The 5D Mk II - a Nikon shooter's perspective

Now the dust has settled, this Nikon shooter (and ex-5D shooter for 2 years) has looked at what you're about to get.

Firstly what I think Canon didn't do - the Af, the AF and the AF. That, and the mirror blackout/shutter lag are the 2 things that jump out at me. Puzzling, but I think I might have worked out what Canon are doing. More on that later.

Secondly, what I think Canon did well to do - the 21MP sensor with Digic IV could be a cracker. The 1080P video. As a wedding shooter I haven't figured out how I'd use this mid-shoot, but smarter and better photographers than me will. No doubt we'll see this on the next batch of Nikons as well. The small form factor is a boon for many. They've addressed issues like the poor LCD screen. Refreshed the overall feel no doubt, updated the menu system and it looks like the VF is a better one (seems whiter from what I've read). Overall I think it's going to be a very solid addition to the Canon shooter's arsenal.

I think Canon will release a new 1D IV and that it's going to be FF with a 1.3x crop mode. I also think it might be around 14-16MP and maintain the speed of the current. If it's priced at £3k at a stroke it removes the AF, dual-card slots complaints of some looking at the 5D II.

I think Nikon will release 2 higher res models - a D4 and D800 says, with the same idea as the D3 and D700 but slower, more studio/landscape based models. Say they're £3500 and £2500 and Canon drop the 1Ds III slightly for a £3500-3750 price point.

Essentially we then up with pretty a camera for anyone's needs. From both manufacturers. Both will have superb overall systems.

It's this realisation that brings me to my real point:

The recent introduction of the 5D II and the associated musings, assumptions and general flim-flam surrounding it got me thinking about our obsession with kit.

I’ll declare an interest here – I’m as guilty of being a gear-head as anyone here. I get excited about seeing new technology and marvel at what we shoot with now. Personally I’m lucky to own some fabulous kit and it’s at the level where if I miss a shot it’s down to me and not the camera. This then, is the tipping point. Sometimes I have to catch myself and recall the feeling I get when I get a great shot – the buzz of a new camera is nothing by comparison.

We search for the magic combination of camera and lens, as if that’s the key alone. Sometimes it is and of course we have to have the right (and often best) choice for a given situation. My kit is for weddings and people and would be of little use for a sports tog at a rugby match. But beyond that I’ve come to realise that it was the love of photography and not photographic gear that pulled me in to this world, and it’s that love that pulls me in to this day. Our search should be for the magic combination of the moment, the right light, the emotion, the people and things that matter to us. It should be about documenting the world around us, what we see, what we love.

So, whether you shoot Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony. I don’t care. Is one model slightly better than another in a certain area? I don’t care. It’s THAT we photograph that matters, not WHAT we photograph with. I’ll still watch each new announcement with interest but really, it’s not important to worry about the minutiae. I mean, how lucky are we to be in photography with this lot to choose from!

You have a great community here, full of people spending hours helping each other out. Long may that continue. You're all photographers. We're all striving for the same thing.

Very well written. I think most of us (myself for one) get to caught up in new gear and pixel peeping and our focus is distracted from the more important subject of photography itself!

radiohead wrote in post #6341040
We search for the magic combination of camera and lens, as if that’s the key alone. Sometimes it is and of course we have to have the right (and often best) choice for a given situation.

It should be about documenting the world around us, what we see, what we love.

It’s THAT we photograph that matters, not WHAT we photograph with.

Well said.

The "Magic Bullet" syndrome afflicts many.

radiohead wrote in post #6341040
You're all photographers. We're all striving for the same thing.

Wrong! I strive for tacos and street cred.

Very well said!

here, here...

radiohead wrote in post #6341040
..........
I think Canon will release a new 1D IV and that it's going to be FF with a 1.3x crop mode. I also think it might be around 14-16MP and maintain the speed of the current. If it's priced at £3k at a stroke it removes the AF, dual-card slots complaints of some looking at the 5D II.

Not going to happen. Canon will still need to have two 1D models. The speed needed for the non-S model is simply not attainable with the resolution needed for the 1DS.
It will be way beyond the MK4 when and if Canon goes for only one 1D.

radiohead wrote in post #6341040
...............
So, whether you shoot Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony. I don’t care. Is one model slightly better than another in a certain area? I don’t care. It’s THAT we photograph that matters, not WHAT we photograph with. I’ll still watch each new announcement with interest but really, it’s not important to worry about the minutiae. I mean, how lucky are we to be in photography with this lot to choose from!

You have a great community here, full of people spending hours helping each other out. Long may that continue. You're all photographers. We're all striving for the same thing.

+1

Well put - It's very easy to get 'sucked-in' to buying loads of nice new gear, but at the end of the day it's all about taking pictures, and as a humble amateur (who sells a few shots now and again at events etc.) I get a lot of enjoyment just going out with my camera and taking shots, even if they don't turn out that good sometimes!, I still enjoy doing it!

