Canon 5D Mark II Body Only
Canon 5D Mark II + 24-105mm Lens Kit
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Introduced as a premium D-SLR, the Canon 5D Mark II camera has aged a bit over the years but still is a favorite for professionals all over the photography industry, regarded as the best image-maker of its class. In fact, the quality of images is difficult to quantify; images seem a much more realistic representation of the photographed person or image.
Viewfinder
Large and bright, the viewfinder is pleasant. The Canon 5D Mark II even beats out the old class favourite viewfinder on the 1Ds Mark III.
LCD
The LCD screen is sharp and bright, easy to read the information displayed on it. Canon also included a new brightness feature, taking advantage of an ambient sensor that adjusts light based on the lighting in the area. Though it can be a little strange to watch the image change before your eyes, it is still a neat feature. If you find yourself not enjoying it out in the sun, you can easily switch it back to manual brightness.
Memory
Photographers who are not used to the world of 20+ megapixels may want to purchase an additional 8 or 16 GB Compact Flash Card. The former will offer you room for roughly 300 images or 24 minutes of completely high definition 1080p video.
Auto Focus
Compared to the original device, the Mark II has certainly improved as far as the auto focus is concerned, particularly in the centre point. Indeed, there is a bit of an issue with the spacing with the 9 auto focus points as it can be a little narrow, but it is easily overlooked; the center point is consistent, as long as you are not attempting to take pictures without lighting, such as in dark bars or caves.
3.9 FPS
Indeed, this is not by any means a blazing fast rate of shooting, but it still works as well as it advertises. Tested with both the SanDisk Extreme IV and Lexar 300X cards, it has been verified that this camera does shoot at this advertised rate. Provided you are not the sort to take photographs at the rate of a machine gunner, you should have no problem at all with the rate.
Details
It is very easy to tell that both the sharpness and resolution are deadly similar between the Mark II and the previous leader, the 1Ds Mark III. Given they use the same sensor technology, this of course make sense. However, comparing the images still shows a slight difference, perhaps due to a new anti-alias filter tint — the images photographed with the 5D Mark II appear to be a bit brighter without display a slight blue look like the 1Ds Mark III. However, the resolution appears to remain the same.
Movies
Arguably one of the more interesting — and perhaps even controversial — features available on the 5D Mark II camera is its capability of recording high definition movies in full 1080p resolution. This is something that has definitely sparked some buzz throughout the entire industry of photography. It seems that quite a few photographers are not pleased with the advent of combo cameras such as this, but if you are an independent filmmaker, this can definitely be something you find useful and within your budget.
To provide a little background on the video issues: For the longest time, being able to achieve a “film like” depth has been bane to the independent filmmaker. Years ago, those who were capable of using macro lenses and machining could adapt by making motion pictures with a 35 mm depth of field with the appropriate lenses on their own prosumer/consumer level video cameras. This ended up spawning an industry that prompted quite a number of companies to provide its consumers a much more desirable commercial selection of adapters, though they still were never perfect, resulting in a little bit of light loss. With Canon presenting its combo cameras, independent filmmakers can now enjoy new cameras with larger sensors and much better noise performance.
The only real downside to the full high definition is that it means filmmakers are indeed limited just to a single shooting mode. In other words, the camera will automatically dictate the ISO range, shutter speed and the aperture in which you will be shooting your movie in. However, you do get the added bonus of having a two stop adjustment range, and you are capable of locking exposure.
Additionally, it is only possible to shoot 12 minutes of recording at a time at 30 frames per second, and because of the design choice for the CMOS sensor, you must be careful when you are panning your shots; sudden changes can lead to diagonal lines that should otherwise be vertical.
Despite these two negatives, the film mode still does have quite a number of strengths, including a full frame depth of field, an amazing performance under low light that rivals considerably more expensive cameras, a high quality video codec that offers a very workable set of footage, as well as a light and compact form for a camera. It is also important to note that this is a rather inexpensive camera considering the other alternatives available.
Final Thoughts
The modern day is indeed an interesting time for photographers of all kinds. In fact, it was not very long ago that a camera much like the 5D Mark II would cost an arm, a leg and one’s soul. Now it seems that Canon has truly become hip to the world of 20+ megapixels, and this particular camera offers a generous sweet spot in terms of revolution. Even within the line up of other Canon cameras, the 5D Mark II fairs very well. Even with the limitations as far as the HD video mode are concerned, it is still an incredible bargain for the price. Whether you are new to the field or an old pro looking for something useful, this will be the camera for you.