As I approach my 500th frame taken on the Canon 5D Mark II, I am starting to have some opinions.
Things are placed just a little differently on the new 5D. Now I have a lot of hard-won unconsious patterning that is going to be upset the first time I go on a job, which will be in a couple weeks. There is an issue with using two not quite identical cameras simultaneously. For example, the position of the exposure compensation scale is just a little different on the new camera. Because it's one of those things I unconsciously register, I can already anticipate the possible errors when that indicator is in a different position depending on which camera I'm glancing at. I really ought to have two new 5D's, but that's a bit out of reach at the moment.
I love that there's a My Menu screen, where I can plant just the functions I use all the time. Like Format. And now RAW file size, as I don't necessarily want to be producing files that are 5616 pixels wide when I'm shooting for the web. Love that.
12800 is the new 3200. Shooting in the extended ISO range is a stretch. Last night I shot at 12800. For web use, no problem. For printed use—well, if it's bigger than a quarter page I'd be hesitant. But it's great that I have the reach when I need it. Just like 3200 on the old camera.
Now, video. This camera is a real hassle if you're trying to make it be one. Focus is the culprit. If your subject is immobile and you can carefully set the focus point, fine. But if your subject is immobile, why are you taking a video of it? The camera shoots wide open, which means your depth of field is about an inch. There is no autofocus when it's running. You have to rack the focus manually, on that screen in the back that you can't see because you're middle-aged and wear progressive trifocals. It just doesn't work folks. I'll need a pair of reading glasses dangling from my neck if I'm going to use this thing as a video camera.
It does, however, auto-expose while you're shooting video, so you get that amateurish bright-to-dark-to-bright thing when your subject changes brightness.
Below are some frame grabs from the video I shot last night. In a day or so I'll to have some footage posted.
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