Development objectives
The EOS 5D Mark II (Photo 1) was developed as a complete redesign of the original EOS 5D, which went on sale in October 2005. The development objectives for this full-frame, high-resolution digital AF SLR are listed below.
Full-frame sensor and fine image detail and quality
· 35mm full-frame 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor
· DIGIC 4 image processor for fine detail and natural color reproduction
· Full-time ISO range of 100 to 6400 (L: 50, H1: 12,800, H2: 25,600)
· Enhanced automatic image correction features
· Auto lighting optimizer
· Peripheral illumination correction
· Peripheral illumination correction
Faster response and more comfortable shooting· 3.9 fps continuous shooting with a maximum burst of 78 frames (JPEG Large/Fine)
· Nine AF points and six Assist AF points
· 98% Viewfinder coverage
· Three-inch, 920,000-pixel high-resolution LCD monitor
· 21.1-megapixel sensor with EOS ICS
New features and system enhancements for more shooting possibilities· Live View shooting
· Live View Full HD movie shooting
· New and improved system accessories (battery pack and wireless LAN)
Tough body and premium design· Magnesium alloy exterior
· 150,000 cycles Shutter durability
The sections below give a complete picture of the EOS 5D Mark II, focusing on its improvements over the EOS 5D.
Advances in image quality, resolution, and digital functions
(1)21.1-megapixel, full-frame CMOS sensor
The EOS 5D Mark II is equipped with a large CMOS sensor (Photo 2) developed in-house that has an effective sensor size of 24 x 36 millimeters and boasts 21.10 effective megapixels. This newly developed sensor provides the highest image fidelity and definition available among digital SLR cameras today. While the sensor's basic specs - size, pixel count, pixel pitch - are identical to the EOS-1Ds Mark III CMOS sensor, it features a new RGB color filter, improvements to raise the sensor's sensitivity and lower its noise, four-channel read-out, and lower power consumption to support Live View shooting.
(2)DIGIC 4 boosts base performance levels
The newly designed DIGIC 4 image processor (Photo 3) gives the EOS 5D Mark II faster and richer signal processing. Not only does the DIGIC 4 accelerate the processing of the 21.10-megapixel images, it also achieves higher sensitivity and lower noise performance, allows for more auto image processing functions, and raises the performance level of many digital image processing functions including face detection, Full HD video capture, HDMI output, and UDMA support.
(3)Full-time ISO 6400 gives more shooting opportunities
The top end of the EOS 5D Mark II's full-time ISO range of 100 to 6400 represents a two-stop improvement over the ISO 100 to 1600 range on the EOS 5D and EOS-1Ds Mark III. The Mark II also offers ISO extension down to 50 in L mode and as high as 12,800 in H1 mode and 25,600 in H2 mode.
(4)Improved auto image processing features
The Mark II comes with the following new feature upgrades over the 5D.
Highlight Tone Priority modeThis mode prioritizes the reproduction of tonal information in highlights. It is a very popular feature in the EOS-1Ds Mark III and the EOS 40D.
Auto Lighting OptimizerThis auto image correction function has been available on the EOS Kiss X2 and the EOS 50D. In this model, the Auto Lighting Optimizer function also uses face detection, as does the EOS 50D.
Peripheral illumination correctionAs in the EOS 50D, this function automatically corrects JPEG images for lens vignetting. This function will play an even greater role in the EOS 5D Mark II because its 35mm full-frame sensor is more susceptible to lens vignetting than the smaller APS-C sensor on the EOS 50D.
EOS Utility is used to register and delete lens correction data (the EOS 5D Mark II can store correction data for up to 40 lenses; it is shipped with data for 26 lenses). JPEG images are corrected in-camera automatically immediately after shooting. RAW images can be corrected after shooting using a computer and Digital Photo Professional's capture settings.
Faster noise reduction functionThe noise reduction function is divided into four settings - Standard, Low, Strong, and Disable - as in the EOS 50D. In the Standard and Low settings, the noise reduction function has no impact on the maximum burst length during continuous shooting. This improvement is the result of the DIGIC 4's faster image processing.
(5)Three-inch Clear View LCD monitor
The EOS 5D Mark II features a three-inch, 920,000-pixel LCD monitor (Photo 4) with a wide viewing angle and crisp resolution. An anti-reflective fluorine coating has been applied to the protective cover surface and additional anti-reflective coatings have been applied to the rear surface of the cover and on the LCD panel surface to create a clear, easy-to-view monitor that resists dirt and grime.
The monitor's brightness can be adjusted manually in seven levels or adjusted automatically using a dedicated light sensor (located below the monitor).
(6)Appending copyright information
Using the EOS Utility, the user can set the ''Photographer'' and ''Copyright'' parameters on the camera. These parameters are saved in the Exif data with each shot.
Advances in integrated sensor cleaning
The EOS Integrated Cleaning System (ICS) was developed on the basic concept of ''don't make, collect, or leave'' any dust in the camera. The EOS 5D Mark II uses the following four-stage cleaning approach.
(1)Limit the creation of dust
(2)Limit the collection of dust on the surface of the imaging sensor unit
(3)Shake off any dust that does adhere with ultrasonic vibrations (Photo 5)
(4)Obtain and append Dust Delete Data to images/remove dust spots automatically with software
Advances in speed, comfort, and shooting functions
(1)Comfortable, high-power viewfinder and interchangeable focusing screens
The EOS 5D Mark II features a redesigned viewfinder (Figure 1) with 98 percent coverage and 0.71 magnification and 33.3° viewing angle for comfortable viewing. The camera accepts standard interchangeable focusing screens as well as the specialized Eg-D (precision matte with grid) and Eg-S (super precision matte) focusing screens, developed with the Mark II.
