Canon EOS 5D MkII review

A full-frame chip in a manageable DSLR body gives the 5D the potential to be a pro camera for the amateurs

As was apparent in last month’s full-frame DSLR group test, there’s plenty to be gained from a bigger chip. Increasing the surface area of what is essentially the heart of a DSLR gives it the ability to capture more light, therefore increasing the amount of data being stored. This leads to better colour quality, sharpness and all-round detail. Where the Canon EOS 5D Mark II looks to improve on the similarly specced 1Ds Mark III is in the size and adding a HD Movie mode, along with a couple of more minor upgrades.

Trying to find any major downsides with such a setup hinges around the ability of the CMOS chip to process the information given by the lenses, which again have to be top quality to make use of the 21MP. The ability of the camera to then shunt the information through and make sense of it at the other end depends on the new DIGIC IV processor, which will be put to the test with some massive file sizes in the RAW format. For many, the 5D Mark II will be seen as a step-up from the higher-end APS-C models, such as the EOS 50D, which will undoubtedly lead to more expensive lenses being needed, or as a backup for studio-based professionals who already own a 1Ds or equivalent. The former will undoubtedly meet more expense than the £2,000 street price, even if a kit is available for an extra few hundred pounds with the excellent 24-105mm L-series lens. The ultra-wide angle will suffer the most, as the majority of 18mm or lower options become virtually unusable due to the camera using far more of the available surface area of the lens. For those with a healthy catalogue of budget lenses, it may be worth hanging onto your old body rather than trading in, as you may have a bag of useless optics otherwise.

For those on an upward climb from the lower-end models, there’s plenty about the EOS 5D Mark II to make the transition far less painful. The first is the dual function info screen/menu, which becomes interactive once the joystick is brought into play. This allows even the uninitiated to almost immediately start fiddling around with the settings without the need to trawl through endless menu screens, and those a little more savvy to have far quicker access to the likes of focus zones and quality settings. It’s not quite as fast as the 1Ds Mark III’s shortcut buttons, but at least both the scroll wheels are employed to allow some rapid changes after the functionality is gotten used to. The line-up of buttons is unsurprisingly sparse as a result, giving the impressively sharp three-inch LCD plenty of room to breathe. Canon’s much-maligned thumbstick reappears and, in spite of once more having far too much manoeuvrability for the relatively straightforward movements of the menu, it’s passable as a control method. The oversized scroll wheel that sits to the right of the LCD is perfect for those relying more on the screen than the viewfinder, but can create issues for those shooting in landscape orientation without Live View. Being that the 5D Mark II is offering something of a bridge between pro and high-end amateur, it’s something of a surprise the build doesn’t quite match up to the 1Ds Mark II. The 5D doesn’t exactly feel cheap, but the likes of the Shutter release and a few of the other controls are definitely of a less-robust quality than its sibling. As a result, its more noticeable when the larger lenses are attached, giving the balance a favouring to the front end. Although this isn’t exactly a huge shock, as the intended audience will be far more space-conscious than those looking at a 1Ds, Canon are undoubtedly aware that the higher spec lenses will be heavier, so essentially gutting an EOS 50D and replacing the innards doesn’t offer the best possible handling for a more professional audience. Having such a well-laid-out rear LCD, for example, makes the top version something of a waste, especially as the Function buttons have been shrunken down as a result. Rather than sticking with a Mode dial and fitting the ISO, metering and AF buttons to the opposite side of the body, it would have been far more sensible to adopt the same approach as the 1Ds Mark III, using a multiple button press approach to change to a different mode setting. On such a comparatively small body it seems insane that some buttons are far too small, where the likes of Nikon’s D700 take a far more pro-aimed tack, but improves functionality. This may alienate the beginners, but it would do wonders for the ease of operation, especially as the menu system is so intuitive.

One addition clearly aimed at the newcomer, but with the potential to be more useful, is the Creative Auto mode. Once selected, the rear menu changes from more standard photographic settings into those aimed more at users familiar with photo-editing packages, such as Photoshop. Focal range is controlled by a sliding scale, so the depth of field can be made shallower, and the picture modes and exposure are also made more accessible. This is perhaps the most significant indication that the 5D Mark II has been created for the studio professional who isn’t necessarily plying their trade behind the lens 100 per cent of the time.

Those who are new to the DSLR method of taking shots definitely won’t be disappointed with how the camera operates on the Automatic mode, or how easily accessible the Creative Auto is to get to grips with and still produce decent images. The real proof was in the end product, and there was very little to pick holes in about the Canon’s performance. CMOS chips tend to tone down the reds, purely because in previous incarnations they couldn’t cope with the higher-frequency colours. There’s no evidence of a magenta cast creeping in at all, with some superb range and depth on show. Within the studio environment, in less-preferable lighting, the camera was reasonably forgiving, providing a manageable level of noise at the higher end. One area where the camera particularly seemed to excel was landscape images, where a high level of detail was required to gain the full scope of the photo. The 5D Mark II managed to preserve an impressive level of graduation in the colour, and the natural warmth really gave the images some vividity. The Burst mode may not naturally lend the 5D Mark II to sports shooting with only a 3.9fps maximum shot rate, but the detail was such that any action captured could easily stand up to some serious cropping and zooming.

Those looking for a similarly laid out backup to the 1Dss Mark III will probably be disappointed with the EOS 5D Mark II, as it seems to be aimed far more toward newcomers to full-frame photography and, in some instances, photography altogether. Image quality is unsurprisingly superb and tripping the camera up proved extremely tricky, but the focus seems slightly too much toward the beginner to appeal to the audience it’s aimed at, especially at £2,450.