Canon have proved to be the company to beat in the
high end of the camera market contantly raising the bar for its competitors.
Nikon came back into contention with a brilliant new range of cameras
and now the new EOS 5D is Canon's reply. It will be interesting to see
what happens now.
Canon introduced the EOS 5D Mark
II Digital SLR camera, the long-awaited successor to Canon's highly popular
EOS 5D, introduced in 2005. Building upon the qualities that made the
EOS 5D camera so successful, Canon has coupled the creative power of a
full-frame CMOS sensor in a relatively compact and affordable camera body,
together with groundbreaking HD video capture that opens the door to a
much wider range of imaging possibilities for photographers.
Along with the ability to capture full
HD video clips at 1920 x 1080 resolution, Canon's EOS 5D Mark II Digital
SLR camera features a 21.1-megapixel full frame 24 x 36mm CMOS sensor,
DIGIC 4 imaging processor and significantly lower noise, with an expanded
sensitivity range from ISO 50 to ISO 25,600.
Among the many advancements in Canon's
new EOS 5D Mark II camera is the Company's proprietary DIGIC 4 Imaging
Processor that powers the camera's fast 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion
for smooth color tones and exceptional gradation. The Canon EOS 5D Mark
II Digital SLR offers a full-frame 24 x 36mm, 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor
and continuous shooting at 3.9 frames per second (fps) for an unlimited
number of full-resolution JPEGs to the capacity of the memory card or
up to 14 RAW images in a single burst when using a UDMA CF card.
The camera includes a 15-point
Autofocus (AF) sensor with nine selectable AF points plus six additional
Assist AF points (three center AF points sensitive to f/2.8 lenses) with
enhanced light source detection and AF microadjustment for greater autofocus
performance. The EOS 5D Mark II camera also features a large, clear 3.0-inch
Clear View LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution, four times the
pixel count of the EOS 5D camera's 2.5-inch screen, for enhanced clarity
and color when viewing images.
The new camera is equipped with a high-performance,
high-magnification optical viewfinder providing 98 percent coverage, giving
a new dimension to the saying, "what you see is what you get."
Professional photographers will also appreciate the enhanced 150,000-cycle
shutter durability of the EOS 5D Mark II camera.
Canon has improved the EOS 5D Mark
II Digital SLR camera's newly developed full-frame CMOS image sensor.
Utilizing proprietary Canon technology, the Company has reduced noise
and expanded the sensitivity of the CMOS sensor up to ISO 25600, which
is three full stops higher than the ISO 3200 limit of the original EOS
5D camera. Although the individual pixel dimensions of the EOS 5D Mark
II camera are the same as the 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor used in the EOS-1Ds
Mark III digital SLR, the new sensor incorporates an improved output amplifier
and a more advanced color filter that improves light transmission while
retaining excellent color reproduction. By applying the same kind of advancements
in sensor design and image processing technology as the recently introduced
EOS 50D camera, but at higher resolution and with larger pixels, the EOS
5D Mark II achieves the highest level of image quality of any EOS Digital
SLR released to date.
With the combination of its improved CMOS
image sensor and the powerful new DIGIC 4 image processor, the Canon EOS
5D Mark II camera provides ISO speeds from ISO 100 up to ISO 6400 in 1/3-stop
increments, along with two high-speed settings - H1 and H2 - of ISO 12800
and ISO 25600, respectively, as well as a low-speed setting of ISO 50.
The full-frame sensor maximizes the performance of Canon EF lenses, the
world's largest selection of autofocus lenses.
HD and SD Video Capture
Canon has taken its expertise in imaging,
photography and video capture technology to a new level with the EOS 5D
Mark II Digital SLR. Answering the question of where SLR technology is
going next, the EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD video capture at
1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality (SD)
video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps, both capabilities appearing
for the first time in a Canon SLR camera. Video capture is part of the
camera's Live View function, using the Picture Style that has been set
for Live View still image shooting.
This allows skilled photographers and cinematographers
to adjust image sharpness, contrast, color saturation and white balance,
and have those settings apply to the movie image. When recording video,
the camera's rear LCD screen can be letter-boxed by a semi-transparent
border to match the aspect ratio of the movie recording size. Moreover,
the EOS 5D Mark II camera's HD video capability enables new levels of
creative expression through its unfettered access to the complete line
of more than 60 Canon EF lenses, which provide an incredible variety of
visual effects including everything from ultra-wide-angle and fish-eye
to macro and super-telephoto, including many large-aperture L-series professional
lenses that can keep the main subject in razor-sharp focus while blurring
the background beyond recognition.
