Canon EOS 5D Mark II Review Discussion

[Bryan Carnathan]

Discuss the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Review - tell us what you think of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR.

[Stefan Stuart Fletcher]

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Thanks Bryan (again) for setting up this thread.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Firstly, I upgraded from a 40D. Why? I felt I was ready for a FF and the 5D mk1 was small, slow and too retro for me. The price differential in Greece was small enough to pay more for more with the mk2. Comparisons relate to the 40D *only*.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]What I like:
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]IQ is seriously much better all across the board, from landscapes to macros (I suppose the extra ISO reach might come in handy one day, but not today)
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Build is serious, solid
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Ease of use: the LCD is a joy, as is the bigger, brighter viewfinder
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Ergonomics: rear is simplified, but the menu is so much easier, but live view button at last makes that useless print button useful, and multi-directional knob convenient. Otherwise, little or no difference compared to the 40D.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]What I don&rsquo;t like:
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Humungous files (does anyone really need 21 Mb files?)
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Slower fps than the 40D
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Obviously, telephoto lenses lose the 1.6 x advantage
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Not compatible with Photoshop CS3 or anything else (spring another thousand and you get CS4 which is, but that&rsquo;s another story. Lightroom 2 is compatible)
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Immaterial:
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]The CA setting &ndash; is anyone ready and willing to buy this camera going to use this?
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]HDMI video &ndash; ok, so what?
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Black dot / sRAW1 banding issues &ndash; corrected with the firmware update
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"]<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"]<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]&middot;<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"] <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Presence on xxD / absence on XD of built-in flash
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]I regularly print A3+, where the original 5D&rsquo;s low pixel count would suffer, so any 5D mk2 would have been must if I was going to stay with Canon (pretty much of a sure thing given my lens investment). Am I happy with my purchase? Of course! Could it have been better? Again, of course! I think time (and sales stats) will prove the 5D mk2 to be slightly disappointing, if only because our expectations were so high. I image Canon engineers thought about what to add but were overruled by the marketers, so we got the inevitable (and unnecessary, IMO) pixel boost, but HDMI video? This camera replaces a machine that catered to semi-pro, serious amateur and pro shooters. Are these same people really interested in video? I would have preferred better AF and metering for my money, or least any extra image processor to speed it up.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]In relative terms, the mk2 release price was lower than the mk1&rsquo;s &ndash; and that&rsquo;s a good thing. I&rsquo;m happy I kept my 40D. The the 5D mk2 is not a breakthrough, it&rsquo;s an extension.
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"]<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri;"]Canon seems to be pursuing the same strategy as car makers: use the expensive models to innovate, pay for innovations with the cheap ones sold in bulk and innovate incrementally. Take a look at the auto market today. Need I say more?

[rossmurphy]

I think the Mk II is a great upgrade, one thing I like a lot is the auto iso when shooting wildlife, see fox, this camera does better than the Mk I at lower iso ranges like 400-800 where I like to shoot wildlife. The resolution is great for my main work which is landscape. Yes I wish it had 1D auto focus, but thats about all, all around I could not be happier with this camera and look forward to getting a lot of use out of it as my main camera for landscape work.


Ross Murphy

[greggf]

Upgraded from a used 5D, and I absolutely love this camera. The live view alone coupled with the rear LCD is nothing short of phenomenal!!! That combo with my 70-200 f4IS is incredible. Had a 16x24 blown up with that combo from Sraw1, and it still looks better than same size print from my old 5D. Sure, I really won't use the video(maybe), but it's still there, and in the future, there will be accessories for the video. Lens peripheral illumination, and microadjustment are pretty huge...being able to set each lens individually, makes everything work that much better together.

[Daniel Browning]

Great review, Bryan!


I'm really happy with my 5d2, I think it's the best camera out there for my needs. However, there are quite a few things that I would like Canon to improve in the 5d2. I'll limit myself to discussing only the things that could all be fixed in firmware.


(I'll even fix them myself if anyone ever cracks Canon's firmware like they did for all the PowerShots.)

• Stop warping the histograms by 1-3 stops (i.e. use raw instead of jpeg).
• Stop deleting up to 5 stops of highlights from the RAW data (i.e. allow ISO to be metadata).
  
