[spxxxx]

WOW......

Handles much better and feels much better in the hands than a D700 .....

Seems better built than the old 5D ... but that is probably all in the mind as justification for spending the money.

The LCD is superb and details and colour are very well represented - you can have the histogram showing colour channels ir required.

Menu system is moving towards the same style as the 1D system - which is good.

To use it is excellent - one battery lasted me all day with still 1/3 power.

Everything is intuitive and the welcome addition to ISO speed in the viewfinder is a boon.

Exposure seems better than the MKI and requires less fine tuning..... BUT you really have to expose to the right to get the best out of the sensor .... underexpose and pull back in post and all those pixels on that chip soon brings in noise.... the difference being it is noise with detail unlike Nikon.

Side by side with the MKI and there is only probably 2/3 stop better noise handling with the MKII

So no way is 3200 on the MKII better than 1600 on the MKI ...... I may be doing something wrong - but I've also leant it to another pro and he concurs....

No doubt with a bit of PP those 3200 ISO images will be great and with the right light and shadows 6400 are also very good ..... so it shoots in the dark but just don't expect noise free superb fine detail.

But really if you are having to shoot at 3200 and 6400 ...... you get what you can.

Overall it is subtly a great improvement and an evolution rather than anything more.

Good enough for me to get a second......

If you shoot mainly low ISO up to say 800 ...... the MKI makes a great buy and still rivals the best of them !

I'll add more as I use it more

[P-E]

Nice one Simon. Look forward to reading further updates

[stepheno]

Thanks for that Simon It's always good to here a working tog's opinion but I think I'll be staying with my Mk1 for now

[spxxxx]

Forgot to mention the WB is actually accurate

[stepheno]

Well that must be a first.

[Dave Canon]

Simon, thanks for the useful summary. All other things being equal, you would expect that the additional pixels on the same sized chip would result in poorer noise performance so even a small improvement sounds good to me. When I compared the 50D to the 5D Mk1 looking at the Raw files the 50D looks very noisy compared to the 5D Mk1. However, for the lower ISO values and JPEG the 50D quite clean and sharp. I have put this down to clever noise reduction. I suspected that Canon might introduce such noise reduction in the 5D MkII thought it clearly would not need to work as hard as for the 50D. Do you see any sign of this with the JPEG output. Also are Canon encouraging Raw users to use DPP which I suspect also has some noise reduction for the 5D MkII?

[spxxxx]

Dave

I only ever shoot Raw so can't comment on the jpeg bit.

When pixel peeping they look slightly noisy at 100% but then you realise just how big the image is you are looking at - if you see what I mean.

I've used DPP and ACR/LR on the same image and the 5DMKII files look slightly better skin tones than ACR but further investigation seems to suggest that DPP uses lower contrast and the files don't need the default curve I had set in ACR for the MKI files ....

That and a slight luminance value on the NR conversion and the CS v DPP files are virtually the same.

Print wise the files are superb and I've just printed some 24x16 to have a look and they are as smooth as butter.

I have received my first set of 7x5 proofs back from the lab from the wedding and all the internal ceremony shots at 3200 are totally noise free.... nothing - nada - zip.

[The_Camera_Poser]

Noise free at 3200- sweet!!!

[spxxxx]

Originally Posted by The_Camera_Poser

Noise free at 3200- sweet!!!

In print .....

[Dave]

I'll keep my MK1 for a bit longer , before upgrading

[spxxxx]

Originally Posted by Dave

I'll keep my MK1 for a bit longer , before upgrading

Have you used it yet?

[JMitchell]

Interesting Simon, looks good for sure, although I might try and avoid using sweeping statements about it vs. Nikon, especially the noise thing, because I would instantly protest, and I don't believe you've used the most recent Nikon kit for any significant amount of time...
Still, they're all good cameras, right?

[silkstone]

Sounds very good, Simon.

@ Dave - £750 and that's my final offer.

...although I might try and avoid using sweeping statements about it vs. Nikon...

Whoever you are please stop using Jack's account.

[spxxxx]

Originally Posted by JMitchell

Interesting Simon, looks good for sure, although I might try and avoid using sweeping statements about it vs. Nikon, especially the noise thing, because I would instantly protest, and I don't believe you've used the most recent Nikon kit for any significant amount of time...
Still, they're all good cameras, right?

Actually I and many others have ..... so it isn't such a sweeping statement - what I don't comment on is if you prefer the smoother Nikon less detail look of the not so smooth Canon more detail look

[VinnyP]

You can always objectively compare the actual performance here What might have an impact is that at an indicated ISO 3200 The Canon is actually at 2133

[spxxxx]

Originally Posted by VinnyP

You can always objectively compare the actual performance here What might have an impact is that at an indicated ISO 3200 The Canon is actually at 2133

I tend to go with real life use ... and I was a Nikon man for nearly 30 years so it pains me that it doesn't do it for me

[VinnyP]

I was a Canon man for 10 years until they sold out all the owners of FD mount lenses. I knew full well that with the exception of the Nikon D1. Canon made the better sensors until the D300 etc but wouldn't jump ship on principle. I can't compare the latest Nikon to Canon first hand but Andy rouse and a lot of other big name Canon pros are all jumping to Nikon.

[dabhand16]

I guess they heard about Dave switching to Canon and wanted to redress the balance

At the end of the day people will use the camera that suits them and their requirements. If one or other was 'best', no one would buy/use the other brand. It's all about horses for courses and personal preferences - and long may it stay that way

[silkstone]

+1 to that Graham.

In another few months the see-saw may swing again, but good photographers will still be good whatever equipment they use. Equipment and technology fascinate me, but in a way I wish we could get away from it all. As someone once said, "Perfection is attained by practice not purchase."

[Dave]

As long as the different Camera brands keep advancing through competition, we the end users are all winners

Impressive results Simon with the printing

Will be trying out the MK1 at Studio shoot this Sunday