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Canon EOS 5D • Accessories & Conclusion
Peter
Kun Frary
Essential
Accessories
The
main reason serious
photographers choose a Canon SLR is access to the world's
largest system of lenses, flashes and other accessories. When
it's time to expand, Canon has it covered.
Lenses
If you're on a tight
budget or need to travel light, the EF
24-85 3.5-4.5 USM or EF
28-105 3.5-4.5 USM are good choices
for scenics, travel and casual portraits. If
you want the best, have bucks to burn and
work out regularly, the EF
24-105 4L IS USM is the ultimate
doctor-lawyer walkaround kit lens. This lens propelled me
into hog heaven with exceptional sharpness, beefy
build and amazing image stabilization (IS) feature. If
you're a wide angle buff, the EF
17-40 4L USM is kickin'
with bulletproof construction and
sharp optics.
Canon
EF 24-105 4L
IS USM • Kit
lens for doctors, lawyers and
other well-heeled fellows
If you're tempted by a used third
party lens, try before you buy. Many older
Sigma and Tokina lenses will not work without a new ROM chip.
My 1999 Sigma 50 mm F2.8 macro didn't work on both my EOS 3 and
Elan 7E.
Battery Grip BG-E4
I shoot lots of verticals and can't
imagine using an EOS 5D
without the Battery Grip BG-E4. The
vertical shutter release, AE/FE lock, main input dial and focusing
point selector make
shooting verticals as easy as horizontals. Plus,
the
additional heft and grip area improves
handling and balance with large lenses and flash units.
The
BG-E4 body
panels and battery door are magnesium and covered with textured rubber,
making for a secure and solid grip. A tripod
socket and hand or neck
strap lugs are found on
the underside. The
EOS 5D/BG-E4
combo feels more comfortable
and solid than the
EOS 20D/BG-E2. In
contrast, the 20D/BG-E2 feels plastic,
less graspable
(no rubber on back)
and squeaks
when squeezed.
If
you go on long shoots, you'll appreciate the ability to use
two BP-511
batteries.
It
comes
with a
holder for AA size batteries. The AA ability is
intended as an emergency stopgap as AAs
are exhausted almost immediately.
I have a couple
minor gripes with Big Ed: 1) the vertical grip area would be
more comfy with finger indents like the normal
grip; 2) it's difficult to reach the joystick in vertical
position; and 3) it
nudges under the weight of a large lens or when pushed.
Big Ed (Battery Grip BG-E4) • Big
Ed has a magnesium
body shell like the 5D.
Battery Grip BG-E4 • EOS 5D, ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter & 430EX Speedite.
BP-511A Li-ion Battery Pack
Canon is often overly
optimistic about battery life and estimates
800 images
on a single charge! Amazingly, my
experience isn't
far off,
even with an IS zoom. Hint: once the low battery symbol appears--after
400 or 500 frames--your can
continue shooting for hundreds more. You'll
need another BP-511A battery if you have
itchy fingers or intend to
spend a few days away from wall
sockets. A completely exhausted battery takes about 90 minutes
to recharge.
My original BP-511A died within 2 years. I've had excellent results with Sterlingtrek
batteries and they cost 75% less than Canon brand batteries.
Remote Switch RS-80N3
An electronic cable release is available,
the RS-80N3, for exposures requiring vibration control. Fortunately,
it's more beefy than the wimpy remote switch for the Elan and
Rebel series (RS60-E3). The RS-80N3 behaves exactly like the
shutter button: half depress locks AF and exposure and full depress
fires the shutter. You may trip the shutter from 2.6 feet away.
The RS-80N3 is also used for the EOS 3, 1V, 1D series and 20D.
The remote port is under a rubber
boot on the left side of the camera. Peel
the boot upwards to reveal USB, video and remote ports. The
boot is more
difficult to open than
the10D cover. However, the
tight fit implies better weather resistance. The
cover is attached to the camera
with a rubber hinge, so there's
no chance
of losing
it. This design is more convenient than the tiny plastic caps
on the EOS 1V and 3. The RS-80N3 snaps in the port quickly and
easily, but fits only one way. Unlike earlier EOS designs, the
RS-80N3 is easy to connect in the dark. Of course, you should
practice connecting it during daylight before venturing into
the field.
