{"id":8467,"date":"2012-01-29T21:26:04","date_gmt":"2012-01-30T01:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=8467"},"modified":"2012-04-02T17:08:07","modified_gmt":"2012-04-02T21:08:07","slug":"eos-5d-mark-ii-quick-evaluation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2012\/01\/29\/eos-5d-mark-ii-quick-evaluation\/","title":{"rendered":"EOS-5D Mark II Quick Evaluation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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These Macaroni Penguins were photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a>, the Canon 1.4X III TC<\/a>, (handheld at 145mm) and the EOS-5D Mark II<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1\/800 sec. at f\/7.1 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Note: the central AF sensor just caught the edge of the right wing of the penguin in the front and held focus accurately while tracking the subject. I was impressed. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

EOS-5D Mark II Quick Evaluation<\/h3>\n

As described in BAA Bulletin #395<\/a>, I was forced to depend on the Canon EOS-5D MII that I borrowed from CPS for my Southern Ocean trip far more than I planned on. (See the HOW TO RUIN TWO PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL CAMERA BODIES feature here<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

I quickly fell in love the the 5D MII. The files are beautiful. While it is hard to quantify a statement like that I do love the color. And it is the first full frame camera where I really love the small pixels. The amount of detail is phenomenal. As I am rarely a hold-the-hammerdown type of guy, the 3.9 frames per second advance is not usually a big handicap. I love to be able to use the Canon EF 8-15mm f\/4L Fisheye USM Fisheye Ultra-Wide Zoom lens<\/a> as either a circle lens or a full fish eye. And there are similar advantages when using this body with the Canon 16-35mm f\/2.8L lens<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image of Chinstrap Penguins headed for dinner and a swim was created at Bailey Head, Antarctica with the tripod-mounted Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a>, the Canon 1.4X III TC<\/a> (at 165mm) and the EOS-5D Mark II<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1\/3 stop: 1\/400 sec. at f\/8 in Manual mode; confirmed by blinkies\/histogram check. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor Rear Focus AI Servo AF and recompose. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. I love the clean WHITEs and the incredible detail. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

With 21.1 megapixels, a sharp 5D MII image can stand up to lots of cropping. Jeez; I almost forgot the camera’s super light weight. It did fabulously well on my shoulder with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a>. I had opportunities to use the 5D MII for flight but did get some great results; I used it from the ship and always used the full 9-point array in order to keep a sensor on the birds as the ship was rocking. Ergonomically, the camera felt very nice in my hands. And I made some great video footage easily on Bailey Head in Antarctica. If I can ever figure out how to edit it, I will post some here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Northern Giant Petrel image was created in Drygalski Fjiord, South Georgia, with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> and the the Canon 1.4X III TC<\/a>, (handheld at 280mm) and the EOS-5D Mark II<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +3 stops off the white sky: 1\/1600 sec. at f\/4 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

9-Point Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Note: the full nine point AF array was ideal from the ship as it would have been difficult or impossible in the relatively rough seas to keep the central sensor on the bird. <\/p>\n

I ran into double bad luck here with the misplaced primary feather on the lower wing and the bird’s head turned slightly away…. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

I am not at all a technical person. If you are and would like to read about the impressive stuff inside the camera, you can click here<\/a>. After 28 1\/2 years of photography including the last 11 doing digital I do know when I like a camera and when I don’t. <\/p>\n

There were a few minor things that I did not like about the 5D MII. As with all Canon digital cameras, it is very difficult to see where the histogram ends when working outdoors. I have been begging for a thin white or yellow box around the histogram since I got the original EOS-1D in 2001. Or was that 2002? The 5D MII focuses only to f\/5.6; that means that it will not autofocus when a 1.4X TC is added to an f\/5.6 lens like my beloved 800mm f\/5.6K IS. The 9-point array is hard to get used to for those coming from a MIV with AF sensors available almost everywhere; the good news is that the 9-Point array worked very nicely with walking, running, and flying subjects. When when I used the lens with a teleconverter and manually selected an AF sensor I noticed that all the AF sensors but the central sensor had some difficulty holding focus. My biggest gripe is with the Command Dial; it rotated inadvertently while I was carrying the lens on my shoulder with the Black Rapid RS-7 strap<\/a>. I would put it in Manual mode but when I grabbed the rig to make a flight or action it would be set to Bulb or Program or something equally ridiculous. I considered putting a piece of tape on it. If you use one as your primary body this would be a non-issue. <\/p>\n

