La Quinta Resort, California

Mount Dandenong, Victoria

If I had to sum up my experience after having spent a year with the 5D Mark II, I’d say it’s a must-have camera for weddings, landscape/architectural and photo journalism but you can’t rely too heavily on it’s ageing auto-focus system which I anticipate may be revamped with the introduction of the 5D mark III.

Image Quality
A main area of concern is the visible banding that appears when taking high ISO images (occurs around 6400+ for me) which has been somewhat improved through a series of firmware updates but still exists nonetheless. Having said this, the ISO performance is so good when coming from a 1.6x crop camera, you may not even approach those ISO’s anyway as the 5D2 seems to be, in my experience, around 2+ stops better than my Canon 40D. ISO 1600 images on the 40D visually appear to be in the range of ISO 3200-4000 on the 5D2. ISO 1600 images on the 5D2 look like ISO 400 on the Canon 40D, this should give you some idea of just how much advantage you’re gaining from the full-frame 5D2.

With a 1.6x crop camera you could almost get away with having your eye a few centimeters away from the viewfinder and still being able to view the entire frame. The 5D2 demands that you have your eye pressed right up against the eye-cup to grasp the entire frame as you eyeball each corner for information. Coming from the 40D, the viewfinder looks tremendously large by comparison.

What surprised me was the sound of the mirror slap – it doesn’t sound as reassuring or as ‘tight’ as the Canon 40D. Initially I was concerned thinking I may have received a faulty unit but after testing other 5D2 units I found this was well within it’s design parameters. When the mirror slaps it almost sounds as though it bounces a few times (within microseconds) before resting. The Canon 40D on the other hand just sounds like a firm ‘click’, when the mirror hits the bottom you know it’s there with affirmation.

The 5D2 is the second camera to sport the fourth generation Digic4 processor by Canon, the first was the Canon 50D. The menus still retain the menu structure of the EOS’s of old but the UI has had a mild revamp with soft transitions but still no in-menu help that the Nikon has. The 5D2 also allows you to input extra copyright EXIF information, thought I’m not certain whether this is a feature of Digic4 or being a semi-professional camera.

I have no concerns regarding the 5D2′s durability. I have shot in light to medium rain and the gaskets do an amazing job of keeping the rain away from electronics, but you really have to pair this with a weather-sealed ‘L’ series lens and especially the 580EX II to keep the unit completely weather sealed.  The additonal battery grip is weather sealed and made of magnesium alloy to keep it inline with the camera body. No qualms here whatsoever.

Just want to clarify this is NOT acid rain

Auto Focus (AF)
Auto-focus is where the 5D2 can be a let-down if you are shooting fast-moving subjects but this was to be expected as the 5D series is really aimed for weddings, landscapes and photo journalists. For sports I actually found the 40D gave me faster and more consistent AF (Auto-Focus) performance. The 5D2 has basically inherited the same 9 point AF system from the 5D with hidden AF-assist points which can be actived via custom function menus. The AF-assist points, I have found, actually seem to slow down the AF performance in AI-Servo. I’m guessing the AF assist points is really aimed at trying to achieve focus for still subjects under dark conditions? When given copious amounts of light, AI Servo mode seems to lock onto moving subjects quite well that are travelling forward and backward from the focal plane. Now for something unusual, after owning the 1D mark IV for many months now, I have actually found the 5D2, though not as quick, actually locks onto targets a lot better under very low light than my 1D mark IV!

Given plenty of light, can give good AiAF performance

White Balance
In Auto White Balance modes, white balance tends to favour warmer kelvins though this seems more like a ‘Canon’ trait since I’ve noticed Nikons (at least the D3s) produces cooler/acurate tones in similar lighting situations. We’ve all been used to using postive/negative compensation when using Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority mode, I wish Canon (or any camera manufacturer) would come out with a feature to adjust White Balance by the same method. If this was the case I could permanently setup the camera to always be -1/3 to 2/3 stops below the metered white balance where Canon cameras are concerned and expect consistent natural tones especially under incandescent lights in stark contrast to the very ‘orange’ look you currently get with AWB under lights. Having said this, white balance is noticeably more accurate coming from the XXD line of Canon SLR’s, if there are adjustments to be made, they are subtle.

Unless shooting runway fashion where the lighting is almost always predictable that allows you to pre-dial a kelvin setting, I rarely rely on auto-white balance and use it more as a general guide. Almost every image goes through some correction and I find myself using x-rite’s color checker passport in most situations these days. I’m a predominantly RAW shooter so white balance really isn’t too much of a concern for me but it’s good to know the 5D2 is helping get at least some level of colour accuracy in camera before editing.

The quintessential Canon camera for weddings

Ergonomics
A product designer at Canon must’ve had a lapse of concentration when designing the button layout, specifically the placement of the illumination button. On the Canon XXD series the button is located on the far left, fine. On the 5D2 the illumination button is located on the far right, okay fair enough. On the 1D Mark IV the illumination button is located back on the left again – okay Canon now you’re just screwing with my mind!

