canon5dmarkII

DL Cade

Opinion: A Used Canon 5D Mark II is the Best Camera for Beginners

Photographer and occasional PetaPixel contributor Usman Dawood has put together a video and camera showcase that seeks to prove a simple, possibly overlooked point: the best beginner camera for aspiring professionals isn't a high-end APS-C system... it's a used Canon 5D Mark II.

Michael Zhang

What a Failed DSLR Shutter Looks Like After 100,000+ Photos

Just as how cars can fail after a certain number of miles, camera shutters can go belly up after a certain number of actuations (i.e. flapping open and closed for an exposure). If you've ever wondered what a heavily used DSLR shutter can look like after it bites the dust, today's your lucky day.

DL Cade

Stock Site Stats Reveal the Most Popular Cameras Among Stock Photographers

About a week ago, the stock photography website Dreamstime got in touch with us to offer us some exclusive information. Having recently added a "search-by-camera" feature, they had compiled a huge amount of statistical data on the most popular cameras being used by their 150,000+ contributing photographers.

Well, keeping in mind that Francis Bacon once said "knowledge is power," we told them to go ahead and send the stats over. What we received was a veritable smörgåsbord of interesting (and perhaps useful) information.

DL Cade

Magic Lantern Team Discovers 2K RAW Video Capability on the 5D Mark II and III

In what may very well be the most exciting Magic Lantern development ever, the team has discovered a RAW DNG output in live view on the 5D Mark II and 5D Mark III. What this means is that, in the near future, 5D Mark II and III owners may be able to record crystal clear 2K RAW video that blows H.264 output out of the water and then some.

Michael Zhang

Canon 5D Mark II Goes Under the Knife, Emerges as a Wannabe Leica

San Diego-based photographer Robert Benson had a curious problem a while back. He had a $6,500 Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1 lens, but no camera to use it on. Not being able to afford the Leica M9 at the time (and unsure if he wanted to ever buy one), he decided to make massive modifications to his Canon 5D Mark II so that it would accept any Leica M lens without needing an adapter. The frankencamera above is what emerged from the brand-change operation.

Michael Zhang

Canon High-MP DSLR May Have a 1D X-esque Body, 5D Mark II On Way Out?

Two interesting Canon rumors are currently floating around. The first has to do with the 46MP DSLR that Canon is reportedly field testing and may be planning to unveil in late October. Northlight Images received a tip saying the camera's body will be 1D-X-esque:

In an update to the high MP info, we're told that a camera will eventually appear in a 1D X derived body, in the same way as the 1D C. The information said that the actual designation was not known, but it would essentially be a '1 series'. There was also a warning that there would be a long wait between any 'preview' and any cameras being annouced and subsequently shipping.

If true, this means Canon is going for the larger pro-style body rather than following after Nikon's 36.3MP D800.

Michael Zhang

Macro Shots Using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 4×5 Large Format Camera

London-based photographer David Wilman recently did some experiments in which he used a Canon 5D Mark II as a digital back for his MPP 4x5 large format camera. He placed his lens-less 5D at the back of the camera at the film plane and then placed a black cloth over the two cameras to prevent any light from spilling onto the sensor. Light from the Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 4.5/150mm lens entered straight into the open mirror box of the DSLR without any physical link between the two cameras. Wilman was surprised to discovered that this pairing produced quite a respectable macro setup.

Michael Zhang

Oops: Nikon Uses Stolen Canon 5D Mark II Footage for D800 Promo Video

Nikon caused a stir this past weekend after it was revealed that a promo video shown during the D800's launch in Bangkok actually contained footage that was both used without permission and that wasn't even captured with a Nikon D800. After a recording of the promo was uploaded to YouTube in mid-February, people began coming forward with reports that Nikon had used their videos without permission.

Michael Zhang

Siri Ported to the Canon 5D Mark II?

A Swedish hacker and robotics student named Björn Mabrö is claiming that he has successfully developed a custom firmware for the Canon 5D Mark II that adds Apple's Siri voice assistant to the DSLR. Mabrö claims that the hack allows the camera to respond to 124 different voice commands that control everything from the shutter to changing values in settings.