Canon 5D Mark II

Never Ever: Rent, borrow or use the Canon 5D Mark II, if you do, you will have to own it. It's that good!

Pros:

Crazy high ISO performance
Fantastic amazing image quality you have to see to believe!
Great menus, sharper, brighter, easier to read then 40D
Video, did someone say video? I love it! You will need a tripod!
Fantastic rear LCD that you can check actual photo sharpness
Super low light high ISO photographic tool with 25,600 ISO!!!
Feels great in your hands, the grip texture is easy to hold and is well balanced
Low 50 ISO allows photos at F/1.2 aperture out in bright sunlight for shallow DOF

Cons:
No Built in popup Flash
A little slower shooting then the 40D
Very demanding of lenses, high end L lenses are a must have
Huge files: you will need larger memory cards and a larger hard drive
Ultra large bright sharp viewfinder makes my 40D finder seem dim and tiny
Hum... I'm thinking..

Intro:

I have had my Canon 5D Mark II for a little over two weeks now. And I'm having a hard time putting it down.

I tried switching back to my Canon 40D and the very first thing you notice is how small, dim and fuzzy the viewfinder on the 40D is compared to the 5D Mark II. Especially if you are older you will really appreciate being able to easy see and read information in the viewfinder not to mention you can actually manually focus with it. It reminds me of my switch from the Canon Rebel XTi to the 40D. It's that big a difference.

The Images are huge and quite simply stunning. Plus I find that I can get away with very low noise all the way up to 3200 ISO on the 5D Mark II where the 40D was very noisy. In fact I would not hesitate to say the 5D Mark II photos has less noise at 9,600 ISO then the 40D does at 1600 ISO.

Lenses:

I have never had the pleasure of owning a Camera that is this demanding of the lens you use. It's like an instant lens test. I haven't seen much in-depth lens as used on 5D Mark II information on the other reviews and decided this would be good to be included in my review.

All of these lenses are brighter in the viewfinder and focus much better on my 5D Mark II then on my 40D.

So, with that said after several hundred photos I can give you a rundown of my most used, most favorite, best performing and least used lenses that I have used on the 5D Mark II and a few un-expected surprises along the way.

1. Canon 200mm F/2 IS L lens. This lens is my new master of resolving power. Even wide open at F/2 it is sharper then any other lens I have ever used. I could go on and on but here's a few highlights: Lightening fast auto focus, F/2 speed at 200mm, unbelievable perfect 10 Images, public attention hog, otherworldly image stabilization, great build quality, weather sealed, fantastic perfect buttery smooth Bokeh and what a lens case! If you crave attention and demand the absolute best there is the do what ever it takes to get this lens on your Canon 5D Mark II. If you do not like public attention you may want to skip to number 2 in this list as I have never been asked so many questions about a lens as this one. But it's all worth it as the clarity, sharpness, Bokeh and colors are: otherworldly, insane, impossible, rare, perfect, out of sight, crazy!!

2. Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens. Without a doubt at F/4 (after the Canon 200mm F/2 of course) this lens delivers the clearest sharpest and most resolving power onto any photograph you care to take with the Canon 5D Mark II. The clarity has to be seen to be believed. At F/1.2 the Depth of Field (DOF) is scary thin and the edges are super soft which is great for female portraiture. The super soft creamy dreamy Bokeh at F/1.2 is much smoother on the 5D Mark II over my 40D. But stop this lens down to F/1.8 and it gets scary sharp and clear. Step it down to F/4.0 and it's at its sharpest and the only lens I have that gives you 100% pixel peeping razor blade edge to edge top to bottom perfect clarity in every single area of the photo. For some reason this lens is even sharper on my 5D Mark II then my 40D or Rebel, don't know why but it is. Guess it's getting the full resolving power to the 21 megapixel sensor.

Looking at a photo on my iMac taken with a 5D Mark II with this lens stopped down to F/4 is like standing there looking through an open window at the actual scene! You feel like you could actually open up the computer screen like opening a window and climb in!!!

The 85mm F/1.2 is your low light monster on the 5D Mark II, I don't have to harp too much on what an F/1.2 aperture and an ISO 25,600 can do for you at night. Let's just say you can go out into what appears to be a dark night and do hand held photos.

Not all is perfect as it's: expensive, heavy, and hard to focus wide open, focus lock does not work and it eats camera batteries at twice the rate of my other lenses. Also it doesn't focus as close on the 5D Mark II as it did on my 40D so you can't get head filling close ups. This isn't really a problem, as with 21 Mega Pixels I can crop no problem. However, all this is forgiven when I get back to my iMac and view the results. This is the very first lens I will reach for when using the 5D Mark II and the one that's on it 90% of the time. If I could have just one lens for a Canon 5D Mark II this would be the one! [...]

2. Tie! Canon 135mm F/2 L. It's small light and stealthy and has fastest and best auto-focus of any lens I have ever owned (after the Canon 200mm F/2 IS L). It even focuses pretty close on the 5D Mark II. This lens is amazing, the Bokeh looks like sweet candy and it's sharper wide open then the Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L lens is wide open and stop it down to F/2.2 and it's as sharp as any lens I have. It's not a zoom so it's not as versatile but it's a great waist up portrait lens out in public and in larger studios. It's one of my most used lens at outdoor public events along with the 85mm F/1.2 II L (renaissance festivals etc.) where I'm photographing people. For some reason this lens is a little sharper on my Canon Rebel and 40D I guess because I'm using the center of the lens and it's sharper on these cropped sensor cameras.

3. Canon 100-400 F/4.5 - F/5.6 IS L lens. This is the second most used lens in my 5D Mark II arsenal. This lens was my biggest surprise of the group. Its Ok wide open but it's a monster of clarity at F/7.1 like it never was on my Canon 40D. It also becomes useable on the 5D Mark II in wider shot situations where on the 40D it was only usable as a longer lens. Sporting the longest zoom range of any Canon zoom this lens has to be without doubt the finest Zoo lens ever made, [...] You can frame almost any animal in almost any exhibit perfectly. This is also my lens of choice for taking photos of people at events with the 5D Mark II and is the King of versatility on a full-framed sensor camera. This is my sharpest and clearest zoom lens by a long shot (no pun intended. It's as close to the you are there feeling of the 85mm F/1.2 lI lens as any zoom lens I have. It's only drawbacks are it's a little heavy, is slow aperture wise (that's Ok with the 5D Mark II high ISO capability) and it gets a huge amount of attention out in public. I don't care it's all worth it this is a must have lens with the 5D Mark II. Again, for some reason this lens is even sharper on my 5D Mark II then my 40D or Rebel, don't know why but it is.

