Canon EOS-5D Review

Sean Reid has just written a Canon EOS-5D Review for The Imaging Resource, (and I think he did a fine job at it too).

“Following in the impressive footsteps laid down by earlier members of the highly-acclaimed Canon EOS line of digital SLRs, the new 5D definitely upholds its EOS lineage. While a truly excellent photographic tool though, it doesn’t automatically represent a slam-dunk choice between it and a sub-frame camera — or even between it and the much more expensive EOS-1Ds Mark II. The 5D struck us as an odd mixture of consumer and professional aesthetics, a slightly uncomfortable fit in the current world of d-SLRs. For people addicted to ultrawide angle photography with a substantial investment in full-frame wide angle lenses, it will probably be a no-brainer. But for someone not already invested in wide-angle glass, you could buy an EOS 30D and Canon’s excellent little 10-22mm EF-S wide-angle lens and have more than just change to spare relative to the cost of the 5D body alone. Not only that, but the 10-22mm’s performance on a 30D will be superior to that of most ultrawide full-frame lenses on the 5D. After only a little snapping with it, it became manifestly clear that this was a camera that absolutely shows up every minute flaw in a lens’ performance, particularly in the corners of the frame. The sub-frame cameras also have the advantage of being markedly faster than the 5D in continuous mode, in part a consequence of the larger mirror that the 5D needs to flap back and forth between shots.”

The Canon EOS 5D digital SLR offers a full-frame CMOS sensor with 12.8 megapixels of resolution at an affordable price of $3,299 USD. It is the world’s smallest and lightest full-frame digital SLR and features Canon’s proprietary DIGIC II Image Processor allows users to snap up to 3 frames per second; record up to 60 full-resolution JPEGs and 17 RAW images in a single burst. The camera includes a new 9-point AF system with six supplemental AF points for fast and precise focusing and a new 2.5-inch LCD/TFT screen with 230,000 pixels that’s viewable even at extreme angles.