- Canon EOS 5D Mark II Body
- Canon EOS 5D Mark I Body
Lenses
- EF 24-105mm f4 IS L
- EF 16-35mm f2.8 L
- EF 70-200mm f4 IS L
- EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 IS L
- Sigma 150mm f2.8 EX DG APO Macro
Tripods & Heads:
- Gitzo GT-3541 LS with levelling base and Acratech GV2 ball head
- Benro C298 N6 Carbon Fibre tripod with Acratech Ultimate ball head
Bags
- Lowepro Pro Trekker 400 AW backpack
- Lowepro Microtrecker 200
- Lowepro Microtrecker 100
- Pelican 1560 Hard case
Miscellaneous
- Hitech filter system Aluminium Filter holder
- Hitech P-size Neutral Density Grads (Soft & Hard)
- Lee Filter Holder System
- Lee Hard & Soft Netral Density Grads
- Canon EX-580 E-TTL Flash
Canon EOS 5D Mark-I
You'll notice I've stated 5D Mark-1, since now the Mark-II is out. There are many very good reveiws of the 5D online, probably the best at dpreview, which is incredibly detailed. I won't repeat anything like that here; I will however, lend some comments which are my own personal opinions after having used it for around 2 years.
Overall this is a very good camera and capable of producing excellent photographs when in skilled hands (I don't put myself in that category quite yet).
The ergonomics I find very poor (as with just about all cameras at present). They seem to be designed for people with small fingers and who shoot mainly in studios or have plenty of time to adust setting burried within silly menus. Over the last year and a half I've spent quite a bit of time shooting wildlife, and animals don't wait around for you to change settings. Hence below is my wish list for Canon (and I really hope someone from Canon gets to see this!) to correct weaknesses I find that still have not been addressed even in the newer model.
Wish List for Canon DSLR's
Tactile Buttons - identical buttons all in a row may make the camera look nice, but when your eye is looking down the view finder you shouldn't have to take it away to find out which button to press. Lets have different buttons please, perhaps with different indentations (embossed symbols?) on each button surface so your finger can feel the right button.
A Dedicated ISO Switch - lets have another roller switch, located within a fingers reach of the shutter button so we can change ISO without having to press one of those silly little top buttons.
Mirror Lock-up Switch - Why do we have to go to custom functions to find this, what a pain. Get rid of the Print and Jump buttons (rarely used) and lets have a proper mirror lock-up switch.
100% Zoom Button - When I review my photo I want to see if it's sharp at 100%..quickly. I don't want to have to keep pressing the star button repeatidly. Also can we have the zoom percentage displayed onscreen (is this possible now, I haven't found a way?).
User settings - we need lots of these, but on a switch not via a menu. The 5D has one but it doesn't work. The mark-II has 3. Five would be better. On my 5D if you alter any value, take one photo, it resets everything right back to the original user setting. That's not how customs settings should work; they should be a starting point only.
Histogram Overlay - an option to overlay the histogram on top of the photo would be useful. I need to see the histogram but the thumbnail presented next to the histogram is completely useless.
Custom Functions - I find these bizarely represented. They are after all, just menu items, and should be presented in a similar way to other menu items, not in some awkward list. How can mirror lock up be a custom function? I see the Mark-II at least allows the user to set up a custom menu..a big step in the right direction.
CF Card Compartment - very flimsy, cheap looking, plastic door that just doesn't seem in-keeping with the rest of the camera. Needs a re-design.
Eye-peice Surround - like the CF door, flimsy, cheap and plastic. Mine has worn and is continually falling off. Needs a re-design.
Canon EOS 5D Conclusions
Don't let any of my negative comments above put you off going for a 5D. Now that the Mark-II is about, there are sure to be some Mark-I bargains about. It's still a very fine camera and a full frame sensor is so much better than APS-C. Once you've tried that you'll never go back.
I guess my real gripe is that functionality of these cameras could be greatly enhanced. Most of the technology is already present within the camera for my wishlist. So this is not rocket science here.
Although the cameras are digital, the photographer needs quick, easy to access ANALOGUE controls. Fiddly little buttons and menus may have a place on DVD recorders and the like, but please Mr. Canon, not on D-SLR's!
JRB 2008
