Have a look at this excellent video review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera. It comes from the expert guys at cameralabs.com:
Part 1 of an 18 minute high definition tour around Canon’s latest full-frame DSLR, the EOS 5D Mark II, by Gordon Laing, Editor of http://www.cameralabs.com
Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera
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Review:
The Nikon D90 when couple with a grip feels like a real camera, although it’s anything but a pro body it certainly does look and feel the part. The last reviewer said you can go a few days without a charger but if you have two Nikon batteries in the grip you could go a whole week as it takes up to 5,000 shots between charges.
Another pro is the fact you can af with normal AF-D and G lenses and don’t have to have AF-S as with the D60. My nifty fifty on the D90 is so much better as you can af with it and aren’t limited like with the D60, it’s become my favourite lens overnight. As for the video, I have to admit I haven’t used it yet and know a lot of people have marked the Nikon D90 down because of it, but at the end of the day I bought the Nikon D90 to take great photos, not videos.
Check out this video, it gives some interesting tips about choosing a SLR Camera…
Digital SLRs are the new type of Digital Camera, but choosing the right one can be complicated. This Buyer’s Guide explains what you need to know about SLRs to make sure you’re getting the latest and greatest camera.
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Canon EOS 500D Digital SLR Camera
Technical Details:
Review:
In many respects the Canon EOS 500D does all of the work for you. You could quite happily use the basic zone modes (auto modes) and take great photos or just use them whilst you get to grips with the complexity of manual modes.
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The Canon EOS 500D is also stunning aesthetically. It is slightly more rounded than previous models but as a consequence is also a touch smaller, especially the grip. For someone like myself who has large hands it is still not too much of a problem but if you feel like this may be a problem then a battery grip should rectify this.
In 2 weeks I probably charged the Canon EOS 500D once and took almost a thousand photos.. great battery life considering the performance.
The buttons on the 500D are cleverly thought out except in the live view where the ‘*’ button serves as the AF button and when filming the ‘live view’ button is stop/start recording.
The HD video mode is very good – I didn’t consider this feature when buying but it is a very useful one to have just in case.
The only problems I have had are with memory cards. I was initially using a 2Gb one I already had but this was way too small but have recently bought a new 8Gb one which holds about 1,100 JPEG images. When you buy a card don’t go for the cheapest go for the fastest (class 6). A standard SanDisk one will take about 15-20 continuous shots then will slow down or stop.
All in all a fantastic DSLR that I would recommend to anyone, especially if you take pictures of sporting events or landscapes as the Canon really seems to capture vivid colours and action well. The Canon EOS 500D is by far and away the best camera in this price bracket too when compared to a D90 for example.
If you are looking for Full Frame SLR Digital Cameras, the choices for the non-millionaires are the Sony A900, the Canon 5D Mk II or the Nikon D700.
The good news is that there is not a turkey among them; the image quality is fantastic with all three (from the ludicrous number of reviews I have read).
Canon Digital SLR EOS 5D Mark II
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Sony Alpha 900 Digital SLR Camera
The standard in digital photography has arrived with the Sony a (alpha) DSLR-A900. Packed with features, this flagship DSLR is the first a (alpha) to incorporate a 35mm full frame image sensor and 24.6-megapixel resolution.
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The Sony Alpha 900 also incorporates the world’s first body-integrated, full-size SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization technology. You’ll also experience a larger capture area, improved wide-angle performance and tighter depth of field control with the full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor.
Equipped with Dual BIONZ imaging processors, the alpha A900 delivers continuous shooting up to 5 fps with superb image quality and ultra-low noise. The A900 also offers a large, ultra-bright glass pentaprism viewfinder with 100 percent coverage, a 3.0-inch Xtra Fine LCD display and HDMI output with PhotoTV HD compatibility.
The A900 features a 35mm full frame Exmor CMOS image sensor. The result is a larger capture area, improved wide angle performance, and tighter depth of field control.
In addition, its 24.6MP resolution maximizes the resolving power of your existing lenses and delivers sharper, higher contrast photos.The A900 provides direct HDMI output to your BRAVIA HDTV and other compatible HDTV screens, so you can view and share photos in breathtaking clarity and detail.
Additionally, PhotoTV HD capable BRAVIA HDTVs will automatically optimize display settings, such as sharpness, gradation, and color to display your images in a way that more closely matches the natural look of printed photographs.
The A900 features an impressive design befitting a premium flagship model. The simple form eschews ornamentation and exudes competence, while the iconic pentaprism design element conveys superior optical performance. The A900 also incorporates a distinctive cinnabar-colored ring circling the lens mount.
Review:
Weighty in feel, the Sony Alpha 900 feels the business, and instead of having a 24mm APS-C sized sensor, it has a maddening 24 megapixel on a 35mm sensor. That in itself is not only class leading, but likely to be class establishing. Immediately the controls feel familiar to a Minolta and Sony digital user, and indeed as the layout of the controls on cameras became almost standardised, I should expect anyone who has used a digital SLR to quickly become familiar with the controls.
Sure it is missing the additional dials for flash and exposure control like the old Minolta 7D, but flicking around the display panel using the function button and the joystick, is just as easy. Shortcut buttons on the top of the Sony Alpha 900 are well out of the way of accidental presses, giving access to exposure, white balance and ISO controls.
Other options include creative modes, including black and white, and Dynamic Range options which try and squeeze the detail out of over or under exposed areas of a picture. Another neat touch is the preview mode. Press the depth of field button at your subject and release. A preview picture is displayed on the screen and various exposure and picture control options. Fiddle with these, until the picture looks the way you want it, and hey presto, those settings are set for you to continue shooting. Don’t expect to keep the preview, it is just that, and gets deleted the minute you exit to the menus or take another picture.
When you find the settings you like, there are three direct access (save) registers to save those settings. Next time you want to use that particular set of parameters, just turn the dial to the register number you saved them in, and start shooting.
In essence, from a control point of view, it is a photographers dream. With fantastic automatic settings and manual overrides for almost everything you could wish for.
The Sony Alpha 900 is fast. Fast on autofocus, fast to establish exposure, and very fast in taking a picture, with up to five frames per second in burst mode. It also has built in image stabilisation so ANY lens fitted, even if it a 20 year old Minolta 70-200 beercan, can benefit from this blur reducing feature.
So it’s fast, usable and feature packed, but what about the picture quality?
Well that’s partly down to you, but once I had started to get the swing of things, the Sony Alpha 900 offers unparallel speed and accuracy for its price, and detail which is scarey. Imagine being able to count pores or stubble on the skin of a group of three people in your image, or see the veins across the surface of an eye in a portrait. Yes you can! Colour rendition is fantastic and the black and white mode produces beautiful images.
Sure the new Canon 5D will have a movie mode, but it is in no way a movie camera, and the feature misses the point of buying a DLSR. To take still photographs! Until last week professional photographers only had two choices of brand for their workhorses. Nikon or Canon. If Sony can deliver the additional accessories and lenses that professionals require, (and with their partnership with Carl Zeiss, it is entirely possible), then professionals have the choice of three brands with this Sony Alpha 900.
However, for me, it is the quality of the product, it’s compatibility and image improvement it offers my old lenses (with anti-shake), and the frightening level of detail that will make anyone over 25 blush as the wrinkles start to show.
What a great, great camera this Sony Alpha 900, I am truly bowled over. Well done Sony.
Nikon D700 Digital SLR Camera
Technical Details:
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It is worth mentioning the low light ability of the Nikon D700 and by that, I mean the ability to shoot at higher ISO than anything else around, yet produce excellent images. You can be shooting handheld, in virtual darkness and produce quality images. Living in the UK, this was really important to me (we specialise in cloud) and the Nikon D700 is truly outstanding in this respect. Even when there is noise, it is grainy and film like; ultimately it is usable rather than unusable. Less pixels than the competition = larger pixels; this translates into an ability to pick up more light.
Nikon D700 Digital SLR Camera body
The Nikon is much better thought out than my 40D – it is more comfortable to hold, it is easier to change the settings on the fly (you tend to spin dials on the Nikon D700 rather than having to delve into sub-sub menus), it is more ruggedly constructed and more configurable but on the other hand only has half the resolution of the Sony or 5D MkII. However, it blows up to 50cm by 70cm without pixelation (that’s as far as I have got) and beyond that it’s academic for me, as I don’t have a house big enough to cope with larger prints. For some the ability to resolve the finest detail in landscapes may be more pertinent.
You do need to fiddle a little more with the in camera settings of the Nikon D700 to get the sharpness, contrast etc that you want for your shot but the Nikon D700 is so configurable that you can really control your output.
The autofocus is excellent on the Nikon (superior to the competition) and I have the grip which gives me 8fps when needed (it did mean buying another memory card as they don’t last long on machine gun mode).
The quality of the images I have produced from plays, landscapes and action is really high – note the quality of the images is high, not necessarily the photographer (some of my landscapes in low light are on Flickr, type – Sun Setting Over Woodingdean into Google).
In terms of lenses, the spending does not stop with the Nikon D700. Full frame cameras need good glass, as they are devils for showing up the flaws in anything less. I bought the Nikor 50mm f/1.4D – the quality is in a different league and worth the bit extra – I paid about £200. For a zoom I chose the Nikor 80-200mm f/2.8 D, this set me back about £600 but you could probably shave a bit off that price. This zoom is again pro-quality but you could pay significantly more without improving image quality. I also tried a manual 20mm film lens second hand and was not disappointed with the results.
I only ramble on about lenses because a kit lens really does not cut it with this Nikon D700 and you will be disappointed if you spend mega bucks on the D700 and then go low-calorie on the glass.
I am really happy with the D700, mainly because it suits the type of shooting that I generally do and is a great all-rounder.
Canon EOS 5D mark II Digital SLR Camera
Technical Details:
The menu system is comprehensive and self-intuitive. You can set the features you use the most into “My Menu”. The LCD screen is huge and has a light-sensor that adjusts the brightness to the ambient light, if you want it to. Unlike the 40D there are no annoying “Creative Zone” modes – the Canon EOS 5D Mark II assumes you know what you’re doing and keeps to the basics i.e. aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The latter is adjustable up to 25 600, which essentially means you can now take photos where you couldn’t before.
There is a built-in video recorder which works for 12 minutes on a 4 Gb card. Output is in full HD. Apparently this is actually 1080p. For me, however, this is a distraction as I certainly don’t buy D-SLRs with a view to shooting videos (sorry, “movies”). The same goes for Live View mode, where the mirror flips up and you can see everything live on the screen. I don’t need this feature, but am happy to accept that some do ..
Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera body
One thing I would suggest is that your computer can cope with 25 Mb files. I have noticed a slight slowing down when displaying the photos in Digital Photoshop. I am lucky, though, my computer has a lot of memory ..
I would also add, if you can possibly afford it, that you use a lens from the L range. The difference in quality is markedly better.
All-in-all if you’re looking for a D-SLR that takes superb quality photos, is full-frame and has a 21 mega pixel sensor, then do not hesitate to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Oh and, thoughtfully, they’ve even included the make and model on the strap, so even those behind you can be sure what you’re using.
