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Canon 5D Mk II - Pixel Peeping for Resolution
January 5, 2009

Testing parameters:

1. Cameras used were the Canon 5D2, Nikon D300 and Nikon D2X (all with the most current firmware)
2. Lenses used were the Canon 50mm f1.8 II, Nikon 50mm f1.8 AF-D and Sigma 30mm f1.4 - all set to f5.6
3. Tripod and head were the aluminum Gitzo 1345 and Arca Swiss B1 and the cameras were levelled with a hot shot bubble level
4. All cameras were fired via the self-timer set to two seconds - the Canon with the mirror up custom function set and the Nikons with the mirror delay custom function
5. The subject is a crisp, clean Canadian $5 bill taped to a piece of 8.5x11 paper, which was taped to my fridge door - the crops are the approximate center of the subject except for the D2X shots due to the height of the D2X compared to the 5D2 and D300 (used without its grip)
6. The tripod was moved back and forth as needed to keep the edges of the paper in line with the viewfinder's edges, thus the field of view is nearly the same for all cameras and lenses, e.g. the Nikon cameras with the 50mm lenses were moved further back then the 5D2 with its 50mm lens
7. The exposure was kept constant for all three cameras, e.g. my base was 1/4 second at f5.6 and ISO 100 with the shutter speed manually adjusted in one-stop increments as the ISO went up - on the 5D2 and D300, my base exposure provided a slight overexposure compared to what the cameras' meter read, whereas with the D2X, its meter indicated a one-stop underexposure
8. All shots done in RAW mode and converted to maximum quality JPEGs via Adobe's 64-bit Lightroom 2.2 for the PC - other than setting the white balance by clicking on the white piece of paper the $5 bill was taped to, default Lightroom settings were used except for setting Sharpening and Noise Reduction to zero

Canon 5D2 at ISO 100	D300 at ISO 100
D2X at ISO 100	D300 at ISO 100 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 200	D300 at ISO 200
D2X at ISO 200	D300 at ISO 200 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 400	D300 at ISO 400
D2X at ISO 400	D300 at ISO 400 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 800	D300 at ISO 800
D2X at ISO 800	D300 at ISO 800 (Sigma)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 1600	D300 at ISO 1600
D2X at ISO 1600	D300 at ISO 1600 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 3200	D300 at ISO 3200
D2X at ISO 3200	D300 at ISO 3200 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 6400	D300 at ISO 6400
	D300 at ISO 6400 (Sigma 30)
Canon 5D2 at ISO 12K	Canon 5D2 at ISO 25k

What do I think I see?

1. The D300 reveals more details than the D2X - it's astonishing to think that a camera that cost $5000 in 2006 is bested a mere year later by a camera that costs 1/3 the amount; it's also a major piss-off as well for those of us that spent such money on the D2X and is a big reason why I no longer believe in buying any brand's top of the line SLR
2. While there's an obvious resolution difference between the 5D2 and the D300, I see a similar level of acuity between the two, which indicates that the two cheap 50mm lenses offer a simlar level of quality; however, as expected, the 5D2 is clearly resolving more fine detail than the D300
3. The Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens is a pretty darn sharp lens, as it resolves more fine detail than the Nikon 50mm f1.8 at f5.6
4. Although I did a combined resolution and high ISO test here, I don't really find much value in this kind of high ISO test due to the static subject - it's just not a real world kind of thing to be doing; however, with that out of the way, the full frame advantage is clear in allowing the 5D2 to provide at least a one-stop advantage over the D300 and the poor old D2X never has a chance past ISO 400

Conclusion
The Canon 5D2 Mk II is an impressive camera for offering high resolution at a reasonable cost. While it's no speed demon and is not the best choice for shooting sports or other action, it's a remarkable all-rounder that's finding a place in my heart. The image quality offered makes up for a less than stellar menu system and at times irksome ergonomics - keeping in mind that I'm a Nikon guy.

If I were still doing weddings, I'd be hard pressed to want something else, even the Nikon D700, because the resolution offered allows a lot of cheat factor in being able to crop a better composition in postproduction while having enough resolution to produce good sized enlargements.

The high ISO quality has essentially shelved my D300 for photographing my son's hockey games. The D300's ISO 3200 just does not compare and I'm loathe to continue using it despite losing the 8 fps speed and 1.5x crop factor that the DX format provides with the 70-200 lens.

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