Canon EOS 5D Mark II

	Introduction
The full-frame, 21.1-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II aced our color accuracy and dynamic range tests, and captures 1080p movies with extraordinary quality. But it's not the perfect all-in-one still and video camera: there are still too many quirks.
		Page 1 of 21	Product Tour

 

Section		The Good	The Bad
	Product Tour	Ruggedly built body, tight-fitting port covers	Dual-function buttons potentially confusing
	Color	Most accurate color results of tested cameras under well-lit conditions	Color accuracy suffers badly under low lighting
	Noise	Strong performance, effective noise reduction processing	No significant problems
	Resolution	Very good resolution at wide-angle setting	Sharpness suffers in the area between the image center and corners
	White Balance	Very accurate in auto mode with daylight and fluorescent	Auto mode has incandescent light problems
	Playback	Fast, flexible image browsing; useful software, including remote camera control	No in-camera editing
	Hardware	Full-frame sensor enhances wide-angle shooting options; excellent 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD; HDMI out for HDTV connection	No built-in flash, autofocus assist lamp or wireless flash control; slow Live View focus; incompatible with smaller-sensor-format lenses
	Controls	Three Camera User Settings; Picture Styles work like choosing a film type	No scene modes; limited self-timer flexibility
	Design & Handling	Solid non-slip grip; well balanced; dual control wheels; well organized menus; good user manual	Finicky joystick control
Video Section		The Good	The Bad
	Video: Color & Noise	Strong, accurate colors	Noise levels were a bit higher than other DSLRs.
	Video: Motion & Sharpness	Captured motion looked smooth and crisp	No alternate frame rates offered (only 30p)
	Video: Low Light Performance	Decent sensitivity, excellent color accuracy, low noise levels	Nothing of note
	Video Features	Plenty of manual controls (thanks to the new firmware upgrade)	Stationary LCD isn't good for framing video, lack of live autofocus during recording is disappointing

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.

[page title="Product Tour"]

	Product Tour Summary
• The 5D Mark II is a substantial piece of gear, weighing over 3 pounds with lens. • The body and layout are very similar to the previous 5D. • Magnesium alloy body and extensive seals and gaskets provide pro-level ruggedness
	Introduction	Page 2 of 21	Color

Product Tour

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The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a substantial piece of equipment to tote around, weighing in at 1.8 pounds (810g) plus battery, and measuring 6.0 x 4.5 x 2.9 inches (152 x 114 x 75mm). For all practical purposes it's the same size and shape as its 5D predecessor, with only a few button changes to distinguish the two. It's a conservative design that conveys the serious nature of the gear, devoid of aesthetic flash or sizzle.

The top, front and rear of the body are constructed of magnesium alloy, the bottom and sides of plastic, all anchored to a stainless steel frame. Weather and dust seals around the battery compartments and memory card doors, along with internal gaskets and sealing materials around the buttons, tripod sockets and the LCD screens combine to offer improved weather resistance.

The shutter is rated at 150,000 shots, putting it on par with the Nikon D700 and ahead of the Sony A900, which promises 100,000 shutter cycles.

The shutter button is inset in a sculptured bevel facing forward.

The microphone is barely visible under the 5D label.

This inset in the textured grip allows some of the camera weight to rest against your middle finger.

Lens release button.

The depth of field preview button

This button triggers Live View while shooting, and printing during playback.

There's a very small speaker under here.

Autofocus control

Exposure lock while shooting, zoom out during playback

Autofocus point selector while shooting, zoom in during playback

This row of mostly single-purpose buttons controls (from top) Menu, Picture Style, Info display, Playback mode and Erase.

The joystick moves in eight directions

Quick Control Dial

Set button used to access menus and record movies

Access lamp

The 3-inch (76.2-centimeter) LCD with 920,000- dot resolution

This mysterious circle is a light sensor, used by the automatic screen LCD brightness adjustment function.

The power switch has three positions: the topmost choice enables the Quick Control dial.

Compact flash compartment cover slides back, opens outward

There are two separate rubber terminal covers. The front one protects the PC terminal, Digital terminal, Remote control terminal and external microphone jack.

The rear cover protects the A/V out terminal, USB port, and mini HDMI port.

The metal tripod socket is centered under the lens.

The battery compartment cover latch pulls right with a fingernail. A small white latch keeps the battery from falling out.

Extension system terminal

These control buttons serves dual functions. The first parameter listed (metering mode, autofocus mode, ISO) is adjusted using the main dial. The second (white balance, drive mode, flash compensation) using the rear Quick Control Dial.

Hot shoe

Main dial

Press to illuminate the top LCD

Mode dial

Diopter adjustment

The monochrome LCD panel provides at-a-glance info about shooting settings, available memory card space and battery status.

Size Comparisons

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Front
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Price: $2699 (body only)	Price: $1399 (body only)	Price: $2999 (body only)	Price: $999 (body only)	Price: $2999 (body only)
Back
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Width: 6.0in/152mm	Width: 5.7in/145.5mm	Width:   6.25 in/156mm	Width:   5.8 in/147mm	Width:   5.2 in/132mm
Top
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Depth: 3 in/75mm	Depth: 2.9 in/73.5mm	Depth: 4.6 in/117mm	Depth: 3 in/77mm	Depth: 3 in/77mm
Left
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Height: 4.5 in/113.5mm	Height: 4.2 in/107.8mm	Height: 3.25 in/82mm	Height: 4.1 in/103mm	Height: 4.8 in/123mm
Right
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Weight: 28.6 oz./810g	Weight: 25.7 oz./730g	Weight: 30 oz./850g	Weight: 22 oz./620g	Weight: 35 oz./995g
Bottom
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700

In the Box

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• Canon EOS 5D Mark II body (with body cap)
• LP-E6 lithium-ion battery (with cover)
• LC-E6 battery charger
• neck strap
• USB cable
• video cable with stereo audio
• Instruction Manual, English
• Instruction Manual, Spanish
• Pocket Guides (English and Spanish)
• Registration card, additional documentation
• EOS Digital Solutions Disk 19.1 (utilities)
• EOS Digital Software Instruction Manual CD (utility documentation)
• Canon Essential Products and Solutions CD (product and accessory info)

[page title="Color"]

	Color Summary
• Multiple Picture Styles available to match color mode to subject. • Accurate skin tone reproduction • Some difficulty with magenta, yellow, cyan capture • Color shifts noticeable in low light, but noise remains low
	Product Tour	Page 3 of 21	Noise

Color Accuracy (13.61)

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In our extensive lab tests of five current digital SLRs, the Canon 5D Mark II produced the most accurate color results, with the Sony A900 trailing the rest of the field by a wide margin. The 5D Mark II did exceptionally well capturing the light skin color, orange and the greyscale patches from the chart, but struggled a bit with pure yellow, magenta and cyan. Click here for more on how we test color.

 

Canon uses Picture Styles to adjust several image parameters including color values, with Landscape mode enhancing blues and greens, for example, and Portrait favoring flesh tones.

As expected (assuming the folks who name Picture Styles at Canon think rationally), the Neutral Picture Style produced the most accurate results, with a very modest color shift of 4.85, and a slight undersaturation at 96.1. In the charts below we can see the relative color accuracy results for the Canon 5D Mark II and four other digital SLRs we tested, each at their most accurate color mode settings.

Color Chart Comparisons
Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Neutral Mode	Faithful Mode	Neutral Mode	Neutral mode	Neutral mode

Here we compare actual pixel-size crops of the 18 colored squares of the X-Rite color chart, taken by each camera in its most accurate mode. The ideal color value is shown in the leftmost column, the cameras' best recreations of that color are arrayed to the right.

 

	Camera Color Comparisons
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Blue
Green
Red
	Ideal	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

Below you can see our final score for color performance compared across the five camera test group. Higher scores indicate superior performance.

