The 5D Mark II's AF system, including its CMOS AF sensor, carries over mostly unaltered from the 5D...
Somewhat surprisingly, Canon has not adopted the 40D/50D's AF system which, on paper, is superior, given that all nine of its AF points are cross-type. Canon USA's Westfall says the reason for that is the "6 Assist AF points plus center point were deemed to provide a higher level of performance for AI Servo AF than the center point-only arrangement of the [40D and] 50D."
p.5 #2 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
blonde wrote:
the least you can do is get your specs right. it is not 4.9fps, it is 3.9 which does make a difference to some people. it is also not weather sealed and so far it looks like there have been no serious AF improvement.
Oh I can do far less than that!
It has weather sealing ala 50D, and the AF is improved. Those are correct specs... sorry bout the 4.9 v 3.9. I can't see the real difference in this class of camera. To each his own though.
p.5 #5 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
Justin D wrote:
Canon knows that people who need the 'pro' features (faster AF, more points, true weather sealing etc.) will pay the extra grand for it... This camera is aimed squarely at exactly those people who value image quality but don't shoot sports or fast action in torrential rain. They have made other cameras with those feature sets, and will obviously continue to make them, given that they haven't tried to bridge the gap here. People who want those features can pay for them - people who don't, have an exceptionally high resolution camera, with proven IQ pedigree without too many bells and whistles.
And before people complain that the 1D3 doesn't work as it's supposed to, level your criticism at the 1D3, not at a body that has never been intended to shoot sports or wildlife... It's how Canon have delineated their line - there are cameras for everybody bar the sports/wildlife shooter who wants a small format body.
Exactly what I want, as a casual street shooter and sometime travel shooter - both in an amateur capacity....Show more →
Well I guess since Nikon changed the rules we have been spoiled and assumed Canon had no choice but to change their rules. I bought a 1D II exactly for it's speed and AF prowess among other things and at the time 8Mp was great and the AF of the non 1 series was a sick joke. 4 years later they have nothing to offer me and even if the 1D III hadn't been afflicted by AF woes it doesn't offer enough for me. I'll be using a 1D II well into 2009 as my action/sports camera by the looks of it and that's a sad indictment of Canon.
I'm wasn't expecting 1 series speed or AF in the 5D II, but certainly better than announced. I always intended to have a 1 series as well.
p.5 #6 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
The 5D Mark II's shutter, mirror and most everything else you find inside the mirror box (other than the image sensor) carry over from the 5D, with only minor changes. By reconfiguring its release magnets, the shutter's duty cycle rating jumps from 100,000 in the 5D to 150,000 in the 5D Mark II. Shutter lag remains almost identical, at a Canon-specified 73ms (this number is not generated using CIPA testing guidelines), while mirror blackout is a somewhat long 145ms, the same as the 5D.
p.5 #8 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
One thing is very intriguing-
they show the new battery grip (meet the new boss, same as the old boss...) but then they also show a DIFFERENT grip mounted, that says "wireless file transmitter."
I assume that means the transmitter is built into this second grip. I guess that's a good thing if you intend to buy the transmitter right away. It kind of sucks if you want to buy a grip now, and maybe buy a transmitter later.
Well, it's a small point, and I guess that's what Ebay / FM sales is for.
I wonder how far that transmitter can go, and if it needs a clear line-of-sight?
---
Another thought: How cool would it be if that transmitter could also be used as a flash trigger?
If it did that, Canon just might get my money.
The 5D Mark II's AF system, including its CMOS AF sensor, carries over mostly unaltered from the 5D...
Somewhat surprisingly, Canon has not adopted the 40D/50D's AF system which, on paper, is superior, given that all nine of its AF points are cross-type. Canon USA's Westfall says the reason for that is the "6 Assist AF points plus center point were deemed to provide a higher level of performance for AI Servo AF than the center point-only arrangement of the [40D and] 50D."
WTF Canon? No change in 3 years?
I'm confused there are people swearing it's the 40D/50D upgrade but RG, dpreview, imagingresurce all say carries over unchanged from 5D and only adds lens microadjust. If true that is pretty lame
p.5 #11 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
I'll be using a 1D II well into 2009 as my action/sports camera by the looks of it and that's a sad indictment of Canon.
It sounds like you're exactly the sports/wildlife shooter that misses out on a small format body. Obviously the 1d3 wasn't good enough (despite the excitement that its specs generated, remember, not all that long ago), but that has nothing to do with this camera which, as Esquire put it so well above, will not and can not be for everybody (it is, indeed, a lowest common denominator + camera, which seems to irk some people).
I think people have becopme ridiulously impatient in their expectations of companies, though the companies with their upgrade cycle marketing have made the market behave the way it does. The 1D3 SEEMED like an awesome camera when it was released. The D3 was an awesome camera when it was released 12 months later. I'm sure the 1D4 will be an awesome camera for those who need those kinds of features when it was released... And I'm sure Canon will release it within time - after all, they weren't the company that lagged behind for 3-5 years while maintaining that certain ahem pro features were unnecessary. They have a record of leading the market, and though they have, after years of being streets ahead, been caught up in the last 12 months, that is no reason to expect that they won't lead the pack again in 6 months. The way it is going, no manufacturer can have the best body for everybody in every category at any one time.
As far as I can tell, for me (and I'm probably a pretty close analog for the consumer Canon has in mind for the 5D MII) this looks like an absolutely fantastic camera, and as soon as prices have settled and I've submitted my PhD, I'll be getting one.
p.5 #12 · Canon 5D Mark II Announced! 24L II And More Too!
Pixel Perfect wrote:
I'm wasn't expecting 1 series speed or AF in the 5D II, but certainly better than announced.
Ditto.
And just when I thought, OK, I'll sell my 1d2n critter cam and buy a 50D for its 15 MPs, high ISO capabilities and improved AF, Chuck Westfall himself admits that the:
" ...6 Assist AF points plus center point [5D AF layout] were deemed to provide a higher level of performance for AI Servo AF than the center point-only arrangement of the [40D and] 50D."
Ugh, so it looks like a 50D won't be on my list either. Too bad. Odd tho, the sluggish 5D and 5D2 have been blessed with decent AI Servo AF while the 40D and 50D have been given AI Servo AF that even Canon admits could be better...(unless there's a 1.6 crop sensor reason for the different AI servo AF layouts)
Sigh, still waiting for a 3d, even after all these years...
I'm sure the 5D2 will be a lot of photogs' godsend (and it is an attractive price) but it's not the all around cam for which I've been waiting and hoping.
