5D Mark II : First Impression

Within 5 minutes of relieving the UPS man of his parcel, I finally had a 5D Mark II gripped firmly in my hand. This camera represents a dream come true for me, and then some; I have been hoping for a camera like this for a long time now. 

The 5D Mark II is a perfect balance of power and portability; at home in both the studio or on the street. There are, of course, some new features and design elements that will take me some time to get used to, to quickly name a few:

1. The button placement on the back of the camera. I am used to just sliding my finger down onto the last button on the left side to playback my most recent image, not so anymore. The trash button is now the southern-most button on the 5DII's posterior.
2. The AF-On button. I am so used to hitting the "star" button on the back to focus that it took me about 2 hours of shooting to train my thumb to float just a little further left to hit the focus button.
3. The ISO adjustment has a new partner in the form of flash exposure compensation. Formerly paired with the drive adjustment, the ISO button is no longer in the center of the 3 main buttons on the top of the camera. I was regularly poking the wrong one trying to change ISO; this might take a little getting used to.

These gripes aside, the camera feels very natural in my hand, almost identical to the old 5D; which is a very good thing. Also, for those who care...the shutter has a very nice click to it, very different from the clunk-slap of the old 5D. It sounds tighter and more precise; very pleasing.

Live View is a new feature for me and I'm still kinda wrapping my mind around it. I used it a few times today to make some pictures from tight angles where I could not get an eye on the viewfinder. A welcome addition and a very necessary one when using the new video mode.

What I am most impressed with, beyond all else, is the image quality produced by this camera. It is better than good at 1600 and good at 3200. I have not tried out 6400 yet, or 12800, OR 25600. It is just beyond me that this camera still has 3 more gears to shift through if needed, simply astounding. Beyond ISO performance, the new 14-bit files are noticeable easier to manage while editing and the dynamic range seems to have significantly increased as well (compared to old 5D).

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the camera and I look forward to making many memorable images with it in the coming years. 

Here are a few of the first shots I took tonight: