Canon Eos 5D Mk II review

The 35mm full-frame EOS 5D Mk II is the replacement for the original Eos 5D, arguably the single most influential DSLR yet made.

Not only was the 12.8-megapixel Eos 5D a ground-breaking model, offering the advantages of a large, 35mm Cmos sensor in a reasonably affordable body, but it subsequently spurred arch-rival Nikon and then Sony to introduce competing state-of-the-art models. The Eos 5D Mk II, then, is Canon's retort to the low-light champion, Nikon's D700, and Sony's high-resolution challenger, the Alpha DSLR-A900.

Despite packing a 21-megapixel Cmos sensor rivalling the pixel count of Canon's own £4950 Eos 1Ds Mk III, the Eos 5D Mk II can't match the pixel dimensions of the 24.6-megapixel Sony A900. However, it's reasonably close, at just 432 pixels less on the horizontal axis.

As well as the new sensor, the Mk II boasts a sensitivities range of ISO100 to 6400 with L (ISO50), H1 (ISO12,800), and H2 (ISO25,600) options. Other advances include a 3in (920k pixel) LCD, sensor cleaning and improved weatherproofing. Sealing around the battery compartment seems good, but the relatively loose fitting CompactFlash card slot on our test camera didn't inspire confidence when compared with the likes of the Nikon D700 or the Sony A900.

Another welcome addition is Canon's simple implementation of Live View, which you access via a handy, dedicated button to the left of the eyepiece. Unlike earlier offerings, though, you now have to choose between stills and video from the menu.

The Eos 5D Mk II is the first DSLR to offer full HD video at 1920 x 1080p at 30fps. Not only does this outdo the earlier Nikon D90, but the more-efficient H.264 codec adopted delivers better picture quality, with fewer artefacts and files up to 4GB in size.

The Mk II's styling isn't all that different to that of its predecessor, and while the magnesium-alloy body is solid and feels well-made, the ergonomics fall someway behind the Nikon and Sony cameras. We found the rather large Eos 5D Mk II uncomfortable to use after only a short period, which can be attributed to the somewhat small, oddly shaped handgrip.

We were impressed with the size, brightness and clarity of the viewfinder, but it can't quite match the Sony A900 in this respect. We were surprised to see the same nine-point AF system carried over from the original, but other than it covering a smaller area due to the larger 35mm format, we have no real concerns. Autofocus operation seems faster and more responsive.

Shrewdly, Canon has bundled the EF 24105mm f/4L IS lens with the 5D Mk II as its kit lens. With superb optical performance, fast autofocus and image stabilisation, it's one of the many highlights of the Canon lens range, but bear in mind you'll have to budget extra for a lens with anti-shake should you decide to buy the body only. We didn't experience any focus inaccuracies in our test lens, but the Mk II offers AF micro-adjustment.

With 14-bit colour conversion and no option to drop back to 12-bit, the Eos 5D Mk II delivers a not unreasonable 3.9fps continuous-shooting rate. It's marginally behind other full-frame rivals, but it's shunting a lot more data.

Canon's high ISO processing strategy differs from its rivals, too. Although impressive, the Eos 5D Mk II can't match the low-light performance of the Nikon D700, but improves on the Sony A900.

Noise has a very fine structure up to ISO6400, although horizontal banding is increasingly evident up to the maximum setting. At low ISOs, picture quality is superb, but with the expanded dynamic range (ALO) option set to standard, at times we wanted to set as much as +1EV compensation.