5-26-2009 100-400 update: So I came back from the Riparian Bird Preserve yesterday where it was rather dusty and I noticed that my sensor and mirror box were full of dust. I decided to do a test on my 100-400 lens and sure enough it does pump dust into the camera body.

If you turn the zoom friction ring all the way loose and zoom in and out with the bottom end cap off there is no resistance. If you put the bottom end cap on tightly and zoom you can feel resistance. Then if you loosen the end cap just a little you can actually feel air being sucked in and out around the end cap as you zoom in and out.

Thank God for my FIrefly digital sensor cleaning system! And be forewarned if you own this lens.

4. Canon 17-40 F/4 L lens. This is my sleeper lens. A so so walk around lens on my 40D becomes a wide angle monster on my Canon 5D Mark II. This lens is soft wide open at F/4 but sharpens up noticeably at F/4.5 and becomes a super wide angle take it all in landscape and interior monster when stopped down to F/9 on a Canon 5D Mark II. This is a lens I always carry with me now since I never know when I might see a wide angle opportunity. Doesn't have the you are there feeling when viewing the photos on my iMac as much as the above three lenses but it's closer to perfection then you will ever see on a cropped sensor camera. I keep hoping that Canon will make a wide angle zoom that matches the performance of my Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. This lens has a similar sharpness on both the Canon 5D Mark II and cropped sensor cameras like my 40D.

5. Canon 70-200 F/2.8 L lens. This lens is actually about even with my Canon 100-400 IS L Lens in the zoom sharpness and clarity department but it's no where near as versatile on my 5D Mark II as the 100-400. Still it's a must have lens when shooting weddings when you need the super Bokeh background melting power of an F/2.8 aperture and lower light power of an F/2.8 aperture. The sharpness and clarity at F/2.8 that was Ok on the 40D is much improved for some strange reason on the 5D Mark II. And the Bokeh is much smoother creamier and richer on the 5D Mark II.

Just have to mention a great alternative lens the Canon 70-200 F/4 I/S L lens which I think is a sharper and better lens then the 70-200 F/2.8 as not only does it have a fluorite element but I did some back to back testing with my friends F/4 and my F/2.8 and the 70-200 F/4 was indeed better and at a great price. Additionally it's much lighter in weight and smaller physically. However keep in mind at F/4 it is a slower lens.

6. Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens. This is the lens I reach for when I'm shooting closer photos at a wedding and I need the versatility of a zoom. It's also the lens I reach for when shooting videos with the 5D Mark II. If I could shoot all day with the Canon 85mm F/1.2 II L I would. But at a wedding where you can't always zoom with your feet I reach for the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L. Its good on the 5D Mark II but not as good as the 17-40 L but has better reach then the 17-40. But it does not have that uncanny you are there feel of the first three lenses on my list. The Canon 5D Mark II clearly out resolves this lens and that is very disappointing for an L lens that costs over a thousand dollars. Thank GOD for the auto peripheral as this lens is a Vignetting monster when shot wide open on a 5D Mark II, it was not on the 40D. With the Vignetting control built into Digital Photo Professional (DPP) and the on-board 5D Mark II auto control it's perfect and Vignetting is not a problem. This lens is also very fragile and has required sending back to Canon for recalibration but is a must have in my arsenal only because I do weddings. I'm hoping Canon will come out with an Image Stabilized improved version that has that you are there feel of the 100-400 zoom. Once again it seems like this lens may be losing it's calibration and I am starting to lose my patience. If you need this lens then get it just beware of possible maintenance problems.

7. Canon 50mm F/1.8 II lens. This lens which was pretty decent on the 40D and Rebel XTi comes completely apart on the 5D Mark II. No surprise since it's only $89. I guess the surprise was how well it had worked on a Canon 40D and Rebel XTi. If you own a 5D Mark II then don't bother. If you own a cropped sensor camera its a great little lens.

8. Canon 17-50mm F/2.8 EF-S L lens. Why am I mentioning this lens here? It's a shame this cropped sensor only lens can't be used on the 5D Mark II. It's one of my most used and sharpest lenses on my Canon 40D and Canon Rebel XTi. In fact it's my daughter's favorite lens on those two cameras. Because it's such a great sharp low light monster because of the Image Stabilization (IS) it would be fantastic on the 5D Mark II. Canon please make us a wide angle L lens with IS. It's been very reliable un-like my 24-70, I highly recommend if you have a cropped sensor camera!

9. Canon 15mm Fisheye! This lens is a hoot on the 5D Mark II. A full 180 degrees of wide angle fun! Put it on and shoot the inside of a small car, or airplane, or take it to your local baseball diamond or anywhere you would love to see a 180 degree shot. And the curved effect on a full frame camera makes everyone who sees one of these photos go oooohhhhhh yeah cool shot. I listed this lens last because its one of those lenses you don't want to over use but one that you just have to just have to have. It's pretty sharp wide open but gets sharper at F/4 and reaches maximum sharpness at F/8. It has the old style focus system that's a little noisy and slow but it really doesn't matter as there isn't much focus range anyway everything is close to infocus at 15mm.

