Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
At the request of some commenters on the recent Canon 5D Mark II vs. Nikon D700 In-Depth ISO Comparison, I have included the full resolution crops and downloadable original full resolution files from the Canon 5D Mark II in addition to the down-res versions matched with the Nikon D700’s resolution. You can see the complete revised comparison here.
In my prior quick and dirty comparison of the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D700, we looked at some sample images taken from these two cameras and relied largely on each camera’s autofocus and built-in metering with very little manual tinkering by me. The prior comparison also featured 100% crops from each camera at its native resolution.
Based on reader feedback, I’ve gone back to the drawing board for a second, more in-depth comparison of each camera’s image quality and ISO range. [Read more…]
Imaging Resource has published a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
Unless you need high speed capture, and a 30fps HD movie is out of the question, the Canon 5D Mark II appears to offer the best of both of its competitors, with high resolution capture and what we expect to be very good high ISO performance.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Roland Lim has published a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
The image quality is simply amazing with very high resolution and very good high ISO performance. As far as image quality is concerned, I think most users would be more than pleased with the 5D Mark II. However, in areas such autofocus, Canon still lacks behind the competition.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Photo Review has posted a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
Image noise was barely visible in test shots taken at ISO settings up to 3200, regardless of whether they were short or long exposures. Beyond that point, the visibility of noise increased steadily, although colour accuracy and sharpness were retained right up to ISO 25,600.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Canon USA has released an official statement regarding the 5D Mark II and its, now infamous, black dots phenomenon, along with a banding issue for sRAW1 settings.
We have learned that some users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera have identified two types of image quality phenomena that appear under certain shooting conditions.
- “Black dot” phenomenon (the right side of point light sources becomes black)
- Vertical banding noise
We are currently investigating and analysing the causes, and examining measures to reduce or eliminate these phenomena by providing correction firmware. An announcement will be made on the Canon Web site when such measures have been determined.
Details of the phenomena and shooting conditions under which they are likely to occur are as follows.
- “Black dot” phenomenon (the right side of point light sources becomes black)
When shooting night scenes, the right side of point light sources (such as lights from building windows) may become black. The phenomenon may become visible if the images are enlarged to 100% or above on a monitor or, if large prints of the images are made.- Vertical banding noise
If the recording format is set to sRAW1, vertical banding noise may become visible depending on the camera settings, subject, and background.
- Vertical banding noise is not noticeable if the recording format is set to sRAW2.
- Vertical banding noise does not occur if the recording format is set to RAW or JPEG.
Noise can be reduced if C.Fn II-3: Highlight tone priority is set to 0: Disable.
Additional information can be found on Canon USA’s website.
I put together a few quick frames from ISO 1600 to ISO 25600 for the Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mark II tonight. Nothing scientific, just a few shots snapped off at my desk.
Settings: tripod, aperture priority @ f/8, evaluative metering, auto white balance, ISO 1600-25600 in full stops – lenses used were 50mm f/1.8 on the Nikon & 50mm f/1.4 on the Canon – RAW capture – exported to JPEG via Lightroom with no edits other than the 100% crops
As you’ll see, the 5D Mark II tended to underexpose a bit, which I left alone for the purposes of this quick test. I’ll go more in-depth in a later post on these two cameras.
Click on any image to enlarge to full size (Note that I mildly resized the 100% crops to fit into the post, so you’ll need to click to get the 100% crop, which are between 650-800px wide for both cameras) Also, bear in mind that the 5D Mark II full image files go up to 32MB+ in file size, so dial-up readers need not apply. [Read more…]
Camera Labs has reviewed the Canon 5D Mark II.
Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II is a powerful and feature-packed DSLR that represents a significant upgrade over the original 5D, and a tough rival in the growing ‘affordable’ full-frame market.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Zacuto has been in the photography new headlines several times since the announcement of their accessories for the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D90, which are specifically geared and the video capabilities of these cameras. (See this post for more.)
Now, Zacuto has put together a shootout of a number of video cameras, including the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90. Check out the video and the press release below.
Zacuto’s Great Camera Shootout ’08 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.
Chicago, IL – DECEMBER 12, 2008 – When DP Joe Stunzi came to Chicago to test all of the new HD cameras on the market against each other, he initially had hopes of making a short video using the new Canon 5D Mark II. However, Zacuto’s Steve Weiss, Jens Bogehegn & Scott Lynch decided that another 5D MKII fluff piece is not what was needed. “We needed to see the 5DMKII in relation to other cameras”, says Steve Weiss. So the “Great Camera Shootout of ’08” was born. In this video you will hear Joe, Steve, Jens & Scott discuss what they liked and disliked about each of the HD cameras and DOF adapters. “This test is really for independent filmmakers and web cinematographers who are creating content with the look and feel of a 35mm motion picture.” In this video you will see a same shot comparison of: 35mm motion picture, RED, EX3, HVX200, HPX170, HPX3000, Sony EX3, Nikon D90, Canon 5D Mark II, Letus35 Ultimate and Elite DOF adapters, RedRock Micro and more. Follow a discussion by four filmmakers ranging in age from 18-46. They discuss what’s best. You won’t believe the conclusions. Read Specifications of Shoot at zacuto.zenfolio.com/p82280286/h1429ae6c#h1429ae6c and watch the video at www.zacutovideo.com.
I finally got my hands on the Canon 5D Mark II. My first image with the camera was manually focused – in the dark. And when I say dark, I mean the “I can’t see the buttons” kind of dark. And, yes, it’s a little soft on the focus, primarily because I could barely see the subject and maybe a little camera shake mixed in as well.
This image isn’t intended to show off image quality or anything other than the capability of this camera to transform a very dark scene into something with some potential perhaps – a proof of concept, if you will.
Canon 5D Mark II and 50mm f/1.4 USM @ f/1.4, 1/15s, ISO 25,600 – JPEG – Straight Out of Camera
The lone light source was a small night light on the other side of the room.
Is there some noise? Sure, plenty of it. Could I ever use something like these lighting conditions? Sure, for the right situation and use. Will I use this every day? No way, but it’s nice to know it’s there if the going gets tough – especially considering the advantage I would have if I shot RAW and implemented some noise reduction software, like Noise Ninja, into my workflow.
The Canon 5D Mark II has better low light sensitivity than my own eyes. I couldn’t see anywhere near the amount of the detail produced by this image.
To give you an idea of how sensitive the 5D Mark II is at ISO 25,600, here’s a short video taken with the Flip MinoHD just a couple minutes later showing off the light source and the subject under the same conditions. This was much closer to my own eyes’ capabilities.
As a final caveat, Large JPEGs crest the 20MB file size limit on Flickr.
Expect lots more coverage of the Canon 5D Mark II here at Photography Bay. In the mean time, check out the Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources for the latest and greatest on this killer camera.