Canon EOS 5D digital camera - review appendix.
Copyright © 2007 NK Guy
http://photonotes.org/reviews/eos-5d/appendix.html
This document is an appendix to my review of the Canon EOS 5D digital camera.
Viewfinder data.
Top-deck LCD.
Top deck pushbuttons.
Menu system items.
Custom functions.
Accessories and equipment.
Additional accessories.
From left to right the viewfinder data strip shows the following bits of information:
* The asterisk indicates auto-exposure lock or, when blinking, AEB (bracketing) in progress.
Lightning bolt icon. This can indicate flash read, flash exposure lock (FEL) failure (flashing), high speed sync/FP mode flash (when H is displayed), FEL (when * is steady) and flash exposure bracketing (FEB) when * is flashing.
Lightning bolt icon with + and -. This indicates flash exposure compensation is being set. Unfortunately the 5D cannot display FEC except when it’s being adjusted.
Shutter speed, from 30 seconds to 1/8000 seconds.
Lens aperture, from f/0 to f/99. Though the actual values displayed are those of which the lens is actually capable. Displays 00 if no EF lens is present or if the lens is not locked in place correctly.
FEL. Flash exposure lock set. (see the "traditional controls, rear panel" section.
buSY. Camera is busy processing data. This message appears when the internal memory buffer is full of photos and you can’t take any more. It appears mostly when shooting continuous frames.
FuLL CF. The CompactFlash memory card is full.
Err CF. Error reading or writing to the memory card.
no CF. There’s no memory card present. The camera has the ability to pretend to take photos when no memory card is installed - it fires the shutter normally. However, you can also set it so that it refuses to do so and displays this error message instead.
The top deck also carries the traditional black and white LCD panel on the right side when viewed from the back. This LCD is used for displaying a variety of pieces of shooting data, shown below.
Shutter speed, in either 1/2 or 1/3 steps, from 30 sec to 1/8000 sec. If the camera is in bulb mode then "buLb" will be displayed.
Lens aperture, in either 1/2 or 1/3 steps, to any setting supported by the lens. If no EOS-compatible lens is present, or if an EOS-compatible lens is mounted by not fully locked into position, then the camera goes into stopdown metering mode, with an aperture display of 00.
Exposure compensation from -2 to +2 stops on a simulated matchneedle scale.
Battery strength (full, low, flashing low, flashing empty).
Metering pattern. 35 zone check evaluative, 8% partial, 3.5% spot and centre-weighted averaging. (see metering pattern section below)
Number of shots remaining on the memory card. This is an estimated value. Since every photo is different the camera has no way of predicting the actual file size for each photo, so it does its best to estimate the likely number of shots remaining, given an average file size.
Single, continuous and timer shooting. (see DRIVE-ISO section below)
White balance setting, indicated by a number of icons. (see AF-WB section below)
One shot, AI Servo and AI Focus autofocus mode. (see AF-WB section below)
C. Fn. Whether any of the custom functions are set to a position other than default. Not incredibly useful, since setting any custom function causes this icon to appear in the display.
Beeper (loudspeaker icon). Whether the autofocus and timer beeper is on or off.
ISO sensitivity, from ISO 100 to ISO 1600 with L (50) and H (3200) as options. (see DRIVE-ISO section below) In green rectangle mode the ISO will be set to "AUTO", as the camera will choose an appropriate ISO setting from the 100-400 range.
Flash exposure compensation (only displayed when altering FEC settings). The output of the flash from the camera’s metered estimate, plus or minus 2 stops.
B/W - if the camera is in black and white mode or not.
Bracketing icon - whether auto-exposure bracketing (AEB) is enabled.
WB - white balance shift, if enabled.
Above the top-deck LCD is a row of small round buttons. These are:
Backlight (hollow lightbulb icon). This icon (the solid lightbulb icon on EOS cameras refers to tungsten white balance) turns the top deck LCD’s amber backlight on or off for night photography. If simply pressed the backlight stays on for about 6 seconds.
AF-WB. This controls autofocus and white balance modes. Once this button is pressed you can adjust the autofocus modes by rotating the main control dial. You have the choice between three AF modes.
One-Shot. In this mode the camera starts focusing when you half-press the shutter, assuming you’re using an autofocus lens in AF mode. It then locks the focus once focus has been attained. The camera will not take a photo in this mode until focus is locked.
AI Servo. In this mode the camera starts focusing when you half-press the shutter, assuming you’re using an autofocus lens in AF mode. However, unlike One-Shot it then continuously refocuses the lens as required to track moving objects. This mode will allow you to take a picture if you push the shutter release all the way, even if focus has not been attained. "AI" here stands rather optimistically for "artificial intelligence," reflecting the camera’s ability to predict the motion of an object moving in a linear path.
AI Focus starts out in One-Shot mode but switches to AI Servo if it detects a moving object. This is the default for green rectangle mode.
The AF-WB button also lets you adjust white balance settings by rotating the rear dial. You can also choose a variety of manual white balance settings, most of which are identified by icons. These are:
AUTO. The default, whereby the camera tries its best to determine the likely white balance by examining the scene it sees through the lens. (unlike some very early EOS digital models, the 5D does not have an external white balance sensor on the camera body)
Daylight (sun icon). 5200K. Assumes ordinary sunlight at noon in a temperate country.