Three old 5D complaints answered:

1. Vignetting or peripheral lighting issue
2. Dust on the sensor
3. The rear LCD

1. Vignetting:

You can either have the 5D Mark II auto-correct peripheral illumination on board for JPEGs or adjust images using Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software that came with your Mark II. I have noticed on the full framed 5D Mark II my Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L lens with the peripheral illumination correction turned OFF the 5D Mark II images will severely vignette or be dark in the corners when shot wide open (F/2.8). It's almost like looking through a dark tunnel. It's especially noticeable shot wide open with the sky as a background. Auto-correct to the rescue!! With the peripheral illumination correction turned ON it's almost magical the darkening in the corners is gone! If you want you can even shoot in Raw mode and adjust the amount of Vignetting or darkness in the corners for effects such as when shooting portraits and you want to emphasis the person in the middle of the photo. Just open the Raw photo in DPP and click on the NR/Lens / ALO tab and select Lens Aberration Correction Tune and adjust the peripheral illumination to suite by dragging the slider or entering and amount. Or select all the photos in a directory and you can correct all your photos at once.

2. Dust on the Sensor:

The old 5D was a dust hog, no-one ever said it was not. The new one though now as a new fluorite coating and ant-dust shake. I did get some dust on my sensor after going out and switching lens in the field shooting birds but un-like my 40D I successfully blew off all the dust using my Firefly Digital Dust sensor cleaner. This new fluorite coating must make it much harder for the dust to stick to the 5D Mark II sensor then the sensor on my 40D.

3. Rear LCD

This has to be seen to be believed. The rear LCD is so sharp and so bright its shocking. The one on the 40D is now just OK. And I could never be sure if I got the shot or not. On the 5D Mark II you can zoom in an check fine focus. The only thing you may want to turn off is the auto light level adjuster so when walking in and out of shaded areas the brightness level does not change when the ambient light levels change. Some people may like it some may hate it. I like it myself as I can now see the image out in the sunlight unlike on the 40D where it's totally washed out. Thing is Canon lets you decide and you can turn it on or off. When off it stays the same no matter the ambient light.


LOW ISO:

Holy cow 6400 ISO I can shoot at F/4.5 in a dark room!!!! Took some night shots in and outside of the house and downloaded. Booted up DPP and WOW!

Photos are great at 3200 ISO even in Raw mode with standard noise reduction. Once you apply the correct amount of noise reduction and converted to 17inch JPEG's the 3200 ISO photos are AWESOME!!! The night shots of my Christmas tree at 3200 ISO on my 40D are almost unusable. But with the 5D Mark II they are fantastic. But my 24inch iMac seems a little slower looking through the photos... In fact it seems to be crawling! I ended up having to upgrade to a Firewire 800 external hard drive to fix the problem.

Black Dots:

I finally got a single photo with black dots by shooting at 25,600 ISO at night around some Christmas lights. You have to zoom in to 200% and pixel peep to see them. That's one shot out of several hundred night shots! Still haven't found any dots in day time photos.

Memory Storage:

I'm going to have to buy larger Compact Flash Cards my 8GB card only holds about 267 shots when the 5D Mark II is set to Raw only. But it's worth it especially for high ISO shots. At times I'm hard pressed on-screen to tell 1600 ISO from the 5D Mark II to the 100 ISO out of my 40D. It's that GOOD!

Video:
I for one never thought I would be in this love for video. But this camera is awesome, low natural light great Bokeh low depth of field video. Just in time for the holidays. The only thing is after viewing the videos back on my iMac computer no matter how steady you hands are you will need a tripod. The tiniest movements when playing back on a computer or TV seem to be magnified no matter how steady I try and hand hold the camera.

40D to 5D Mark II transition:

Well, it looks a lot like my Canon 40D but the controls on the back are on the left instead of the bottom.

Has a similar feel and weight to me at least maybe just a touch bigger and heavier then a 40D. Focus is better in low light for sure. Looks great with a Canon 17-40 F/4 L lens mounted. Maybe a little more rubbery grip on the grip.

This will be a much easier transition coming from the Canon 40D to the Canon 5D Mark II then my transition from the Rebel XTi to the 40D as the control placement and use are very similar unlike when I switched from the Rebel to the 40D and everything was in a different location.

Setup:

Put the strap on while I'm waiting for the dead battery to charge.

Ok battery is charged now, put it in, turn it on and set the time and date.

Then plug into the Mac and set my preferences under the styles and choose my lenses under the peripheral illumination correction. Very nice and very easy.

Put in the owners Information and copyright info. Gotta love that it's automatically on every photo now!

Menus:

Menus are a little different, but hey they are much sharper, this LCD is really sharp and bright!!!

Who the heck put 10 images as the default for skipping on review!!! That's another one of the first changes to go!

Bottom line:

Bottom line is if you own a big L lens collection and do any shooting at all in the dark without flash and don't have a full framed camera the 5D Mark II is a must have addition!

1-11-2009 Update:

I installed firmware update 1.0.7 which is supposed to correct the black dot problem and now I can't get it to make a black dot photo at all. So hopefully this was the fix we were all seeking.

This full framed sensor camera continues to impress me and the sensor continues to be dust free!

4-1-2009 Update:

This full framed sensor camera continues to impress. Just got back from shooting the 2009 Arizona Renaissance festival where I shot both the 40D and 5D Mark II and looking at the photos the 5D Mark II just walks all over the 40D in image quality. So much so that I don't reach for the 40D much any more the 5D Mark II is that much better. Got one spec of dust from lens changing at the Renaissance but it was easily blow off with my FireFly sensor cleaner.

4-27-2009 I just got back from photographing the World Premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and once again the 5D Mark II was awesome. I ended up mainly using two lenses the Canon 24-70 F/2.8 L zoom and Canon 100-400 IS L zoom lens. When you have only one chance to get Hugh Jackman riding by on his Harley you want to make sure you have reliable quick focusing equipment.

6-25-2009

Still very in love with my Canon 5D Mark II. See photos and videos I have taken with this camera at http://www.flickr.com/photos/grantbrummett/sets/72157621665984915/

This was my first full frame camera. Prior to it I had owned and operated a 40D, 30D and Rebel XTi. I am a wedding and sports photographer primarily, so I have been able to test the 5D Mark II out under both of these conditions.

For basketball I used it with AI Servo, Center Point focus, but went into custom settings and enabled the AF assist dots. It worked like a dream, focusing faster and more accurately than my 40D ever had. While no, the FPS aren't ideal for sports, if you can lock on focus like this from the start, you can still achieve amazing sports photographs. Plus the fact that I was able to shoot at ISO 4,000 and not have noticeable noise was just incredible. The shots auto-white balanced correctly too which normally in the arena I shoot at is not what happens on my 40D.