Color Score Comparison

 

Color Modes (4.00)

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Canon's Picture Styles system combines settings for sharpness, contrast, saturation and color tone in six presets and three user-definable groupings. In a nutshell, think of Picture Styles as different film types, with distinctive image reproduction characteristics. For a full discussion of this feature, read the Picture Effects section below.

The 5D Mark II supports both the default sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces. Most users will stick with sRGB, but for those shooting for commercial printing and industrial uses, the Adobe option is important.

In the following chart we explore the effect of five different Picture Styles on the color captured by the Canon 5D Mark II, with actual-pixel-size crops of each color in the X-Rite chart. The sixth Picture Style, Monochrome, isn't included.

	Color Mode Comparisons
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Blue
Green
Red
	Ideal	Standard	Portrait	Landscape	Neutral	Faithful
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

Long Exposure (10.57)

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In this test combining color accuracy and image noise performance over long exposure times, the 5D Mark II trailed the other cameras in the comparison group. Interestingly, the primary component in the comparatively weak performance of the 5D Mark II was its color accuracy under low light conditions, which consistently trailed the other cameras. Low-light image noise performance, on the other hand, was roughly equivalent to the other cameras, and clearly superior to the Canon 50D. Click here for more on how we test long exposure.

Canon 5D Mark II Long Exposure Color Error

Under low light conditions shutter speeds slow down, image noise inevitably increases and often color accuracy is affected. Above you see the results of our long exposure testing as it affects color accuracy. Below are the results for the same exposure times, detailing the impact on noise performance.

Canon 5D Mark II Long Exposure Noise

And finally you see the Canon 5D Mark II's final score for this section versus the competition. Higher scores indicate superior performance.

Long Exposure Score Comparison

[page title="Noise"]

	Noise Summary
• Image noise very low through ISO 800 even with noise reduction turned off • Noise reduction highly effective, maintaining  sub-1% noise out to ISO 3200 • Noise results overall comparable to Nikon D700 and Nikon D90
	Color	Page 4 of 21	Resolution

Noise (6.90)

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We found that in the battle against image noise, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a warrior to be reckoned with. Compared to the other tested cameras, the 5D Mark II scored identically with the Nikon D700 and just a hair behind the leader in this category, the 12.3-megapixel Nikon D90. Compared to the other high-megapixel full-frame camera, the Sony A900, the 5D Mark II proved significantly lower in image noise. Click here for more on how we test noise.

Noise Reduction Level Comparison

We found that, even with the noise reduction system turned off, the 5D Mark II was able to maintain a noise level below 1% up to ISO 800, a very good result. With noise reduction on at the two highest settings, this sub-1 percent performance stretched out to ISO 3200, and even at ISO 6400, the top official setting, never became truly objectionable.

Color & Luma Noise

The individual color channels followed the same trend as shown in the chart above. Luma noise is noise in grey areas of the image.

Noise Reduction Off Comparison

With the noise reduction turned off, the chart above shows that the Canon 5D Mark II is slightly worse than the D700 across the ISO spectrum.

Noise Reduction Maximum Comparison

With noise reduction enabled, the Nikon D700 is less noise up to ISO 400, but the 5D Mark II proves superior beyond that point. In the chart below, the close race in overall scores becomes apparent. Higher scores indicate superior performance.

Noise Score Comparison

ISO (8.00)

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The 5D Mark II offers an official ISO range from 100-6400, and an expanded range from L (roughly ISO 50) through H1 (12800) and H2 (25,600), all at full resolution.

	ISO Examples
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 50
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 100
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 200
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 400
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 800
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 1600
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 3200
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 6400
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 12800
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 25600

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.

[page title="Resolution"]

	Resolution Summary
• Sharpness and overall resolution scores surpass Nikon D700 by significant margin, but trail Sony A900 • Chromatic aberration noticeable in image corners • Unusual three-size RAW file selection a welcome feature • Exceptional dynamic range at all ISO settings
	Noise	Page 5 of 21	White Balance

Resolution (8.55)

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In our resolution testing, which factors in both sharpness and chromatic aberration, the 5D Mark II comes up only slightly ahead of the far less expensive 50D (proving again that multiple megapixels do not necessarily result in a better image). The 5D Mark II is actually bookended by its two full-frame competitors, beating the Nikon D700 handily and trailing the A900 by a substantial margin. Click here for more on how we test resolution.