Shade (house icon). 7000K. Assumes a shady spot on a sunny day.
Cloudy/twilight (cloud icon). 6000K. Assumes the blue light of a cloudy day.
Tungsten (solid bulb icon). 3200K. Assumes the light of a tungsten incandescent light bulb.
Fluorescent (fluorescent strip bulb). 4000K. Assumes the colour of a fluorescent bulb.
Flash (lightning bolt). 6000K. Flash photography.
Custom (wedge icon). This mode allows you to select your own custom white balance setting by shooting something white or grey under the lighting conditions you’re using, from 2000 to 10000K.
Kelvin (K icon). This mode lets you dial in any arbitrary colour temperature in Kelvin temperature units, from 2800 to 10000K in 100K increments.
DRIVE-ISO. This button, once pressed, controls the shooting modes and ISO settings. Rotating the main control dial alters the drive settings and rotating the rear control dial alters the ISO settings.
DRIVE. Though "drive" is a bit of anachronism since there’s no film drive in this camera; the analogous term refers to frame capture mode. There are three drive options.
Single shot (rectangle icon). In this mode pressing and holding the shutter release button will take one photo only.
Continuous (stacked rectangle icon). In this mode pressing and holding the release will take multiple photos. The camera will snap images at 3 frames per second until the memory buffer is filled, at which point the message "buSY" will be displayed. This burst is 60 frames when shooting JPEG and 17 when shooting RAW.
Self-timer (stopwatch icon). In this mode the camera will take a single photograph after a 10 second countdown. The number of seconds remaining are displayed on the top deck LCD, and the red LED on the front of the camera will blink. It blinks slowly for the first 10 seconds, then rapidly for the last two seconds. The beeper will also sound if it’s turned on.
ISO. This mode allows you to set the camera’s sensitivity for light.
This range normally runs from ISO 100 (least sensitive; least amount of noise) to ISO 1600 (most sensitive; most digital noise) This range can be extended to L (ISO 50) and H (ISO 3200 through use of a custom function. However, L and H are simulated ISO settings in the camera’s software - the camera actually shoots at ISO 100 and 1600 respectively, then manipulates the data to simulate the slower or faster speeds.
Metering mode [(*)], flash exposure compensation (lightning bolt +/-). This button, once pressed, allows you to change the metering pattern used and adjust flash exposure compensation (FEC). To adjust metering modes, rotate the main control dial. There are four modes.
Evaluative [(*)]. This mode uses the 35-zone ambient light sensor in the camera, and a lot of secret computer algorithms, to determine the correct metering.
Partial [( )]. This mode uses the area marked by the 8.5% circle on the factory-supplied viewfinder screen. You cannot partial meter over an arbitrary autofocus point - just the centre one.
Spot [ * ]. This mode uses a small area, 3.5%, of the centre of the screen. You cannot spot meter over an arbitrary autofocus point.
Centre-weighted averaging [ ]. This averages the whole visible area, weighting towards the centre of the screen. It’s a typical metering mode used in cameras from the 1970s, but still effective under many circumstances.
To adjust flash exposure compensation rotate the rear dial. The amount of compensation, up to +2 or -2 stops, appears in the simulated match-needle display.
These are the options available through the menu system. First, the red group:
Quality. This allows you to set the image size and resolution for JPEG files. Alternatively you can shoot RAW instead. This setting is available through the SET button via a custom function.
Beep. Whether the camera beeps during autofocus and self-timer operations or not.
Shoot w/o card. Whether the camera will shoot even if there’s no CF card installed. It’s not a bad idea to leave this off unless you really need to leave it on. You’ll miss fewer shots that way.
AEB, auto-exposure bracketing. This allows you to shoot a sequence of images in a series of exposure settings. AEB can be 0 (off) or up to 2 stops. The ordering of the sequence is determined by a custom function.
WB SHIFT/BKT. White balance shift/bracket. Allows you to use the multicontroller to adjust colour temperature variables on two axes: blue/amber and magenta/green. You can also auto-bracket based on white balance.
Custom WB. Allows you to set your own custom white balance setting, accessible through the custom ISO setting. To use this feature you just photograph a white object under the lighting conditions you’re using.
Color temp. Displays the current colour temperature setting and allows you to dial in a custom setting.
Color space. Whether you use the sRGB or Adobe RGB (1998) colour spaces. If you aren’t familiar with colour management it’s probably best to leave this set to sRGB.
Blue group:
Protect. Allows you to lock the current image so it cannot be deleted by mistake. This does not prevent the entire card from being reformatted, however.
Rotate. Allows you to rotate the current image by pressing the SET button.
Print order. Allows you to specify the printing order of a group of photos when using a direct-connected printer, using DPOF (Digital Print Order Format).
Auto play. Starts an automatic slideshow of the images stored on your memory card.
Review time. Off, 2, 4, 8 seconds, hold. The number of seconds a photo is displayed on the main LCD after a photo is taken. This is handy, but eats up a lot of battery power.
