CANON EOS 5D Mark II - Review

Mike McCarty · 02-15-2009, 12:46 PM

I usually check in to www.dpreview.com a few times a week just to see what new gadgets have been announced.

Every time I go to this site my once muscular Nikon D70 starts to whimper and pace. I recommend putting a hood over their eyes and a blaket over their knees. We have matching blankets.

Gore Vidal (Jane Fonda's illegitimate brother) once said that a narcissist is anyone that's prettier than you. And so, to all you narcissists ...

Here is the recent review of the new 21 MP CANON EOS 5D Mark II digital camera. Body only is around $3000.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos5Dmarkii/

Garth Herrick · 02-21-2009, 12:30 AM

Thanks Mike for keeping us hungry for what is new and exciting.

Just a week later than the promising Canon review above, comes the definitive Nikon D3x review. Wow, if anyone can actually afford it, it is hands down the finest, cleanest, most defining, rewarding DSLR ever. By far. Really far. But oh, that price!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3x/

In appearance and in many respects it is identical to my Nikon D3, which is one of the best tool investments I ever made. It still makes the cleanest high-ISO photographs ever. The D3x is almost that good, still way better than Canon and Sony, and is otherwise the D3's identical twin but with twice the resolution and stellar detail. The color is breathtaking in it's vitality, chromatic definition, yet natural fidelity. To me, the nearest Canon and Sony competition are still a degree or two behind the imaging perfection of Nikon's flagship D3x.

But oh, that price of absolute professional imaging perfection! I think I'll continue to appreciate my trusty, almost-that-good D3 for quite a while longer! Yes, for the money, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II above is a pretty good deal too at close to one-third the price of the top Nikon! The Sony A900 is even more affordable in the 24-megapixel class at about one-fourth the price of a Nikon D3x (!), but the color and high-ISO noise tradeoff is not so wonderful by comparison. True perfection evidently has it's price.

Garth

Marvin Mattelson · 02-21-2009, 01:04 AM

Garth, be patient. The D700x or whatever it's will be called is coming sooner rather than later. It will house the D3x's sensor in a not so gigantic body and cost considerably less. Or so the rumor mills say.

Enzie Shahmiri · 02-25-2009, 02:28 AM

After a lot of back and forth deciding between Nikon and Canon I ended up buying the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and LOVE IT!!!

It was a very difficult decision since both the Nikon and this Canon are both wonderful cameras and have their own very loyal followers who each praise their favorites.

Images on the 5D Mark II are extremely sharp, even without tripod use. I once walked past a really cute dog and rather than stopping to chat with the owners just pushed the shutter as I walked by. I was amazed to see how well the photo turned out. See image here

The camera is very easy to operate, even for someone who is not a pro at photography. The video feature is a nice addition as well, especially since you can freeze images as well and print them.

The on/off button is on the back where the screen is and that is the only thing that I did not like. Other than that I have yet to find flaws.

As a novice photographer I have taken some really cool shots like this one thanks to this camera.

Mary Cupp · 02-25-2009, 05:36 PM

Enzie, I love your hummingbird photo. COOL!

Garth Herrick · 02-27-2009, 12:06 AM

Enzie, congratulations on your new Canon EOS 5D Mark II. That hummingbird photo is wonderful!

Garth

Marcus Lim · 03-03-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvin Mattelson

Garth, be patient. The D700x or whatever it's will be called is coming sooner rather than later. It will house the D3x's sensor in a not so gigantic body and cost considerably less. Or so the rumor mills say.

Marvin, i would dispel the rumors from your mind about it. As good as the D700-equivalent may be, the CMOS size differences between models will be the factor that seperates the professional series from the entry-level series. This is the same for all the brands.

I second the 5D mark II model as a good choice for use in our portraiture work.

Marvin Mattelson · 03-04-2009, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Lim

As good as the D700-equivalent may be, the CMOS size differences between models will be the factor that seperates the professional series from the entry-level series.

Marcus I have no idea what you are saying here. Are you talking about the size of the sensor or the photosites?

The DxOMark labs has rated all the DSLRs from the last several years, and the Nikon D3X, with a mark of 88, is the big winner with significantly higher marks than the second and third place finishers, the Nikon D3(80.6) and D700(80.5), respectively. By the way, third and forth place are the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (80.3) and the 5D Mark II (79). All these cameras are excellent, but the D3X has significantly better dynamic range than any other camera, a whopping 13.7 stops. Greater dynamic range means better highlight and shadow detail which will manifest in an image much closer to what our eyes see. This is significant for using photos for reference purposes. Nikon has a history of putting the sensors from pro bodies into normal sized bodies to recoup the R&D costs. The virtually identical scores between the D3 and the D700 have me salivating about the possibility of the D3X sensor being placed in a smaller body.

Nikon uses the same size sensors in all three (D700, D3 & D3X) and all three share the same pro focusing system too. Canon, on the other hand, has different focusing systems in all models below the EOS 1Ds Mark III. With Canon there are more discrepancies between the pro and lower level cameras.

Marcus Lim · 03-04-2009, 09:53 PM

Oh sorry Marvin...i was referring to the CMOS sensors in the cameras, the chips that processes the images. As far as photography enthusiasts told me, both Nikon and Canon has different sensor sizes for their various ranges. Those that are single-numbered series, i.e. the high-end camera series for professionals, would have the full-sized CMOS sensors, and thus producing the best image qualities. In the case of Canon the 1Dx series would be their best guns producing the best image qualities - and their most expensive ones.

Again with Canon, the four-numbered series, i.e. the 1000D cameras would be the entry level ones, with reasonably good picture quality for everyday uses. But i attest that when it comes to paintings, the rendering differences do show up between 1000D and the 1Dx, or even with the 5D cameras.