The EOS 5D Mark II will record video
up to 4GB per clip or a maximum continuous movie capture time of 29 minutes
and 59 seconds, whichever comes first. Depending on the level of detail
in the scene, a 4GB memory card can record approximately 12 minutes of
video at full HD resolution or approximately 24 minutes in standard definition.i
Video clips are recorded in .MOV format using an MPEG-4 video compression
and sound is recorded using linear PCMii without compression. The new
camera features an input terminal for external stereo microphones as well
as a built-in monaural microphone for convenience. To help show off those
fantastic movies as well as still photos, the EOS 5D Mark II camera includes
an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output to display crisp,
clear images on a High-Definition TV.
Live View Shooting
For both still images and video,
the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera features Live View, one of the most sought
after features in digital SLRs today. The 5D Mark II features three Live
View AF modes - Quick, Live and Face Detection Live mode - for capturing
either still photos or video, each with its own attributes.
Quick mode automatically sets One-Shot
AF using the camera's phase detection AF system. It also allows users
to select the AF point, even while the Live View image is displayed. Although
the camera's reflex mirror must be lowered briefly to take an AF measurement
in Quick mode, it is the fastest way to set focus automatically when the
5D Mark II camera is set for Live View.
Live mode uses contrast-detection
AF with the image sensor and here, as with Quick mode, users can change
the AF point using the Multi-controller. Face Detection Live mode uses
contrast AF to recognize human faces. When multiple faces are detected,
the largest face closest to the center of the frame is targeted as the
AF point. While Live View is engaged users can still change settings including
the AF mode (Quick, Live, Face Detection Live mode), drive mode, ISO speed,
Picture style, White Balance, and more.
Peripheral Illumination Correction
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital
SLR camera automatically conducts peripheral illumination correction when
shooting JPEG images, a function that previously could only be accomplished
through post-image processing using software such as Canon's Digital Photo
Professional, which Canon supplies at no extra charge. Peripheral illumination
correction evens brightness across the image field, making an image of
a blue sky even toned throughout and reducing light fall-off at image
edges. This new feature essentially eliminates one of the limitations
of previous full-frame digital SLRs.
Auto Lighting Optimizer
Canon's enhanced Auto Lighting Optimizer
technology helps ensure each picture's subject is clearly visible by analyzing
image brightness and automatically adjusting dark areas in images so that
they appear brighter. This function is ideal in high-contrast situations
such as urban landscapes captured on sunny days, where the tops of buildings
are brightly lit while street level details are obscured by heavy shadows.
In this type of scene, the 5D Mark II camera's Auto Lighting Optimizer
technology preserves accurate exposure of the highlights while opening
up the shadow areas for a more pleasing tonal rendition.
Canon's New Creative Auto Mode
Recently introduced with the new EOS 50D, Canon's "CA" Creative
Full Auto setting can also be found on the EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR
camera's mode dial. This setting allows users to make image adjustments
such as aperture or shutter speed through an easy-to-understand navigation
screen on the camera's LCD menu, allowing them to "blur the background"
or "lighten or darken the image." These easy-to-understand image
options allow photographers to experiment with image options while still
shooting in an automatic mode.
Two Small RAW Formats
For photographers seeking the flexibility
and creative possibilities of shooting RAW format images, without the
large file size, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera offers two
more manageable file size options with sRAW1 and sRAW2 recording formats.
At the sRAW1 setting, resolution is 10.0-megapixels with a file size that
is approximately 25 percent smaller than a standard 21.1-megapixel RAW
image. With the sRAW2 setting, resolution is 5.2 megapixels at less than
half the file size of a standard RAW image, retaining all of the flexibility
and creative possibilities associated with full-size, conventional RAW
images. Wedding and portrait photographers, in particular, will appreciate
the options of variable resolution and file size which allow them to fine-tune
the 5D Mark II's operation for their specific needs.
Silent Shooting in Live View
Canon has equipped the EOS 5D Mark
II with two Silent Shooting modes in Live View which will prove particularly
helpful to law enforcement officials, and for behind-the-scenes shooting
on movie sets. In Mode 1, the camera will shoot with the mechanical shutter
open at the beginning of the exposure, using the electronic 1st-curtain
function of the CMOS sensor and a reduced shutter-cocking noise, allowing
multiple shots to be taken with minimal noise. In Mode 2, to minimize
shutter noise during single frame photography, shutter cocking does not
occur until the shutter button returns to the half-way position after
shooting.
EOS Integrated Cleaning System
With the introduction of the EOS 5D Mark
II camera, the entire Canon EOS system is now equipped with the highly
acclaimed EOS Integrated Cleaning System. The Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been upgraded with a fluorine coating
on the low-pass filter for better dust resistance.
Pricing
and Availability
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera is compatible with Canon EF
lenses and is scheduled for delivery by the end of November. The EOS 5D
Mark II will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail
price of $IS2,699iii. It will additionally be offered in a kit version
with Canon's EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens at an estimated retail
price of $3,499.