Monday, June 21, 2004
Review of Canon 1D Mark II
Posted by Suhit Gupta in "HARDWARE" @ 09:00 AM
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.
Figure 1: The Missouri Capitol Building – ISO 100. Resampled from original.
Figure 2: Detail of Capitol Building without resampling – 367 x 373 pixels
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.
Figure 4: A trail in Roaring River State Park. ISO 100
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.
