Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Three years is a continued time for any artefact to adhere around, abnormally back the technology changes as rapidly as it does for agenda cameras. And with abounding of the imaging apparatus of the 1Ds Mark III (including a after adaptation of the image-processing engine, Digic 4) for a amount tag $5,000 lower, it's absolutely an adorable alternative. Though it's consistently had a big fan base, Canon EOS 5D users accept nonetheless been agog for more. The almsman Canon delivers: the EOS 5D Mark II is in abounding means a must-have upgrade, abnormally for the bells photography army for whom the 5D is a workhorse. It's additionally priced adequately aggressively compared with the antagonism admitting its fresh 21-megapixel CMOS sensor and groundbreaking cine abduction capability.

Slightly added than its predecessor, the Mark II weighs aloof over 2 pounds. Canon says it beefed up the dust and acclimate sealing a bit about the agenda awning and buttons and bigger rated bang backbone for up to 150,000 cycles. The anatomy itself is a animate anatomy covered with magnesium alloy. But while it's acutely absolutely made, it about doesn't feel absolutely as tanklike as the D700. Like all of Canon's pro dSLRs, it's actual adequate to anchor and shoot. The downside of the adapted architecture is that it takes fresh accessories, including a fresh array and fresh vertical grip.

The camera comes in two official configurations: the body-only or a kit adaptation with the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Usually I'm not a fan of the lenses that address as allotment of kits like this, but I concluded up affection the 24-105mm a lot added than I accepted and anticipate it's a acceptable bout for anyone attractive for a aboriginal lens to brace with the camera. As with all of the high-resolution models, however, it absolutely makes a aberration to go for the sharpest lenses in the arsenal.

Canon reorganized the controls a bit from the blow of its models. On the top sits the capital punch additional four dual-purpose buttons that admission adjustments for the metering (huge 3.5 percent spot, 8 percent partial, center-weighted, and evaluative) and white balance; AF (single, AI Servo and AI Focus) and drive modes; and ISO acuteness and beam compensation. Unlike the Sony Alpha DLSR-A900, the top cachet LCD displays complete information; you can cull the accepted settings up on the rear LCD as well, but can't cross them the way you can on that camera. I absence that, as able-bodied as the direct-control metering about-face on the A900 and Nikon D700. The approach punch on the top larboard offers aloof the basics--as it should: Bulb, PASM, Auto, three custom settings slots, and the Creative Auto approach that debuted in the EOS 50D

The top rear appropriate has buttons for initiating AF, acknowledgment lock, and focus-point selection; bottomward the larboard rear are the Live View/PictBridge, Menu, Picture Styles, Info, Playback, and annul buttons. Unfortunately, best of the buttons on the anatomy feel identical to their neighbors. The 5D Mark II uses the aforementioned joystick multicontroller and Quick Control punch with Set button as its added contempo models. I still like them. (Click through the accelerate appearance for added on the camera's architecture and features.)

The viewfinder is hardly beyond and a bit brighter than the 5D's. While it offers broader advantage than the D700's--98 percent against 95 percent--it avalanche abbreviate of the 100 percent provided by the A900 and by midrange models like the Olympus E-3. C'mon Canon, eke out that aftermost 2 percent, please.

The best notable affection advantage the 5D Mark II has over its competitors is the movie-capture capability. Canon supports 1,920x1,080 at 30fps, accurate 1080p HD, with a address mic congenital in and stereo mic input, with clips of up to 12 account (on a 4GB card). All things considered, it's a appealing nice implementation. Though you can't autofocus, you can acclimatize acknowledgment while shooting; the optical stabilization works; and you can administer Picture Styles.

Many of the fresh capabilities absolutely ambition pros: a brace of low-resolution raw formats (10 and 5.2 megapixels), added changeable focusing-screen options, in-camera peripheral-illumination alteration to atone for accuracy contrast beyond the image, and a bashful Live View mode. There's additionally Face Detection AF, but it alone works in Live View mode. If you do HDR work, you'll apparently acquisition the 5D Mark II's bracketing accomplishing a alloyed bag. It's abundantly adjustable compared with most--in some respects. For instance, you can bracket in any increments of 1/3, 2/3, 1, 1 1/3, 1 2/3, or 2 abounding stops, centered about any EV up to +/- 4 stops. Unfortunately, it banned you to three exposures area added cameras let you do bristles or seven.

The 5D consistently acquainted a bit apathetic to me, admitting absolute achievement numbers to the contrary. This camera delivers the aforementioned abstinent performance, but feels abundant zippier. And overall, it fares absolutely able-bodied compared to the D700. It wakes up and shoots in 0.3 additional and takes amid 0.3 and 0.6 additional to shoot, depending aloft lighting conditions. It about runs about 0.4 additional from attempt to shot.

The Mark II uses a fresh array pack, the LP-E6, which seems to aftermost a analytic continued time: it's CIPA rated at amid 750 and 850 shots, depending aloft temperature. It additionally supports some adequately avant-garde advertisement features. For instance, you can annals the packs and again the camera will clue the date aftermost used, cardinal of shots you've taken on it back aftermost recharge, and its adeptness to authority a charge, in accession to the absolute accommodation on a allegation status.

However, the camera's still missing some appearance offered by the competition. Admitting one doesn't use the on-camera beam as a aphorism in this class, it absolutely is nice to accept in an emergency. Canon additionally continues its attitude of not including an in-camera wireless beam controller; some traditions deserve to die. And if you appetite on-board angel stabilization, the A900's your alone option.

For access shooting, however, it's the slowest of all the fresh models, partly because of Nikon's decidedly lower resolution and Sony's acceleration up on the processors to advance access rates. Neither its 3.8fps burst-shooting acceleration (unlimited JPEG/14 Raw) nor its center-intensive 9-point AF arrangement absolutely lends itself to actively fast, connected cutting of affective subjects. And if your cutting appearance requires lots of AF credibility above the average division of the frame, this apparently isn't the camera for you. But for centermost focusers like me, it works absolutely well.

I'm acutely admiring with the affection of the photos the 5D Mark II delivers. As you'd apprehend from a archetypal in its amount class, it renders authentic and constant exposures and colors. Given its resolution, its babble contour is decidedly good: no babble or babble abolishment artifacts until about ISO 1600, at which point all you see is a slight bit of softening. Depending aloft accountable matter, photos can abide accessible as aerial as ISO 12,800. My alone artifice is with the ever balmy tungsten white balance. Even the video looks and sounds good, admitting the mic could use a wind filter. (Click through the accelerate appearance for angel samples and added altercation of photo quality.)

When I aboriginal blogged about the camera in September 2008, I commented that it "doesn't abet the knee-jerk WANT acknowledgment I expected." After cutting with it for about a month, I accept to admit, I'm sold. I appetite this camera. I adulation the Nikon D700 as well, but the 5D Mark II's college resolution and decidedly acceptable video abduction put it over the top for me.