Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 – Superb Images!

 

The Full Frame Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 is rightly acclaimed for its superb image quality as a still and video camera. With a succession of Firmware releases, it now has become “one of the best cameras in the world.”

The Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 offers extreme flexibility to accommodate the most diverse conditions and gives the photographer or cinematographer complete control. And, for a Full Frame DSLR, it is at the same time surprisingly light and portable. (Full specifications are here.)

These characteristics make it the camera of choice for a variety of genres: nature, landscape, wedding, studio and travel photography. Although its max. continuous shooting speed of 3.9 shots/sec. is obviously surpassed by dedicated sports cameras that rely heavily on rapid fire shooting, it still handles fast paced action without a murmur and has been used to great acclaim by sports photographers and videographers. (Check out the Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 videos here.)

TIP:
Use UDMA compliant CF cards to ensure best results. Use JPEGs for best speed as the sizes of RAW and fine JPEG images place a heavy burden on the speed of the processor. If you need both, speed and RAW images, use RAW only (not RAW+JPEG) or use sRAW1.

Image quality

Image quality of the Canon EOS 5D Mk II received top scores in lab tests, from photography magazines and users worldwide. The Full Frame self-cleaning CMOS sensor with its 21 megapixels, the DIGIC 4 processor and the full impact of the Canon range of EF lenses make it an outstanding camera.

TIP:
If you already own a set of lenses that are not Canon, you can continue to use them with the appropriate adapter rings.

Flexibility And Control

The Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 offers flexibility over a wide range of uses, which at the same time gives the photographer full creative control.

With Firmware updates from version 1.1 onwards, the range of controls has been widened and extended to include full manual control of video settings. You can now exploit the capabilities of the Full Frame sensor from low light to depth of field control at bright light with long focal lenses.

Control ranges from the camera taking over (AF /AE / Auto ISO) to semi-automatic (where the camera retains exposure control) to fully manual.

The Quick Control menu gives you instant onscreen access to the most commonly required settings. The Custom User Settings menu lets you store up to 3 entirely different camera setups to be recalled at the push of a button. This could be invaluable for situations that require, for instance, frequent sudden transitions from indoors to outdoors. Creative Auto mode allows you to take charge of creative settings (such as brightness and blur) while leaving the camera to control standard key functions.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 As Video Camera

The Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 has evolved into a superb video camera that takes full advantages of the Full Frame sensor, the capabilities of the Canon EF lenses and external stereo sound input.

Its versatility and flexibility as a video camera equals that of its still camera capabilities. You can record in Full HD (1080p), Standard HD (720p) and VGA. You can select settings for broadcast or movie, NTSC or PAL. Recording your video in Full HD (1080p) allows you to blow up the image to movie screen size while it still remains ultra-sharp.

Video shooting is in Live View mode, which allows you full depth of field preview. You can also shift from video to stills and back again quickly and seamlessly. The wide ISO range with improved noise reduction means you can shoot in near darkness without the usual grain.

The vast array of interchangeable Canon lenses in combination with the camera’s Full Frame sensor opens up creative possibilities at the fraction of the cost of dedicated professional or prosumer video cameras.

According to Wired.com: “Most video cameras give a distinctly non-film look due to the poor depth of field produced by their small sensors and fixed lenses. Thanks to the full-frame sensor and Canon’s high-quality lenses, the video from the 5D2 looks a lot more like movies shot on film.”

TIP:
Although Canon allows for manual on-camera control of sound settings, it is advisable to use an external microphone as the internal mic can pick up all sorts of camera noises. The 3.5mm mic jack is used for high quality stereo recording.

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Is The Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 Suitable For Beginners?

The answer is Yes. The Canon EOS 5D Mark 2 is definitely suitable for beginners provided you are serious about taking great photos.

The EOS 5D Mk2 is not a simple point-and-shoot camera, and obviously it is not compact. But if you are willing to tackle the learning curve and use the features it offers, the pleasure of being able to shoot great images and videos will be all yours.

The best equipment combination for beginners is the EOS 5D Mark 2 Kit. If you want a guide to digital photography with the 5D Mk2, use, for instance, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide or the Canon EOS 5D Mark II: The Expanded Guide. If you prefer a DVD, there is the Introduction to the Canon 5D Mark II ; vol. 1: Basic Controls Training DVD by Blue Crane Digital.

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