Final Remarks
Best Features
The viewfinder is big, bright
and contrasty--huge in comparison to an
EOS 10D, 20D or 30D. It's slightly brighter than an EOS 3 and
the Elan 7NE pales before it. The viewfinder is
exactly what I wanted and
the main reason I bought the camera. The glory of the scene is evident
and it makes me want to take a picture.
Build quality
is impeccable and ergonomics are excellent. The grip is among
the most comfortable I have used and is similar in feel
to the EOS 3 and 1V. Sure, weather seals would be nice but
Canon needed to leave a few
features
for the 1D
series.
Be forewarned:
this is a heavy rig when fully decked
out. It is not a camera for weenies or girlie boys. I
carried the 5D/BG-ED4/430EX/EF
24-105 4L IS USM combo around for a week in Las
Vegas. It was fast
and intuitive to use, performed flawlessly
but felt like a bazooka around
my neck. I had a sore shoulder for days.
EOS 5D
controls operate similarly to the
10D and Elan 7NE. I
barely needed to
crack the manual. If
you're an experienced EOS shooter (film or digital), you'll
find an
easy
learning curve.
However,
a point 'n shooter will need considerable study
and practice to master the 5D's
wealth of features. And,
thankfully, my EF lenses, remotes and EX
Speedlites work perfectly on the 5D.
All
DSLRs have adjustable ISO. However, the 5D has a truly
useable range from ISO 50 to 3200! Sharp
low
light and hand held telephotos shots are a
button press and dial diddle
away.
ISO 50-400
is nearly
noise free.
ISO 800
and
1600
are shockingly good, albeit noise is
evident in large prints or pixel peeping. ISO
3200 is gritty but nice to have in a pinch. In terms of noise
performance, the 5D pulls away from the 10D at ISO 400
and is cleaner than
any film I have used. My subjective observation is
EOS 5D
noise at ISO 1600 is similar to the 10D at ISO 400.
ISO
data is finally visible
in the viewfinder display albeit at the expense of a button
press. This feature would be more useful if visible constantly.
Finally, both the
AF and flash systems are greatly improved over the 10D. Low light
AF is noticeably more reliable than the 20D. E-TTL II flash is
amazingly consistent, nailing the delicate and subtle
balance of ambient and fill flash with ease. However 5D flash
is also flexible, allowing you to disable fill flash algorithms
and hammer
subjects with the deer-in-headlights-look 'till the cows
come home.
Ginger at Ali'iolani Hale • 5D & EF 50 1.2L USM
Disappointments
Compared to print film, exposure latitude is narrow and thus easy to blow highlights
in contrasty scenes. With that said, I feel at home as 5D exposure
latitude is similar to
shooting chromes. In
bright sunlit scenes, I typically set -1/3 stop exposure compensation
to
keep highlights
from
blowing
out.
In more even light, exposure is fine.
Dynamic range is improved
over my 10D, but not overwhelmingly so. Incidentally, RAW files have considerably more highlight headroom than
JPEG mode.
I'm also disappointed
Eye Controlled Focus (ECF) was omitted from the 5D.
I used ECF a lot on my Elan 7NE
and EOS 3. Automatically selected AF sensors aren't reliable, i.e., the camera sometimes focuses
on the wrong subject. Selecting AF sensors
manually is too slow for fast changing situations. The joystick AF
selector works but
has a tendency to jump over AF points.
Where
is the popup flash? Although I prefer a Speedlite, I miss the convenience of a popup
for fill and snapshots.
Most
EOS bodies since the early 90s had DEP mode. Why does the 5D
lack DEP mode? The mode dial has plenty of room with the "Basic
Zone" MIA.
The 2.5"
TFT is too dim for daylight use. Did I mention
it's dim? The 1.8" TFT of the 10D/20D is more
contrasty and brighter.
Finally, why
did 5D designers waste precious space for a dedicated "Print" button?
I will never use it. Will you? Too bad it can't be remapped
as a FEL or MLU button. Print should be buried in the menus
or at least have a dual purpose button.
Sensor Dust
Unlike some users,
I experienced no problems with sensor dust (or viewfinder
dust for that matter). In
other words, there are no spots on my images and I haven't needed
to clean the sensor once. However, the high
humidity of Hawaii results in
little or no static electricity buildup. We have dust but it
doesn't cling due to a static charge as in drier
locations. Also I store
my gear
near an air ionizer thereby reducing static cling even further.
