Review of Canon 1D Mark II [Archive]

Suhit Gupta

06-21-2004, 05:00 PM

The following review was written by Bob Heald, a Digital Media Thoughts Reader who received a Canon 1D Mark II and put together an anecdotal review of his first week with it. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/1d_markii_586x225.jpg" /> Product Category: Digital camera Manufacturer: <a href="http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=9808">Canon</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=jasondunn-20&path=tg/detail/-/B0001G112O/qid%3D1087697315/sr%3D8-1">Amazon</a> (affiliate link) Price: $4499.99 USD Specifications: Professional Grade Single Lens Reflex, 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, magnesium alloy shell, NiMH rechargeable battery pack, Compact Flash Type I/II - Microdrive compatible and Secure Digital, recognizes >2 gigabyte storage media. Pros:<li>Solid construction and weight (See text) <li>Extremely fast; <li>Large frame buffer; <li>Accepts all Canon (except S) EF lenses; <li>Comprehensive user interface. Cons:<li>Price; <li>Weight (see text).Summary: As a semi-professional photographer, I have always been a fan of Canon cameras. The EOS line has a well deserved reputation for speed and quietness of operation that are highly valued for wildlife and action photography. While this camera may not be for everybody, for those wanting high resolution, very fast frame rate, and the other things this camera offers, it has no direct competitor. Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Introductory Comments The Canon EOS-1D Mark II is the new (as of April, 2004) flagship of the Canon EOS line. It is neither the highest resolution, nor the most expensive (that title goes to the $8,000 11 megapixel EOS-1Ds.) However, the feature set it brings to the table puts it ahead of anything else currently on the market. This camera is not for the faint of heart though - its $4,500 price tag and weight of 3.5 pounds without a lens can make it rather intimidating for all but those who recognize and want its power. I purchased this camera as a replacement for a Canon EOS D60, a 6.3 megapixel SLR. The main deciding factor for the purchase was not the relatively minimal increase in resolution from 6.3 to 8.2 megapixel but, rather, for the added features it offers. The most notable of these for me was its ability to capture up to 8.5 frames per second for up to 40 frames at its highest resolution of 3504x2336 pixels. More about that shortly. I do a significant amount of action photography and this capability will come in handy for many shooting events. Finally, this review will not delve heavily into the specifications of this camera except as they deal with my actual use of it. Other sites have posted extensive and thorough reviews which deal with these items. Rather, I will describe my use of the camera and how it fits my usage and photo practises. I use a Canon 35 - 350 EF-L lens as my primary lens and a Canon 17 - 40 EF lens for wide angle shots. What’s in the box This camera does NOT include a lens nor a memory card. In addition to the camera body, the following items are included: <li>NiMH rechargeable battery pack <li>Battery charger (will accept two batteries and includes a refresh cycle) <li>DC coupler for powering the camera with AC power <li>Software drivers for direct connection to a PC <li>Image editing software for RAW images <li>Wide Neck Strap <li>Assorted cables: video out for connection to TV, USB cable, Firewire cable <li>Owners manual and quick reference guide (English and French)A few comments about this list. First, the absence of a lens and memory card. It is not unusual for professional grade cameras to not include these items. In the case of the lens, most purchasers either already have their lens(es) of choice or are buying them at the same time as the camera body. As for the absence of a memory card, the same applies. At 8.2 megapixels, any storage medium that might be included would likely be too small to be of any significance. In my case, I have a Hitachi 4gb MicroDrive and a SanDisk 512mb Secure Digital card which I use in the Mark II. Why a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery when so many electronic items have gone to Lithium Ion? For the simple reason that the power demands of the high speed frame capture and other features of the camera are not compatible with Lithium Ion. I will likely never connect the camera directly to either of my PCs so I have not installed the drivers. I did install the image software but have not had time to learn it so I will omit it from this review. Because of the weight of this camera and lens combination, I’ll never use the neck strap. I prefer instead, the Canon hand strap which attaches to the right side of the camera and holds the camera securely to my right hand. With the 35 - 350 lens and no flash, the combined weight is six and a half pounds. <PAGEBREAK> Weight and Size Note that I listed the camera’s weight (3.5 pounds with battery and without lens) as both a pro and a con. This is a personal thing and I don’t mind the weight at all though I can understand why some people would. The feel of this camera is very solid giving the impression that it would be at home in just about any environment the photographer chose to use it. Most of the pictures I’ve seen of this camera do not adequately show its size. The body alone is 156 x 157.6 x 79.9 millimeters (6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 inches). With the 35 - 350 lens and lens hood attached, the camera’s depth increases to 320 millimeters (12.6 inches). The size of this camera is such that I can rest its base on my left shoulder while