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Announced on September 16th 2008, the EOS 5D Mark II is Canon's successor to the EOS 5D, the world's first 'compact' full frame digital SLR. The EOS 5D Mark II boasts a new 21MP CMOS sensor, an expanded ISO range of 50-25,600 and a wealth of improvements and new features including full 1080p HD movie recording, live view, 3.0" 920k dot LCD, DIGIC IV processor, increased battery capacity and sensor dust reduction.
MSRP $2,699.00
Release date September, 2008
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Pros & Cons21
Reviews14
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Competitors5
Related2
Gallery5
Pros & Cons
9 positive
1 mixed
3 negative
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The ProSCORE is calculated based on the ratio of Pros & Cons about this product as voted by
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ProSCORE = 100 x (Pro votes) / [(Pro votes) + (Con votes)]
Numbers used for this ProSCORE:
Pro votes = 47
Con votes = 18
Total votes = 65
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Details
A January 2009 firmware update (1.0.7) fixes a problem with vertical banding noise when recording in sRAW1 as well as the "black dot" phenomenon noticed soon after the camera was released to the public.
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This report was started
September 17, 2008 at 9:48 am by
Whipdaddy
with the last edit occurring
September 17, 2009 at 11:31 am by
Yale
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Competitors
Canon EOS 5D Mark II is ranked 1st among it's competitors.
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Digital Cameras »
MSRP $1,499.95
Released June, 2009
Pros
- auto-focus can be used while recording video
- stereo microphone for video recording
- 1080p video with silent auto-focus - does not interfere with sound recording (but requires special lenses)
Cons
- only 1080p24. 1080p30 or 1080p60 would be nicer
- double the price of the standard DMC-G1
- no improvement over the DMC-G1 if video is unimportant
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
50%
vs.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
50%
MSRP $1,999.99
Released September, 2009
Pros
- large full frame 24.6 megapixel sensor
- in body image stabilization
- HDMI output
Cons
- no video mode
- no onboard flash
- slow 3fps continuous shooting
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
vs.
Sony Alpha 850
MSRP $5,000.00
Released November, 2007
Pros
- FX format CMOS - same size as 35 mm film
- Auto-senses DX and FX format lenses and auto-switches modes
- a good deal next to Nikon's latest flagship the D3X
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
vs.
Nikon D3
MSRP $2,699.00
Released August, 2008
Pros
- good performance in low light
- great value (high end features for the price)
- large sensor
Cons
- basic kit lens doesn't match the capabilities of the camera
- expensive
- no video mode
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
100%
vs.
Nikon D700
0%
MSRP $7,999.95
Released December, 2008
Pros
- Full frame sensor
- dual CF cards with intelligent backup/copy/overflow options
- High resolution 24.5 MP
Cons
- doesn't offer HD video
- extremely expensive
- slower than the D3
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
100%
vs.
Nikon D3X
0%
Reviews
April 13, 2009
approved
reviewer

trusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- Full frame sensor
Cons
-
expensive
- 1080p30 is nice, but 1080p60 would be better
- no popup flash (for quick surprise shots)
- 1080p video focussing only by pressing AF-ON button - resulting in chronically unfocused movies
- camera too heavy for filming off hand without stand
- sound recording speaker with poor quality
- objective lenses too noisy for video
- 1080p video recording without continous focus - renders video feature useless
- only external flash - expensive
- only mono sound for video recording
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/
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January 8, 2009
approved
reviewer

want it

love it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Increased Battery Capacity
- Live View - 3.0" 920k dot LCD
- Fantastic professional quality video. Man, it's impressive.
- Full frame sensor
- Incredible dynamic range
- Can use all Canon EF lenses produced within the last quarter of a century
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
December 20, 2008
approved
reviewer
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Increased Battery Capacity
- Fantastic professional quality video. Man, it's impressive.
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
September 17, 2008
approved
reviewer

want it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Increased Battery Capacity
- Live View - 3.0" 920k dot LCD
Cons
- HD Video capture up to 4GB per clip
Comments
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Yes
/
No
September 23, 2008
approved
reviewer
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Fantastic professional quality video. Man, it's impressive.
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Comments
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
November 6, 2008
approved
reviewer
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Increased Battery Capacity
- Live View - 3.0" 920k dot LCD
Cons
- HD Video capture up to 4GB per clip
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No
November 28, 2008
approved
reviewer
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Fantastic professional quality video. Man, it's impressive.
Cons
- HD Video capture up to 4GB per clip
-
expensive
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
May 11, 2009
approved
reviewer

have it
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- 1080p HD movie recording
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Live View - 3.0" 920k dot LCD
- Fantastic professional quality video. Man, it's impressive.
- Full frame sensor
- Incredible dynamic range
- Automatic Distortion Correction profile for each lens type
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
April 13, 2009
approved
reviewer

have it
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- Full frame sensor
- Automatic Distortion Correction profile for each lens type
Cons
- HD Video capture up to 4GB per clip
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
/
No
December 21, 2008
approved
reviewer

love it

want it
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Pros
- 21MP CMOS sensor
- Wide range ISO setting (100-6400)
- Increased Battery Capacity
Cons
Did not agree with any cons
Did you find this review helpful?
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/
No
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This product is also known as:
5, D, 5D