First Look: Canon 5D Mark II
by Wesley Fink on December 4, 2008 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Looking Ahead
Looking at the Canon 5D Mark II for a day hardly provides enough data to reach conclusions regarding the 5D2. However, the initial results are truly impressive. Unlike the exaggerated claims for the 50D, the 5D Mark II appears to perform as Canon claims. Resolution is as good or better at the same ISO as the original 5D, but the range is extended somewhere between one and three stops in a sensor with 65% more pixels.
ISO performance appears to match the current ISO champion Nikon D700 up to 3200, and the 5D2 reaches lower to ISO 50. We would not hesitate to use either camera for most anything in this 50/100 to 3200 ISO range, which is saying quite a lot. At ISO 6400 there is some noise in both the 5D2 and D700 images, but they are basically equivalent. At 12800 and 25600 the Nikon D700 appears to have somewhat lower noise, but the image also appears softer, which is often a processing tradeoff for reduced noise. This range of the top two ISO speeds needs to be examined in more detail so we understand what is going on and what tradeoffs can and can't be made with each camera to lower noise.
When you also consider that the 5D Mark II has almost 75% more pixels than the Nikon D700, the above comparisons become much more remarkable. To say that a 21.1MP camera is the equal in low noise to a 12.1MP over most of its range is high praise. To see both reach to ISO 25600 with more similarities in performance than differences is icing on the cake.
Our initial testing still points toward the Sony A900 as the resolution champ at normal ISOs, but there is no doubt that the Canon 5D2 is much better at high ISO performance while achieving resolution nearly as good as the A900. It should also be pointed out that if you want high resolution shooting combined with a brisk continuous shooting speed, the Sony at 5FPS matches the just-announced $8000 Nikon D3x at 5 FPS, That is much better at high ISO than the 5D2 specification of 3.9 FPS. Still, it is almost as if the 5D2 combines what is best about the Sony A900 and the Nikon D700 in a single package.
It is too early to draw final conclusions, but there is much to like in what we have seen so far with the Canon 5D Mark II. The high performance we have seen over a 10-stop ISO range will make the rest of the 5D2 testing journey even more fun. Users looking to upgrade from the original 5D will almost certainly be pleased.
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stefan - Saturday, December 6, 2008 - link
Thanks for this great comparison!!I would love to know how the noise of the 5D II and D700 compare at long exposure times (30 s) at 3200 ASA. That is what I would need for landscape nightshots including a sky full of stars.
Do you have experiece with this?
Thanks!
Stefan
Wineohe - Thursday, December 4, 2008 - link
Maybe someone else has already beefed about this, but I never shoot JPEG's with my 5D. I doubt anyone does. My photos always get post processing, either in DPP or more recently Photoshop. In this category of camera RAW comparisons should somehow be the default method of comparison. Couldn't you just import them to Photoshop and save them to a Jpeg without any post processing. At least they would get the same treatment. This would be a more likely scenario among anyone spending this kind of money on a camera. Throw me a bone here, what am I missing.strikeback03 - Friday, December 5, 2008 - link
ACR by default does different things to different camera files, so "no post processing" is not the same for each camera's files.I too always shoot RAW, but as Wes said the fact that they have samples up already compensates for the fact that they are not perfect.
And the 5D had a print-share button, so obviously Canon thinks somebody is going to shoot JPEG.
golemite - Friday, December 5, 2008 - link
lets face it, Anandtech camera coverage is strictly from a consumer point of view, until they step up their game, its only useful for a first look or teaser of what to expect. And it's unforgivable that the Sony already exhibits such noticeable noise at such low ISOs. Besides the megapixels, that looks almost like Point and Shoot performance to me...Wesley Fink - Saturday, December 6, 2008 - link
Actually some evidence is accumulating that the 5D2 may exhibit best performance in JPEG mode. Some users are saying Canon 5D2 in-camera JPEG better controls noise than any current RAW processing software. That is similar to my own experience with the 5D so it does not come as a surprise.www.imaging-resource.com has just posted a complete set of RAW files for the 5D2. They can be compared to the D700/D3 and A900 in their comparometer. You may need to download and resize the 5D2 images to properly compare the D2 12.1MP to the Canon 21.1MP.
I have looked carefully at the data posted ar IR and find they basically support what I have already posted in this review. Multiple confirmations are always good.
strikeback03 - Monday, December 8, 2008 - link
Hopefully the noise suppression software catches up then. The advantages of shooting in RAW are too great.Wesley Fink - Saturday, December 6, 2008 - link
Obviously we are talking about the D3, not the D2. Edit would be handy here.Wineohe - Thursday, December 4, 2008 - link
I have the 5D which I always thought was among the best at higher ISO. The Mark II seems to blow it away. No more Talls or Grandes. I'm going to start saving my money and brewing my own so that I can replace my 5D.Roy2001 - Thursday, December 4, 2008 - link
I used to trust DPR but they are biased against Canon which I don't like. Thanks for post. Cannot wait for a full review.Roy2001 - Thursday, December 4, 2008 - link
I used to trust DPR but they are biased against Canon which I don't like.