Canon's Chuck Westfall claims that the 5D2 has a better AF system than the 50D/40D but it is not the same and lacks the multiple cross sensors across the frame. I haven't used the xxD series so I can't comment on tracking performance.
I have seen comparisons on the www.dpreview.com forums between the 1D series autofocus and the 5D2. The 5D2 fared exactly how you described: less than stellar to be sure.
You're right. Most people don't think of downsizing as a form of compression. I called it that to highlight the true purpose of sRAW: smaller file sizes (or "compressed" file sizes). I just happen to think that the method Canon chose to reduce file sizes (throwing away good information) was a very poor one.Originally Posted by ultima16888
Great review, Bryan! Thorough and well-written, as usual.
Let me add or emphasize a couple of points that strike me coming from a 30D. I've had the 5D2 for less than a week, so these are first impressions.
Resolution is so high that I can salvage boring pictures through cropping and rotation more effectively than ever before. Why, I can even shoot verticals of equivalent resolution of the 30D without rotating the camera. How great is that? I never really felt that resolution was lacking in the 30D for the kind of printing I do (max. 12x18), but this is the main benefit in practice of having more for me today.
The menus are much better. I liked the "jump" action of the 30D menus--I learned the feel and could move about pretty fast. For example, a function I use frequently is "format" which I need when returning a used card to the camera for a fresh shoot. That's jump, jump, twist on the 30D, right? On the 5D2, the format function can be put into my custom menu. I don't even need to do that because it's usually the last function that I use on its page, so when I turn to the page, I just need to press the "set" button to get it. Little things mean a lot.
Oh, another simple thing that means a lot. Formatting is really fast now, even on a big CF card. On the 30D it would take more than a few seconds, and too often I would be in a big hurry at that moment.
Liveview is fantastic. (I know that this is not new with the 5D2, but it's new to me.) I can use manual focus lenses from yesteryear now and, at least on a tripod, focus with utter confidence. It's perfect for macro and makes the angle-finder pretty much obsolete. Tethered shooting works great, too.
Lens/body focus calibration: Big improvement, now all my fast primes are sharp wide-open. Hint: use tethered shooting to make these adjustments with maximum confidence.
Full-frame: Hooray, now I'm getting all that bokeh that I paid so much for. :-)
I was worried that the AF points would be clustered too close to the center of the frame, but it's not been a real problem. They're OK. AF speed and accuracy has been fine so far.
The ISO button is in a better position on the top of the camera for changing in the dark or while shooting. It's the one you need to remember, and now it's easier to remember. Seeing ISO in the viewfinder is great.
Battery life is indicated in detail. You can shoot down to the last drop with confidence. Good thing, too, since batteries are still hard to find.
Video works, and it works great. Sound quality with a little shoe-mounted mic (a cheapo Sony that is similar to the Rode you mention in your review) is surprisingly good. Results are dramatically better than with my old miniDV camcorder for both picture and sound. This is a whole new world to explore.