 

With this review we expand our resolution testing procedure to consider not only the sharpness at the center point of the lens, but across the full breadth of the image. We are also considering chromatic aberration in our testing, as defined below. The key concept that remains constant, however, is the fact that a massive number of megapixels is not a good indicator of the resolution you'll see in your actual photos. Sensor performance is a factor, along with compression algorithms and lens optics. To get to the bottom line, we use Imatest software to analyze the camera's resolution performance on a level playing field, regardless of megapixel statistics.

We shoot with the kit lens provided by the manufacturer at three different focal lengths (the minimum and maximum zoom settings and the point in between), and at three aperture settings (minimum, maximum and middle) for each zoom setting. The resulting images are then analyzed using Imatest to determine distortion (measured but not scored), chromatic aberration and sharpness.

Distortion
Shooting with the kit 24-105mm kit lens at three focal lengths, we found significant barrel distortion at the widest setting and roughly the same degree of pincushioning in the midrange and maximum telephoto. By way of comparison, our 28mm shots using the 28-95mm zoom on the Nikon D700 produced a much smaller degree of barrel distortion (-0.31% versus -3.60% for the Canon), with smaller differences between cameras on the telephoto side.

	Distortion Examples
24mm 2.3%
60mm 1.25%
105mm 1.25%

Chromatic aberration occurs when the lens is unable to focus all the color wavelengths accurately on the same plane. The effect can be visible as color fringing (though fringing can also be caused by inaccuracies in JPEG image compression). Our Imatest procedures differentiate between hardware- and software-based chromatic imperfections.

Chromatic Aberration (8.23)
While the chromatic aberration testing for the 5D Mark II produced an acceptable result, the Nikons were significantly superior. By and large this color anomaly in the 5D Mark II was well controlled at the center and midrange of the lens, but significant problems occurred as we approached the four corners.

Sharpness (8.69)
When testing for sharpness, Imatest factors out raw megapixel count and instead measures line widths per picture height, a reading of the camera's ability to resolve minute details in a defined area. With this system, a lower-megapixel camera will often outperform a higher-megapixel model, since the larger light receptors of the lower-megapixel sensor can gather light more efficiently and suffer from less interference across cells.

We found the 24-105mm kit lens produced its sharpest results at the widest-angle setting, right in the middle of the lens, with 1482 lw/ph measured horizontally and 1780 lw/ph measured vertically. Moving out from the center of the lens, sharpness drops significantly around the midway point, then picks up again as we reach the outer edges.

	Image Sharpness and Chromatic Aberration
	f/4			f/9			f/22
24mm

Next up is the 60mm zoom setting, right in the middle of the zoom range. There is much less chromatic aberration at this zoom point.

	Image Sharpness and Chromatic Aberration
	f/4			f/9			f/22
60mm

Finally, we have the zoom at 105mm, the longest zoom that the lens we tested can achieve. The chromatic aberration makes a comeback here, and the edges are much softer.

	Image Sharpness and Chromatic Aberration
	f/4			f/9			f/22
105mm

Overall, the 5D Mark II was a strong, but not outstanding performer. It had decent sharpness, but the 28-105mm lens that we tested it with had rather a lot of chromatic aberration at both ends of the zoom range, and the images were also rather soft. Both the Sony A900 and the Nikon D90 performed better, with more consistent sharpness and less aberration. Below is our chart comparing the scores achieved by the 5D Mark II and the four cameras that we compared it with. Higher scores indicate superior performance.

Resolution Score Comparison

Picture Quality & Size Options (13.28)

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The EOS 5D Mark II offers an unusual variety of picture size options, with three RAW sizes in addition to three JPEG formats.

