www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Fantastic details - but a little pricey for me. I shall wait for a lottery win, or for Canon to recognise the Grand Pooh-bah of the Canonista and present him with his own, monogrammed, 5D MkII!

I Quote-

Canon launches EOS 5D Mark II


New camera offers 21.1 megapixels and Full HD video capture

Compact, lightweight and with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions.

The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames.

Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps – for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism.

The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1 Megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available – from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.

Other improvements to the EOS 5D include:
* Addition of Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System, with a new Fluorine coating on the low-pass filter
* Larger 3.0 inch Clear View LCD with VGA resolution, a 170 degree angle-of-view and anti-reflective coatings
* Improved menu system including Quick Control Screen for more direct access to common settings
* Automatic peripheral illumination correction, utilising detailed EF lens information to optimise JPEG images straight out of the camera
* Magnesium alloy construction with additional environmental protection
* UDMA memory card compatibility.

“Professional photojournalists and wedding photographers already choose the EOS 5D for its discrete size and outstanding image quality,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging. “The addition of HD movie recording opens a new chapter for EOS. It creates new possibilities for EOS photographers to capture and share their stories and to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.”


Key Specifications
* New 21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved EOS Integrated Cleaning System (E.I.C.S.)
* New Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
* 3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
* High performance DIGIC 4 providing superb image quality
* Maximum 310 large JPEG images in a single burst with a UDMA card
* 3.0inch VGA (920k dots) Clear View LCD
* ISO 100-6400 (expansion from 50 up to 25,600)
* 9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points


Pricing & Availability
The EOS 5D Mark II (body only) is available from end of November 2008 priced at £2299.99 / €2999.99 RRP inc. VAT. 
The EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM kit is available from end of November 2008 priced at £3049.99 / €3999.99 RRP inc. VAT.

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product ... /index.asp

Gruditch

Rogerdodge wrote:Fantastic details - but a little pricey for me. I shall wait for a lottery win, or for Canon to recognise the Grand Pooh-bah of the Canonista and present him with his own, monogrammed, 5D MkII!

Roger - thats all very well, but once Canon have sent it to me how often will you want to borrow it ? Also couldnt help noticing that you wrote this at 4.32am - surely you arent losing sleep over a new camera model? Mark.

Also couldnt help noticing that you wrote this at 4.32am - surely you arent losing sleep

Losing sleep?
I had only just got home!!

Roger
(Party Animal)

About time they stuck a decent screen on it, but face detection and movie mode? Good grief, they must be getting desperate.

Great stuff, needs to be a lottery win before I could afford such a thing.

eccles wrote:About time they stuck a decent screen on it, but face detection and movie mode? Good grief, they must be getting desperate.

Well, its (as far as I know) the first DSLR to have movie capture, the only thing SLR cameras lack, but we want them for photograph more than video capture anyway, but its still good, especially when you can change lens and shoot video. And it is good that it has a decent screen.

I like the higher levels of ISO, but not really sure why I would use over 1600 in ISO though, seems a bit high for me, but then again I don't know 100% the ISO anyway. I know the basic sunny/cloudy and night ISO settings to use, but thats really it.

Maybe someone could take petty on this student and get him one as he could not aford it for a really long time? Guess not... well, worth a try

It's been suggested recently (was it Roger?) that a full frame camera isn't ideal for butterflies, perhaps because the crop factors of APS-C and smaller sensors means better close up detail and a wider apparent depth of field. With these recently announced super megapixel full frame sensors, however, you can have the best of both worlds since a crop to APS-C equivalent will still give 10-11 MP which is plenty enough for a large print. You also have the full frame for poster sized landscapes and other photography, but the expense, my life already...

