Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR - Features

Canon EOS 5D: Body and Design

Premium Design and Construction

The EOS 5D Digital SLR has a solid, substantial and organic feel that complements its compact dimensions and reasonable weight. Truly, it is a premium camera. The top, front and rear covers and battery grip are made of magnesium alloy, known for being lightweight and strong. Also, the USB port, video terminal and other external interface connectors concealed under the left cover use special engineering plastic with excellent electromagnetic shielding properties.

The EOS 5D camera's basic internal construction and major parts' configuration are the same as those of the EOS 20D model. The 5D camera has an improved grip and mode dial, a modified terminal cap shape and clearer rear controls. The pentaprism has an all-new shape necessitated by the full-frame sensor and all associated components such as the mirror, mirror box and shutter. Thanks to the design and manufacturing know-how accumulated with previous EOS Digital cameras, as well as the low-pass filter integrated with the CMOS cover glass, the EOS 5D model can be both more compact than one might expect a high performance DSLR with a full-frame sensor to be, and more affordable as well.

The camera body consists of a stainless steel chassis and a mirror box made of high-strength engineering plastic. The mirror box, to which the mount and imaging element are attached, is very securely attached to the chassis to prevent the flange focal distance from changing due to static pressure on the attached lens. Since the grip and front cover are one piece, body rigidity is excellent.

The exterior surface finish is a high-density black satin finish with a leathery touch that feels smooth in the hands. The three grip surfaces are covered with rubber. The electroplated "EOS 5D" badge and recessed and painted Canon logo contributes to the camera's quality appearance. Canon EOS 5D LCD Menu

High Performance 2.5-Inch Wide-View LCD Monitor

The EOS 5D camera has a 2.5 inch polysilicon TFT LCD screen with approximately 230,000 pixels. It has an exceptionally wide viewing angle of 170 degrees, and the display area is double that of the EOS 20D's 1.8 inch screen. Previous LCD screens had a narrow vertical viewing angle. Picture brightness was lost if it was viewed from even a slight vertical angle and image review involved some uncertainty. The new screen maintains the same brightness from almost any viewing angle. Brightness is adjustable in five levels with the menu item [LCD brightness].

The backlight uses six LED modules that illuminate the large monitor evenly. By comparison, the 20D model's 1.8 inch screen uses three LED modules. Along with the larger screen, the menu text is also larger and easier to read. The full-featured INFO screen includes file sizes, RGB histogram and AF frame displays. In addition, Quick Review images are now enlargeable.

Large, Bright Viewfinder With Interchangeable Focusing Screens

The viewfinder optics of the EOS 5D camera are newly developed. They provide 96% vertical and horizontal coverage with .71X magnification, a 20mm eyepoint and -3 to +1 dpt dioptric adjustment. The result is a large and bright view that is very much like that of the EOS-1Ds Mark II (100% view, .7x magnification, 20mm eyepoint, same range of dioptric adjustment).

Viewfinder information

Also like the EOS-1Ds Mark II, the EOS 5D features interchangeable focusing screens. The standard screen is the Ee-A, designed to work with all EF lenses down to f/5.6 maximum aperture. Like the Ee-D and Ee-S, it has the Precision Matte random microlens construction with elements of varying size and sensitivity. Two optional screens are available, the Ee-D grid-type, also good for all lenses down to f/5.6 maximum aperture, and the Ee-S, having finer microlenses than the other two types, intended for lenses f/2.8 or faster, with a steeper-than-normal parabola of focus for easier manual focusing. Because these screens have differing metering characteristics, C.Fn.-00 must be set to match the screen in use.

The information display in the finder, below the focusing screen, is like the display of the EOS 20D, with the addition of an indicator for FE lock: AE lock, AEB in progress (blinks), Flash ready, insufficient flash warning during FE lock (blinks), High-speed sync (FP flash), FE lock, FEB shooting (blinks), Flash exposure compensation, Shutter speed (if camera shake will occur, it blinks), bulb, FE lock (FEL), Processing data (buSY), Aperture (if unsuitable, it blinks), Exposure level display (Exposure compensation, Manual exposure level, AEB level, Flash exposure compensation, Red-Eye Reduction lamp on time display), White balance correction, Max. burst, AF focus confirmation (blinks when focus cannot be achieved), MF focus confirmation, No CF card warning (no CF).

Finder blackout time is 145 ms at shutter speeds of 1/60 sec. and faster. There is no mirror cut-off with lenses up to EF 600mm f/4L. Mirror lock-up is enabled with C.Fn-12-1. Depth-of-field preview is provided via a button on the lower left front of the camera.

Canon EOS 5D
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