Image Size Options
JPEG Large	5616 x 3744
JPEG Medium	4780 x 2720
JPEG Small	2784 x 1856
RAW	5616 x 3744
sRAW1	3861 x 2574
sRAW2	2784 x 1856

Each JPEG file size is available at two compression settings. Each of the RAW settings can be shot as RAW + JPEG, with any of the six available JPEG size/compression combinations attached.

Dynamic Range (8.31)

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The Canon 5D Mark II proved the top performer in our dynamic range testing, including over a half stop expansion possible by shooting RAW. While dynamic range inevitably falls off as ISO increased, the 5D Mark II starts off quite high at well over seven stops for ISO 100 and 200, and falls off smoothly from there, maintaining over 4 and a half stops all the way to ISO 3200. Click here for more on how we test dynamic range.

Dynamic Range

At low ISO settings, the Canon 5D Mark II manages a dynamic range of over 7 stops, and maintains over 6 stops through ISO 800.

Dynamic Range Comparison

While the 5D Mark II lead the pack overall, at ISO 200 all the cameras performed similarly, and the Nikon D90 was slightly superior. The chart below visualizes the 5D Mark II's dynamic range score across all ISOs against the competition. Higher scores indicate superior performance.

Dynamic Range Score Comparison

 

Image Stabilization (3.13)

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The in-lens optical image stabilization that the Canon 5D Mark II uses did a decent job of compensating for hand shake, but it is far from perfect; at faster shutter speeds and with particularly bad hand shake, we found that it actually made things worse. Click here for more on how we test image stabilization.

Canon 5D Mark II Image Stabilization: Low Shake
Horizontal: Sharpness Vs Shutter Speed Horizontal: Sharpness improvement with IS on	Vertical: Sharpness Vs Shutter Speed Vertical: Sharpness improvement with IS on

Our first test is for a low level of hand shake, such as when you are trying to hold the camera steady with two hands, or braced against a wall. In this situation, there is only a small amount of movement, but still enough to make a picture blurry, especially with a lower shutter speed. In our tests, we found that turning on the IS feature on the 24-105mm L USM lens that we used in this review made a significant improvement with horizontal motion (such as the camera shaking side to side); with a shutter speed of between 1/250 and 1/30 of a second, the images were much sharper. However, the IS feature had the opposite effect with shutter speeds at the ends of the range. At 1/500, 1/15 and 1/8th of a second, the images were less sharp with IS turned on; the correction that the camera is making is actually making the images a bit less sharp. To be fair, though; if you are shooting at 1/15 or 1/8 of a second hand held, you're asking for trouble. We also found that the IS system had relatively little effect with the vertical shake; when the camera is moving up and down, there was very little difference between IS on and IS off.

Canon 5D Mark II Image Stabilization: High Shake
Horizontal: Sharpness Vs Shutter Speed Horizontal: Sharpness improvement with IS on	Vertical: Sharpness Vs Shutter Speed Vertical: Sharpness improvement with IS on

Our next test uses a higher level of shake; about the level you would get if you were trying to take a photo while walking, or while taking a candid shot one-handed. This seemed to be a bit too much for the image stabilization system in the lens: in both the horizontal and vertical directions, the images were either less sharp or no better with IS turned on across the entire range of shutter speeds that we test at.

The bottom line here? It is a good idea to turn the IS on if you are shooting at a shutter speed of between 1/250 and 1/15 of a second, but if you are shooting at higher speeds, turn it off. And if you are shooting at speeds of under 1/15 of a second, either increase the ISO to get a faster shutter speed, or use a tripod, as the Image Stabilization won't help much. Plus, the Image Stabilization won't save you if you have really bad handshake or are trying to take photos while running; it did not compensate well for serious hand shake.

Image Stabilization Score Comparison

 

When compared with other SLR cameras, the 5D Mark II has middling performance. As the graph above (which shows the low shake, horizontal sharpness improvement for three cameras) shows, both the Sony A900 and Nikon D700 had significantly better performance. Both cameras were more consistent than the 5D Mark II, with improvements in sharpness at all of the shutter speeds we test at.  The Canon 5D Mark II only beat the other cameras at 1/250 of a second; at all of the other speeds, the VR (Vibration Reduction) feature of the Nikon D700 and the SteadyShot feature of the Sony A900 did a more effective job in our tests.

Below are stills from some of our test photos taken with the Canon 5D Mark II, showing an average image from the horizontal test. The target is a slanted line.

 

	Image Stabilization Comparison Table
	Low Shake IS Off	Low Shake IS On	High Shake IS Off	High Shake IS On
1/500
1/250
1/125
1/60
1/30
1/15
1/8

[page title="White Balance"]

	White Balance Summary
• Automatic white balance system highly accurate under daylight and fluorescent lights. • Incandescent illumination posed problems for auto WB • Custom white balance produced dramatic improvement • Only Nikon D700 produced higher overall white balance results
	Resolution	Page 6 of 21	Sample Photos

White Balance (14.27)

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For our white balance testing, we compare images shot under different lighting conditions against the actual color values of the X-Rite ColorChecker chart. We use a Macbeth Judge II lighting box to maintain precise color temperature control, shooting under daylight, tungsten and compact fluorescent illumination. We test both the performance of the automatic white balance and custom white balance systems. Click here for more on how we test white balance.

Automatic White Balance (13.26)
When set to automatic white balance, the Canon 5D Mark II handled daylight and  fluorescent illumination with great skill and dexterity, but faltered when faced with incandescent illumination (the kind produced by common household bulbs).

Auto White Balance

Shooting in daylight with all five of our test cameras set to auto white balance mode, all produced slightly cool images, though the 5D Mark II was the furthest off the mark.

Auto Daylight White Balance Performance Comparison

Incandescent lighting produced problems for the auto white balance systems of all five cameras across the board, with the 5D Mark II slightly less red-tinged than the Nikon D700 and Canon 50D.

Auto Incandescent White Balance Performance Comparison

The Nikons and the Sony A900 all shot significant too warm under fluorescent lighting when set to auto white balance, while both Canons were very close to the mark, erring only slightly on the cool side.

Auto Fluorescent White Balance Performance Comparison

 

Custom White Balance (15.28)
The most important lesson to be gleaned from our custom white balance testing is the degree to which it solves the problems inherent in the automatic white balance system. Incandescent lighting in particular created significant difficulty for the 5D Mark II when shooting with automatic white balance. After setting a custom white balance, the measured color error was just 1.6% of the original reading.

This improvement holds true to a greater or lesser degree for all the cameras in our test suite, but the 5D Mark II proved particularly accurate after taking a custom white balance reading, trailing only the Nikon D700 in our scoring.

Canon 5D Mark II Custom White Balance

In our overall white balance scoring, combining the results for both automatic and custom white balance testing, the Canon 5D Mark II comes up in the middle of the pack, trailing its brandmate 50D and the Nikon D700 due in large part to their superior results when using the automatic setting.

White Balance Score Comparison

 

White Balance Settings (8.75)

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The 5D white balance system includes automatic white balance, custom white balance (set by shooting a neutral card under current lighting conditions), direct entry in degrees Kelvin and the following six manual presets:

White Balance Types
Display	Mode	Color Temperature
	Daylight	5200
	Shade	7000
	Cloudy, twilight, sunset	6000
	Tungsten light	3200
	White fluorescent light	4000
	Flash use	6000

Canon chose to maintain its clumsy two-step custom white balance shooting procedure with the 5D Mark II. First you shoot a photo of a white or grey card, then you bring up the Custom White Balance utility from the menu system, then you select the reference photo you've just shot, then you press the custom white balance button on top of the camera and select it. Are we having fun yet?

White Balance Adjust

Fine manual white balance adjustment is provided along two axes.

Manual white balance correction, with fine adjustments along the blue-amber and green-magenta axes, is available, though there is no image preview to interactively indicate the effect of changes made. White balance bracketing is also available, along the same two axes. Rather than taking multiple exposures, the same shot is saved with three different white balance settings applied.

