation button. The top LCD panel is below the buttons. It displays shooting status data.
Bottom (8.0)
The bottom of the 5D is fairly plain. A latching door under the handgrip holds the lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and the metal tripod socket is just where it should be, centered on the lens axis and the focal plane. There's a small door on the left side for a button-type battery that maintains the camera's memory for settings when the main battery is out of the camera.
