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Canon shutters the EOS 5D Mark II, makes Mark III man of the house
Given the advent of the EOS 5D Mark III, it's hardly a surprise to see that the Mark II has been quietly moved to Canon's retired list. The full-frame DSLR was famous for its HD video prowess and was quickly adopted by Hollywood, where it was used to film an entire episode of House back in 2010. While the spirit of the 5D lives on in the latest revision, the old dog most definitely deserves a toast 'round the fire.
Canon 5D Mark III hits US retailers, available in stores today
Well, that didn't take long at all. Hours after our Canon 5D Mark III review went live, we've received word that the camera is already available for purchase, and if you happen to live in New York City and can make it to B&H before 7PM, you could even take one home today! A call to the retailer confirmed that there are just three kits available, each with a 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens in the box for $4,299. If you're looking for a body-only version, you'll need to hang tight, but if you don't mind splurging on the pricey duo, now would be the time to cancel those Thursday night dinner plans in favor of some low-light NYC shooting.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III field review
Shoot in the dark. That's essentially what you can do with the Canon 5D Mark III -- with a top sensitivity of ISO 102,400, what was once unfathomable could soon become an acceptable standard. While point-and-shoot manufacturers are adding WiFi and GPS, and tweaking algorithms in an effort to boost sensitivity beyond the 6400 mark, Canon and Nikon are making clear cases for a DSLR upgrade, by drastically improving image quality. The 5D Mark II had an excellent three-year run, but with its 22.3-megapixel sensor, 1.04M-dot 3.2-inch LCD, improved autofocus and high-performance video capabilities, Canon's latest full-frame DSLR is an entirely different beast, and a very compelling successor. We spent two glorious weeks with a pre-production 5D Mark III before reluctantly shipping it back to Canon. The biggest benefit (for us, at least) has been high-ISO shooting. While the former 5D could theoretically handle ISO 25,600 captures as well, its native range topped out at 6400 -- venturing beyond that territory meant taking a hit on image quality, making it a seldom-used feature that benefited the camera's spec sheet far more than our low-light snap collection. With this latest iteration, we were able to capture sharp images in environments where there was far too little light to make out details with the naked eye, just as we have with the larger (and pricier) Nikon D3S. Our resulting scenes look like they were lit with sophisticated rigs, or in an environment that allotted far more natural light than was actually available. Low-light shooting is but one benefit of the Mark III, however, so join us past the break for a closer look in our field review.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III high-ISO sample images (hands-on)
Canon unveiled its highly-anticipated EOS 5D Mark III just 10 days ago, but we already have a pre-production sample in-hand, and will be putting it through its paces over the next week. Today's installment focuses on high-sensitivity still image shooting, which we conducted at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. We chose a dimly lit temple as our test subject, shooting a handful of images at ISO settings ranging from 800 to the camera's top native sensitivity of 25,600, and extended modes of ISO 51,200 and ISO 102,400. All images were captured at f/8 with a 24-105mm L lens.As expected, the camera offered excellent performance at all of the native settings -- as you can see from the image above, there's some noise noticeable when viewing an image at full size, though considering the camera's top resolution of 22.3 megapixels, we hardly see ISO 25,600 being an issue. Jumping beyond the top native range did yield significant noise, but assuming you're shooting for the web, even these settings are usable. Chances are, you won't often be examining images at a 1:1 pixel view, so jump past the break to see how each of the four frames represented above will look when scaled to a web-friendly 600-pixels-wide resolution, then hit up our source link to grab full-res JPEGs of each image captured during the shoot.
Canon will now add locking mode dial to your EOS 5D Mark II or 7D... for $100
Oh, sure -- Pentax may have thrown one in gratis on its K-7, and Nikon has done the same on its D3S, but none of that really matters if you're the proud owner of a Canon, now does it? For those fed up with accidentally moving their mode dial during a critical shoot, Canon is now offering a chargeable service for the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D cameras. For the tidy sum of $100, the outfit will install a Mode Dial with a center-located lock button -- the goal here is to prevent the wheel from moving during "normal camera operation," while simultaneously milking an extra Benjamin out of the outfit's loyal customer base. 'Course, there's a glass half-full / half-empty way to look at this. You could bang on Canon for not including this from day one, or you could be grateful to have the option at all. Your move, cynic.
Canon AE-1 and EOS 5D Mark II reincarnated in papercraft form, DIYers welcome to replicate
If you know us, you'd know that we're huge fans of papercraft. It's one of the simplest forms of DIY design expression, but something about it just screams adorable. To that end, we're having somewhat of a panic attack after viewing these -- three famed Canon bodies, all reborn as paper models with an insane level of detail. The Canonflex, AE-1 and EOS 5D Mark II are all present, and they're being offered up to the tinkering public as part of the company's 50th anniversary in producing SLRs. Hit the links below if you're ready to get your fold on, but be mindful that these are PDFs we're directing you to.
