Equipment review Astroimager’s delight: Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II Ease of use, tons of features, and a whopping 21 megapixels of resolution are all reasons to look at this camera. by Mike Reynolds ow resolutions, slow responses, and Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II contains a high-priced gizmos — astroimaging 21.1-megapixel, full-frame complementary has come a long way since its metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor L that captures celestial objects in high inception. The past 50 years have seen resolution. All camera images courtesy of Canon U.S.A. major advances in film chemistry, film sensitivity, new imaging techniques such as using cold cameras and hypersensitized films, and, of course, digital imaging. My first digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera was Canon’s EOS 10D, which featured a 6.3-megapixel chip. For my next camera, I moved up to Canon’s EOS 20Da, which the company opti- mized for astronomical photography. This 8.2-megapixel camera integrated a special filter that increased transmission of the Hydrogen-alpha line, a wavelength many nebulae emit. The result was better images of red nebulae. Mega-features Enter the high-megapixel, full-frame DSLRs like Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II. For the many amateur astronomers who have invested in the Canon line, this is a natu- The 5D Mark II offers ISO speeds CompactFlash® (memory) card. With my ral upgrade. This camera contains a from 100 to 6400 (expandable to a low old EOS 10D, waiting for the camera to 21.1-megapixel, full-frame complemen- ISO of 50 and a high of 25600). The cam- save an image often meant missing other tary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) era also can capture high-definition shots. For example, recently I wanted to chip that measures 35.9mm by 24mm. video (1920x1080). rapidly image a series containing the The sensor’s size lets imagers capture a One feature that Canon touts is how Moon and the Pleiades (M45) open star wider field of view than they could with rugged the EOS 5D Mark II is. I found cluster in close proximity. The EOS 5D previous smaller chips. out the hard way when the camera slid allowed me to shoot multiple bracketed off my tripod and fell 6 feet onto a con- images quickly. Product specifications crete floor. The only damage the EOS 5D This camera has several other features suffered was some minor scuffs. I really like. One is its large (3.0-inch, Canon EOS 5D Mark II For this review, I primarily imaged 920,000 dot) LCD view screen. (The Sensor: 21.1-megapixel CMOS chip through a 5-inch f/7.5 apochromatic screen produces clear images, but I still ISO range: 50–25600 refractor with a field flattener. The carry a computer into the field to view Continuous shooting: 3.9 frames/ images were terrific. I compared them to my data.) The EOS 5D’s controls and second Viewfinder: 3.0", 920,000 dot LCD some taken with the Canon 20Da. Even menu also are easy to use, whether in a monitor with the advantage the 20Da had because regular or low-light situation. Viewfinder coverage: 98 percent of its red-permeable filter, the 5D’s Video capture: 1920x1080 resolution images were of much higher quality. Mike Reynolds is a contributing editor of Price: $2,099.99 (body only) One thing that amazed me was how Astronomy and Dean of Liberal Arts and fast the EOS 5D saves large images to its Sciences at Florida State College at Jacksonville. © 2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form • 62 Astronomy Octoberwithout 2010 permission from the publisher. www.Astronomy.com The Lagoon and Trifid nebulae (M8 [bottom] and M20 [top]) plus emis- Canon EOS 5D Mark II set at ISO 800 attached to a 7.2-inch Takahashi sion nebula NGC 6559 shine along with thousands of Milky Way stars in Epsilon 180 Astrograph at f/2.8. He set the camera to “auto dark” and Sagittarius. Imager Dean Salman took this 10-minute shot through the picked a single exposure to show what the Canon can reveal. Dean Salman The EOS 5D lets you save images as ing this celestial pairing is not overexpos- high-resolution astroimaging. The cam- JPG or RAW files, and you can set it to ing the lunar crescent and yet capturing era’s features are refined and show that save more than one format per image the star cluster. I took a burst of short- Canon continues to develop its excellent taken. I shoot all of my astronomical exposure images at 1/125 and 1/250 second, user interface. Also, the EOS 5D’s price images as RAW files, which generates the and then I used image-processing soft- will decrease as new models appear. most data and doesn’t compress the files. ware to stack them. I also imaged a vari- Indeed, this may be the camera that takes And here’s a bonus: The EOS 5D per- ety of deep-sky objects such as the you into the high-resolution age. forms an automatic sensor cleaning Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237–9). whenever you turn the camera on or off. All in all, I found the EOS 5D Mark II Contact information One accessory I recommend is Can- to excel mechanically, electronically, and on’s TC-80N3 remote control. It allows optically. It’s easy to use, produces out- Canon, U.S.A. One Canon Plaza me to set multiple images with specific standing non-astronomy Lake Success, NY 11042-1198 exposure times and the time between photographs, and lets [t] 800.652.2666 each exposure. This feature will come in you enter the [w] www.canon.com handy if your computer fails or if you world of want to image without a computer driv- ing the system. The only thing about the camera that I don’t like is that it uses a different battery than previous Canon DSLRs. If the EOS 5D is your only camera, that’s not a big deal. But it means I can’t use my other batteries as spares. That said, the battery Canon developed for the EOS 5D is a higher-power (1800 milliamp-hour) upgrade, so you’ll get more shots per bat- tery charge than from earlier versions. Go shoot the sky I imaged a variety of sky objects both dif- ficult and easy. One target I went after was a close approach of the Pleiades by the Moon. Part of the challenge in imag- Find reviews of the Canon 10D and 20Da On the camera’s back side, you’ll find the 3.0" LCD viewfinder and all the controls that will allow DSLRs at www.Astronomy.com/toc. you to navigate through the EOS 5D’s imaging functions. www.Astronomy.com 63 Keep your eyes on the sky and renew your ASTRONOMY subscription Don’t break your link to the leading astronomy magazine on the market. Renew your subscription and continue to receive the insightful astronomical information that fills every issue: ✰ New-product listings ✰ Expert observing tips ✰ Field tests: telescopes, cameras, binoculars, eyepieces, accessories ✰ Monthly pullout star maps ✰ And exclusive online access to Star Atlas, Star Dome Plus, The Sky this Month, Ask Astro archives, videos, image galleries, product information, and more! RENEW TODAY! www.Astronomy.com/ASYRENEW Plus, why not share your enthusiasm? It’s easy to send someone a gift subscription today! 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