---- 5D mark II review ----

I have now had the 5D mark II in my position for approximately 3 months. During this time I have taken it along with me to a number of jobs, using it in a variety of situations.

I have to say the camera lives up to the hype. For me being a camera operator who enjoys shooting stills and video this was just the camera I was looking for. Although you can’t shoot video and stills at the same time, the conveniences of only having to carry a single body on your neck which can capture amazing 21MP images and has the capacity to shoot full HD video is ideal for me.

Predominately I have used the video function of this camera to shoot lifestyle. Yet the compact nature of this camera and fact that I can shoot video through 35MM lens has allowed me to capture vision like never before.

The camera however does have a few small flaws. Firstly I would not recommend this camera to anyone who is in the market looking for a new video camera. This camera for me until the new firmware is released does not have enough manual control to replace your high-end video cameras.

The camera is also difficult to hold at times as a result of only being able to shoot in live view mode, making some shots hard to nail. For example with this camera it is very difficult to shoot zoomed in and maintain a steady shot without a tripod.

This issue also effect the quality of the internal mic system as I find I am constantly picking up the sound of changing setting on the camera in my audio tracks.

These two issues however can be worked around by purchasing any of the following accessories.

A external rode mike for $180 which can be attached to an external arm. The external arm helps stabilize the camera when shooting hand held and also helps isolate the audio recording mechanism, which mean you pick up better sound tracks.

Alternatively the following rig can be purchased for a little under $2000. I feel for most users this investment would not be worth the money until Canon release the rumored new firmware which will allow for more manual control and make this rig more operator friendly.


Details for the new firmware can be seen on the following site http://5dfix.wordpress.com/. Yet by the sounds of things canon will not be releasing a slow mo function, which is one feature I would love to see included. This technology however with give full aperture control, more ISO settings and variable frame rates.

All in all the 5D mark II is by far the best DSLR I have used yet with its fantastic video camera capabilities i feel this puts this camera on a league of its own. If you have any questions about the functionality of this camera I would be more than happy to answer them for you

++j++

Untitled from jack shanahan on Vimeo.

Included above is a Montaj of video clips i have shot on the 5D from my last couple of month traveling. enjoy