My first wedding all I could say all day was wow. I was getting available light photographs I never would have dreamed of before. The new screen also made it incredibly easy to determine if something was in focus or not. When I would switch between my 40D and 5D2 I found out just how spoiled that screen had made me, since the 40D screen looked terrible to me now when previously I thought that had a great screen. I sure was wrong! 920,000 pixels is definitely the way to go on this LCD. I primarily shot with center point (one shot) for my focus and it nailed focus every time. I did a mix up of manual, aperture priority and some program (Program mostly for the formals)

What else do I love about it? The 98% view finder is awesome. I like being able to use UDMA cards in it...

Video! Although I'm not a video / motion person by nature, I prefer stills, I've been testing out the video quite a bit. At Christmas I took a few short clips of my nephew and was really happy with how they look. It's very neat to be able to take high definition video of a little kid and have that awesome affect of a wide aperture blurring out the background. The only downside is that the files are huge. My 1 minute clip was over 300MB, but that's what I get for shooting in 1080!

The batteries this camera use really do hold a charge for a while. I used mine with the battery grip at the wedding, and the two batteries after going for over 500 shots (maybe close to 600 shots that day?) still had about 72% charge each left on them. I could easily have shot 3 times that much and still have had left over charge on the batteries. Also the new battery info screen is really nifty since you can see what serial number battery has what charge, making it a lot easier to keep track of.

So far I've used a 35 1.4/L, 135 2/L, 70-200 f2.8/L, 50 1.4, and 100 2.8 Macro on this camera body and all have performed wonderfully. I don't miss the pop up flash that my 40D has since I never used it anyway, I always throw my 580 EX II on top when I need flash.

This camera really is a gem and I highly recommend it if it fits in your budget!

First the good...

If you're looking for an excellent, full-frame DSLR, the 5D Mk2 is very, very good. It's at least 1 full F-stop more sensitive to light than my Canon 1DS Mk2. A setting of ASA 800 or 1000 yields about the same noise level as my older camera at ASA 400. It's autofocus system is very fast and accurate on single shot mode. (I don't think EF-L series lenses are capable of faster focus action.)

The new LCD screen is gorgeous. 3" diagonal with 900,000+ pixels. It's possibly the best quality LCD screen ever put on a DSLR. The menus are easier to understand and navigate than the 1DS Mk2's menus. "Live View" is an excellent way to do critical focusing. If you've never used a DSLR with live view, you'll love it. The only negative of live-view is that it really drains your battery and it can only be used for a certain length of time before the CMOS imager circuitry heats up, adding noise to the image. (In real-life typical shooting, overheating is not a problem and besides the camera will auto cancel live-view if it senses an over temperature condition.)

The huge 21 mega-pixel RAW images are excellent. The camera uses an updated variant on Canon's .CR2 RAW format so if you use an older version of Adobe's Lightroom or Photoshop for image processing, you'll need the latest Lightroom 2.2 or Photoshop CS4 to get the proper RAW converter. I've personally never liked the included software for RAW image processing, but many people are happy with it.

The auto-exposure system seems very accurate... more accurate than my 1DS Mk2.

I never experienced any "black dot" phenomenon. But I've only shot RAW images at less than 1200 ASA. The "black dot" sample images that I've seen on the internet look like simple, in-camera, over-enhancement of highlights. Besides, unless you're shooting sports at night or are part of a CSI team, who shoots at 3200+ ASA anyway? If you're doing a night shot of a city use a tripod, a longer exposure, and a lower ASA. This will yield rich, clean blacks and much higher detail in highlights. Also, although JPEG's are much smaller, every professional photographer that I know shoots only RAW images.

I ordered the camera with the optional BG-E6 battery grip. This grip makes the camera taller and easier to hold. It allows simultaneous use of 2 Canon lithium batteries or 6- AA alkaline or rechargeables. It's a very valuable accessory to consider.

Now the bad...

I primarily purchased the camera for its ability to shoot great looking 1080P HD video for commercial TV projects. I thought it would be a great source for "B-Roll" cutaways and inserts.

The biggest single problem in the video mode is that you have no control over iris, ISO setting, or shutter speed. There's an exposure lock button that will lock the exposure variables to whatever the LCD displays at the time you press the button. There are no on-screen indicators that show the settings that the camera has chosen for you. The only control you have is the color temperature setting. Basically, you pan the camera around in the scene and let the brightness float up and down. When you see what you think is a good exposure on the rear LCD screen, you press the lock button. Since the exposure lock resets after each scene or take, chances are you won't have consistent exposures over multiple takes of a particular scene.

Working with the auto exposure system can sometimes be difficult. I was shooting with my 85mm F1.2 lens. By looking at the iris, it appeared the camera had decided to only open the lens to about an F2.8 and use a much higher ISO setting than necessary to achieve proper exposure. By pointing the camera to some very dark shadows, the iris fully opened. I then panned back to my original scene which appeared to be much cleaner and free of noise. You really need to be able to manually set the ISO & F-stop when shooting video.

I adjusted the camera's custom settings to lower the detail enhancement and contrast. These controls effect the quality of jpeg stills but seem to have no effect on a video recording.

The camera only records at 30.00fps, not 29.97fps. This tiny .03fps difference means that you have to alter each file's header, using a program such as Apple Cinema Tools, before you can edit 5D footage into a normal, broadcast 1080P/1080i, 29.97fps timeline. Failure to do this header alteration requires setting up a 30.00fps timeline or rendering every 5D scene on your 29.97fps timeline which yields periodic skipped frames.

There is no 24P (23.98) setting. As far as I'm concerned, there is no logical reason that Canon chose 30.00fps instead of 29.97fps. No broadcast TV or film standard operates at 30.00fps. Maybe Canon will correct this with a future firmware update. Please note that if you're only shooting high quality videos for web release, the 30.00fps speed won't present a problem.

