Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
From the front, apart from the 5DII name badge, some curve changes in the profile and 4 right top buttons moved laterally 3/4 cm, it looks the same! That has no bearing on reality. This is even more than a 1DsIII to many of us!
The second image is more remarkable for the large LCD screen which of course is Live View. There's now 2 extra buttons on the left. first the new button with a cogged will logo above it and then the erase button as the last one. Otherwise the back of the 5D is similar to it's 5D parent, although the only thing they really share in common is the design of the buttons. This camera is hardly related to the 5D in function.
Nikon has finally pushed Canon to give us more. Thank you Nikon! Only a series of superb cameras like the run of fine bodies we have seen in the past year end with packaging all the refinement of the flagship D3 in a more consumer-price friendly D700.
So when Canon came around to replacing its aging 5D 12MP full frame camera, the 1DsIII, 21.3MP Digic IV $8,000 wonder had to be the goodies to go into the new 5D. Canon makes the CMOS imaging and Digic IV calculating chips. So it cost nothing more to dump them in a lighter weight case. Just a packaging job and yes, the 4 top buttons did need to be moved about 3/4 cm to the right, I spotted that!
"Canon has coupled the creative power of a full-frame CMOS sensor in a relatively compact and affordable camera body, together with groundbreaking HD video capture that opens the door to a much wider range of imaging possibilities for photographers. Along with the ability to capture full HD video clips at 1920 x 1080 resolution, Canon's EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR camera features a 21.1-megapixel full frame 24 x 36mm CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 imaging processor and significantly lower noise, with an expanded sensitivity range from ISO 50 to ISO 25,600".
What's especially amazing is the ability to capture HD movies in this same camera. The 5D is at about the same price as the older 5D it replaces, ~$2600 (officially $2699)! Read the entire Canon Press Release Sept 17 2008, here.
Asher
Last edited: