Canon 5D Mark II: It's Here

The wait is over! Canon announced its update to the wildly popular full frame EOS 5D

The EOS 5D Mark II has a 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor, a vast ISO Range of 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600), plus EOS technologies like Auto Lighting Optimizer and Peripheral Illumination Correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more. It can shoot up to 3.9 fps, has 9 AF points plus 6 AF assist points, a new 98% coverage viewfinder, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) and a rugged build.

Just eyeballing the specs, I'm disappointed at the low fps rate. I had hoped that it would have at least a 5 fps rate. I would've been happy to give up some of the megapixel count for a higher fps. The new Nikon D700 has a much lower resolution, but can deliver 5 fps or even 8 fps with a grip.

According to MarketWatch (Wall Street Journal), the estimated street price is $2700 and will be available in November. This price point is phenomenal, and is lower than its competitors. A hands-on review is at DPReview.

Since many of my readers are from the United Kingdom, here's a fact I'm sure will irk them no end. UK websites report that the new Canon body will retail for £2,300. At current exchange rates, this is the equivalent of $4140, a hefty (and unjustifiable) premium of $1440 over US prices. Even considering that the UK price includes VAT, this is eye-watering, non?

The Mark II will record a movie clip for a maximum of 12 minutes at 1920 x 1080 and up to 24 minutes at VGA. Here's a clip demonstrating the Canon 5D Mark II's video (link)

As Canon's press release says: "Full-frame shooters rejoice!". And here's what its Evolution ad looks like now.

I'll follow this news throughout the day and update my post.

Thanks Eric! (you're the first to email me with this...don't you sleep?).

Posted in: Hard Gear