To simulate the film-like cadence of a movie camera's 180 degree shutter at 30.00fps, the 5D Mk2's shutter should be set to 1/60 of a second exposure time. There is no way to tell what shutter setting the camera is using during a scene. My gut feeling from looking at camera video is that the 5D Mk2 often uses 1/30 of a second.

The camera's LCD screen is blanked whenever an HDMI monitor is plugged in. If you're doing a commercial shoot with clients, this means that either the cameraman or the clients can see what's being shot, but not both at the same time... You could add an external HDMI active splitter, but this would also require adding and using an external monitor at the camera. If you only plan to shoot by yourself, this shouldn't present a problem.

To do manual follow-focusing using the rear LCD screen, consider purchasing Hoodman's 3" LCD viewer. It's available from B&H and other retailers and it works very well. Of course, you'll have to figure a custom way to attach it to the back of the 5D Mk2 using rubber bands or Velcro.

The 5D Mk2 records what I would call "memo quality" audio with it's internal, mono microphone. You really notice the AGC raising and lowering the recording volume. If someone claps their hands, coughs, or makes a loud sound, the audio level and background sound dives down, then very noticeably fades back up. There is no headphone output or on-screen audio display so there's no way to confirm the level of your audio. If you plug an external mic into the camera, there is no indication to confirm even the presence of an audio signal. The only thing you can do is record a scene, then playback and carefully listen to the recorded file. If you plan to use this camera on a professional sync-sound project, you'd really have to consider double system sound recording. Recoding the audio on a separate recorder adds a major level of increased hassle but it's the only way to insure excellent audio. The audio from the camera's recording can be used as a post-production sync reference.

Another audio question is why Canon chose to record audio at a sample rate of 44.1kz instead of the industry standard 48kz. Apple's Final Cut Pro can handle almost any sample rate but other NLE's can't. Once again, if you're only shooting video for web release, the CD sample rate of 44.1kz shouldn't present a problem.

In certain low light or low contrast scenes, the H.264 encoding block artifacts are noticeable. In my opinion, the 5D Mk2 artifacts are more noticeable than the H.264 encoding used in Canon's own HF10, 1080 video camera even though the 5D's recorded bit rate is higher.

The camera's signal-to-noise ratio is very good and very clean. It's a more noise-free video picture than my $80,000 Sony F900R HDCam... except for the color red. Red objects are noisy. Most colors in a scene seem noise free, except red. This is especially true with low brightness red objects such as those in shadow areas.

The 5D Mk2 exhibits no "rolling shutter" characteristics that are associated with Nikon's D90.

The 5D Mk2 has the characteristic of clipping to "flat-line" black very low-light or shadow details in an image. This yields a "gutsy" rich, excellent, "film-like" quality for many scenes, but you can't do any post-production recovery of lost low-light details. The camera does a pretty good job of rolling scene highlights off to a hard clip at 100 units of video.

Possibly, some of the problems I've detailed here are related to the specific 5D Mk2 that I purchased (serial#0320105XXX) but I don't think this is the case. Hopefully, Canon will issue a firmware update to address the camera's video problems. New firmware could possibly add manual control to the video capture functions and slightly lower the frame rate to the standard 29.97fps.

All cameras at any price level have positives and negatives. I've never found or used the "perfect" camera. The Canon 5d Mk2 is an excellent still camera and in my opinion, "a not quite ready for prime time" HDTV video camera. Possibly the camera was rushed to market to compete (or cancel out) the much hyped video features of Nikon's "rolling shutter" D90. It is an excellent glimpse into the future of "hybrid" still & video DSLR cameras.

I just got my 5D mark II today from Amazon (not the cold-blooded 3rd party dealer). My order was Camera plus 24-105 lens kit at $3499 but somehow it came with body only. I need to work out with Amazon later. Anyway. My 1st DSLR is Canon 40D, which is my baseline for the comparison.

Pros:
1. Full frame = Real wide angle. My 17-40 lens can now work as it's supposed to.
2. High ISO with amazing quality. The noise level at ISO 12800 (H1) in 5D ~= ISO 1250-1600 in 40D. Noise software (ex: Noiseware) can still produce an acceptable image with 12800. Poor quality in 25600 (H2) is expected, and it can be used just in case. So my upper limit boosts from 1250 in 40D to 6400 in 5D which is a 2-1/3 stop jump (Thanks for Johnny Chan's correction).
3. High quality LCD with a light sensor, so no need to adjust LCD brightness from time to time. It's neat.
4. Autofocus microadjustment by lens.
5. Others such as high pixel, HD video, HDMI port... etc, but those are not really a must to me. Still can get 30x20 printout with 10MP 40D by Photoshop.

Cons:
1. Sync speed = 200ns in 5D while 250ns in 40D. I use Canon 580EX II a lot for portrait shots. So 1-stop shutter speed matters. (Even I can use high speed mode in 580Ex).
2. Frame-per-second = 3.9 in 5D but 6.5 in 40D

Overall, it's a great upgrade to me and worth every penny.

------------------
12/24/2008 update
------------------
1. After calling/email to customer support, Amazon has refunded $800 price difference in 10 hours. I cannot satify more than this.

2. New RAW from 5D MK II is no longer supported by Photoshop CS3 and earlier versions. That means upgrading to Photoshop CS4 is a MUST if shooting with RAW. It's another "hidden" cost...

3. Just got the battery grip BG-E6 today from Adorama for ~$270. The pros is now it takes 6 AA batteries or 2 LP-E3 (which is also expensive ~$75 and also out-of-stock in most of places)... The cons is too heavy for me along with 24-70mm 2.8L lens.

I took deliver in mid-December and now have around 2,000 pictures, mostly taken on a cruise.

The resolution is stunning, but only as good as the lens used. The 24-105 supplied in the kit is good, but a little soft compared to my very good EF-L 70-200 IS f4. I took 80% of my shots with the 24-105 but looked for opportunities to use the 70-200 instead, particularly for scenics. I'll probably buy a prime wide angle or wide angle zoom for the big, wide scencis, where the 24-105 gets particularly soft. As you'd expect, it's pretty solid through the middle of its range.