I should be getting lots more experience with this great camera over the next few months as I ordered one on Friday…. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created from the ship somewhere southwest of the South Orkney Islands with the hand held Canon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>, the Canon 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the EOS-5D Mark II<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering + 1\/3 stop off the blue sky was somewhat of an underexposure–the light was changing quickly: 1\/2000 sec. at f\/8. <\/p>\n

9-Point Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial.<\/p>\n

This is surely not the world’s greatest image of a Pintado (Cape) Petrel but it is presented here for a reason. The image above represents a huge crop from the original (see below). The size of the converted 5D MII RAW file here was 120.3 mbs. The size of the optimized TIFF was only 16.8 mbs. That means that the image above represents only 14% of the original capture; 86% of the pixels were cropped (or thrown) away. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Below is a screen capture of the BreezeBrowser Main View page for the image above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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There is lots to learn here if you study the fine print above. Do note the relatively small size of the subject in the original image. Click here<\/a> to learn more about BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program. Every single person who has watched me edit a 1,000_ image folder in ten minutes is amazed. All of my MAC friends even find away to run BreezeBrowser…. I know that I could not live without it. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Your Favorite?<\/h3>\n

Please leave a comment and let us know which of the first three images above is your favorite (and why). <\/p>\n

Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris<\/h3>\n

I traveled with Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris; find out what I thought about them here<\/a>. You can learn more about CES by clicking here<\/a>. If you have any questions you can shoot them an e-mail<\/a><\/center> or call them at 800.527.5330.<\/p>\n\n\n
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B&H Specials<\/h3>\n

Act now; these Instant Rebates expire February 4, 2012.<\/h2>\n

If you are interested in an amazing deal on a 7D, a 5D MII (both packaged with various lenses) or a $400 rebate on a Canon PIXMA Pro 9000 Mark II printer (with the purchase of a Canon EOS SLR), click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn about even more amazing Instant Rebates on Canon lenses and Speedlites click here<\/a> or on the image below. <\/p>\n\n\n
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My Comments<\/h3>\n

With a bit more free time I had a chance to respond to comments posted to the December 28, 2011 blog post here<\/a>: ISO 4000 at 1\/6th of a second. <\/p>\n

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

Shopper’s Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a>. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter<\/a>. I also use it a lot–as I did for the image of the eagle with fish–with the 1.4X III TC.
\nCanon 300mm f\/2.8 L IS II lens<\/a>. This lens proved to be ideal on a tripod for both birds and wildlife with both the 1.4X and 2X III TCs. All images were super-sharp and the lens was light enough for hand-holding both in the zodiacs and when doing flight photograph from the ship. <\/a>
\nCanon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera<\/a>. Canon’s lightweight full frame body is perfect for serious landscape photography. <\/p>\n

And from the BAA On-line Store:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

LensCoats<\/a>. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
\nLegCoat Tripod Leg Covers.<\/a> I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders \ud83d\ude42
\nGitzo GT3530LS Tripod.<\/a> This one will last you a lifetime.
\nMongoose M3.6 Tripod Head.<\/a> Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head<\/a>.
\n Double Bubble Level.<\/a> You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
\nBe sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here<\/a>.
\nThe Lens Align Mark II.<\/a> I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.<\/a>
\nCanon EOS-1D Mark IV User’s Guide<\/a>. Learn to use your Mark IV the way that I use mine. Also available for the 7D and the Mark III here<\/a>.
\nBreezeBrowser<\/a>. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
\nBlack Rapid RS-7 Strap<\/a>: I have been using this strap for a year; it allows me to grab my intermediate telephoto rig almost instantly for flight and action photography. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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These Macaroni Penguins were photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens, the Canon 1.4X III TC, (handheld at 145mm) and the EOS-5D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1\/800 sec. at f\/7.1 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Central Sensor Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-147","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}