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goodbyenine
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Registered: Feb 3, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,200.00
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Improvements over 5D1: Speed and ISO.
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Cons:
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Not convinced that it's focussing as well as the 5D mark 1. And AWB seems much redder under incandescent lighting that the mark 1.
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I have just upgraded to the 5D2 from the original 5D (which I'll call the mark 1 here on in).
It's weird. It does everything on the tin but somehow I'm just not "wowed" by the shots. I seem to be missing focus more often than with the mark 1 and AWB seems way off when shooting interior (and I don't mean flourescent).
I always shoot RAW by the way, with neutral settings. I view the results in Apple's Aperture.
The first body I got I sent back to Jessops and got replaced. I was convinced it was under exposing by almost a full stop, more even at times. But it seemed to depend on the lighting conditions: more prone to error under lower light esp. indoors. Also, I had developed with the mark 1, a style of shooting whereby I'll run off a burst at my subject and expect a 50% hit rate viz focus. And usually got more than that. But with the mark 2 my keepers are much thinner on the ground. But add to this that some shots WITHIN THAT BURST are simply under exposed - even in comparison to the other shots in that burst. Odd. It's like the Digic IV just skipped a beat or something.
I use AF and matrix usually, but leaning more and more towards spot metering in camera, with my thumb married to the Exposure lock button.
Maybe I am doing something wrong? Do I need to calibrate my lenses? I have tested the Mark 2 with a 70-200 ISM 2.8 L and a 24-105L. Both a bit off all the time somehow.
Anyway - the second copy seems identical to the first in all respects. Meaning, still prone to underexposing. Still checking on focus side of this body.
I have rumaged in forums and sensed that Canon my have changed it's exposure reference point, to be more in line with industry standard. Can anyone here verify this? As far as I understand, this would imply a "lower" exposure to be "correct".
Or is it that the 14 bit detail increase means that one should be exposing in a slightly diferent way to take advantage? To grab those bits at the bottom in effect.
I am (clearly) only a keen amateur (heck, I am who this camera is aimed at lets face it) and I would welcome constructive criticism (or total destruction of it's argued well). Please tell me where I'm going wrong.
Thinking of replacing this with a 1ds3, but wondering if this is sheer madness just to get snappier (much) focus.
So - anyone else puzzled by the exposure and foxus side of things?
Thanks.
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 Feb 3, 2009
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daryl.cheshire
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Registered: Feb 2, 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 2, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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full frame, enhancements to exposure like HTP and ALO, love the auto ISO. Auto sensor clean
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Cons:
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not much, bit of give in the card door.
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Love the camera, I upgraded from the 5D. Not worth selling the old one, so may keep it with the 50mm 1.4 lens to take to work.
bit of free play with the card cover.
Like the top display light and VF display to be adjustable
Daryl.
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Feb 2, 2009
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emilior
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Registered: Jan 28, 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jan 31, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $3,099.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Imagine quality, 21.1 MP full-frame sensor, 98% viewfinder coverage, quick control screen, full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution, outstanding ISO performance, 3" high resolution screen, 3 camera User settings, low price I can go on and on.
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Cons:
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loose card slot cover (for me anyway), a few more autofocus points for better coverage would be nice.
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I purchased this camera for what it could do for me and not for what it can not and it has more than delivered. After 600 actuations and testing all is well except for one or two issues, I will also like to mention that some features performed much better for me than what others have complained about in their reviews.
One issue I had is the amount of play in the card slot cover; a little extra weather sealing resolved quickly but admittedly should not have been necessary to do.
I find the camera very user friendly I really like the 3 custom settings and controls are well placed. The quick control dial is large enough to use while still keeping your eye on the view finder and combine this with a good location for the ISO/Flash exposure compensation button and I am happy guy, when on a tripod I like the quick control screen feature.
The auto focus system works well even in low light (low enough for me to want to shoot in), I tested all modes with good results. The only thing I would like is a few more autofocus points for better coverage, more cross AF points would also be nice and make a big improvement.
When I purchased the camera I joked about never using the video feature, now the joke is on me, I use it and I enjoy having it available, I am going to spend more time with it.
I added the extended warranty on this purchase; this protects my investment and extends the exchange policy. This option also gives me more time to review the performance of the camera for myself, something for everyone to consider. So far it's producing high quality high resolution pictures and definitely a keeper and I will keep it and continue to enjoy it.
cheers,
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Jan 31, 2009
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peppertixa
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Registered: Jan 29, 2009
Location: Portugal
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 29, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality. I don΄t want it heavier nether more expensive so I don't ask for more weathersealing and other things I don΄t need and I don't want to pay! I got what I have payed for and I am happy!
