I’m really excited today. My new tool has been announced: The Canon 5D2 camera. Here’s the main features and some thoughts:
21.1 Megapixels - rocks! 2.5 times what I’m currently using. Recently, some clients have expressed a little dis-satisfaction with 8.2 MP, although it’s still sufficient for full page 300 dpi! And I can avoid the upsizing process when submitting for my stock agency... And it’s now truly full frame, 24x36mm. (God, how I’ve missed that!) The 5D actually was “only” 99.5%. Pixel density will be 156/mm, same as 20D and more than the 5D’s 122/mm.
ISO 6400 - wow! not the round 10.000-figure I was dreaming of, but really close. And an extended range going to 25.600! A significant help in tricky indoor and nighttime situations.
Video - this is really new. Mainly thinking of using the sound recording for slideshows. With an external mic. (Perhaps won’t make the camera more expensive as I previously thought. It’ll sell more, enabling Canon to achieve those low mass-production costs...)
-------UPDATE-------
Perhaps all those hours learning Final Cut Pro will now pay off - I don't see any video editing software bundled with the camera.
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Perhaps all those hours learning Final Cut Pro will now pay off - I don't see any video editing software bundled with the camera.
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Body - no vertical grip, weight 810g, exactly like 5D1 but slightly larger penta-prism, which leads me to the...
Viewfinder : 98% - small, but significant improvement over 96% (5D) and 95% (20D). Completely ok. So far the press release just sais “high-performance, high-magnification”. Hoping it’ll be significantly more than the 5D’s 0.71x magnification - so I can see what the heck I’m doing...
-------UPDATE-------
On second look at the specs, it is still a 0.71x magnification. Guess there'll still have to be something to differentiate it from the 1D series... It does have ISO read-out in the viewfinder now - that's nice.
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On second look at the specs, it is still a 0.71x magnification. Guess there'll still have to be something to differentiate it from the 1D series... It does have ISO read-out in the viewfinder now - that's nice.
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Spot meter : 3.5% - like the 5D, ok.
-------UPDATE-------
Talking about exposure, it's worth noting that the ISO menu now has an 'auto' option, and that there is 'highlight tone priority' in the exposure control. All good!
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Talking about exposure, it's worth noting that the ISO menu now has an 'auto' option, and that there is 'highlight tone priority' in the exposure control. All good!
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HDR function - yes! New in-camera function. Saves me lengthy Photoshop processing hopefully. This could be really awesome for landscape/travel stuff sometimes!
Still no mirror lock-up button and digital ND-filters (except a 50 ISO setting), it does have the ½-res setting, just not sure if the 3.9 fps will double to 7.8 fps? Anyway, it’s in-between the 3 fps (5D) and 5 fps (20D). Let’s see, if not now then perhaps in the next firmware?
-------UPDATE-------
On second thought, it might not be possible through firmware alone. The camera reportedly(?) has a shutter lag of 73 ms + 145 ms mirror blackout time. That gives a theoretical top rate of 1/(.073+.145) = 4.5 fps. What a pity. Of course if I was using LiveView I'd avoid the mirror time and we'd be speaking of 1/.073 = 13.7 fps! But then we'd run into the limit of not-fast-enough digital signal processing. But I would be willing to take just half the pixels to get, say, 8 fps with a LiveView 'Action Mode'.
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On second thought, it might not be possible through firmware alone. The camera reportedly(?) has a shutter lag of 73 ms + 145 ms mirror blackout time. That gives a theoretical top rate of 1/(.073+.145) = 4.5 fps. What a pity. Of course if I was using LiveView I'd avoid the mirror time and we'd be speaking of 1/.073 = 13.7 fps! But then we'd run into the limit of not-fast-enough digital signal processing. But I would be willing to take just half the pixels to get, say, 8 fps with a LiveView 'Action Mode'.
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Also, there’s a “silent mode” (using the LiveView) and a vignetting corrector. I like it! LiveView has some auto-focus options now. And there’s a nice 3” LCD and improved dust shake-off. Very useful around here (Kathmandu)!
