Photos 2004-2010
09. January 2009 - Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Yes
!! I did it !! The camera was announced to be released at the end of
November 2008. Problem was that only a few shops (mainly the CPS "Canon
Proffessional Services") got the first deliveries. Nevertheless in one
of those quick decisions I ordered one Kit and hoped for it to be
delivered in January. This year it seemed I was a good boy as it was
actually unexpectedly delivered already on the 23rd of December... :-)
So the package arrived:
5D Mark II + Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM lens which was sold in this
kit version. Compared to the 30D there are a few new features - some of
them however you can also find in the 40D and 50D already (Sensor
cleaning system, Liveview with 5x 10 x Magnifying glass etc.) The huge
difference is simply the full format sensor and with it the different
optical setup. You lose the annoying (?) crop factor of 1,6. So a 50mm
lens is indeed 50mm :-) Along with it I noticed is the totally
different behaviour in its depth of field. Much much shallower so it is
much easier to get the background out of focus. Opens a whole new world
for composing pictures. The high ISO settings are amazing. So far I did
not use the 25600, however the 12800 came in handy already - picture taken at VERY low light and still the outcome is not too bad.
Better than not taken a picture at all and a speedlite would not have
been very much appreciated. What else is there to praise. The
viewfinder is excellent. So big and clear, like looking through an wide
window, really. The picture quality is of course very good, but then
again comparing pictures taken under "normal" conditions with the 30D
are also not too bad :-) The 5DII takes wonderful pictures and simply
pushes the limits a bit. It comes with a new feature (compared to my
old 30D) "Highlight Tone Priority", supposebly increasing the
dynamic range. I have tried in a few winter landscape shots but I must
say I did not find a huge difference when zooming into the picture...
The lens Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS USM is probably one of the most controversal Canon lenses. Its an "L" lens so one has some expectations but still it offers quite a range from 24mm to 105mm. So by definition this is a matter of finding the right compromise. Its not perfect, especially not on the 5DII with its 21MP. No mercy - every flaw in a lens shows. Its a bit soft on the edges up until f8 and the Chromatic Abberations are under bad conditions simply not acceptable. Still I found myself now already on several Phototrips the last days and I changed lenses very rarely. The focus range is appealing and yes indeed you can take decent pictures with it :-) The IS works like a charm and I already miss this feature on my other lenses...
I will write some more about further experience and post some test pictures soon.