Canon EOS 5D Mark II

By Leonard Goh
Dec 23, 2008

Without question, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has to be one of the most anticipated cameras for this year. This is no surprise, as it succeeds the EOS 5D, which was announced 3 years ago and due for an upgrade. While most shutterbugs had correctly expected a higher resolution sensor, most photographers were taken aback by the full HD (1080p-quality) video capture capability. This overshadowed Nikon's D90 which can manage only 720p-quality clips. In the full-frame genre, the EOS 5D Mark II's closest competitor is the Nikon D700, a sturdy camera minus the video recording function. Although there were bits which annoyed us a little, the Canon camera still wowed us and earned itself an Editors' Choice.

Design

In terms of dimensions, the EOS 5D Mark II isn't too different from its predecessor, but we could tell that the exterior is slightly different. Take the prism hump for example: The EOS 5D's top is not so defined, whereas the new shooter has a more refine hump, exuding a more professional and serious feel. There is also no change to the weight, which remains at 810g for the body only. However, couple that and the 24-105mm F4 kit lens, and the whole package is quite heavy. But compared with the Nikon D700 which weighs 995g for just the body, the Canon is definitely lighter.

Photographers who are using, or have used a Canon dSLR before should be familiar with the buttons layout. Each switch, dial and button is clearly labeled and was easy to access. Canon must have realized that shutterbugs are utilizing its Picture Style function more, which is why this feature has a dedicated button on the left side of the rear LCD. Instead of having to sift through the menus (as we did with the 5D), we could change the look of our pictures with the press of one button.

We felt that the grip for the 5D Mark II has been improved over the previous iteration. The deep, textured rubber grip offered assurance when we held the camera up. There is also a small indent on the grip for our middle finger to latch onto, and it was these small touches which made our shooting experience more enjoyable.

A complaint among 5D users was that the mirror component has a tendency to fall off, and it seems that Canon has done something to the Mark II. If you look closely at the mirror of the new camera, you will notice two metal pins holding the reflective piece down.

Our only gripe with the design of the EOS 5D Mark II is the power switch and the navigation joystick (multi-controller). The power switch is a bit out of reach for our thumbs and if we wanted to take a shot quickly, it would be difficult to power up the camera as we hold the shooter up to our eye. Instead, we had to consciously flip the switch. Nikon has built this function as a rotating collar around the shutter button. For the joystick, depending on which eye you look through the viewfinder with, you may accidentally poke yourself in the face when attempting to use it when taking pictures.

Tags: DSLR, Camera, Nikon Corp., LCD, joystick

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