Canon EOS 5D Mark II

	Hardware Summary
• The 21.1-megapixel full-frame sensor matches the size of a 35mm film frame, maximizing the viewing angle of wide-angle lenses • Viewfinder provides 98% coverage, but lacks a built-in cover for tripod shooting • 3-inch LCD with 920,000-dot resolution looks great, offers optional automatic brightness adjustment • Live View works well for tripod shooting, but autofocus inadequate for fast-moving subjects • No built-in flash, autofocus assist lamp or control over wireless flash units • Peripheral Lens Correction automatically adjusts for darkening in image corners caused by vignetting • Battery rated at over 800 shots per charge • HDMI out for direct connection to high-def televisions
	Playback	Page 9 of 21	Controls

Sensor (4.00)

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II uses a full-frame CMOS sensor with a gross pixel count of approximately 22.0 megapixels and an effective resolution of approximately 21.10 megapixels. An automatic dust removal system, which vibrates the low-pass filter over the sensor, is triggered by default every time the camera is turned on or off (the automatic cleaning can be turned off, and the system can also be triggered manually). The filter is also coated with fluorine, which helps reduce dust adhesion, according to Canon. In addition, for stubborn dust problems, dust delete data can be recorded and used in conjunction with the provided Digital Photo Professional software to remove those stubborn stains.

Sensor Cleaning Screen

This screen appears during the sensor-vibrating process when power is turned on or off

The 5D Mark II sensor measures approximately 36 x 24mm—in other words, it matches the size of a 35mm film frame. And the resulting compatibility with lenses designed for 35mm cameras is a key advantage of shooting with a full-frame camera. Ordinarily, only the central portion of the light coming through the lens actually hits the image sensor at all in a typical digital camera, with its smaller sensor size. This leads to an apparent magnification of the image—it's not that it's actually been magnified, but only the middle portion is being captured and turned into the final photo, creating the magnification effect. As shown in the diagram below, the typical APS-C digital camera sensor effectively multiplies the apparent lens size by a factor of 1.6. If you mounted the 24-105mm kit lens we used for our 5D Mark II testing on a Canon Rebel XSi, for example, it would shoot roughly like a 38-168mm lens. You're getting more telephoto zoom power, but sacrificing the important wide-angle characteristics that let you shoot panoramic images and shoot close up in tight spaces (like an indoor group portrait).

Sensor Size Comparison

A full-frame sensor allows a wider panoramic image from a given lens.

Viewfinder (8.00)

The pentaprism viewfinder provides 98% coverage at 0.71x magnification. The diopter adjustment is conveniently located at the right side of the viewfinder, small enough to be unobtrusive but clicky enough to allow precise fine-tuning in the -3.0- +1.0m^-1 range.

  Closing the viewfinder for tripod shooting requires removing the eyecup.

The eyecup can be removed by pushing upward, but it's a fairly clumsy operation. Why bother? You might buy optional replacement eyecups from Canon, but the more frequent reason is blocking the open viewfinder while shooting with the camera mounted on a tripod—left open, light can stream in from behind and throw off the exposure setting. Both the Nikon D700 and Sony A900 solve this problem elegantly with a built-in shutter that opens or closes with a button push. Given the price of the camera, Canon should do the same.

Interchangeable focus screens are supported. Three compatible Eg-series screens are currently available: Precision Matte (provided with the camera), Precision Matte with grid and Super Precision Matte. They sell for about $45 each.

The viewfinder displays the following information:

		Autofocus points
	Spot metering circle

High-speed sync FE lock FE bracketing

Focus Confirmation

Exposure level Exposure Comp Bracketing Range

ISO

White Balance Correction

Shutter speed FE lock Busy

AE Lock AE bracketing

Flash exposure compensation

Battery status

Monochrome shooting

Aperture

Highlight tone priority

Maximum burst capacity

Flash ready

LCD (9.10)

Like the Canon EOS 50D, the 5D boasts a handsome 3-inch LCD with 920,000 resolution, with a 170-degree viewing angle. Screen brightness can be manually adjusted in seven steps, or set to one of three Auto levels, with the camera relying on a sensor to keep the screen at that setting.

Shutter Speed

Aperture

Exposure Compensation

ISO

Flash Exposure Compensation

Shooting Mode

Metering Mode

White Balance

AF Point

Picture Style

Image Quality

Drive Mode

Quick Control Icon

Remaining Charge

Maximum Burst

Shots left on card

AF Mode

LCD Panel
The monochrome LCD screen on the camera's top right side conveniently displays much of the viewfinder data without the need to squint. The button at the far right illuminates the screen for a few seconds.

The monochrome LCD provides a wealth of
information at a glance.

The following diagram shows all the potential bits of info the LCD can display. Of course, since many of the settings shown are contradictory, it would be a very bad thing if they all appeared at once.