Guy, that's the maturest and inspirational artical I've read all month. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I totally agree with you that it's for the love of photography that we buy photographic equipement. I adore great photography, regardless of the brand or lens. A great shot is always a great shot. But also a great lens is always a great lens in the right hands too. I think the Nikon vs canon debate is over now. Both offer fantastic cameras, each with their own spin. The level and quality has become so good that there isn't any creative differences between them any more. But simply a question of choice.
For 2008 I chose to get a 17-40L instead of a 16-35IIL. I shoot a lot of landcapes and it's a slightly better choice. but for wedding work, I found it lacking. f4 was just too slow and I didn't like it's look wide open. My plan was to get an additional 24L for very low light work, but i ended up with a TS-e 45mm instead...but that's a different story! So last week i bought a 16-35 II L to replace my 17-40L and yes it's metering 2/3 stop over what it should. It's a common complaint with this lens, but it's results deliver and worth putting up with for this aggrevation. I've read a lot of dissing of this lens, Corner sharpness, metering ect, and it's a pity because it's a very capable but with a few foibles. Part of these issues make it's charector though and I like to learn a lenses before I use it professionally. Often it's this unique charector and not the focal range that enchant me. I learn to work around it's problems and different looking pictures are the result. Which isn't a bad thing.
I'm very used to the ultra wide 17-40L focal range, I've used a tamron 17-35 longer than i can remember and I'm a long term user of the Sigma 12-24 too. All three lenses are very different in their look, but cover the same range. I choose a particacular lenses for it's unique view not it's focal length. I think that spec sheets are a modern disease, it's real world use that we all need.

As I keep telling my 2nd photographer, it's not about comparing focal lengths but about comparing simular lenses with completely different looks and abilities. A 16-35mm produces images that look very different to the images from a 17-40L.

What this lens has brought to me is the love of a 35mm focal range...I don't know why but I'm suddenly shooting in that range again and I haven't for years. Which is a surprise because I normally find the 35mm focal length quite dull. I know the 16/17/20/24/28 ranges very well, but with this lens I just love the look of the 35mm wide open. Some time new kit can re-energise our creativity.
Hence shots like this:

Panza wrote in post #6341259
Not going to happen. Canon will still need to have two 1D models. The speed needed for the non-S model is simply not attainable with the resolution needed for the 1DS.
It will be way beyond the MK4 when and if Canon goes for only one 1D.

I didn't mean that - I meant that the faster 1D is likely to be FF and there'll still be a slower, higher res one alongside. If Nikon can get a FF to chug along like the D3 then Canon certainly can.

Panza wrote in post #6341259
Not going to happen. Canon will still need to have two 1D models. The speed needed for the non-S model is simply not attainable with the resolution needed for the 1DS.
It will be way beyond the MK4 when and if Canon goes for only one 1D.

is that a mechanical/shutter type limit, or a processing massive amounts of data limit? (I don't know how fast 35mm film SLRs used to do).

If the latter, then there is nothing that can't be solved with more horsepower. And potentially you can speed that up by using the crop mode, cutting down the amount of raw data to process.

but if the 50D can do 15mp at 6.3fps, then a 1DIV with dual digicIVs should be able to deal with 10fps at 16mp

All very well said. Too many people are blinded by the capability of latest technology.

Last week, the Original 5D was worshiped. Now with even more improvements, the 5d MkII is catching a bunch of heat??

mrklaw wrote in post #6341410
(I don't know how fast 35mm film SLRs used to do).

My old 35mm EOS 10S (1991) shoots 5 fps without a grip. I believe the fastest-ever 35mm shot at 15 fps (albeit with a huge grip!).

The tolerances are even stricter on DSLR cameras, however. I doubt we will see anything above 12 fps for the next 1D.

...best post since the 5D MKII came out, IMO.

Panza wrote in post #6341259
Not going to happen. Canon will still need to have two 1D models. The speed needed for the non-S model is simply not attainable with the resolution needed for the 1DS.
It will be way beyond the MK4 when and if Canon goes for only one 1D.

I don't really agree. I don't expect to see 10fps coming from a 25mp camera any time soon but considering that the shutter on a full frame camera (D3) is hitting 11fps and Canon does 10 on the 1D, I see no reason to assume some kind of cropping or lower res full frame sampling couldn't be offered on a high resolution camera in the future. In particular if a future DIGIC & chip combo offered say 40mp full frame, and 10mp binned at high frame rate (and great high ISO performance) then you're having your cake and eating it too with a great best of both worlds kind of combination. Because of the chip level at which binning could take place, faster readouts become a possibility.

great post, but I have a couple questions for anyone that may be able to answer

I'm getting the 5D Mark II and will be coming from a 20D. I hear people mention the shutter black out and shutter lag on the 5D... how do those compare to the 20D? Better? Worse? About the same?
As it stands, the shutter lag and black out on the 20D doesn't bother me one bit, and hearing these complaints rising up about the release of the 5D Mark II has me slightly concerned.