Canon EOS 5D Mark II

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

It had the advantages of a large 35mm CMOS but in a compact body, a formula followed more recently by Nikon's D700 and Sony's Alpha A900. The EOS 5D Mk II, then, is Canon's retort.

Despite packing a 21MP CMOS sensor like Canon's five-grand EOS 1Ds Mk III, it's still outdone by the 24.6MP Sony. As well as the new sensor, the Mk II boasts an ISO range from ISO100 to 6400 (expandable to 25600), a 3in (920k pixel) LCD, sensor cleaning and improved weatherproofing.

Live View

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

As with the new lower-end EOS 500D, the 5D Mk II offers full HD video at 30fps, with the H.264 codec delivering improved 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. The small, oddly shaped handgrip won't be to everyone's taste either.

A fine point

The viewfinder's size, brightness and clarity impress, while the nine-point AF system seen in the original is retained, though it covers a smaller area due to the larger 35mm format. Autofocus operation seems faster and more responsive.

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 is impressive, though its low-light performance isn't quite the match of the class-leading Nikon D700. Noise is impressive by its absence up to ISO6400, although horizontal banding is increasingly evident up to the maximum setting. At low ISOs, picture quality is superb.

With superb stills and video capability, the Canon EOS 5D Mk II is the best of the full-frame camera squad and we can easily recommend it.