Canon EOS 5D Mark II

	Video: Color & Noise Summary
Comprehensive video testing and analysis by Jeremy Stamas and the staff of
• Strong, accurate colors in bright light. • According to our testing, the camera was off a bit with red and brown tones, but most colors were very accurate. • Noise levels were good in bright light, although other DSLRs performed better.
	Design & Handling	Page 12 of 21	Video: Motion & Sharpness

Note: This review was updated on July 27, 2009, with additional video testing. This updated review reflects the changes to the 5D Mark II video capabilities enabled by the 1.1.0 firmware update, released June 2, 2009.

Video: Color Performance (12.68)

The Canon 5D Mark II produced very accurate colors in our testing. The camera measured a color error of 2.76, which is a good deal better than the rest of the video-capable DSLRs we've tested. It also managed a saturation level of 106.6%, so the colors have quite a bit of pop and look rather deep. Note: we did all our video testing on the 5D Mark II using a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Click here for more on how CamcorderInfo.com tests color performance.

Color Accuracy Performance
Color Test Chart (above), Color Error Map (right)
The Canon 5D Mark II produced a color error of 2.76 and a saturation level of 106.6% in our bright light color testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the color error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camera processed each particular color while capturing video.)

The color error map above shows how well the camera did with each individual color patch in our test. The 5D Mark II did a terrific job with most colors, particularly greens and blues. It only ran into trouble with reds and browns, which is signified by the longer lines between the squares and circles in the color error map above.

The data above comes from our test with the 5D Mark II set to its standard color mode. Using the camera's other color settings will get you different results (as you can see below), and we found the Neutral color mode to produce the most accurate colors (a 2.53 color error according to our image testing software).

Canon 5D Mark II Color Modes
Auto	100% Crop
Portrait	100% Crop
Landscape	100% Crop
Neutral	100% Crop
Faithful	100% Crop

As we stated earlier, the 5D Mark II produced more accurate colors than each of the video-DSLRs we've tested so far—the Canon T1i, Panasonic GH1, and Nikon D5000. It also had better color accuracy than the HF S100, a high-end HD camcorder from Canon. In fact, the 5D Mark II's color score is better than most HD camcorders are capable. Only a few models from JVC (the GZ-HD300 and HM200) have done better in our color testing this year.

Canon 5D Mark II Color Comparisons
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i
Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100

We like how vivid and deep the colors look on the 5D Mark II. The Canon T1i actually had a slightly higher saturation level (110.3%), however, and you can notice their color differences in the comparisons below (specifically with the green and red patches). Both the Panasonic GH1 and Canon HF S100 had lower saturation levels than the 5D Mark II and their colors were noticeably less vivid in our testing.

	Close-Up Color Comparisons
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i	Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100
Red
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i	Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100
Green
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i	Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100
Blue
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i	Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100
Light Skin
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon T1i	Panasonic GH1	Canon HF S100
Dark Skin

Video: Color Score Comparison

Video: Noise Performance (11.19)

The 5D Mark II averaged 0.4775% noise in our testing. This is a very respectable performance even though it's a bit worse than what we saw from the rest of the video-capable DSLRs that went through our labs.Compared to the average consumer HD camcorder, however, the 5D Mark II's results were very good. Out of the video-DSLRs we've tested, the Nikon D5000 measured the lowest amount of noise, with only 0.1925%. Click here for more on how CamcorderInfo.com tests noise performance.

Video: Noise Comparisons
Canon 5D Mark II 100% Crop	Canon T1i 100% Crop	Panasonic GH1 100% Crop	Canon HF S100 100% Crop

The crops above do a good job showing off the sharpness capabilities of each camera and camcorder. All the models above have very good sharpness and all of the crops were taken from 1920 x 1080 HD video. The Canon 5D mark II appears a bit crisper than the cheaper Canon T1i, but its image appears slightly less sharp than the HF S100. The GH1 is also very sharp, but its image has some blur and aliasing towards the bottom of the vertical trumpet in the image above. The full data and results from our video sharpness test are available in the next section of this review.

Video: Noise Score Comparison