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Cons:
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None for the moment!
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I have it for three weeks now. Big improvement after my 5d!
I am in love with this camera! Wonderful photos!
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Jan 29, 2009
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Daan B
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Registered: Aug 15, 2007
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 8004
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Review Date: Jan 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,500.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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see below
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Cons:
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see below
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Don't like (limited to photography - I don't need/use HDVideo):
- limited/crippled AF
- long VF black-out
- long shutter lag
- slow FPS
- unreadable VF info in bright light
- bleeding AF points
- small grip without enough room for my pinky - uncomfortable to hold without grip for longer periods of time
- I have to upgrade to LR 2.2 (which is much slower in performance than LR 2.1 on my iMac (?) - not Canon's fault, but still annoying)
- not 100% VF
- no pop-up flash
- no AF assist light
- questionable weathersealing
What I do like:
- resolution
- IQ in general but especially at high(er) ISO's
- LCD / LiveView
- Micro Adjustment
- Battery life / info system
- ISO button next to shutter release
Conclusion:
For shooting still or posing subjects/objects and when you can take your time, the 5D2 is sufficient and will give you great IQ. So, for landscape/product/macro/studio photography and when you need the 21MP resolution, this cam is a great value.
For shooting subjects/objects that move (fast) and/or when you must respond quickly to your surroundings (reportage, news, events, sports) the 5D2 isn't very capable, mostly because of its limited/crippled AF and slow responsiveness (VF black-out, shutter lag and FPS).
The funny thing is, for the areas of photography where the 5D2 excels, clean high ISO performance isn't of much use. And for the areas of photography where clean high ISO performance is a must, the cam is severly limited by its AF and responsiveness...
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Jan 28, 2009
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JohnBrose
Offline
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Registered: Aug 6, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2359
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Review Date: Jan 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Quality high iso pictures, great resolution and details, quality feel and construction, video capability, lcd resolution, focus micro-adjust, Live-view focus magnification and resposiveness.
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Cons:
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no audio tag capabilty on files.
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Very good all-around camera for the price. I was hoping for a few more 1-series features, but for the price I can understand why Canon left them off. I am just amazed at the amount of details that can be found in a well-focused image. I really like the ability to magnify the image on live-view for manual focusing. High iso image quality if very nice, I have no problem shooting 4000 and even 6400 for sports. Perfect wedding camera and also great for portraits and landscapes and even the odd sports coverage.
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Jan 28, 2009
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Cemalina
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Registered: May 15, 2008
Location: Ireland
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 26, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Ease of use
Post image processing(almost none!)
Simplicity
Weight
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Cons:
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Error 20 messages
Lack of pop up flash
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When I first got this camera after 2 months wait I was a bit dubious with all the reviews. But after a few days of work it is simply amazing. Coming from the 40d to this is a huge step. If you hate post processing then this is a camera you will love. I use aperture & the program now has nothing or very little to do! The camera reads light incredibly well. I shot a few swans on water in 2 locations & the results are so good that I will now put them in for the club exhibition in April. Also did a shadow shoot in a local forest with a relative & he now wants to buy the shot. Again almost zero post processing. Weight is great for hiking if you mix the 24-105mm with the 100-400mm lens with a decent monopod you have a great combination for a multi day trip.
For the amateur photographer this camera mixed with the anti dust tech & great sensor & lightmeter it is a great buy.
The one big negative is that when I first got the camera I got a lot of error 20 messages but these are now dying off. I have my brothers wedding to shoot next month & now I am looking forward to it.
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Jan 26, 2009
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tito trelles
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Registered: Aug 29, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Jan 26, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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The camera is fantastic.
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Cons:
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none.
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The camera is incredible, here are my opinions:
I don't mind the video (it's superb) if I wanted a good video camera I would've buy a good video camera, so, for me a good video as part of the package is a plus.
The weather seal is enough, this is not an underwater camera, the Hasselblad is not weather sealed either, and in NY an umbrella cost $5.
I don't mind either a small difference in color or contrast, I shoot RAW, Neutral and Custom Color Balance, I can do almost anything in Photoshop, but my view of images is not to reproduce the colors exactly as they are, I'll leave that to the Labs, I twist the colors until I get the image to tell what I want, but I can, if needed, because the camera allows it, to print any image with the almost exact colors.