holding the lens’s tripod mount in my left hand. This provides a fairly stable platform and aligns the viewfinder’s eyepiece perfectly with my left eye. First Impressions Moving to this camera from the Canon D60, I found many of the controls to be familiar to me. However, there are more of them on the Mark II and the operation of several is different than the D60. With a single menu on the D60, after pressing the menu button, selections were made by simply turning the navigation wheel on the back of the camera then pressing a button in the middle of that wheel to activate the highlighted menu option. On the Mark II, there is no button in the middle of the wheel. Furthermore, moving the wheel by itself has no effect on the menus. While disconcerting at first, I resorted to actually reading the manual and found that menu control is a two handed operation. On the Mark II, there are five menus available and to move between them, you must hold the menu button down while moving the large wheel on the camera’s back to cycle through the menus. Once on the desired menu, it is necessary to hold the Select button down while moving the wheel to the desired option. Once a desired option is highlighted, simply releasing the Select button activates it. This same scheme follows throughout all the menus for both set up and playback. The logic of this method goes along with the professional standard of the camera. By requiring simultaneous use of two controls, the ability to accidentally invoke an option is almost nil. Likewise almost non-existent is the ability to accidentally delete a shot you have waited patiently to obtain because the Delete function is also a two control operation. Once I sorted all of this out, it took me only a few times to get used to the operation. Like the 35mm Canon EOS-1V, the Mark II has 45 auto focus points available. By default, the camera is set to automatically select which focus point or points to use. That’s right, it will focus based on the image at multiple points in the viewfinder. At first, I did not like this feature. But, with a little practice and option resetting, I’ve sorted out the logic behind this method. For a large number of the pictures I take, the object or objects I want in focus are not necessarily those closest to the camera. For this reason, I have the camera set to use only the center AF point and I control what it focuses on. However, if I was photographing a sporting event or a bird in flight, having the camera select the AF point(s) would be a great improvement over me trying to keep that center point on the subject. That, combined with the camera’s AI Servo focus mode and continuous fire frame capture explains why this camera has already become so popular with sports photographers. With the camera in AI Servo (continuous focus) mode, as long as the shutter release is held half way or all the way down, the camera continues to hold in focus whatever is in the chosen focal point(s). <PAGEBREAK> Action Shots Here are a few pictures to consider. None have been touched up beyond cropping and resizing to 400 pixels on the longest edge. Except as noted, all were taken with the Mark II. Original size of those taken with the Mark II are 3504 x 2336 and with the Pro1, 3264 x 2448. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Capitol Building.jpg" /> Figure 1: The Missouri Capitol Building – ISO 100. Resampled from original. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/segment.jpg" /> Figure 2: Detail of Capitol Building without resampling – 367 x 373 pixels <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/MO River Bridge.jpg" /> Figure 3: The Missouri River Bridge at ISO 100. Note that on the original 8.2mp shot, the power lines are visible in front of the trees to the right of the utility pole. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Roaring River Trail.jpg" /> Figure 4: A trail in Roaring River State Park. ISO 100 <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Mk II & Pro1-a.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Mk II & Pro1-b.jpg" /> Figure 5 and 6: These two pictures were taken with a friend’s Canon Power Shot Pro1 to show a size comparison between the Mark II, the Pro 1 and a standard CF card. Conclusions In the first week and a half, I have taken about 300 pictures with the Mark II, some just for practice or playing around with features (such as the 8.5 frames per second capture rate.) I personally like the weight and feel of the camera. Yes, there are places where I would want a smaller lighter camera - backpacking, hiking, and similar activities where the main purpose is the event and not taking pictures of it. That’s why I also have the Canon PowerShot Pro 1. But, for times when my primary interest is taking pictures, I don’t think this camera can be beat by anything currently on the market. Some of the functions seemed a bit cumbersome at first but, once I sorted out the logic and remembered that this camera is first and foremost, a professional, action oriented camera, it is evident to me that Canon put a lot of thought into this camera and its target users. There are other “specification” reviews as well as photo essays of this camera posted on various web sites. Additionally, I’ll be more than happy (as I’m sure any owner would) to answer any questions or join in any discussion related to the Mark posted here on thoughts. Do I have any “Buyer’s Remorse” about this camera? Absolutely none. Would I change anything about it? Not really. I’d like to see the ability to use a non-memory developing battery instead of the NiMH but that’s really a minor thing in the overall scheme. I really think Canon has a major winner in this camera.