CANON 5D MARK II REVIEW - PAGE 1 - PAGE 2 - PAGE 3

So, in what ways do I prefer the Leica M8 to the 5DMKII? Before I go on to the details, let me write out my own set of pros and cons with this camera, the Canon 5D Mark II.

CANON 5D MARK II PRO’s

1. ✤ Nice & New 21Mp sensor. Smooth, creamy files just like the original 5D.
   

2. ✤ Big, bright, colorful 3” LCD in the back. Actually makes the files look better than they are sometimes!
   

3. ✤ Great assortment of lenses from Canon, Sigma and others.
   

4. ✤ High ISO shooting is on par with the Nikon D700. Not better, but comparable.
   

5. ✤ Focus accuracy has improved. I missed many shots with the old 5D due to mis-focus, the 5DII focuses well even in low light situations. Its not instant-fast, but accurate.
   

6. ✤ Dynamic range seems really good, and I have had no blown highlights like with the old 5D.
   

7. ✤ Can shoot all day long without pause as the camera writes to the card fast.
   

8. ✤ Shoot real HD video. Camera records them as .mov files and they look gorgeous, though it is not as easy as using a camcorder. 1080P video is one of this cameras strong points.
   

9. ✤ The new menu system is easy to use and navigate. I love it.
   

10. ✤ Picture styles are now easily changed via button on back.
    

11. ✤ Live view for shooting using the LCD, comes in handy for macro shooting.
    

12. ✤ In my opinion, the 5DII is a PERFECT portrait/studio camera. A++++ here.
    

13. ✤ The shutter sound is actually pretty quiet! MUCH improved from the clunk of the original!
    

CANON 5D MARK II CON’S

1. ✤ Still has a dusty viewfinder. At least this one did.
   

2. ✤ AWB in low indoor light is still dodgy. I can shoot in my living room at night and get an ORANGE image as a result. VERY warm. Still, easily fixed by shooting RAW or MANUAL WB.
   

3. ✤ Kind of bulky, but if you are used to other Canon bodies you will feel right at home.
   

4. ✤ Files are not quite as sharp or detailed as the old 5D when viewed at 100%. It almost appears that the resolution has not increased but it indeed has.
   

5. ✤ The original 5D seemed to have a slightly better quality file, but this could be in my head as the 5D II files are also great, just not as snappy or sharp it seems. There is sort of a “waxy” or smooth look to the files, like the AA filter is too strong. Up the sharpening!
   

6. ✤ The color. Same with the 5D, subdued and kind of dull even when shooting with a picture style. All files need post processing in my opinion. The opposite of the D700 which had lively, sharp colorful images. The 5DII has subdued pastel like colors. This is a PLUS for portraits, but a negative for landscapes.
   

7. ✤ While video is a PRO and SUPERB, the way it is implemented could be better.
   

8. ✤ The body, to me seems kind of cheap. The on/off button almost feels as if it would break off after using it for a while. There is a hollow/plasticky feel to the body that the Nikons in this price range do not exhibit. CF Door creaks, like old 5D. Body goes to Nikon IMO.
   

9. ✤ It seems the 5DII I have here is not so hot at shooting fast moving subjects. Many missed shots. D700 beats the 5D here.
   

DAY IN THE PARK - 5D MKII WITH 35L

COMPARED TO MY LEICA M8

So with that, let me talk a bit about why I like my Leica M8 over the 5DMKII in certain situations. The Leica is small, light, and the build is like a fine wristwatch. It is solid, but small and light. The Leica lenses are TINY compared to the Canon lenses, and built even better than “L” glass. I can take my M8 out with me all day with just a 28mm and be happy.

While shooting with the 5D MKII, the body and 85L were HUGE! Like, GODZILLA huge! I saw little old ladies running from me in fear for their lives! Attach the lens hood and it looks like you are wielding a serious weapon, and in reality, you are! (see my M8 review here)

I have to be honest, as I promised myself I would write only my 100% honest opinions on this website. My Leica lenses are a bit sharper with better micro contrast than the Canon L lenses I used for this write up. I can shoot wide open with my Leica glass and get SHARP results, corner to corner. The M8 is a 1.33 crop sensor camera though.

Canon fans will probably disagree, but its true. Also, this may explain the CRAZY insane prices for Leica lenses. They simply are WORLD CLASS. I got bitingly sharp results from the 35L after stopping down to F8. The 85L was pretty sharp by 1.4!

While the Canon 85L MKII is a STELLAR piece of glass that gives amazing artistic results, it seemed a bit soft on the 5DII. Well, at least that is what I thought when I was looking at my first shots. Problem was, I was evaluating the JPEGS. You can not do this with the M8, and you can not do it with the 5DII. The JPEGS can be VERY soft on the MKII, so shoot raw, or jack up the sharpening to MAX for sharp JPEGS.