For me the price is right, the equivalent in other brands cost twice this much. I shot with a Rebel XTi for years, until I made enough money to buy a more complex camera, like this one.
I think a better camera makes your life easier, not your work better, and there is a limit you can ask an equipment, the rest is up to the photographer.
As an unknown friend I will recommend to the 5D Mark II owners. Stop counting pixels, do not try to shoot Oscar movies, just grab your camera, put any lens, go to the street and make the most of an engineering marvel.
Here is a sample, how I see this image, no sharpening (I never do)
with a Sigma 12-24, in Coney Island... one cold afternoon.
Thanks. Tito Trelles
http://thecaretakersofparadise.com/THE-FEAST.jpg
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Jan 26, 2009
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maverick666
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Registered: Aug 16, 2008
Location: N/A
Posts: 725
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Review Date: Jan 24, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,699.95
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Low light capability, resolution, AF, VF, LCD, HD video, weather sealing, too many things...
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Cons:
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Creaky CF slot, I wish the ON/OFF is not on the bottom.
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I really enjoy this camera. The AF is nice, very quick, per my intensive research before buying this camera, the AF has improved a lot better than the Mark I. The VF is awesome, large and very clear. I've tested the low light capabilites and it's amazing. Ergonomic is normal Canon's standard..outstanding except I don't really like the ON/OFF power button (just nit picky stuff).
I have just played a little bit with the video and it looks very nice, not sure when I have a chance to really use it seriously but for family videos I'm sure I'll use shortly.
I have to complain about the CF card door, the first 3 hours it's ok after that it creaks, it's not loud but sometimes it's annoying.
I have a little bit of hot pixels but none of them affecting my shots.
The resolution is outstanding, great for wildlife, landscape, portrait and requires details.
I highly recommended this camera for people that are serious into photography.
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Jan 24, 2009
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nazdravanul
Offline
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Registered: Jul 1, 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 373
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Review Date: Jan 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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IQ ; IQ ; did I mention IQ ? Superb 21 mp detail, superb 3200 ISO, FF.
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Cons:
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None for the money.
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Coming from a 1d3 I expected 2 major areas of disappointment : AF and ergonomics. AF is definitely slower than 1 series, with all the weaknesses that everyone is obsessing about, but it's perfectly useable. You'll probably miss more shots because you're a bad photographer than because of inappropriate AF. Remember, this in neither a sport nor a BIF body, it never was, nobody promoted it as such, nobody designed it as such. There are other tools for those applications.
Ergonomics - 2 nice surprises : my 85 1.2 mk2 and 200 2.8 mk2 balance in my big hands a lot better with this body than with my 1d3, which results in definitely lower shutter speeds for hand holding the 2 lenses. Nice, little, unexpected bonus  .
I'm in love with IQ. It's amazing, in this day and age, to be able to get this photographic tool, for this amount of money.
I'm going to keep also my 1d3, just in case you were wondering . The two make a very sweet and powerful combination.
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Jan 20, 2009
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stargazer78
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Registered: Jan 18, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 395
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Review Date: Jan 19, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Resolution; High ISO performance; Video; Ergonomics & Interface feel very refined;
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Cons:
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AF system; Creaky CF Car Door; Mediocre dynamic range;
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Negatives:
-- Autofocus system did not improve from the 2005 model
-- CF Card Door creaks loudly whenever I grip he camera
-- Lacks any kind of lamp, either pop-up flash or AF Assist
-- Dynamic range is poor when compared to the FF competition
-- Canon withheld manual controls from Video Mode to cripple it
Positives:
-- Excellent image quality up to ISO 3200. ISO 6400 is decent
-- Per-pixel sharpness is impressive, even with 21 million of them
-- Best implementation of Live View in a digital SLR
-- Build quality is great (except for CF/Battery doors)
-- New battery system now indicates charge as in percentage
-- Menu system is arguably the most intuitive of any camera
-- Excellent ergonomics and interface, without button clutter
-- Canon's software package is far better than competition's
-- First digital SLR to feature full HD 1080p video recording
-- Option for small RAW for those who prefer it
-- Silent Mode allows shots to be taken discretely
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Jan 19, 2009
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Christobel
Offline
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Registered: Sep 26, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 9
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Review Date: Jan 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,699.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb IQ, dust removal system, large LCD, highlight tone priority, auto ISO.
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Cons:
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Sraw1 is disappointing and very sluggish in DPP.