I think it will be very popular with wedding photographers, as it's way cheaper than the £6000 1Ds Mark 3, and they love the full frame censers.
Having seen some results of movie footage taken on compact flash, I doubt that that function will get used a lot, you never know with all the Canon glass available it might be OK, but I think a movie mode would be better placed on an entry model.
3.9 frames per second, not the fastest, and despite the 21.1 MPs I couldn't live with the loss of mm from my big lenses

Gruditch

You don't really lose your big lens capability because on a 1.6 crop you will still have an 8.2MP APS-C equivalent resolution. Similarly on the Sony A900 you get 10.6MP 1.5 crop APS-C equivalent. What you also get on both cameras are the bits around the edges that a crop sensor throws away. But two grand is a lot to pay for something that might be better invested in glass. I'm eagerly awaiting first tests on the new Sony 80-400 G zoom.

Has anyone tried this new 5D mk 2 yet, I would be very interested in an opinion from someone who has tested or owns this new Camera, especially from a wildlife camera perspective.

Also what lense have you used with it.

I see the cost has fallen by few hundred and am looking to possibly treat Sandra begining April, she has always wanted a good full frame.

Thanks

Kevin

Unless Fishiee has made his mind up, and put his hand in his pocket, then I think the answer to your question Kevin is, no, none of us have been lucky enough to have had some hands on experience with the Mk 2 yet.

I did, if only briefly, think about getting one myself. As my photography has started to lean increasingly towards landscape photography. I find I have a need for a more wide, wide-angle, but in the end I decided to get a Canon EF-S 10-22 lens, and save myself £1500 ish in the proses.

If you decide not to get Sandra a nice new 5D Mk 2, and she ever finds this thread, then you are a dead man.


Gruditch

Thanks Gruditch,

I will either blame Mr Credit Crunch or ask for a whip round from the very generous people on UK Butterflies, a £5 each should do it!!!!

Kevin

You could always get her a Sony A900. Advantages: Class leading dynamic range, fast AF, faster continuous shooting, higher resolution, brighter fullsize viewfinder, image stabilised, weather sealed, dual memory card slots, and less expensive because there's no sop to the compact brigade with silly movie mode or live view. You can put the difference towards some class leading Zeiss glass.
Disadvantage at iso1600 and higher the Sony loses about a stop due to noise.

Interesting review here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/revie ... mkii.shtml

Still can't decide between 5DII and 50D. I have read defraction starts effecting the 50D around F7.something and I tend to shoot a lot around F8-F10 which is a worry for that one. 5DII has the same pixel density to my current 30D so in theory I can only ever get better shots as I can shoot same distance to get the same sized image after cropping or move closer, Stop down a bit more and capture more detail. Interesting thought is I could gain more DOF by sticking a canon 100 rather than sigma 150 on it. I think the 5DII is sharper and with better ISO performance than my current 30D. The much greater pixel density of the 50D means more fine detail is picked up but needs low iso's for that so good light. I have read that both really need spot on technique to get the best results and are far less forgiving than less pixel dense sensors. Same goes for all these new high pixel sensors (Canon, Nikon, Sony). I would say for macro the 5DII has great potential if your technique, and equally as important, your lenses are up to scratch.

I'm still waiting a little though as there's quite likely to be a 1DMKIV announced in March and if that had 16MPixels or so and I can decide the fixed grip is ok for macro that would be a better option for me as I shoot action (Birds of Prey etc.) a lot and the 1D is the king for action just the 1DIII doesn't have enough pix for me.

Best bet is to get to somewhere where you can try them side by side. I know Park Cameras had both in their new Burgess Hill showroom over the christmas period. When I was looking at Macro lenses Jessops ordered in a Sigma 150 especially for me to try a couple of times allongside the 180 they had on the shelf.

John

I've only taken one macro shot with my 50D so far, so I will reserve judgement on it's performance in that field.

There will always be pros and cons with every camera, my biggest concern with using the 5D Mk 2 as a wildlife camera, would be the speed, the lack of, that is, 3.9 frames a second isn't quick. The 50D takes some tweaking in the custom settings, to get the best out of it. And the 1Ds, the price, a very large investment, for something that will be out of date in two years.

I've just selling off and replacing a few of my lenses, then I will have a more serious look at the 5D Mk 2 or it's successor, a 50D and A 5D in the camera bag, sounds good to me.