-------UPDATE-------
...and the LCD now has auto-brightness adjustment depending on ambient light + the new anti-reflective surface. Both quite nice improvements. The menu looks a bit more fancy - but Canon's never been good at making GUI's. They've gone back to tab-menus again, which I personally find more confusing than the simple list. In a sharp situation and all. But there's now also a "My Menu" page where I can put those 5-6-7 menu points that I actually use, and leave the 100+ others buried under all the tabs. Cool!
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...and the LCD now has auto-brightness adjustment depending on ambient light + the new anti-reflective surface. Both quite nice improvements. The menu looks a bit more fancy - but Canon's never been good at making GUI's. They've gone back to tab-menus again, which I personally find more confusing than the simple list. In a sharp situation and all. But there's now also a "My Menu" page where I can put those 5-6-7 menu points that I actually use, and leave the 100+ others buried under all the tabs. Cool!
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Apparently it has a new battery. No details yet.
-------UPDATE-------
The new battery (LP-E6) has 1800 mAh, old one (511A) has 1390 mAh. Nice 30% increase, sure we'll need it.
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The new battery (LP-E6) has 1800 mAh, old one (511A) has 1390 mAh. Nice 30% increase, sure we'll need it.
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And finally another good thing. The price is in the low end of my expectations: $2700. With the current 5D selling for $2250 it makes it a no-brainer to choose. 5D will probably drop to $1800 though, making it a bit more of a choice - if it’ll be continued...
5D2 should be available in November/December, giving me some time to choose a lens. I have the primes (20mm, 50mm, 90mm) and the long tele (100-400mm) but I’ll probably go for a new zoom. The 24-105mm will be bundled for $800 extra. Currently looks like my choice. It’s bundled with the 5D for an extra $675, why not same with 5d2? Oh well... Was hoping for a stabilizer on the 24-70mm (f/2.8), but you can't have everything, I suppose.
-------UPDATE-------
After some consideration, I’ve pretty much decided to go for the 24-70 f/2.8 glass. Without the stabilizer. It’s a close call though, both lenses have excellent image quality and mechanical construction. For me, that’s the 2 most important points. But in the end, the larger aperture made the difference. The stabilizer on the 24-105 is really nice, but not vital in the low end of the focal range. The smaller focal length (up to 70mm in stead of 105mm) is not vital – and with 21 megapixels I should be able to afford to crop the images a bit, if need be. The 24-105 is also lighter in weight and about $300 cheaper – actually $500 when bundled in the kit. But I think I’ll be happier with the greater focus accuracy, slightly brighter viewfinder and more shallow depth of field that the 2.8 aperture provides. I also think the IQ is slightly better on the 24-70. Shooting at f/4, it will be stopped down, while the 24-105 will be working wide open. All in all, can’t wait to get my hands on the new gear!
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UPDATE 2:
According to this report there is another significant difference between the two lenses: Barrel distortion. Apparently, the 24-70 f/2.8 outperforms the 24-105 f/4 at the wide end.
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After some consideration, I’ve pretty much decided to go for the 24-70 f/2.8 glass. Without the stabilizer. It’s a close call though, both lenses have excellent image quality and mechanical construction. For me, that’s the 2 most important points. But in the end, the larger aperture made the difference. The stabilizer on the 24-105 is really nice, but not vital in the low end of the focal range. The smaller focal length (up to 70mm in stead of 105mm) is not vital – and with 21 megapixels I should be able to afford to crop the images a bit, if need be. The 24-105 is also lighter in weight and about $300 cheaper – actually $500 when bundled in the kit. But I think I’ll be happier with the greater focus accuracy, slightly brighter viewfinder and more shallow depth of field that the 2.8 aperture provides. I also think the IQ is slightly better on the 24-70. Shooting at f/4, it will be stopped down, while the 24-105 will be working wide open. All in all, can’t wait to get my hands on the new gear!
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UPDATE 2:
According to this report there is another significant difference between the two lenses: Barrel distortion. Apparently, the 24-70 f/2.8 outperforms the 24-105 f/4 at the wide end.
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All in all, a new dawn for digital photography is on the rise!
Ok, back to work...
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