White Balance Correction

Image Quality

Shutter Speed

Aperture

Shots remaining Self-timer countdown Bulb exposure time

White Balance

Autofocus mode

Drive mode

Battery Level

Auto exposure bracketing

Exposure Level

Monochrome shooting status

Metering Mode

Highlight Tone Priority

ISO

Flash Exposure Compensation

Flash (3.00)

In line with the pro photographer image of the camera, the 5D Mark II doesn't have a built-in flash. We're not sure what harm there'd be in providing a pop-up flash for those occasions when you've left your external strobe back at the studio, but less-is-more is apparently the rule when it comes to stroking photo egos. Nikon is more accommodating in this regard, including a pop-up flash on the D700, though Sony also shuns pop-top convenience with the A900. Adding insult to injury, there's no autofocus assist lamp on the camera body either: if you want this very valuable low-light focusing tool, you'll have to affix a Speedlite to your camera.

The camera is fully compatible with Canon's EX-series Speedlites. This includes the ability to take a spot flash exposure meter reading and flash exposure compensation. Maximum X-sync speed is 1/200 second.

Speedlites that aren't part of the EX series will fire, but only at full output power. Non-Canon flash units and studio lights can be connected using the PC terminal.

One feature notably missing from the 5D Mark II is the built-in ability to control wireless off-camera flash units, which is provided in the Nikon D700 and Sony A900.

With no built-in flash, 5D Mark II owners are likely to make
good use of the hot shoe.

Lens Mount (10.50)

With its Canon EF-lens mount, the 5D Mark II is compatible with all EF-format lenses except EF-S models, which are designed for smaller-sensor-format cameras. This is bad news for existing Canon SLR owners with a significant lens investment interested in stepping up to a full-frame camera. The Nikon D700 and Sony A900, by contrast, both offer compatibility with lenses designed for their lower-cost SLRs.

The lens mount, shown here with the mirror up and down.

As a full-format camera, what you see printed on the lens attached to your 5D Mark II is what you get when it come to magnification: unlike the typical small-sensor digital camera, the 5D Mark II sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame, so lenses behave as they were originally designed. This has a distinct advantage when it comes to wide-angle lenses, which ordinarily lose breadth of coverage when the typical digital camera lens multiplier is applied.

An interesting lens-related feature is Lens Peripheral Illumination Correction.  Ordinarily, we expect some darkening in the four corners of an image, depending on the characteristics of the particular lens. The 5D can automatically adjust for this light falloff, if a profile of the lens is available and the user chooses to enable the feature. About twenty-five profiles are built into the camera, and others can be loaded using the supplied EOS Utility software. The in-camera correction is available for JPEG images; the same capability is available for RAW files using the Digital Photo Professional software.

Also available, though less frequently useful, is Autofocus Microadjustment. If a particular lens is producing less-than-sharp results, the auto focus system can be tweaked to accommodate this peculiarity by moving the focus point up to 10 steps forward or 10 steps back. These adjustments can be stored for up to 20 lenses at once.

Zoom Ratio Examples
24mm	65mm	105mm

Battery (8.00)

A new battery, the LP-E6, is introduced with the 5D Mark II, with capacity rated at 1800 mAh. Canon promises approximately 830 shots per charge when shooting with the viewfinder, or 200 shots using Live View. Extensive battery status information is available via the third setup menu, including remaining power capacity, shutter count (shots taken with the current battery) and recharge performance. For those who are seriously power-hungry for battery info, you can register up to six batteries within the camera memory (every battery has its own serial number) and keep track of when each was last used, and the remaining charge at the time.

The battery is held in place with a small white clip.

Memory (3.00)

The camera is compatible with Type I and Type II CompactFlash cards, including hard drive versions and the latest high-speed UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) format.

There's no latch on the memory card door, but it snaps in place firmly.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs (5.50)

There are six I/O ports in all, arrayed in two banks of three, each with its own tight-fitting rubber cover. In the left group is (from top to bottom) the PC terminal for flash unit sync cords, the N3-format remote control terminal and a standard microphone input jack. On the right are three industry standard jacks for stereo AV and mini-USB cables (both included) and mini HDMI for high-def TV output (cable not supplied). On the bottom of the camera is a an extension system terminal to be used for connecting the optional Wireless File Transmitter. There is also an infrared receiver port built into the front of the camera for use with Canon's optional RC-1 and RC-5 remote controls.

All ports and connectors are well protected against the elements with
tight-fitting rubber covers.

Playback	Page 9 of 21		Controls
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Product Tour	Color	Noise
Resolution	White Balance	Sample Photos	Playback
Hardware	Controls	Design & Handling	Video Color & Noise
Video Motion & Sharpness	Video Low Light	Video Features	Canon 50D Comparison
Sony A900 Comparison	Nikon D90 Comparison	Nikon D700 Comparison	Conclusion
Specs & Ratings