Across the Southwest » Canon 5D Mark II

New Firmware for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Adam Schallau — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:48:56 +0000

Canon has released a new firmware for the 5D Mark II which addresses the ‘Black Dot’ and vertical banding issues.

We have learned that some users of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera (with firmware version 1.0.6) have identified two types of image quality phenomena that appear under certain shooting conditions.

“Black dot” phenomenon (the right side of point light sources becomes black)
Vertical banding noise

Details of the phenomena and shooting conditions under which they are likely to occur (if the firmware is version 1.0.6) are as follows:

“Black dot” phenomenon (the right side of point light sources becomes black)
When shooting night scenes, the right side of point light sources (such as lights from building windows) may become black. The phenomenon may become visible if the images are enlarged to 100% or above on a monitor or if extremely large prints of the images are made.
Vertical banding noise
If the recording format is set to sRAW1, vertical banding noise may become visible depending on the camera settings, subject, and background.
▪ Vertical banding noise is not noticeable if the recording format is set to sRAW2.
▪ Vertical banding noise does not occur if the recording format is set to RAW or JPEG.
▪ Noise can be reduced if C.Fn II-3: Highlight tone priority is set to 0: Disable.
Firmware version 1.0.7. that addresses these phenomena is now available for downloading from the following Web site:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&tabact=DownloadDetailTabAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=17662#DownloadDetailAct

Canon is also recommending updating the Digital Photo Professional and Picture Style Editor software if you are update to the 1.0.7 firmware.

I haven’t experienced the ‘black dot’ issue myself, and I don’t shoot in sRAW, but I am still updating my firmware.

Old Gas Station Signs

Adam Schallau — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:56:14 +0000

I spent the afternoon shooting at a cool place south of Taos that has tons of old gas station signs and memorabilia. This was another opportunity to test the low-light/high-ISO capabilities of the Canon 5D mark II and again I was left impressed.

This image was captured using ISO 800 with an exposure of 1/25th at f/5.6 and was shot with the 24-105 f/4L IS lens at 24mm hand-held with the Image-Stabilizer turned on.

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

Taos Ski Valley Fireworks

Adam Schallau — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:42:46 +0000

Let’s start off 2009 with a photo of the fireworks display in the Taos Ski Valley from last night. This was captured using the 5D Mark II and the EF 24-105 lens with a 30 second exposure at f/8 and ISO 500. I continue to be pleasantly surprised with the 5D Mark II, especially with regards to noise and image quality.

Happy New Year!

Please click on the image for an expanded view.

First shots from the 5D Mark II

Adam Schallau — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:59:41 +0000

The best-laid plans often go awry. That could have been my motto yesterday. I was scheduled to meet with two clients back-to-back,and then shoot with the second client, and then photograph the Lighting of Ledoux that I wrote of in my blog entry from Friday. The first client was late, potentially cutting into the other person’s time. The weather was forecast called for snow (good), but instead it rained (bad). The rain was not really giving me the look I was after for my shots of Lighting of Ledoux, so on to plan B. My wife and I met with some friends and enjoyed an evening at the historic Taos Inn listening to some great music and watching Flamenco dancers.

I shot a few hundred frames of the dancers in low-light (no strobes), hand-held, with the 5D Mark II and either the EF24-105 f/4L IS or EF17-40 f/4L lenses. Not exactly ideal conditions to test a new camera but it was fun. All images shown here were shot ISO 3200 and up to achieve an acceptable shutter speed for hand-holding the camera. Yes, there is noise visible in the images, but it is a noticeable improvement over the original 5D and I was quite pleased with the results considering the low light and speed at which the dancers moved across the dance floor.

Please click on any image for an expanded view.

It’s here! The Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Adam Schallau — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 03:09:23 +0000

After a long wait, the much anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark II is in my hands. The update to the original and classic Canon EOS 5D, the 5D Mark II is a full-frame digital SLR with 21.1 juicy megapixels, a DIGIC 4 Image Processor, an ISO range of 50 to 25600, 3.9 fps, 150,000 cycle shutter life, Live view, and 1080p High-Definition video recording at 30fps. I purchased the kit including the EF24-105 f/4L IS USM lens which I’ll write about in the future.

I must admit that as a landscape and architectural photographer, I’m very excited about Live View and the new LCD display. Live view will allow me to frame my compositions with a rule-of-thirds grid superimposed over the scene and I’ll be able to manually focus with greater precision. The new 3.0″ LCD display with 920,000 pixels is absolutely beautiful and allows the photographer to judge the sharpness of the image, something I was never comfortable doing in the past.

My first experience with the 5D Mark II in the field will occur tomorrow. I’ll be working with a student, but I’m sure I will find some time to fire off a few test shots with the new camera. I’ll have another opportunity to test the camera tomorrow night when I photograph the Lighting of Ledoux. An annual holiday event in the oldest art district in Taos, the Lighting of Ledoux involves lining the street with farolitos (paper sacks weighted with sand with a lit candle inside) creating a magical scene that is often filled with carolers and the beat of drums from members of the Taos Pueblo.

Please click on any image for an expanded view.