Canon EOS 5D Mk II

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It’s been three years in the making, a long time in the world of photography, but it’s finally here. Canon has released a successor to the popular EOS 5D at last; the EOS 5D Mark II.

Features & handling
On the outside things still look and feel extremely familiar. The Mk II feels good in the hand with menu buttons around the LCD, ISO and drive modes on the top-plate. On the back, the new 3in LCD screen is nice and bright and has a light sensor so you can review shots in sunlit conditions. Then there’s the D-pad and wheel to help you navigate through the menu: so far, so familiar.
The Mark II is much tougher than the original EOS 5D: it sports the same rubberised coating as the EOS-1Ds Mark III and Canon has addressed the weather-seal issues that dogged the EOS 5D. Coupled with some of Canon’s robust weatherproof lenses such as the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, you can confidently shoot in all weathers.
Current EOS 5D owners looking to upgrade will be miffed that Canon has introduced a new higher-capacity battery and grip for the Mark II – it anticipates photographers will use Live View more, hence the need for more power. An extra £254 for a new grip and second battery is a lot of extra outlay if you have these accessories already.
Most exciting is the new HD movie mode: the Mark II is the first full-frame DSLR to feature full HD movie recording and playback. Quality is fantastic and the mode is really simple to use, plus you can plug in a stereo microphone. Considering the reservations we had about the mono sound offered by the Nikon D90's movie mode this little socket is a great step forward. You can even shoot stills while shooting video. Will this feature take off among DSLR users? Only time will tell.

Performance
With a camera boasting a brand new 21.1MP CMOS sensor, you’d expect some seriously high image quality, and the EOS 5D Mk II doesn’t disappoint. Inside its streamlined frame is a DIGIC 4 processor and the EOS Integrated Cleaning System (EICS) a combination that underpins the high quality images that contain heaps of sharp detail and offer such good colour reproduction. Zoom into a portrait and you can clearly see individual hairs and even hair follicles.
When shooting in RAW, files require very little processing, since the camera does such a fantastic job of recording detail. Image proportions are 22% larger than the original 12.8MP Canon EOS 5D, while file size has roughly doubled, making large prints possible at the highest print resolution.
At high ISOs, noise levels are much better in the Mark II – with fewer artefacts and colour specks. However, the improvement is not as great as you’d hope with such an advanced new CMOS sensor inside the camera.
ISO sensitivity is now expandable from ISO 50 all the way up to a staggering ISO 25,600. Noise levels at the top end are high, with artefacts and colour specks really standing out and making this a feature to use in emergencies only. To cope with noise at high ISOs, Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) RAW converter automatically applies a lot of noise reduction, but this inevitably softens your shots too – not something anyone wants to see after investing in the Mk II and some quality lenses.

Verdict
Canon has undoubtedly produced an impressive upgrade here. Image quality is fantastic with sharp detail and very good colour reproduction, yet there’s no way it can match the high-ISO performance of Nikon’s D3 or D700 cameras. There’s no single camera that does it all, yet. Although there have been many improvements across the board, the jump up from the Canon EOS 5D hasn’t been as great as we’d have liked and we feel a bit let down by the introduction of the new battery and grip.
That said, this is a very attractive camera for people upgrading into the world of full-frame DSLR photography and with Canon’s range of quality accessories and pin-sharp EF lenses, you can be sure you’re buying into a high quality system with a past, present and a future.

Specification

Weight/size (WxHxD)	810g/152x113x75mm
Effective resolution	21.1MP
Lens mount	Canon EF
Focal length conversion	1
Aspect ratio
LCD monitor size	3in (920k dots) with Live View
File formats	JPEG, RAW
Card type	CF
Exposure modes	Auto, program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, manual plus creative auto
Metering modes	Evaluative, partial, spot and centre-weighted average
Autofocus	9-point + 6 assist
ISO range	100-3200 (expandable to 50-25,600)
Battery type	Li-ion
Software supplied	Canon DPP
Start-up time	Less than 1 second
Write times	1.3 (RAW); 1.2 (JPEG)
Shutter speed range	30 seconds to 1/8000sec +bulb
Flash sync	1/250sec
Continuous shooting speed	3.9fps