Shooting at ISO 1600 and 3200 was amazing, yielding lots of early morning and late evening scenics and hand held candids of the kids inside. When I put on the Speedlite for a big New Year's party, those results were also stunning. Yet, for a full room shoot with baloons dropping, I went to ISO 3200 and used available light with a great result.

I bought the 5D MkII for stills, so I haven't even tried the video yet. It's nice to have that on hand. I did use "live view" several times. That's quick and easy to use when you need it. I've used jpeg rather than RAW because I'd be taking so many photos. There are only four or five instances out of 2000 where I wish that I'd taken RAW. With the jpegs I cropped a dozen or so and altered contrast on just a couple. I generally shot the scenics at 1/3 stop under. I used the lens hoods 90+% of the time and kept a Hoya Pro UV filter on at all times.

Black dots have not been an issue, but I haven't taken any shots that would lead to them, according to the causes I've read about.

I'd rate the body-only as five-star and only give the 4-star overall for the kit, given the limitations of the 24-105 zoom in the kit. It's actually a very competitive zoom for this range, but I immediately saw a difference for the better with my EF 70-200. They're both L-series, but the wide angles are challenging for a super zoom. Given the low noise at 3200 ISO, I found the f4 lens speed to be plenty fast. The clarity at high ISO was the biggest positive surprise for me.

I've used and throughly enjoyed a 5D for a couple of years, and have found it to be a simply outstanding full-frame camera. Like a lot of people, I was eagerly looking forward to the 5D Mark II, and pre-ordered one. After using it for a few weeks, I am pleased to report that this is an excellent update to the 5D.

If you're researching this camera, you've probably heard about the "black dot" problem (basically, some dark pixels to the right of blown highlights). Unless you're printing photos in the several feet by several feet size, you'll never see them. Sure, I'll download a firmware fix when it's available, but in the meantime, I've never encountered even the slightest problem in real-world use.

Size and controls are very comparable to the 5D - you'll feel at ease very quickly. The viewfinder is fantastic -- bigger, brighter, and a very welcome addition. There are many "under the skin" upgrades, the biggest being 21.1 megapixels. So much more flexibility in shooting, but be prepared for some huge raw files! A processor upgrade (DIGIC 4) keeps things moving along at a good clip. I can't comment on the HD video capture since I'm just dabbling with it at the moment and have essentially no experience as a videographer. But, looking forward to learning. The video capture was just icing on the cake for me - bought it for still photos.

Disappointments are very few and far between, such as the fact that the battery pack is a different design, so it can't be interchanged with the 5D. Supposedly, it has a longer life, but model interchangeability would be nice to keep the add-on costs down. I also regularly shoot with my 40D and Rebel (with the latter converted to IR), so the greater the interchangeability, the better.

In short, this is an outstanding camera, and one that will be a welcome addition to anyone's kit. If you already have a 5D and use it a lot, the Mark II is well worth the cost. The kit is a good value versus the body -- the 24-105 f/4 L IS is one of the best walk around lens available. Should you not have a need for it, you can get a good price for it on the used market.

If you're presently working with a crop sensor camera, you will be amazed at what a full frame will do for you (although, be prepared to spend some coin on some good glass -- once you get the L lens fever, you'll never want to go back!). Keep in mind that the original 5D is still available, and going at a very nice price new (and some outright steals for used bodies). The original is still a fantastic camera, and well worth considering if budget is tight.

One final point -- the RAW files are not compatable with CS3. But, the recent update to Lightroom (2.2) solves that problem. No need to update to CS4 just for that.

Yes, I have the mk2 in hand. About 5 days now. Pictures after processing looks very similar to the original 5d, which is good because I don't have to change my workflow AT ALL. Of course the differences being size/resolution, and .. now I don't have to have a different workflow for any ISO above 400. I am actually using auto ISO - previously unavailable on the original 5D - because the images look so good. It has not yet gone above 3200 in Auto mode (I have fast glass). It's smart enough to know your focal length and seems to generally go by the 1/focal-length rule for shutter speed, adjusting ISO at it needs to.

Video? look on youtube for 5dmk2 Blueray Heli. Make sure you watch in HD.

There's a couple things to get used to. 1) the shutter button is much more easy to press than the original 5d. I've taken a few accidental shots so far, but I'm learning. 2) the LCD resolution is fantastic. But in mixed light, esp. with fluorescents, the LCD shows kind of funky. Perhaps it is showing the true nasty nature of fluorescent lighting mixed with flash or sunlight.

Files are huge, transfer is slow using usb2 now.

No black dots so far. No banding. Don't believe all the hype. I'm sure people have problems, but it's been blown so way out of proportion.

As far as Amazon, they're having trouble meeting demand like everyone else. The high prices are not theirs. If you don't like Amazon's price then go pick it up at a local retailer - you know the one with the big yellow sign - with a 10% coupon and cancel your order if they upset you so or if you really can't wait.

The 5d Mark II is a very sturdy pro camera. The original 5d was the camera of choice for many full-time National Geographic photographers because of its outstanding image quality coupled with a small portable body. For the Mark II, Canon has added weather sealing, a host of dust reduction features, an expanded ISO range, and increased resolution (no small feat), along with a handful of other features. ISO 5000 on the Mark II is comparable to ISO 1600 on the original 5d, in my opinion. This camera is a workhorse for anyone who needs pro camera features coupled with portability. Ideal for hikers or the traveling photographer. Black dot issue? 100% fixed with a recent firmware update from Canon. This camera is, for me, more intuitive to use than the D700 and the pro features are worth the extra money over the EOS 50d. An 8gb flashcard will hold about 250 RAW photos.

First, you can buy the body for 2600 from most stores/online, I dont know why Amazon is charging 3K.

Let me give a quick rundown so you know where I am coming from. I am a serious amateur, did film photography (developed my own film:-) ) for 1 year in HS, then took 5-6 years camera free, and the last 3-4 years with a 30D. I like to shoot anything really: landscapes, macro and plants (my favorites), followed by animals, birds (70/30 rest vs flight), and people/portraits. No sports. I prefer B&W. I use the camera for my own enjoyment/photography practice and at parties and school club events, and lots of travel. It gets a pretty well rounded tour of duty. I had from a 30D before, which I loved. So let me get to the nitty gritty.