Gruditch

Actually the 3.9fps on the 5dii does concern me a little, and the focus points all being concentrated close to the centre. Then again I very rarely use the 5fps mode on my 30d, usually sticking to 3fps mode for everything. It's difficult to fire off a single frame in 5fps mode. One of the main reasons I don't use it is that in my experience my 10d and 30d just can't correct focus quick enough so you'll get a mass of OOF shots anyway... once in a while you might fluke one that I'd call sharp for a fast subject.

5dii does have a zero shutter noise mode using live view I believe which could be pretty handy... has no popup flash though which woukld be a disadvantage for me I feel.

I don't want a 1DSIII when there is a 5DII in the stores. I'd buy a 5DII and 1D and still have change left over from the cost of a 1DSIII!

I have read defraction starts effecting the 50D around F7

I wouldn't let that affect your decision on going FF or sticking to APS-C. Diffraction and depth of focus are basics of the physics of the lens. A smaller sensor has historically seen diffraction more readily than a larger one simply because it is resolving more detail from just a portion of the lens. But with the newer high resolution FF sensors, diffraction will be seen once again at the same aperture. Equally, the apparent narrower DOF on an image from a FF sensor will, when examined at 100% be the same when cropped to APS-C size.

It seems so hard to comprehend that I will repeat once again:
A FF camera will produce an image that when cropped to APS-C size is exactly the same as a camera with an APS-C sensor. All the FF sensor does is add back the bits that the APS-C sensor throws away.

This has to be the case because the lens and distance to the sensor are the same. Resolution might be different, but with the high pixel counts in the latest FF cameras, this is much less of an issue than previously.

The cause of this perception problem is perhaps the use of "APS-C" as a term for cameras with cropped format sensors. They are not APS-C at all. APS was a format developed with smaller lenses that sat closer to the film plane so the whole physical set up was geared to the smaller format. Current so called APS-C DSLRs are nothing of the sort. They are merely 35mm SLRs with cropped sensors. If you don't believe me, take a look at a FF camera and measure the distance from the mount to the sensor plane. Now do the same with a cropped format camera. It's the same isn't it?

Thnk about it.

I have read that pixel density effects defraction... ie the 50d with high pixel density sees defreaction around F7.something whereas it's F10.something on 20d/30d/5dII which all share the same density. Having said that I have just read a thread on another forum where they show the effects of deffraction are pretty minimal. I have to say I shoot F22 to get long exposures for waterfalls etc. with no issues so perhaps the 50D would be the ultimate for macro as the loss in DOF in filling a FF sensor with a subject is probably greater than the defraction effect of the 50D's sensor.

Still nice to have to down an image for an A3 print in the case of the 5DII though.

Oh, and cropping down a full frame image will only give the same as an APS-C sized image if pixel densities are the same. In the case of the 5DII and 50D they are not so the APS-C image will have more detail that the cropped down 5DII image.

I think I'll still wait a bit and they try what's out in the shops when I want to buy

I have read that pixel density effects defraction...

Of course it does. This is exactly what I was saying. The diffraction is always there but it depends on the resolving power of the sensor as to whether it is visible or not.

Oh, and cropping down a full frame image will only give the same as an APS-C sized image if pixel densities are the same.

Correct. A 5D Mk2 has a pixel density equivalent to an 8.5MP crop format DSLR, and a Sony A900 equivalent to a 11.5MP.

For photographing butterflies there's probably little to be gained by going full frame. If you shoot landscapes or studio work then there is potential advantage in upsizing.

I have a 1/6 crop of a shot I took with my A700 printed A4 size and hanging on my wall. It is sharp. Had I filled the frame it would easily have been good enough for A2.

Having had a quick go on a 5d Mk 2 today, I would say wow what a camera, but, I would be surprised if there is a butterfly left within a hundred yards, after you press that shutter button. It's not quiet, but still a gorgeous bit of kit.

Also spent some time teaching someone how to use their 10D. I loved my old 10D, but it does seem a bit of a dinosaur now.

Gruditch