Canon 5D Mark II goes back in time with circa-1908 lens
Old camera lenses being re-purposed on modern DSLRs is hardly anything new, but Canon 5D Mark II user Timor Civan's latest bit of kit is anything but common. He came into the possession of a circa 1908 Wollensak 35mm F5.0 Cine-Velostigmat lens (for a hand-cranked film camera) by way of a Russian lens technician described as a "mad scientist," who also managed to fit the lens to the 5D after about six hours of work. Needless to say, the results speak for themselves. Hit up the source link below for a collection of samples, and a closer look at the lens itself.
Sony skips over Alpha line, uses Canon DSLR for Cyber-shot press photos
Yeah, it'd be far more egregious if Nikon lowered itself to using Canon gear for press photos, but even still, Sony should know better. And by "know better," we mean "remove telling EXIF data before hosting press shots up for the world to see." Sure enough, the outfit used Canon's (admittedly stellar) 5D Mark II to capture the press photography that represents its new WX5 and TX9 Cyber-shot digicams, and the proof -- as they say -- is in the metadata. Hit that source link and download away to see for yourself. But be quick -- we get the idea this little slip will be cleaned up in record time. [Thank, Tyson]
Discovery HD Theater thrills Baraka, Sunrise Earth fans with Lightscapes, Episode 1 June 21
Just when you thought we were all out of experiential TV, Discovery HD Theater has added Lightscapes, Episode One to its schedule. Claiming inspiration from Baraka and Sunrise Earth (seriously Discovery, where's that new season? Are we going to have to wake up early and go outside to see the sun come up? Don't make us do it.) it is apparently the first network TV show consisting mostly of timelapse photography shot on a Canon 5D Mark II. The gallery also shows a RED camera busy capturing 4K footage of Japanese media artist Akira Hasegawa's work, projecting large abstract images onto the 2000-year old Grand Ise Shrine. Ok, so it's not exactly 24, but it is the kind of thing we'll watch because it's in HD, so check the trailer after the break and set your DVR for June 21, 7:30 a.m. %Gallery-95013%
Canon 5D Mark II used to shoot entire House season finale, director says it's 'the future'
May 17, folks. That's the date when the grumpy doctor you wish you were and the snazzy camera you wish you owned will join forces on American network television. The final episode in this season's run of House has been shot exclusively using Canon's 5D Mark II, and the show's director Greg Yaitanes has been taking questions about the experience on Twitter. PetaPixel have helpfully collated the Q&A session into a coherent pseudo-interview, which you'll be able to find at the source below. The major takeaway is that the crew liked the experience and didn't have to do an overwhelming amount of work to adapt to the different shooting method. Guess after SNL and its own movie, the 5D Mark II just had to go and do a guest appearance on its favorite TV show. [Thanks, Ben K]
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2.0.3 firmware yanked due to audio issues, fix is on the way
It's not déjà vu, it's just all happening again. Just over a year after Canon had to bow its head in shame due to a black dot / banding issue that plagued the EOS 5D Mark II, along comes yet another heartache surrounding one of the company's finest DSLRs. The v2.0.3 firmware update that was issued earlier in the week is apparently causing audio problems for some users, with the actual quirk going a little something like this: "Recently we have discovered a malfunction that occurs with Firmware Version 2.0.3, in which the manual recording levels for C1/C2/C3 are changed and the camera becomes unable to record audio if the power is turned off (or if Auto power off takes effect) after registering "Sound Recording: Manual" in the camera user settings. We apologize very sincerely for the inconvenience, but we are going to stop making this firmware available for download. For customers who have already updated to the new firmware, when using the camera with the mode dial set to C1/C2/C3, please either set the sound recording settings to Auto." In the meanwhile, Canon has pulled the update from its support site while it works on a new firmware version to patch things up, but aside from a promise of "soon," there's no way to tell when exactly the new file will hit the pipes. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Canon EOS 5D Mark II firmware 2.0.3 arrives at last to free us from frame rate hell
It's been obvious from day one that it was possible, but after a couple of years of oh-so-painful 30 FPS recording on the EOS 5D Mark II, Canon is finally coming through with its long-promised 2.0.3 update that brings 29.97 FPS and 24 FPS (23.976, to be precise) 1080p recording at last. Even the VGA mode has been swapped to a 29.97 actual rate, and PAL mode has a flat 25 FPS and 23.976 FPS as well. Additional tweaks include a manual volume adjustment (as opposed to the automatic gain the cameras usually employ), a brightness or RGB histogram display (this function, like some of these other features, has been available for a while as a hack), shutter and aperture priority modes have been added for movie shooting, and the audio sampling ramp has been bumped from 44.1KHz to 48KHz. The bad news: now you don't have any excuses for not shooting that heartwrenching mumblecore masterpiece you've been telling everyone you're working on. Hit up the source link for the download instructions. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
First Canon EOS-1D MKIV footage on display, 5D MKII will join the fun with new 24 / 25 fps firmware next year
Double good news on the Canon front. First off we've got sample footage shot with a brand new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, which does a good job of showing what the camera can handle under low lighting conditions, as well as serving as a poignant morality tale for skaters, who should never get in cars with strangers. But perhaps even more exciting is word that Canon is developing its own firmware update for the 5D Mark II that will take it into the indie filmmaker-friendly territory of 24 fps and 25 fps -- something that's always been assumed doable since the camera already shoots at 30. Details are scarce, and the firmware won't hit until the "first half of 2010," but if anything it should up the resale value on that 5D of yours while you claw against your credit limit for an EOS-1D Mark IV. Read - First Canon EOS-1D MKIV movie from Vincent Laforet Read - Canon EOS 5D Mark II to get 24 and 25fps in a firmware update!