It doesn’t bode well for a completely transient approach but it’s subtleties such as these that makes switching and operating between various cameras in fast paced environments completely second nature without having to think about the position of the standard layout. The extended battery grip for the 5D2 adds the AF-ON button which was missing in the Canon 40D’s battery grip, a huge plus there. The weight of the camera is ‘expected’ for such a unit. I never used to understand why photographers showed concern about weight when relatively speaking these things are mostly light, right? Pair this camera with the Canon 24-70 and within hours shooting a wedding the effects of gravity works it’s way into your muscles and joints, you now have a new appreciation for carbon fibre everything!

Annoying button layout changes

Conclusion
At this stage people are wondering whether to get the 5D Mark II at a great price or hang on until the 5D Mark III comes out, which the specifications are still unknown. There are some suggestions that the sensor will be pushed to between 28-32 Megapixels, almost reaching into medium format territory. I wish Canon would stop playing the megapixel race and concentrate more on the stuff that photographers really want; dynamic range, high-iso performance and fast, accurate AF.

It would come down to your personal situation whether you actually need the extra megapixels or not, but unless Canon made a significant upgrade to the auto-focus side of the 5D to match the 7D somehow, I think the 5D mark II will be a keeper for quite some time to come. Pair this with a 24-70 lens and you’ve got a bread n’ butter combination for most situations with image quality that won’t be nudged out by the competition anytime soon.

From the MIMF site:

Made In Melbourne aims at providing a platform for creative young Melbourne talent, with a fashion focus on designers, who create, source and manufacture their collections locally.

The Made In Melbourne fashion event strives to harness the unique style of the city through the promotion of its’ flourishing fashion industry. The inaugural runway show established its success during the 2009 Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, with support from Melbourne based businesses – including FashionTrend, The Academy of Make Up and the Council of Textile & Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA)

There is a charity auction featuring pieces from each designer ending 10pm Sunday 18th September, all proceeds go to the National Breast Cancer foundation, check the MIMF website for more details!

Images

Denise SL Spalk

Major Sponsor Fjorde Magazine

Lisa Taranto

Marion Liese

Reverie

PRussia

Mina & Katusha

Silk & Ink

Violet & I

More Images here

Images from the event

More images at corleve

Full PR Release

First Lady Michelle Obama applauded the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for engaging millions of children in tennis, introducing tennis into thousands of elementary schools throughout the country, and building more than 2000 right-sized courts that provide a place for young people to play tennis. The USTA’s efforts were part of its partnership with both the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative to encourage more children to become active and lead healthier lifestyles. The USTA exceeded its commitment.

Mrs. Obama was in New York to participate in a USTA 10 and Under Tennis Clinic at the US Open. She was joined by several current and former tennis champions including Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, John McEnroe, James Blake, MaliVai Washington and Katrina Adams, as she thanked children from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program for participating in her Let’s Move! initiative.

“I have been trying to get to the US Open my entire life. I am so incredibly excited to finally be at my first US Open, but I am equally excited and proud to be standing in partnership with the USTA and all they have done for hundreds of thousands of kids across this country. You are an example of what we can do when we put our minds to it,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “I am again grateful to the USTA. The courts you build, these kids sized courts, are just amazing. They will break that barrier; they will make tennis accessible to kids… I am so proud of the USTA.”

Earlier this year, the USTA partnered with the “Let’s Move!” campaign, which helps more kids to get moving, lead healthy lifestyles, and earn their own Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). The PALA award recognizes kids who stay active for 60 minutes per day, five days a week for six out of eight weeks. Kids are encouraged to play tennis during their program hours and are reminded to stay active at home or in school. PALA’s national goal is to get one million youngsters to take this challenge. To date, the USTA is responsible for providing over 226,634 kids who have participated in and completed PALA through its National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, Jr. Team Tennis (JTT) League, Community Tennis Associations (CTA), Schools Tennis, Tennis in the Parks, and Wheelchair Tennis programs.

We’re in New York to shoot the US Open and will be updating this page daily to bring you some of our favourite images from the tournament.

View the full gallery here, over 100+ images

Here’s some of our favourites…

50 Cent50 Cent

Fabolous' Air Jordans

FabolousFabolous

Fabolous

Winterbeatz 2011

Lil Kim channels Michael Jackson

Lil Kim

Lil Kim

Mario

Mario

Winterbeatz sell out crowd @ Melbourne

Fans @ Winterbeatz

Paperchase Touring delivers another successfull Winterbeatz

We haven’t finished just yet, check out more images here

I had the fortunate circumstance to capture Derek in action last year during the New York Yankees vs Oakland while on timeout from shooting  the US Tennis Open.

The theme is centered around the various experiences of young adults moving out of home and renting with friends, so you could almost imagine the spectrum of emotion that lends itself just waiting to be interpreted by the various styles of dance.

Needless to say, some amazing talent on display here!

Similar setup again to last time;  2x 580 EX Flahes in shoot-thru umbrellas driven by Pocketwizard Flex TT5′s all around. On the 580EX flashes I flip the wide angle light spreader down, check out the difference it makes:

wide angle light spreader disabled

wide angle light spreader enabled

Check out the gallery here