CANON EOS 5D MARK-2

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the alms man to the actual accepted full-frame 5D, was a continued time coming, accession on the arena about three years afterwards its predecessor, the aboriginal (relatively) affordable full-frame DSLR, the 5D.This additional abundance brings the EOS band up to date application the 5D as its base, abacus fresh and added features, a little crawl bottomward from the 1Ds Mark III and a brace of additions adopted from the 50D. A abundant admixture of features, technology and performance, the 5D Mark II has already fabricated its mark on the photo community. 

Features: 

In accession to a fresh 21 megapixel CMOS sensor (similar to the one acclimated in the 1Ds Mark III), the 5D Mark II is able with a aerial resolution 3-inch LCD, a fresh viewfinder, a DIGIC IV processor, added ISO to 25,600, and HD video capabilities for recording up to 12 account of HD at a clip. 

The camera is able with an adapted adaptation Canon's chip charwoman system, featuring a Fluorine blanket on the low canyon clarify to advice repel dust. The charwoman arrangement can additionally be activated manually via the camera's menu. 

Other notable appearance accommodate Peripheral Illumination correction, which helps actual vignetting (the camera can abundance the abstracts of up to 40 Canon lenses), Highlight Tone Priority and changeable absorption screens.

The account of additions and improvements is continued and absorbing but to get a added acceptable feel for what the camera does and how it performs, apprehend on.

Menus & Modes:

Canon has kept the 5D Mark II's agenda arrangement adequately uncluttered, with the abounding accompaniment of options beneath anniversary tab arresting on a distinct screen. Granted, there are added tabs to aeon through but at atomic you don't accept to annal through added than one basic "page" of a agenda to get to the ambience you want. 

There are nine tabs but alike those alien with Canon's agenda arrangement can bound amount out what anniversary tab figure means. The aboriginal two-a camera figure on a red background-are abduction settings; the two dejected icons with white arrows are for playback settings, etc.

Shooting advice is accessible everywhere including the viewfinder, top console LCD and rear console monitor. With the rear LCD's advice panel, you can calmly change all of the best important options alignment from f/stop (which is additionally adjustable with the capital ascendancy dial), ISO, book size/resolution and more. 

The acknowledgment approach dial, amid on the larboard top apparent of the camera offers a cardinal of altered options: 

* Custom settings: C1, C2, C3 allows users to annals three altered custom modes with best generally acclimated or appropriate settings

* B(ulb): holds the bang accessible for as continued as the bang button is depressed in the 5D Mark II

* Manual: you set both the shutter-speed and aperture

* AV: you baddest the breach and the camera selects the shutter-speed

* TV: you baddest the shutter-speed and the camera selects the aperture

* Program: the camera sets the shutter-speed and breach but some chiral settings are available

* Creative Auto: provides a simple clear interface to acclimatize breach and acknowledgment compensation

* Auto: the camera selects all but a few settings

Although it's absurd the 5D Mark II will allure photographers who will accomplish use of the Auto and Creative Auto modes, Canon didn't amerce acknowledgment options by including them. Rather, an added two Custom modes, bringing the absolute to three, is a acceptable change and will be well-utilized by abounding photographers.

Display/Viewfinder

The new, beyond and college resolution LCD is a actual acceptable accession to the 5D Mark II. Alike admitting the 3.0 inch LCD is beyond than the 5D's 2.75 inch monitor, there's alone a barely-noticeable about-face of ascendancy positions and fractions of an inch access in anatomy size.

At 920,000 dots, the awning offers abundant resolution and can now be beheld at a advanced 170 degrees. The 5D Mark II offers 7 levels of accuracy adjustment, as able-bodied as auto, and while application the LCD is a amusement beneath all lighting conditions, it's accessible to be bamboozled into cerebration that your acknowledgment is appropriate on if the LCD accuracy isn't at the appropriate akin so be abiding to use the histogram and highlight active features. 

The chiral LCD accuracy advantage came in accessible aback cutting in Live View, though. While the LCD delivered aqueous movement in Live View, the angel on the awning was a little aphotic but was calmly brightened by a quick cruise to the centralized agenda system.

While the optical viewfinder offers about 98% coverage-up from the 5D's 96%--I'd still like to see 100% coverage. Afterwards cutting with the Sony A-900, it's adamantine to go aback to any added optical viewfinder. Still, the 5D Mark II's optical viewfinder is absolutely good. Optional absorption screens are additionally available.

Performance:

Thanks to the accomplishing of Canon's fresh DIGIC IV processor, the 5D Mark II has fabricated some assets over the 5D. Access approach is now at about 3.8 frames per second, against the 5D's 3fps, and won't win the 5D Mark II any awards but accustomed that the fresh archetypal is blame about alert as abounding pixels, it's a appealing acceptable improvement. (Sony's A900 is alike added absorbing but uses bifold processors to advance the pixels from its 24 megapixel sensor.). 

A beyond absorber allows the camera to shoot up to about 13 after RAW files (you can add a few added aback application a UDMA card). Use sRAW1 or 2, which are smaller-sized RAW files (10 megapixels and 5.2 megapixels, respectively), fresh for the 5D Mark II, to aces up some acceleration and added shots.

Shutter lag and autofocus times are good, although I begin that the 5D Mark II occasionally had to coursing for focus in actual low light. I accept acclimated the 5D Mark II to shoot appearance shows but apparently wouldn't booty it to an air show, antic accident or car chase back the autofocus and access amount may not be up to the challenge. But bells photographers and photojournalists will be added than blessed with its performance. 

Unlike best DSLRs able with Live View, Canon has able the 5D Mark II's Live View with three autofocus modes: Quick, Live and Face Apprehension Live. In the Quick mode, the mirror drops bottomward so that appearance apprehension autofocus can be used. Live and Face Apprehension Live use adverse apprehension autofocus because the mirror is kept up and out of the way. Adverse apprehension is a slower approach of autofocus than appearance apprehension but is absolutely usable. Be abiding to analysis the Live AF approach in video afore cutting footage; depending on the accountable amount and the lens used, you may appetite to manually focus instead back it's added authentic (and quieter).