(2)Nine AF points plus six Assist AF points for fast, precise autofocusing
The EOS 5D Mark II has the same AF sensor as the EOS 5D with nine AF points and six Assist AF points, which delivers the same fast, accurate autofocus performance. The center AF point is a cross-type sensor that is vertical-line sensitive at f/2.8 and vertical- and horizontal-line sensitive at f/5.6. The Mark II includes two autofocus advancements.
· AF Microadjustment
A custom function (C.Fn III 8) allows for AF microadjustment, which fine-tunes the AF's point of focus for each lens. This feature is also available on the EOS-1D Mark III, EOS-1Ds Mark III, and EOS 50D.
· Light source automatic compensation
The camera determines the type of light source illuminating the subject and automatically corrects for the slight focusing errors that occur between different light sources.
(3)AI Servo AF capable of 3.9 fps continuous shooting in bursts of up to 78 frames
The EOS 5D Mark II is equipped with a new rotary magnet shutter unit (Photo 6) and a twin-motor mirror drive/shutter charge mechanism. Even though Mark II images contain about 1.6 times the information of 5D images and the A-D converter uses 14-bit data instead of 12-bit, the continuous shooting speed has been increased by nearly 30 percent to about 3.9 fps with a maximum burst of about 78 JPEG (Large/Fine) frames (about 310 frames with an UDMA CF card).
(4)Advanced Live View shooting features
The EOS 5D Mark II's Live View still-image shooting specifications are the same as those on the EOS 50D introduced in last month's technical report.
(5)Live view movie shooting
· Movie shooting with two quality
The EOS 5D Mark II delivers Live View movie recording with performance (30 fps frame rate) befitting an SLR with a vast line of interchangeable lenses. There are two movie recording qualities: Full high definition (HD) quality (1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio)) (Figure 2) and standard definition (SD) quality (640 x 480 pixels (4:3 aspect ratio)).
· Focusing and exposure
Focusing is performed before shooting starts in the same way as when shooting Live View stills. The exposure is controlled using the imaging sensor with the metering mode set to center-weighted averaging and Program AE for movies.
· Movie processing
The Picture Style (including any sharpness or saturation adjustments) set for Live View still-image shooting is applied to movies.
· Movie controls and file format
Pressing the SET button in Live View mode starts and stops movie recording. Movies are saved as .MOV files. The user can take still shots while recording a movie by pressing the shutter button (movie recording is interrupted for about one second).
About 12 minutes can be recorded in Full HD - about 24 minutes in SD - on a 4GB card. The camera can record a total of about 90 minutes at room temperatures with a fully charged LP-E6 battery pack, but continuous recording is limited to 29 minutes 59 seconds or a file size of 4 GB. Note that movie recordings assume the use of a CF card with an actual read/write speed of at least 8 MB per second.
· Audio recording
Sounds can be recorded with movies either in mono (real PCM) with the built-in monaural microphone or in stereo using an external stereo microphone connected to the external microphone input.
· Movie playback from the camera (recommended)
Because of the huge amounts of data, Canon recommends playing movies from the camera by connecting the camera to a Full HD TV with an HDMI cable. It is possible to play back movies on a computer using the bundled software (ZoomBrowser EX 6.2/ImageBrowser 6.2), but because of the amount of data, a high-performance computer (Core 2 Duo CPU and 2.6GHz clock or better) is necessary.
Advances in operation and control comfort
(1)Intuitive instructions and excellent operability
Canon has furnished the camera with a solid feel in the hand and excellent operability by optimizing the shape and position of the grip, shutter button, Main Dial, and control buttons. Canon has also strived to make the camera more intuitive and easier to control with menu tabs, the positioning of the independent AF start button and Live View button (which also serves as the Print/Share button), the Creative Auto mode, and the Quick Control screen.
(2)Creative Auto mode
The Creative Auto (CA) mode has been added to the Mode dial, as on the EOS 50D, allowing the user to set the functions given in Table 1 while viewing setting tips.
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(3)Quick Control screen
The EOS 5D Mark II has a Quick Control screen - found also on the EOS 50D - which is displayed by pressing the Multi-controller button when the camera is ready to shoot. The Multi-controller can then be used to select functions and the Main Dial or Quick Control Dial to adjust settings, making operation of the camera much more intuitive.
(4)Wireless remote control sensor
The camera will accept signals from RC-1 and RC-5 remote controllers when in Self-Timer mode for remote shooting.
Advances in the battery pack and system accessories
LP-E6 battery packThe LP-E6 (Photo 8) is a new 1800 mAh battery pack that is nearly the same size as the BP-511A but with about 1.3 times the capacity. The LP-E6 is able to communicate with the EOS 5D Mark II, enabling the user to confirm on the LCD monitor the battery pack model, the remaining capacity, the shutter count, and the recharge performance in the same way as on the EOS-1D/1Ds Mark III.
The system accessories listed below were also developed in tandem with the LP-E6.
LC-E6 battery chargerCBC-E6 battery chargerACK-E6 AC adaptorBG-E6 battery grip (Photo 9)WFT-E4 wireless file transmitter (Photo 10)
This concludes our look at the EOS 5D Mark II. Table 2 compares the main specifications of the EOS 5D Mark II and the EOS 5D.