(BTW, if you are looking for pixel peeping, you won't get it here. I'm looking to add a more detail and subjective feel of using the camera, and answer the questions I had before I bought. I shoot primes and have 2Ls, so IQ is limited by my skill. I have slightly more money than sense, and I am very anal about noise and IQ.)

I've had the 5D mkII for about 2-3 weeks and have only taken about 100-150 images with it I would say. Sorry, I've been busy!

#Image Quality/Megapixels
Out of this world. The images look very, very real. I don't know what else to say. Smooth colors and grades. Deep blacks. Colors comes out just how I remember them. Noise performance is great, super clean until 800, even 1600 ISO (by my standards. I used to hate anything above 400).. It is clearly aimed at people who like to print large, hi-res, fine art style work. Unfortunately the noise is that weird Canon stuff, but its not as bad as I feared, and could pass for film grain. I can shoot handheld indoors with very good results. 21 megapixels is WAY more than I want; but I can crop to my hearts content and still print big! I can actually crop images to "the exact same" frame that my 30D would have taken and have more MP... thats actually what pushed me over the edge to buy. Unforutately my 2.4 Ghz imac converts the RAW files very slowly. Editing is still fast enough. There is some debate online that as printers are able to print at higher and higher dpi, higher MP counts may make a difference. I agree with this, but only insofar as a medium format vs 35mm difference; 8mp will always look great at the common print sizes. PS: Canon, hire some of Nikons engineers to fix the look of your noise....

#AF system
It would have been nice to have new one, but my 30D AF never really failed me, and this is basically the same. For the money I would have REALLY liked to have the upgrade. Yet since it never hindered me before, and I don't shoot sports or BIF often, it's ok by me. People really complain about this, but seriously...the nine points system IS old, but it works and works well enough. To be honest I would rather have the last iteration of a proven AF than the first generation of a new one.

#Build quality
The slightly bigger size feels much more balanced, and "right", than the 30D. My 30D went shooting at glaciers, rain forest, jungle, and forests and in snow, rain, heavy fog, sand etc etc and didn't miss a beat, albeit in only 3 years. With upgraded seals, I have no doubts about this 5DII. The "real" weather seal of the 1D would be great, but I don't go shooting in downpours or sandstorms.

#Full frame vs 1.6
I really miss my 1.6 free zoom factor, especially when it comes to macro. A lot of my shooting is "screwed up" now, and I have to readjust. But it feels good to be so wide and landscapes are looking great. I'm gonna pick up a long zoom and I should be fine. It is mostly hard to adjust because the 100mm macro on the 1.6 was a real joy to use (BTW, that lens has given me the most keepers per dollar of anything, buy one if you are debating it).

#Movie mode/live view
Live view is great for macro. The video capability is great and very fun, and it is easy to focus manually with the large screen. I was concerned about having to focus in movie mode, but I like it more than the AF. Even on camcorders the AF isn't great. I guess I might use it video once in a while sitting in the airport or for Grandpa blowing out the candles. The video looks great, having the lens capability and shallow DoF is cool...but I barely have enough time to edit my photos, let alone a video. All jokes aside, its useful and nice and a welcome addition; its better to have than not, especially for quick little moments.

#Odds and Ends
-The viewfinder is great. I really feel like I am looking through the lens; my 30D feels like a peephole now.
-The AF matrix looks smaller to me, but I can't be certain. I don't know if the spread stays the same as the sensor size increases, but it certainly feels like it.
-AF micro adjust lets me be sure my lenses are spot on (5/7 were), the dust shake is nice too.
-RF remote capability is a plus
-Rear screen is sharp sharp sharp!
-Its great to have more battery bars; the life is excellent, and now more accurate.
-Finally, I don't have all those silly automatic modes on my dial, except for the new Creative Auto. Really.
-If you care about the lack of onboard flash....1. Onboard flash sucks. Buy a real one (I have a 430EX and its good enough) you will thank yourself. 2. You can shoot handheld in low light with this baby anyways. If its dim, ISO has you covered, if its dark, use the external; the onboard wouldn't cut it then. There is an AF assist lamp on board, but it hasn't fired yet.
-Viewfinder blackout is noticeably longer than my 30D; the change in shutter lag is not.

#My complaints
-FPS: 4fps on a 2600 dollar "pro" camera? If you shoot sports or birds a lot, stick with the 3/4/50D unless you really want full frame. Or wait for the rumoured 7D/3D. 4 fps is great for once in a while users (like me) though. I don't really mind it. If anything it teaches me to be better about timing.
-Why does the camera not have a built in intervelometer? thats stupid. It has enough screen and processing power to do it.
-I can't delete Picture styles: Canon has downloadable styles to use in your 3 custom modes. I shoot RAW, so they are meaningless, but I still want them. Unfortunately I can't delete the default ones I don't use so I can have only my favorites. I would have to transfer the settings manually somehow...and record the defaults.
-The controls: ok, this REALLY steams my clams. Canon has the big control wheel. I love it. But for some reason they have decided to make the control stick the center of their new (to me) menu system. It is small, awkward, far away, and slow. Furthermore, the wheel scrolls up and down: why? Left and right would be far more useful (since there are more menus in that direction; 9 vs 5). You lose 3/4 of a star for this Canon. I am a perfectionist. Perfect score means perfect camera, and small things count.
-They have this newfangled menu thing that shows all the camera settings at once on the rear screen and you can change all of them. Unfortunately, the top LCD already shows me the info, and using the screen is slower than using the buttons and the wheels. Its useful at night, so I dont have to push the light button though. If you set it to work with the info button (a Custom Function), it is VERY hard (for me at least) to get out of. I don't really like it but its starting to grow on me.
-The button for the top light is recessed and I have to try pushing it a few times to get it to work. Hopefully its just my copy. Minus 1/4 star because I shoot a lot in dimly lit areas.
-Please be aware sRAW (you can shoot RAW at less MP if you want; it is called an sRAW file) does not work on Aperture yet(!)

