Canon EOS 5D Mark II In-depth Review
What's new / changed (key points) contd.
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RAW available in Auto mode
As per the EOS 50D Canon has now enabled RAW shooting in Auto (green square) mode.
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Expanded bracketing options
Exposure bracketing now provides a range up to +/-4 EV (when combined with exposure compensation). |
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Improved battery status information / memory
With the new battery comes better information including remaining capacity as a percentage, shutter count (how many exposures have been taken on this battery) and its recharge performance (aging). Additionally you can ask the camera to memorize battery status by serial number, allowing you to quickly review the status of batteries you may be carrying with you. |
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Quick Control screen
Just like the EOS 50D you can now control everything on the screen using the joystick controller (taking a leaf out of Olympus and Sony's book).
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Creative Auto Mode
A new variant on program mode takes care of focus and exposure and uses simple sliders to control background sharpness (depth of field) and AE compensation. |
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Extra small sRAW / separate selection
You now have three JPEG and three RAW image size options combined with two JPEG compression levels. When selecting quality you now simply turn the front dial to select RAW quality and the main dial (rear) to select JPEG quality. |
Refreshed user interface
Courtesy of DIGIC 4 (and identical to the EOS 50D), the Mark II's interface has not only been given a stylish redesign; it's now got some very cool 'fades' between menu items. |
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Image processing features
Thanks to its DIGIC 4 processor the Mark II gets highlight tone priority, auto lighting optimizer (4 levels), high ISO noise reduction (4 levels) and lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction). |
New jump mode options
In addition to the 10/100/date/folder options we had on the EOS 5D we now get screen, date, movies, stills and '1 image' (?).
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Two mode Live View silent shooting
Carried over from 40D and 50D comes silent shooting. This works by using an electronic shutter to start the exposure (electronic first curtain) and a the mechanical shutter to end the exposure. Mode 1 always re-cocks the shutter, Mode 2 doesn't re-cock until you release the shutter button. |
Copyright metadata
Using the supplied EOS Utility software you can define your own custom photographer name and copyright message which is automatically embedded in metadata for JPEG and RAW files.
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WFT-E4 and BG-E6 grips
The WFT-E4 is effectively a 're-bodied' WFT-E3, it provides a vertical grip and controls as well as wireless image transfer to FTP or HTTP servers as well as remote wireless control using the EOS Utility software. It also provides connectivity for GPS and external USB Hard Disk (mass storage device). The BG-E6 also provides a vertical grip but additionally extra battery capacity (one more battery slot in effect).
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Additional technical images
As usual Canon have supplied us with a range of technical images related to the camera, some of these are unchanged from the EOS 5D but may well still be of interest to potential buyers so we have included them below.
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Feb 13, 2009
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Dec 1, 2010
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Oct 10, 2008
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Sep 17, 2008
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DPR regular Steve Badger says that there's 'no excuse to be bored' when there's a camera at hand. His love of photography began when he borrowed a friend's superzoom, and eventually invested in a DSLR system. His home on the east coast of Australia provides plenty of spectacular scenery, but he's eager to travel and grow as a photographer. See gallery
Canon has updated its Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP) software to version 4.1.50. The update brings support for a couple of new lenses and several camera models, improvements to multiple functions, and compatibility with 64-bit native environments, among other things. The newest version, says Canon, incorporates feedback from both APS-C and older full-frame owners eager for 'the very latest Raw workflow solution'. Read more
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