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Is the 5d Mark II worth the upgrade? Absolutely, especially with its improved technology in terms of dust removal, large LCD, auto ISO, and highlight tone priority. There is not a huge difference in IQ between the 5d and 5dII, but its there nonetheless in improved dynamic range, color depth, and detail. You can shoot comfortably at ISO 3200, and the images clean up beautifully in DPP. Im so impressed with DPP that I no longer use ACR.
For those who may be hesitant in purchasing this camera because of the huge files, sraw1 is very disappointing because the conversion in DPP is very sluggish and the IQ suffers a bit; however, Ive found that shooting in raw at 21mp, converting in DPP, and reducing the size of the image via DPPs batch processing produces beautiful, clean images with no loss of IQ whatsoever. You will get a much cleaner image using this process rather than reducing the size of the image later in Photoshop, at least thats been my experience.
Highly recommended!
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Jan 18, 2009
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abam
Offline
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Registered: Apr 25, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 4201
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Review Date: Jan 17, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,700.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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IQ of the 1DsIII for $2700. modern features. micro af adjustments. high-iso capabilities. micro af adjustments.
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Cons:
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af not improved over the 5D. sad little cluster of af points at the center of the screen. not weather sealed like the cheaper nikons.
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fantastic camera for the price.
canon had to cripple it a bit so as not to take sales away from their 1-series'. fps, build, af-points, af-module, weather sealing, squashy-feeling buttons.
that said, it's astounding that we have such resolution at such a low price.
micro af adjust is a great feature, as is the new menu system.
very much recommended, but not perfect. (9 rating)
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Jan 17, 2009
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dave chilvers
Offline
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Registered: Jan 11, 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1702
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Review Date: Jan 16, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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The 5D comes of age
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Cons:
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Weather to poor to use it as much as I would like to.
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I`m fussy, I`m not going into loads of words here but this is honestly the first DSLR that I have really clicked with. It could easily be my only camera.
Canon Cameras owned
D30
D60
20D
400D
450D
1dsmk1
1dsmk2
1dsmk3
enough said really!
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Jan 16, 2009
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beepclick
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 31, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 170
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Review Date: Jan 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $3,499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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High ISO, Image Detail, Dynamic Range, 10x Focus option, 21.1mp, Still Image from Video, Low Light Still/Video Performance, Responsiveness, top LCD light button * moved next to shutter, My Menu
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Cons:
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If this camera was $5000, I might say something. At $2700 it has no shortcomings.
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I waited 6 weeks before posting my review here. This camera lives up to the "Vincent Laforet Hype" and more. I rarely use the video, but when I have used it, the performance is stunning considering this is a dslr.
I should note that I do hang out at a couple dslr forums (including, obviously, FMForums, but more often I hang out at a Canon forum that most of us are familiar with). The bashing of and whining about this camera that I have witnessed is truly inexplicable. While it is simply the law of averages that there will be a certain number of people with a negative personality in any group, it is still disappointing to see, as there are still undecided potential buyers reading this stuff.
I also shoot an EOS 1N PB-E1, XTi (just sold) and 40D. I tell you, 21mp full-frame images with 'L' lenses is something else! The detail is stunning - the more you zoom in, the detail just keeps getting sharper and sharper. I am going to order some large prints just for the fun of it.
This camera just seems to know what to do with high-contrast scenes. In low light, Auto ISO selects 3200 and the scene looks like it was lit with studio lights - almost.
With the BG-E6 grip it's like handling a chunk of granite - and the grip provides improved handling with my 135L, 70-200L, etc. When I put my 85mm 1.8 on, it's pretty puny attached to such a chunk of magnesium alloy.
They could have had any camera they wanted for Barack Obama's portrait - they chose this one. Good call.
Full-frame, 21mp, HTP, ALO, really clean ISO3200, easy and quick menu changes if you're accustomed to Canon layout, sharp and vivid LCD, 150K shutter, 1080p video in H.264, locks focus right NOW, firmware updates, fits like a glove and stellar service from my local dealer.
I'm good, thank you.
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Jan 15, 2009
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jonbrach
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: Dec 22, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 919
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Review Date: Jan 15, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,650.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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beautiful image quality,great high ISO performance,great LCD,better battery life..video is interesting feature
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Cons:
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AF is excellent but could have been made better
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outstanding camera....huge improvement over the already excellent 5D
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Jan 15, 2009
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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167
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232094
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Jan 16, 2022
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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90% of reviewers
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$2,637.76
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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8.81
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8.79
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9.3
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