Postscript (3/23/2009):
It's been nearly 3 years and still no dust problems on CMOS or
viewfinder.
Postscript (6/12/2009): I received this email notice from Canon concerning a possible reflex mirror detachment defect:
Thank you for using Canon products.
We have discovered that, in rare instances, the main mirror of some EOS 5D Digital SLR cameras may detach due to deterioration in the strength of the adhesive. Accordingly, we would like to convey the details and our service policy concerning this phenomenon.
We offer our sincerest apologies to those customers who have been inconvenienced by this issue. Canon always strives to provide the highest quality products to our customers and we will spare no effort in our quality management to make sure our customers can use our products with confidence. We hope our efforts will earn your understanding.
Phenomenon
The main mirror of the camera detaches and images cannot be viewed through the viewfinder.
Affected Product
EOS 5D Digital SLR cameras whose main mirror has detached.
User Support
We will repair and reinforce the mirror portion of the affected products free of charge. If you own one of the affected products, please contact our Customer Support Center.
We appreciate your patience, and we offer our sincerest apologies to the customers using these products who have been inconvenienced by this issue.
Contact Information for Inquiries:
Customer Support Center
1-866-422-2965 (toll free)
8:00 a.m. - Midnight, EST - Monday to Friday
10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., EST - Saturday
E-mail: carecenter@cits.canon.com
I used my camera for 3 years without problems. Since the repair was free, I sent my 5D to Canon Irivine for the mirror fix, reasoning it would prevent a problem down the road. The repair consisted of placing retaining strips along the sides on the mirror. Canon Irivine also "cleaned and adjusted the camera to specs." Never mind my 5D viewfinder and CMOS were perfectly clean when I sent it in. It was returned with plenty of dust both on CMOS and viewfinder, and the frame number was reset really high. So I cleaned the mirror chamber area, reset the frame number to the original value and all was well.
Shark's Cove • 5D & EF 24-105 4L IS USM
Conclusion
The
EOS 5D is
a powerful and decisive picture taking machine:
refined ergonomics, beefy construction, photographic flexibility
and stunning high resolution images. It
is almost
everything a landscape, travel, studio
or wedding pro could want. Oh, yes, and well-heeled
amateurs will be happy too. The
image
quality is nothing short of breathtaking, and may be
enlarged to poster
sized prints without misgivings or apologies. It is not a good
camera for those wishing
to travel light, pro sports photographers or individuals with
feeble credit card
limits. Highly
recommended for all others.
Firmware Updates
1.1.1 Support for high-capacity
CF cards of 8GB or greater
(e.g.,12GB, 16GB). Allows the latest
lens names to be recorded in the Exif information. More
lenses supported by the lens aberration correction function
of Digital Photo Professional 3.2. Although
Canon didn't mention it, this update removed the strong warm/yellow
tint on my LCD.
1.10 Printing
function improved
for use with Canon professional
photo printers. Correction of
communication errors that occurred while shooting
with EOS5D and EOS Capture software after
138 shots. Correction of the bug
which made flash mode change from
E-TTL to M (Manual) when the EOS5D was used
with the ST-E2 and 580EX.
1.0.5 Fixed the saturation file
bug in sRGB files. Fixed the
shutter release bug with EOS
5D + EF85mm F1.2L + Speedlite580EX.
1.0.3
The bug that caused unusually large
image files when
vertical images were taken in conjunction
with Auto Image Rotation was fixed. Improved
the brightness of the LCD monitor. Fixed
an abnormality in AEB when
shooting with self-timer and AEB. Fixed
mistakes in Swedish-language MENU displays.
Images
taken with the EOS
5D (click to enlarge)
Source Materials
Canon EOS 5D
Digital Instruction Manual. Tokyo:
Canon, 2005 (CT1-1295-001).
Canon EOS Forums
Bob
Atkins Canon EOS forum
Canon
Asia List
eGroups • Canon
EOS
FM
Canon EOS Forum
Canon EOS Equipment Resources
Canon
Camera Museum
Canon
Malaysia
DSLRs,
Lenses and Film
EOS
Documentation Project
Photo.net • Canon
EOS SLRs
05/15/2006 • Updated
01/01/2011
©Copyright 2006-2012
by Peter Kun Frary • All Rights Reserved
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