Canon 5D Mark II Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was officially introduced in September 2008 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 21 megapixel.

Is the Canon 5D Mark II a good camera? The 5D Mark II has a Camera Elo of 1596. This rating puts the 5D Mark II below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the 5D Mark II also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 5D Mark II is more than 16 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2008.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Canon 5D Mark II vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 5D Mark II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 5D Mark II	152 mm	114 mm	75 mm	850 g	850	Y	Sep 2008	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	150 mm	160 mm	80 mm	1385 g	1800	Y	Aug 2007	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
3.		Canon 5D	152 mm	113 mm	75 mm	895 g	400	Y	Aug 2005	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
4.		Canon 5D Mark III	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	950 g	950	Y	Mar 2012	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 5D Mark IV	151 mm	116 mm	76 mm	890 g	900	Y	Aug 2016	US$ 3 499	amazon.com
6.		Canon 5DS	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	930 g	700	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
7.		Canon 5DS R	152 mm	116 mm	76 mm	930 g	700	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
8.		Canon 6D	145 mm	111 mm	71 mm	770 g	1090	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
9.		Canon 6D Mark II	144 mm	111 mm	75 mm	765 g	1200	Y	Jun 2017	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Canon 7D	148 mm	111 mm	74 mm	860 g	800	Y	Sep 2009	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 80D	139 mm	105 mm	79 mm	730 g	960	Y	Feb 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 5D Mark II was launched in the US market at a price of $3,499. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Canon 5D Mark II features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 5D Mark II among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815	79
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	none	24.0	12.0	1663	80
3.		Canon 5D	Full Frame	12.7	4368	2912	none	22.9	11.1	1368	71
4.		Canon 5D Mark III	Full Frame	22.1	5760	3840	1080/30p	24.0	11.7	2293	81
5.		Canon 5D Mark IV	Full Frame	30.1	6720	4480	4K/30p	24.8	13.6	2995	91
6.		Canon 5DS	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.7	12.4	2381	87
7.		Canon 5DS R	Full Frame	50.3	8688	5792	1080/30p	24.6	12.4	2308	86
8.		Canon 6D	Full Frame	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.8	12.1	2340	82
9.		Canon 6D Mark II	Full Frame	26.0	6240	4160	1080/60p	24.4	11.9	2862	85
10.		Canon 7D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	854	66
11.		Canon 80D	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	23.6	13.2	1135	79

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The 5D Mark II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the 5D Mark II can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 5D Mark II has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 98% and a magnification of 0.71x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Canon 5D Mark II and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 5D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.9/s	n	n
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	optical	Y	3.0 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
3.		Canon 5D	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.0/s	n	n
4.		Canon 5D Mark III	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	n	n
5.		Canon 5D Mark IV	optical	Y	3.2 / 1620	fixed	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	n
6.		Canon 5DS	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
7.		Canon 5DS R	optical	Y	3.2 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	n
8.		Canon 6D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5/s	n	n
9.		Canon 6D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.5/s	n	n
10.		Canon 7D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.0/s	Y	n
11.		Canon 80D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One useful feature of the 5D Mark II is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 5D Mark II	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	Y	mono / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 5D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 5D Mark III	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Canon 5D Mark IV	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Canon 5DS	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	3.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 5DS R	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	3.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon 6D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Canon 6D Mark II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	Y
10.		Canon 7D	Y	mono / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Canon 80D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the 5D Mark II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the 5D Mark II can be found in the free online Canon 5D Mark II Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the 5D Mark II in practical situations. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 5D Mark II	4/5	91/100	..	79/100	4/5	..	Sep 2008	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
2.		Canon 1Ds Mark III	..	..	..	+ +	4.5/5	..	Aug 2007	US$ 7 999	ebay.com
3.		Canon 5D	..	88/100	..	+ +	o	..	Aug 2005	US$ 3 299	ebay.com
4.		Canon 5D Mark III	..	+ +	..	82/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2012	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 5D Mark IV	4.5/5	+ +	4/5	87/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2016	US$ 3 499	amazon.com
6.		Canon 5DS	..	+	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
7.		Canon 5DS R	5/5	+	..	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 3 699	ebay.com
8.		Canon 6D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 2 099	ebay.com
9.		Canon 6D Mark II	4/5	+	4/5	80/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2017	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Canon 7D	5/5	+ +	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
11.		Canon 80D	4/5	+ +	4.5/5	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2016	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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