[page title="Sample Photos"]

	Sample Photos Summary
• Shooting in real-world conditions, we found the 5D Mark II automatic exposure systems generally produced well balanced images • Subtle color gradations are reproduced well, and color tones captured accurately • Shooting on a tripod at night produced noisy but still usable images.
	White Balance	Page 7 of 21	Playback

Sample Photos

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Click on any of the full-size photos below to view the original image. However, please note that the image files are extremely large and could take a long time to download. Alongside each large image are four actual-pixel crops.

Landscape Sample
				Focal Length: 24mm Aperture: f/10 Shutter: 1/200 sec. ISO: 100 This shot of the Charles River was shot in Full Auto mode on a moderately overcast day.
				Auto settings produced an image with very good sharpness and fine depth of field, from the Royal Sonesta sign (at the back, left of center) to the park benches in the right foreground.

 

Close-Up Sample
				Focal Length: 105mm Aperture: f/13 Shutter: 1250 sec. ISO: 1600 The doll's head was shot in Program mode, with spot metering at the central point, on a shaded porch.
				Note the sharpness around the eyes controlled highlight intensity on the metal ball, and the subtle gradation from pink to white on the doll's cheek (third photo across).

 

Texture Sample
				Focal Length: 35mm Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter: 1/2000 sec. ISO: 2000 Boston hasn't invested much in upkeep on the Longfellow Bridge over the Charles River, providing an opportunity to shoot complex corrosion using aperture priority mode and center-weighted metering, with exposure comp of 1 1/3 stop to brighten the foreground
				The details here are not as tack-sharp as we might have liked, though with 21.1 megapixels available the photo looks crisp even at substantial magnification.

 

Night Scene Sample
				Focal Length: 58mm Aperture: f/4 Shutter: 1/5 sec. ISO: 6400 Shot in the evening, with the sky not quite black, using a tripod and timer release to minimize shake. Program AE mode, center- weighted metering, with the lens wide open.
				Shot at the maximum official ISO, it's noisy but still perfectly usable. The subtle blue of the sky through the trees is maintained and the color of the pink cloth at right is accurate.

 

Wildlife Sample
				Focal Length: 105mm Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter: 1/60 sec. ISO: 100 Gracie was shot sitting quietly on the porch on an overcast day, in Program AE mode with center-weighted metering in Standard Picture Style.
				The handheld shot maintains excellent detail in the dog's left eye and in the fur, and the range of tones in her coat are captured nicely.

 

Signage Sample
				Focal Length: 105mm Aperture: f/6.3 Shutter: 250 sec. ISO: 100 Shot on a sunny day in Program mode with spot metering set to the center point and Auto ISO on.
				Details in the brightly lit gold lettering are sharp, colors are reproduced accurately throughout, and the color breaks between red, green and gold are clean.

 

Still Life Examples

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	Still Life Comparisons
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 50
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 12800
ISO 25600

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.

Noise Examples

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	Noise Comparison Table
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 50
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 100
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 200
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 400
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 800
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 1600
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 3200
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 6400
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 12800
	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 50D	Sony A900	Nikon D90	Nikon D700
ISO 25600

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.

[page title="Playback"]

	Playback Summary
• Image magnification to 10x, with browsing between images at the same magnification • Four levels of information detail available during playback • Software includes extensive RAW file editing, lens correction, remote control of camera shooting via USB • PictBridge direct printing offers extensive options, DPOF creation more limited
	Sample Photos	Page 8 of 21	Hardware

Playback Mode (8.00)

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During image playback, the photo display can be magnified up to 10x, in 15 steps. When a magnified image appears on screen, turning the Quick Control dial browses your photos one at a time at the same level of magnification and position, a very handy way to compare focus on a set of similar images. Another handy shortcut is the use of the Main Control dial to move rapidly through images. By default, turning this dial jumps 10 images forward or back. Through the second setup menu, this can be changed to move one or 100 images at a time, to browse by date or folder, and to bring up only stills or only movies. The convenience features that are missing are shortcuts to zoom instantly to full magnification, or back to full-screen display from a magnified image.

