Canon EOS 5D Mark II

In December 2005, Canon released the EOS 5D, a revolutionary camera that offered a full-frame sensor (that is, a sensor that's...

In December 2005, Canon released the EOS 5D, a revolutionary camera that offered a full-frame sensor (that is, a sensor that's the same size as a piece of 35mm film) for around $3,000. Most digital single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs) use a small sensor that "sees" only the middle section of a lens, effectively giving your lens a crop that's equivalent to a lens with a longer focal length.

When you put a lens on a full-frame camera, it works just as it would if you put it on a 35mm film camera--there is no focal length multiplier like there is when you use a camera with a cropped sensor. The larger sensor also allows you to achieve a shallower depth of field. Talk to any fan of the EOS 5D (which is mostly anyone who ever used one) and they'll extol the camera's ability to shoot images that have a film-like quality, a little something extra. It's a testament to the quality of the original EOS 5D that it stayed on the market for almost three years before Canon released an ...

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Ben Long, Macworld.com