Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Speed and Timing

The Canon 5D Mark II gets off to a jackrabbit start from power-up to taking your first shot, but its burst mode performance lags the competition across the board.

Canon claims the maximum burst mode speed shooting full-resolution JPEGs with the 5D Mark II is 3.9 frames per second. In our lab testing we clocked the camera at 3.81 frames per second, well within the margin of error.

There is only one burst mode speed, which Canon clocks at approximately 3.9 frames per second at full resolution. Their figure for maximum burst rate duration differs substantially based on the type of CompactFlash card you’re using. With a standard CF card, they figure approximately 78 JPEGs, 13 RAW files or 8 RAW+JPEG shots in a row. Move up to a high-speed UDMA card, though, and the JPEG burst capacity is limited only by the capacity of the card, though the switch to UDMA only increases RAW burst capacity to 14 consecutive frames and doesn’t change the RAW+JPEG spec.

The Nikon D700 and Sony A900 both offer significantly faster burst modes. The D700 runs at 5 frames per second, which can be boosted to 8 frames per second with an optional battery grip attached, but that’s handling 12.1-megapixel images versus the 21.1-megapixel 5D Mark II output. The Sony A900, on the other hand, delivers 24.6-megapixel resolution and still manages a maximum 5 frame per second burst rate.

The self-timer is accessed through the drive mode controls. Several forms of remote-controlled shooting are also possible. The optional Remote Switch RS-803N3 or Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3 can be connected to the terminal plug on the side of the camera. There are also two wireless remote controls available, the RC-1 and the RC-5. Most intriguing, though, is the option to connect to your computer with a standard USB cable and shoot stills or video remotely using the included EOS Utility software.

Focus Speed

The autofocus system relies on nine primary focus points, including one cross-type point in the center. An additional six focus assist points near the center of the scene are available to help track moving subjects, though the points aren’t displayed on-screen.

When using one of the two automated shooting modes (Full Auto and Creative Auto), the camera chooses a focus point, which can’t be overridden. In any other mode you’re on your own, moving the focus point selection with the joystick or by rotating one of the two dials. Instinct would say that using the joystick would be the right call here, since you can point directly to the spot you want instead of running through the focus point range until you land on the right one. In practice, we found that joystick tough to use accurately. With just nine available focus points, the Quick Control Dial was much faster.

Whether you use the automated system or choose your focus point yourself, it lights up bright red in the viewfinder. We found this bold display very useful but, if you disagree, the light can be suppressed through a custom control.

There are three autofocus modes: One Shot, Servo, and Focus (which switch between Servo and One Shot depending on subject movement.

Manual focus is straightforward: flip the AF/M switch on the lens to M and turn the focus ring. There is no focus assist indicator in the viewfinder, as found on the Nikon D700.

Live View mode offers both the standard focus system used during viewfinder shooting and contrast-detection auto focus using the image sensor. The system is detailed in the Live View section above.