• Stop clipping highlights in raw files taken at f/2.8 or less just to compensate for sensor AOR.
• Stop ignoring masked-off pixels: use them for something, such as removing variable pattern noise.
• Stop crippling the Auto ISO for the very purpose that it is most useful: manual mode.
• Stop hiding important features such as the dead pixel remapper and shutter count.
  
• Stop wasting huge amounts of storage on ludicrous compression like sRAW.
• Stop overriding the photographer's exposure settings just because it's in video.
• Stop limiting video to 12 minutes; start a new file at 4 GB.
• Stop pumping the audio gain up and down constantly: let the operator set it.
• Stop forcing the use of the most incompatible framerate (30p) in the world.

[Daniel Browning]

Great review, Bryan!


I'm really happy with my 5d2, I think it's the best camera out there for my needs. However, there are quite a few things that I would like Canon to improve in the 5d2. I'll limit myself to discussing only the things that could all be fixed in firmware.


(I'll even fix them myself if anyone ever cracks Canon's firmware like they did for all the PowerShots.)

• Stop warping the histograms by 1-3 stops (i.e. use raw instead of jpeg).
• Stop deleting up to 5 stops of highlights from the RAW data (i.e. allow ISO to be metadata).
  
• Stop clipping highlights in raw files taken at f/2.8 or less just to compensate for sensor AOR.
• Stop ignoring masked-off pixels: use them for something, such as removing variable pattern noise.
• Stop crippling the Auto ISO for the very purpose that it is most useful: manual mode.
• Stop hiding important features such as the dead pixel remapper and shutter count.
  
• Stop wasting huge amounts of storage on ludicrous compression like sRAW.
• Stop overriding the photographer's exposure settings just because it's in video.
• Stop limiting video to 12 minutes; start a new file at 4 GB.
• Stop pumping the audio gain up and down constantly: let the operator set it.
• Stop forcing the use of the most incompatible framerate (30p) in the world.

[atticusdsf]

i'm in the middle of a project using the live view video capture.. i'm still thumbing through the settings.. but i did find a way that would allow me to override the automatic aperture setting. i was ratheraggravatedbecause i wanted a shallower DOF.. so i messed around with the settings until it let me set one.. so unless i'm mistaken, there is a way. i'll look further into it tonight.

[Daniel Browning]

Perhaps you were in "exposure simulation" mode. That mode lets you set the aperture, shutter, and ISO manually, and even lets you hit "exposure lock". But as soon as you hit "record", it throws all of that out the window and comes up with it's own settings. No photographer would stand for that in stills mode, of course, but that's what it does for video.



The camera tries very hard to follow the 1/focal length handholding rule in video mode. If you use a zoom, it will literally change the shutter speed as you zoom, even if the exposure is "locked". This is funny, because that might be exactly what a photographer would try to do if they knew nothing about video (as Bryan points out in his review).



What's *really* funny about all this is that it works great if you use *non-Canon* lenses. Nikon, specifically, has the widest variety of lenses that work well in Canon's video mode, because they have manual aperture control and do not communicate focal length to the camera (so it will not try to use the 1/shutter rule).



Canon's "automatic" video has forced us to purchase Nikon lenses, no matter how badly we want to use Canon.

[atticusdsf]

yeah, i'm using "exposure simulation".. but it doesn't seem to throw my aperture setting out the window.. i'm conducting a variety of tests as we speak and it seems to work just fine.. i will say i *did* experience what you mentioned in regards to the camera "throwing the settings out the window" when i was any other mode. this one seems to work for me, though..


anyways.. even if there are real issues, they would almost certainly have to be software-based.. so theoretically they could improve things through firmware. let's hope that occurs.

[Daniel Browning]

i'm using "exposure simulation".. but it doesn't seem to throw my aperture setting out the window

You might be tricked by the fact that what it displays and what it actually does are two totally different things (unfortunately).


Try this simple test: point at a bright light (something that would use f/32, 1/125, ISO 100). Then set your aperture manually to wide open (screen should be mostly white, since you're many stops overexposed). Start recording and you will see the aperture diaphragm close down. (The camera also goes up to 1/1000, despite what the manual says, so it will probably change shutter too).