Zooming out from a full-screen display brings up a display of thumbnail images, first four photos, then nine, navigable using the Quick Command dial and selectable with the Set button.

When viewing movies shot with the camera, both standard-speed and slow-motion playback are available, along with frame-by-frame advance and the option to jump to the beginning or end of the file.  Playback volume can also be adjusted, via the Main Control dial. What's strangely missing, though, is fast forward.

The on-screen display in playback mode toggles between four configurations when you press the INFO button. The most basic screen shows a nearly-full-screen image with shutter, aperture and exposure compensation information superimposed in black on the top left, file name on the top right.  Pressing INFO adds image number and image size superimposed over the photo in the bottom left. Next up is a thumbnail display of the photo beside a luminance histogram, with full information on shooting mode, ISO, Picture Style, image size, color space and date and time added below. Finally, a fourth press displays both RGB and luminance histograms.

 

In-Camera Editing (0.50)

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Canon lets you rotate a vertical image. Period.

Well, OK, they'll cut you a little slack if you want to use the 5D Mark II for direct PictBridge printing. The Direct Print section allows the choice of standard, vivid or three flavors of black and white, brightness levels adjustment, backlighting correction and cropping.

Software (7.00)

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Software
	Digital Photo Professional is the core application provided with the 5D Mark II, used for RAW image processing, organizing and limited editing of JPEG and TIFF files, and printing. The interface is oriented toward users who understand tone curves and white balance temperatures. The tools for adjusting color, white balance and dynamic range offer a high degree of precision, and there’s a useful lens aberration correction utility that tackles peripheral illumination, distortion, chromatic aberration and color blur in RAW files for over 80 Canon lenses. Other than a hand dust removal tool, though, Digital Photo Professional is limited to full-image editing, so it won’t serve as a Photoshop replacement.
	ZoomBrowser EX, as the name implies, is used to view and organize images (including keyword tagging), along with JPEG image editing (brightness, color, contrast, sharpness, cropping, contrast and red-eye), stitching panoramas, playing movies, trimming them and grabbing still frames.
	EOS Utility handles downloading images from the camera, editing in-camera data (including appending a copyright notice to your photos), uploading peripheral lighting correction data for new lenses, creating and uploading Picture Style Settings, and shooting stills or movies remotely when the camera is connected via USB, with the Live View display recreated on your computer screen and images saved directly to the hard drive. A nice feature of the remote control software is the ability to program interval shooting for time-lapse sequences. Movies can be shot remotely as well, but unlike stills, they will be stored on the camera's memory card.
	While you can create a Picture Style right on the 5D, using Picture Style Editor on your computer is easier and more precise. The software lets you view a large on-screen image while making adjustments, then save the settings you create as a Picture Style for upload to the camera.
	Digital Photo Professional, EOS Utility and Picture Style Editor are all provided in fundamentally the same form for both Windows and Macintosh. Mac owners get a slightly different image browser utility in the artfully named ImageBrowser. Aside from interface differences, the other organizing and editing functions are equivalent to ZoomBrowser EX except for direct contrast adjustment and the option to unsharpen an image, which are mysteriously absent.

Direct Print Options (5.00)

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The 5D supports both direct output to a PictBridge-compatible printer connected via USB and creation of a DPOF (Direct Print Order Form) file for professional printing services.

Direct Print Options
	PictBridge The controls and options for printing directly from the camera are surprisingly extensive. In addition to the obvious choices (number of prints, paper size, bordered or borderless, etc.), photos can be cropped, image parameters adjusted (including vivid mode and three different black and white tones) and image noise reduced.
	DPOF DPOF options are more straightforward: select the number of prints per image, whether or not to imprint the date on the photos and choose to have thumbnail index pages output if desired.

[page title="Hardware"]

	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)

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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)

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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.

 

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)

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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