Canon EOS 5D MkII - Test Shots

Canon EOS 5D MkII - Test Shots - ISO Performance

Over the next few pages we show a range of test shots. On this page the full size image at the minimum and maximum ISO settings have been reduced to let you see the full image, and a series of full resolution crops have taken from original images at a range of ISO settings to show the overall image quality.

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This is the full frame at 100 ISO.

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The focusing appears to be slightly off in this shot, but there is no image noise at all.

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Still no noise t 200 ISO...

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....400 ISO...

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...800 ISO...

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...1600 ISO. There is a tiny hint of noise in the green channel, but barely enough to notice.

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At 3200 ISO there is a smattering of noise all over the image, but it is still quite printable.

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Slightly more noise at 6400, but still plenty of detail.

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Extended to an uncalibrated 12,800 ISO there is quite a lot of noise, but the banner letters are still readable.

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At 25,600 ISO the image quality is finally breaking down, as well it might.

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This is the full frame at 25,600 ISO, which I don't think I've ever typed before.

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17 comments

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Rok Krznar

7:17 AM on 28 February, 2009

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This is undoubtedly my dream camera!

By the way, it says 1920x180 Video recording in your specification table.

Score:

lifethroughalens

2:04 PM on 28 February, 2009

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I really think Canon missed a trick installing the same old 9 point autofocus system (which I hate!) in the new 5DMK2...that and the 3.9 FPS are my only gripes in an otherwise brilliant camera. Even the price is acceptable.

I have been shooting Pro Canon for 8 years now and have always found the locations of the AF points pretty useless, especially when shooting sports subjects, with the centre focus point being the only point with reliable sensetivity, especially in low light. If only they could have spread them out further (rules of thirds anyone?) so that focusing and recomposing wasn't always necessary.

I already have a 1D MK3 and 2 x 40D's (the best value all round performing DSLR IMO) and a 5D, and am inches away from pulling the trigger on this one, again....I did have 2 pre-orders on this body 4 months back - and none of them came up with the stock when I had the cash. Stock levels still seem to be very low in the UK and they are very hard to come by sans kit lenses.

We'll see how long I can resist!

Kaben

7:33 PM on 28 February, 2009

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I have had the 5DmkII for just over a month now and i must say it is a superb bit of kit.

I would buy this camera just for its high ISO noise capabilities, even if the rest of the package was not as good as it is( yes i know the d700 is /slightely/ better at high ISO, but the canon range of pro lenses is more diverse if you don't want to shoot primarily wide angle).

I agree with you lifethroughalens, that the 9 point autofocus is a slight disappointment, but it really isn't the end of the world. The 6 additional (invisible) assist points really do help the AF when tracking moving subjects allot and it will do fine with action/sports as long as this is not your primary concern. Focusing is accurate & fast in all but but very low light.If you want to shoot sports, the 1DIII is still the way to go. Moving the points further out would be ALLOT better i agree.

I have a few examples of moving subjects here

http://www.bridgensphotography.co.uk/#/content/Gallery/Animals%20and%20Wildlife/Pets/IMG_0934-2.jpg/

This dog is running extremely fast and i had no problems tracking him.

I also have a few, non-center, panning shots that i have not yet uploaded which focused equally accurately.

I would not buy the 5DmkII as a sports body, your 1DMKII is already the best you can get for this, but i would buy it in a heartbeat to replace your existing 5D or 40D bodies.It really is allot better at high ISO and considering that the 5D Classic was great, this is a very bold statement!

If you like strobist work, having the ability to comfortably use these high ISO's without the fear of shed loads of PP to remove noise, you can use much lower speedlight power levels so you can keep up very high refresh rates.

Personally i cant wait for the 1DIV - if it has these ISO capabilities along with 10fps shutters speeds, it could possibly be the perfect camera, but that is pure speculation obviously.

redhotsheep

8:13 AM on 1 March, 2009

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"The only other full-frame DSLRs available at the time were its big brothers the EOS 1D Mk2 and EOS 1Ds Mk2"

Theh 1D series is not full-frame!

DaveDeacon

4:09 PM on 1 March, 2009

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Life is so damned cruel. Commiserations. Mind, this was about the cost of my Canon D60 when it first came out. It seems, in many ways, to be the ideal camera suiting most users needs - including 1080p video. Spring is here, March 1st and just saw a bee at my window! Great time to have a good camera. Me, I am now using a Samsung GX20. I wanted something different from Canon and it IS very different. LOL! Nah, it is a great camera. For £499 from Amazon you get a camera better than a Canon 50D and access to all those old and new Pentax lenses. Maybe a Canon 5DMkII next year...

SteveM

9:28 AM on 2 March, 2009

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http://vimeo.com/3388630

Another example of video. Not recorded by me unfortunately!

3:53 PM on 2 March, 2009

@ Kaben

Thanks for the info & opinion on the 5D MK2, love the shots of your 'flying' dog :)

Would like to see a 100% crop of one of those just to see if the sharpness is there. I'm sure it is, but I like pixel peaking. I've always had issues with the AI tracking on anything other than the 1D series bodies, certainly the 40D's and the 5D are way, way to slow to track fast cars and wildlife reliably...even if there just coming directly to camera.

Cheers.

JayWerfalli

10:56 AM on 5 March, 2009

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@red hot sheep. Error fixed. Thanks! My last camera was a 1D Mark II and it is indeed not a full-frame camera - the sensor in that measured 28.7 x 19.1mm and it had a 1.3x focal length multiplier just like the 1D Mark III, the 1D Mark II N, and the original 1D.

dkjack

7:20 PM on 7 March, 2009

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The 5d MkII is the Obama of cameras: All the fawning is a bit unseemly. Yes, it's a great camera, but how much of the greatness is actually the 5D it updates? There is really nothing innovative about the MkII. It has basically the same sensor, tricked out with more pixels, i.e. more pixel density, with processing for the added noise. The cumbersome video is tacked on -- glorified live view output -- as a marketing gimmick, plus a few peripheral improvements. A 1.x but certainly not a 2.0.

As the long-awaited update of the 5D, the MkII a fiasco, a hasty attempt by Canon to catch up after being stirred from their complacency by the Nikon D700. And now there's Panasonic's GH1, a true innovation and a potential Canon-killer.

1:05 AM on 10 March, 2009

"And now there's Panasonic's GH1, a true innovation and a potential Canon-killer"

I think the key word there is 'potential', because panasonic are a *long* way off Canon in the development cycle. The GH1 may well be a good system, but who would want to invest in a camera system from panasonic instead of canon or nikon - if you were serious about photography?

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