For the images below, the 5DII is on the left using the 85L at 1.2, wide open. The photo on the right was taken with my Leica M8 and 50 Summilux at 1.4, wide open. I know, I know, 1.2 vs 1.4, not fair! But this is not a battle. This is just to show how each lens on each camera renders wide open. Both are VERY sharp lenses wide open. The $1800 85L hangs with the $3500 50 SUMMILUX ASPH. Pretty cool.

I actually prefer the color of the 5D file here, as for portraits, it is about as good as it gets in a DSLR. The M8 has a bit of yellow to it. But, go ahead and click on each image for the FULL SIZE out of camera shot to see differences. For both shots, the eyes were the focus point. Also note, these were not tweaked as I wanted to see the out of camera color for each side by side.

I just love the soft, gentle, pastel like color from the 5DII. Skin tones look GREAT and natural. If I have not said it already, any studio pro who shoots portraits would benefit by having a MKII in their arsenal. SO GO BUY ONE!!! ITS A NO BRAINER! Oops, got ahead of myself here! I get excited, what can I say. Still, that Leica 50 Summilux is VERY sharp at 1.4!

Also, to show you how soft the out of cam JPEG is, the file below is the JPEG from the 5DII. It is much softer than the RAW processed file, but still has the soft colors and tone.

FULL SIZE JPEG FROM 5DII

*MY* MAIN GRIPE WITH THE 5D MARK II

I guess my main gripe *FOR ME* is the size. I got rid of my Nikon D700 set up due to this, and the 5DMKII is even bigger! So for me, while I love the look of the 5DII files, especially for portraits, its size would kill it for me. These days I only shoot for this site and my own personal use, not professional jobs. The M8 fills this need perfectly.

How does the 5DMKII beat the M8? Versatility, speed, AF, HIGH ISO, shallow depth of field shooting and that medium format look in its files. Versatility means A LOT here. With my M8, sometimes I wish it had macro, or telephoto or AF. While shooting the 5DMKII I remembered what it was like to shoot a DSLR. It was fast, easy and I was able to fire off shots that I would not be able to get with my M8. Again, a DSLR is all about VERSATILITY.

The 5DII is capable of some of the nicest image output I have ever seen. Creamy, smooth, and crazy shallow depth of field with fast glass due to its full frame sensor. The 5D is a portrait shooters dream camera and beats the D700 *IMO* in this area. For me personally, a NON pro shooter, the 5D II is just too large for me. Plus I have been spoiled by the M8’s small size, light weight, and small lenses. It’s all I need.

One thing that is creeping up in forums is how the 5DII files seem to be TOO smooth. Some describe it as a “waxy” look to the images. When you shoot JPEG, you see this clearly. It is like the image is coated with wax. For some reason, Canon decided to go with a super strong Anti Aliasing filter for the Mark II. I like Leicas approach which is NO AA filter. 

I have found if you shoot the 5DII in RAW mode and apply aggressive sharpening you can get rid of most of the “wax” - again, for portraits it is fine as it hides some flaws of imperfect skin.

NOISE? - HOW ABOUT HIGH ISO?

With the old 5D considered the best of the high ISO shooters (until the Nikon D3 and D700) the 5DII had big shoes to fill once again. With the high MP count, and the same sensor size it would be hard for Canon to keep the noise down. Somehow they managed to do so. The shot below was taken at ISO 6400 in a near dark room. Believe me, the room was darker than the image portrays. The 85L sucked in all of the light available and lit up the scene. That 85L is amazing in this regard.

If you click the image below you can download the full size, original out of camera shot which will show you how the AWB performed. The image as you see it below was corrected in Photoshop. Click to download original ISO 6400 out of cam shot. It is 12MB! Remember, this was taken in a DARK room with little light. The darker it is, the higher the noise will be!

5D MKII and 85L - ISO 6400 IN NEAR DARKNESS

After shooting the Nikon D700 extensively, and now the 5D MkII for a while, I feel the D700 and 5DMKII BOTH have TERRIFIC high ISO performance. Both cameras can excel at low light, high ISO shooting. Something my M8 can only dream about.

The combo of the 85LII and the 5DII are a KILLER low light combo. The character of this combo (85 & 5DII) beat the D700 with Nikon 85 1.4. If I mainly shot night scenes, my camera of choice would be the 5DII with the 24L, and 85L. It can’t be beat IMO.

One flaw and niggle I have with the 5DII is its AF tracking. It feels like it lags way behind the D700 in this area. While shooting some fast moving objects the camera provided me with some OOF shots and it was difficult to keep the AF up to speed. I was using the 85L for most of that shooting so that could be the issue. For that reason, I will leave the AF tracking to other reviews.

So what about other features of the 5DII? The 1080P Hi-Def video, the picture styles, and more samples? Click on to page 3 for more...

CLICK HERE TO GO TO PAGE 3 OF THE REVIEW