Finally, kit configurations are more efficient for light-weight travel. Single-lens kit: 5D2 + 24-105/4. Wow. That's much wider and longer than the 30D + 17-55/2.8, and thanks to improved ISO and full-frame, I won't miss that extra stop too much, I hope. Two-lens travel: 5D2 + 17-40/4 & 70-200/4. No equivalent with the 30D; to get this flexibility I needed the 10-22, 17-55, and 70-200. (I suppose you could use the 10-22 and 24-105 but I'd be changing lenses too frequently.) Three-lens travel: 5D2 + 17-40/4, 50/1.4, 70-200/4. Now we're up to 4 lenses with the 30D and my shoulder is getting very, very sore.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Hi Bryan,<o></o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]First thank you for your reviews. I read them several times, and I always found them great!!!!<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I shoot prevalently landscapes, natural life and people (specially my children)<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I own a 5d, and I was ready to invest in a 1DS MK III, when the 5dMKII was announced. I managed to get one 2 weeks before Xmas.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I was looking for 2 specification in the new body:<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraph"]<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]1)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]More details and sharp pictures<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraph"]<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]2)<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]A Sensor cleaning future ( I tried several times to clean my sensor in the 5d, but it remain clean for a very short period)<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I purchased a 70-200 f 2.8 IS with the body (following your suggestion), and I am very very happy of the body and the lens as well.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Using the 5D MK II with my previous lenses deliver better images than before (24-105 F 4 IS and 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 IS). I micro-adjusted the autofocus for my 3 lenses, and I find images to be more consistent.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I get a lot more details in a picture, and I can crop pictures, and still make nice prints.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Live View is a great method to shoot, and the possibility to view and select your <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"]setting on the LCD is intuitive and quicker to change.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I read in the forum that there are complaints regarding the Autofocus and the Noise. I shoot the majority of my pictures at 100 ISO, and very seldom with an ISO above 400, so noise is not an issue for me.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]As far as the autofocus is concerned my subjects do not move very fast, and using the center point + Servo delivered excellent pictures for my moving subjects, for still ones I prefer to choose the point where I focus, so I use the center again.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Personally I am very happy I upgraded my 5d with the 5d<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] MK II, and I highly recommend this camera.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Ciao.<o
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]Gian Luca<o
Ken, I wholeheartedly concur. Anyone who has tried to focus a 35 mm tilt/shift lens knows it's a frustration. Angle Finder C helps but it doesn't insure you'll end up with an optimally-focused image. Using live view on the 5D2's high-resolution LCD makes the process almost easy. Canon's tilt/shifts are my favorite lenses and, since moving to the 5D2, the images I'm getting from them have never looked better.
Thanks for the great review.
Just wondering, will you be posting your experiences with the 1.07 firmware upgrade?
I am hesitating b/c I know that you can't go back to 1.06 and I want to know the negatives. (new DPP color issues (?)...)
Thanks,
- Michael
Michael - I just posted a before/after comparison of the black dot issue (looks good) butI don't plan to do any more in-depth testing. I plan to usethe 5D IIa lot more - and I'll certainly report any additional noteworthy findings.
Hello Bryan Carnathan,
Thank you for your latest effort to educate us about the Canon EOS bodies.
One of the features that really separate your reviews from any other is the excellent 'mouseover' images, that give great insight to both ISO and sharpness comparisons, and relative sizes of the various bodies and lenses.
In that regard I have two questions/suggestions: in the reviews of the non-1 series bodies unavoidably somewhere the optional battery grips shows up, often with an image. One of the comments then often made is 'with the grip attached the size is very close to that of the 1-series bodies with integrated grip'
IMO it would be nice to show those sizes, either side-by-side or -preferrably- by a new 'mouseover', all with the same lens attached:
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.22.32/Canon_2D00_EOS_2D00_5D_2D00_Mark_2D00_II_2D00_with _2D00_EF_2D00_16_2D00_35mm_2D00_II_2D00_Lens.jpg[/img]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.22.32/Canon_2D00_EOS_2D00_1D_2D00_Mark_2D00_III_2D00_wit h_2D00_EF_2D00_16_2D00_35mm_2D00_f_2D00_2.8_2D00_L _2D00_II_2D00_Lens.jpg[/img]
...for instance with these type of images... []
Another 'mouseover' I think would be interesting is from the front of the camera, with a 50mmF1.4 attached (that being the 'center point' of the mouseover, the 'fixed value' so to speak), so we can learn how much 'body' is left to hold...
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.22.32/Canon_2D00_EOS_2D00_5D_2D00_Mark_2D00_II_2D00_with _2D00_50mm_2D00_f1.4_2D00_Lens.jpg[/img]
[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.22.32/Canon_2D00_EOS_2D00_1D_2D00_Mark_2D00_III_2D00_Dig ital_2D00_SLR_2D00_Camera_2D00_on_2D00_Black.jpg[/img]
...for instance like these...
...I realise that what I am asking is an awful lot of work, but again IMO it would really add another excellent comparison feature to the review(s) that other sites lack
...and as always, all the above is just *my* €0.02 worth of opinion and idea...
With my kindest regards and deepest respects,
L. 'Max' Tak
Max@Home
Moderator/Canon forum/PhotoCamel.com
CPS member
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll keep those in mind going forward.
Very good camera
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