The new camera inherits the 5D's metering and AF systems. The 35-zone TTL metering is excellent at determining the proper exposure for a scene, and lets you choose among evaluative, centerweighted, partial, or spot.
When faced with a confusing scene, the evaluative mode isn't as adventurous in guessing your intentions as Nikon's 3-D Matrix Metering II. But that doesn't mean it's inaccurate. In our field tests, it performed just as it should.
The partial metering mode uses the center 8 percent of the viewfinder, and the spot, 3.5 percent, which is larger than the Nikon's impressive 1.5 percent.
The 5D-era AF, however, is no longer competitive with the blazing speeds we see in most DSLRs these days. At the brightest light level in our tests, the 5D Mark II focused in 0.51 sec, while the Nikon D700 zipped along at 0.35 sec, and the Sony A900 roared to the head of the pack with 0.29 sec.
In low light, the Canon is downright sluggish, and in extremely low light (EV -1 and -2), it's inconsistent and sometimes fails to focus. But Canon rates the AF system to be effective down to only EV -0.5, about the same as a very poorly lit living room. This limits the utility of the high ISOs. Granted, you can focus manually, but in such low light, that's no mean feat.
Oddly, some older and newer Canon models have faster AF systems. Just as Nikon trickled down the D3's AF to the D700, we think Canon should have done this with the 1Ds Mark III and 5D Mark II.
BOTTOM LINE
If you're moving up from an APS-format DSLR, you will be happy with the 5D Mark II. Make that ecstatic. Life is fuller in the full-frame lane.
And the vast amount of detail that goes along with 21.1MP, as well as the sophisticated image processing served up by its new DIGIC 4 engine, cannot be understated -- it's a wow! The low-light image quality is almost life-changing.
But the 5D Mark II's old-fashioned AF system can't keep up with the cutting-edge imaging power. Nor is the 3.9-fps burst rate state-of-the-art. So if you're a pro, understand these limitations.
Yet if you're looking to trade in your old 5D for this version, while you gain nothing in AF, you pick up everything from low-light to video capability. And those are very impressive -- perhaps irresistible -- upgrades.
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