Digit 2005-04 - Clevernotions.com

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press cameras. This isn’t really what
this camera is for. For many users,
the EOS-1Ds Mark II will be seen
as an alternative to using slower,
versatile, 645 medium format
cameras and digital backs.
Noise from the proprietary CMOS
panel is impressively low, and Canon has
expanded its sensitivity with a range the
equivalent of ISO 50 to ISO 3200. There’s
nothing to be gained quality-wise with
the lower setting, but by adding the ISO
3200 option at least puts the spec on
a par with recent semi-pro digital SLRs,
and can be the difference between
getting a shot and missing out.
Other changes and improvements
include a more detailed screen, and
the addition of an SD card slot next
to the standard CF Type II bay, which
can be used individually or to write
files simultaneously, as back-up. Faster
processing is claimed, and it’s certainly
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visible in certain areas. JPEG images
appear on the monitor within an instant,
but a supposed 50 per cent increase
in AF processing is barely noticeable
in practise.
Picture this
For photographers concerned with
deadlines and captions, and who
don’t have time for post-processing,
the camera has a vast range of user
selectable options. Between the
separate Colour Matrix and Parameters
options, users can, for example, choose
an appropriate colour space, adjust
brightness, colour balance, saturation,
contrast and sharpness, choose from
three tone curves or load their own
from the EOS Viewer utility.
Gone is the external secondary whitebalance
sensor. The camera now relies
solely on TTL measurement from the
CMOS sensor. In some instances, notably
under indoor lighting, images from the
Mk II don’t appear to be quite as wellcorrected.
However, external sensors
can be easily fooled – especially if the
camera is located under one light source
and you’re using a telephoto trained on
another. It’s not so much of an issue if
there’s time to tweak white-balance, and
there are a number of ways of achieving
this. In addition to six presets, a manual
option, and colour temperature settings
in degrees Kelvin, there’s even a choice
of up to three personal settings. Whitebalance
bracketing and colour correction
are available too.
It’s a dazzling array of choices, but it
allows the user to fine-tune the camera
over time to his or her own preferences.
That said, many users are likely to
just shoot RAW files anyway. New Digital
Photo Professional software is included
and offers a wide range of processing
and enhancement options, though it’s
still slow in use and not as slick as rival
offerings.
Start-up times – from sleep and from
powering up – are vastly improved, and
there’s none of the previous camera’s
sluggishness. Handling is very good,
but the old-school NiMH battery pack
makes for a body that feels heavier
than the quoted 1.5kg. Nikon’s D2-series
utilizes similar construction techniques
and use a Lithium-Ion pack, and appear
much lighter and better balanced.
Without doubt, image quality and
detail is nothing short of remarkable,
and the camera boasts the size and
convenience of a pro 35mm SLR. For
the hard-working professional, such
expediency makes all the difference.
Joanne Carter
3. Difficult lighting
is handled extremely
well by the
evaluative metering
system, and at ISO
1600 noise levels
are low.
4. DPP’s imaging
editing window
allows for a fair
range of adjustment
and enhancement,
for RAW and RGB-
JPEG images, but it
isn’t as impressive
as some rival and
third-party offerings.
5. Although the
camera is built for
location work, the
sublime image
quality will make
it a firm favourite in
the studio as well.
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