New SNL title sequence and segments shot using Canon EOS 7D, 5D Mark II
Sure, we'd heard of indie flicks and rumors of studio films being shot on Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, but DSLR video just got a big kick into the mainstream: Saturday Night Live's new opening title sequence was shot using an EOS 7D. SNL director of photography Alex Buono saw that Dublin's People short and was so impressed that he switched over -- and what's more, he's even using the 5D and 7D to shoot various segments, like the faux-mercial for "Bladivan" embedded below. That's a big win for this new breed of video cameras -- and while we're stoked to see new tech take over the old, we're also patiently waiting for someone to start a site dedicated to identifying jelly-motion on network television. [Thanks, Malkmus]
Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount attracts Hollywood's attention
Details are a bit light on this one, but the Planet 5D blog has received an email from the director of photography on 24, who himself received an email from the DP of Dollhouse, who passed on a video of a Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount built by the folks at Panavision. The rig was apparently designed specifically for use in fight scenes and other instances where a very close camera point-of-view is beneficial, and of course for "parachute drops and the like." The story also goes that the mount might have actually been used on Iron Man, although that's yet to be confirmed. Hit up the read link below to check out the video for yourself, although it unfortunately doesn't actually include any sample footage taken with the rig.
Magic Lantern EOS 5D Mark II firmware tweaks video mode, adds more manual controls
It's hacky and requires some fiddling, but EOS 5D Mark II owners interested in maxing out their video abilities will want to check out the new Magic Lantern firmware developed by Trammell Hudson. The new code adds a tons of features, including on-screen audio meters, audio and video gain control with the option to disable the auto settings, zebra stripe masking of overexposed areas, and on-screen aspect ratio overlays -- and what's more, it's billed as an "open platform," so there should be many more plugins and tweaks forthcoming. Caveats apply with this early release, though: you need to reload the firmware if the camera so much as goes to sleep, and battery drain appears to be an unresolved issue. Still, we're certain these problems will be fixed over time, since we're guessing there's gonna be tons of interest in this -- if Canon would just throw us some autofocus in addition to those new manual exposure controls, we'd be all set.[Via Wired]
Canon EOS 5D Mark II update with manual video exposure controls now available
We'd heard it was coming and now it's here -- the just-released EOS 5D Mark II 1.1.0 firmware update adds a much-longed-for manual exposure control to the video mode. That ought to warm some budding filmmaker hearts our there -- and the rest of us can enjoy a few other minor enhancements. Fun for the whole family![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Waterproof 5D Mark II housing allows for 1080p under the sea
People are already using Canon's groundbreaking 5D Mark II to shoot feature films, but we never thought we'd see the next Jaws captured with a DSLR. 'Course, whether or not Mr. Spielberg will actually choose to use one remains to be seen, but at least the option's there now. Famed underwater imaging company Sea&Sea has just outed its newest waterproof casing, promising to keep the 1080p-capable DSLR safe for up to 60 meters under the surface. The only issue? It'll set you back almost as much as the camera body, or ¥283,500 ($2,998). Good thing you've got a Hollywood-sized budget, yeah?[Via Akihabara News]
Searching For Sonny: first feature film shot on a DSLR
What's the world coming too, really? Not only did we see the first official presidential portrait shot with a DSLR this year, but we're also seeing the first feature film to be entirely shot on one as well. Searching For Sonny has grabbed the rights to that latter claim, a little ditty written and directed by one Andrew Disney. As expected, we have Canon's almighty EOS 5D Mark II to thank, though Nikon fanboys will surely love that their lenses were used. Head past the break for a sneak peek, and hit up the read link on April 15th for the full trailer. Indie filmmakers, this is the break you've been waiting for -- don't screw it up.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II flash drive: just 21.1MP shy of awesomeness
You could say that this is the perfect USB flash drive for existing EOS 5D Mark II owners. We'd argue, however, that this is the perfect USB flash drive for those looking to just live vicariously while not shattering the bank. 'Course, $129.99 for a 4GB USB key is pretty absurd, but at least that gets you Live View and a 1080p movie mode. Er, wait...[Via Zungua]