#Why I gave it 4 stars and not 5
I would have given it 5 stars if not for the illogical change to the menu controls (I hate wasting time in menu-land) and the poor light button. And the lack of intervelometer. I would also like to tell Canon, if by the grace of god you are reading this, that I have an app on my iphone that calculates the hyperfocal distance, something landscape shooters love. On your pro landscape/studio body, can you not BUILD IN this table/formula into the menu? even better, have the camera set the lens AT the hyperfocal distance? I know it already has all the data it needs to read that table. THAT would be be every landscape shooter dream come true.

#Bottom line:
If you are willing to give up the crop factor/free zoom and the FPS (I prefer to thinking of it as "back in the day" performance with closer to "back in the day" level of resolution), the 5d mkII will blow your mind. Parties, portraits, kids, pets, animals, sunsets, interiors...you are covered. If you were waiting to go to FF...you won't be disappointed. I feel this is close to film for me.

If you shoot BIF, sports, far away animals...you may want to save those upgrade dollars for now. You will be paying to lose zoom and FPS, and the 50D/40D has pretty good noise performance and IQ from what I read.

If you have a 5D already, I can't really give any advice since I've never used it.

If you have a 3/4/50D and REALLY want to go to FF, think carefully about what kind of shooting you do, then wait until Dec and see if the 3D/7D comes out. I blew my money early, I didn't know about that rumor. Other cameras I considered were a 1DMkII, but the screen is small, its huge, heavy and I would feel like even more of a poser with it, plus I use the screen and crop tool a lot more than max FPS. I also checked out the 5d original, but again, screen too small, DIGIC II, no sensor clean, no lens micro adjust...

If you are just getting into dSLR, get a 40D (same as a 50D basically), or heck, a 30D (I love mine) and get some nice glass. Unless you are rich, then get this. Or if you have small hands, then get the Tl1/XTi.

Rumor has it there is something coming to "fill the gap" for anyone looking to go up from the 50D, but not wanting a 5D or the pricier 1DMkIII or its s verison. It would be ~15mp, ~7fps, and ~the same image quality, and likely FF or 1.3 crop, with a new, better point AF. I think this is possible, but there are reasons for and against this (ie somewhere for the 50D sports shooter to upgrade to without going to 1D/everyone wants this vs Why would a sports/BIF shooter want to lose the 1.6 crop for comparable IQ? Esp since Canon is due to upgrade the "aging" xxD AF, which will be the "7D" everyone wants without cannabilizng the 1DmkIII).

I would maybe want that gap filler, mostly to ease the strain on my computer and keep that high FPS (its a guy thing, need for speed). But computers improve too, and I am VERY happy with the 5dmkII, I may cast an envious eye when/if this 3d/7d comes (Dec?) but I won't be selling or thinking twice.

IMO, a classic camera.

I shot 35mm film ages ago, but stopped when the cost of purchasing film and processing fees became prohibitive. I have been a photographer in one form or another for nearly 20 years. I decided that I definitely wanted to go digital, but was not happy with any of the cropped sensor bodies available at the time (early 2000's). When the 1Ds and 5D models first became available, I drooled, but couldn't justify the amount of money. So I waited. Along came the 5D Mark II (or as we say in the software industry, version 2.0) The price was lower than the original 5D and the quality and speed were even better then the now-three year old model. I saved my pennies and nickels for a while and finally purchased one!

From the moment I picked up the demonstrator model in the store, I knew this was the camera for me. Well balanced, large view-finder, and *gasp* video! I'm not much of a videographer, but seriously, taking HD clips with a prime lens on a full-frame sensor is just insane!

Pros:
- Low-light performance has to be seen to be believed. I'm sure you have heard the hype, but it's not hype. You really can take reasonable pictures in much darker rooms than you ever thought possible.
- Well balanced in your hands
- Simple menu system that does not require an engineering degree to use.
- Image quality (IQ) that simply blows away everything else in its class.
- Price is actually reasonable for what you get; hundreds less than the competition.
- Video!

Cons:
- The IQ is _too_ good. You can actually tell the difference between pictures taken with "L" glass and those that were not.
- Frame rate isn't great for sports. If this is your intended use, look at the 7D or 1D.
- Video limited in odd ways. Then again, this is a DSLR, not a camcorder.

In spite of what I just said about taking pictures with "L" glass, this camera is perfectly serviceable with regular lenses. Just realize that they are "consumer" grade and will have issues when shot wide open or when at the minimum or maximum of the zoom range. That said, the "nifty fifty" (50mm f/1.8) that sells for around $100 takes astonishingly good pictures.

If you're just starting out, the lenses that I would recommend buying with this body are:

17-40mm f/4 L - Eye-popping landscapes. The 16-35mm f/2.8 L is a stop faster, but neither lens will see much indoor use as you would have to be mere inches away from your subject to fill the frame. The extra stop also doubles the price with little benefit in the scenarios that it is likely to be used. At 2.8 the faster lens is quite soft, and the image quality in general is not quite as good. Save your money and get the 17-40. You won't be sorry!

24-70mm f/2.8 L - Fantastic walk-around lens. The 24-105mm f/4 that comes in the 5DMkII kit has more reach and is image stabilized, but I still prefer the speed of the 24-70. You can do more with it in lower light sitations.

70-200mm f/2.8 L - The IS version of this lens is silly expensive, but the standard version shares the same glass with its brother. For portraits and weddings, you cannot have a finer lens. The f/4 cousins are smaller and lighter. If you plan to shoot outdoors most of the time where there is sufficient light, then you should be fine with it. Indoors you will find yourself using a flash more often, even with the IS version of the f/4. The bokeh from the f/2.8 is noticeably better too.

50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 - The "L" version of this lens is f/1.2 and about $1k more. It's soft at f/1.2 and shoots its best at f/1.4 and higher. The "L" glass _is_ better than its cheaper cousins, but is it really worth it? This is one of the rare cases where there is little need to buy the "L" version. Buy the f/1.4 for $350 or the f/1.8 for $100 and enjoy it.