AF points. Whether to display or not display the autofocus rectangles in the viewfinder.
Histogram. Whether the histogram displays brightness or RGB information.
Yellow group:
Auto power off. How long before the camera goes into sleep mode. 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30 minutes or no auto power off.
Auto rotate. Whether the camera automatically rotates images to match the physical camera position, based on an internal sensor in the camera.
LCD brightness. The main LCD’s brightness in 5 levels.
Date/time. Set date and time. If the camera loses this information then its internal backup battery will need replacing.
File numbering. File numbering allows you to set the way photographs are numbered in their file names. "Continuous" keeps the same numeric sequence going even if you change cards, "auto reset" resets the number sequence when you change cards and "manual reset" creates new folders.
Select folder. Allows you to create and select a folder on the memory card in which images are stored.
Language. Your choice of English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
Video system. NTSC (North America, Japan) or PAL (most of the rest of the world except for France and Eastern Europe).
Communication. PC connect for talking to a computer or Print/PTP for printing to a printer.
Format. Completely erase and reformat (prepare for use) the memory card. Tow all the cars away and repaint the lines in the parking lot, essentially.
Custom functions. The camera has a set of 21 custom functions which enable and disable a wide variety of options.
Clear settings. Erase all customized settings and return to factory defaults.
Register camera settings. Record the current camera settings in the C setting in the mode dial.
Sensor cleaning. This function flips up the mirror, exposing the image sensor, until you turn off the camera. Note that this feature is somewhat misleadingly named, as it simply exposes the sensor so that you can clean it manually. It doesn’t actually self-clean or anything. The 5D does not have sensor cleaning functionality.
Firmware version. Displays the version of the camera’s internal software and allows you to upload a firmware update from Canon if and when they release one. At time of writing 1.1 is the current version. To upload an update you charge up the battery fully (or use an AC adapter), format a CF card, copy the firmware to the CF card, put the card into the camera, select this option in the menu and press OK.
There is a whole set of custom settings (what Canon call "custom functions") which can be set by the user to enable or disable various features.
1. SET button functionality when shooting.
0: Default (does nothing) 1: Change image quality from various JPEG options and RAW (probably most useful for most people). 2: Change Picture Style. 3: Display menu. 4: Image replay.
2. Long exposure noise reduction. This function cuts a lot of hot pixel noise during long bulb exposures, but can take the same length of time to process as the exposure itself.
0: Off. 1: Auto noise reduction for exposures of 1 second or longer. 2: On.
3. Flash sync speed in Av mode.
0: Auto. 1: 1/200 sec (fixed)
4. Shutter button/AE lock button. The famous CF4, allowing you to alter the functionality of the * button on the back panel.
0: AF/AE lock. 1: AE lock / AF. 2: AF/AF lock, no AE lock. 3: AE/AF, no AE lock
5. AF assist beam on external shoemount flash units.
0: Fires. 1: Does not fire.
6. Exposure level increments.
0: 1/3 stop. 1: 1/2 stop.
7. External flash on hotshoe or PC terminal.
0: Fires. 1: Does not fire.
8. ISO expansion. When enabled, permits ISO settings of 50 (L) and 3200 (H).
0: Off. 1: On.
9. Bracket.sequence/auto cancel. Bracket sequence determines the order of the normal photo, the under photo and the over photo. Auto-cancel disables AEB at the end of a sequence. Decide carefully if you want this on or off, as it’s easy to think you’re still bracketing when in fact auto-cancel has disabled the function.
0: 0,-,+ (enabled). 1: 0,-,+ (disabled) 2: ,0,+ (enabled) 3: ,0,+ (disabled)
10. Superimposed display: display active AF point or points in the viewfinder.
0: On. 1: Off.
11. Menu button display position.
0: Previous (top if powered down) menu. 1: Previous menu. 2: Top menu.
12. Mirror lockup. When enabled, one press of the shutter button locks up the mirror in order to prevent vibrations from mirror motion blurring the photo. A second press takes the photo.
0: Disable. 1: Enable.
13. AF point selection method.
0: Normal, main control dial. 1: Multi-controller and AF point button selects auto. 2: rear dial
14. E-TTL II flash metering pattern.
0: Evaluative. 1: Averaging.
15. Flash shutter curtain sync.
0: First curtain sync. 1: Second curtain sync
16. Safety shift in Av or Tv modes.
0: Disable. 1: Enable. Auto-shift exposure if subject brightness changes suddenly.
17. AF point activation area. The additional focus points are useful for fast action photography, but probably not necessary or desired for things like portraits.
0: Standard. 1: Expanded. Activate 6 invisible AF points within the spot metering circle in AI Servo mode.
18. When in LCD display: return to shooting mode.
0: With shutter button half-pressed only. 1: Returns to shoot with * and a variety of other buttons.
19. Lens AF stop button function. This button is only found on some larger Canon telephoto lenses.
0: AF stop. 1: AF start. 2: AE lock while metering. 3: AF point: M to Auto/Auto to Centre 4: One Shot or AI Servo. 5: IS start
20. Add original decision data for use with optional data verification kit.
0: Off. 1: On.
00. Focusing screen. Adjust for the metering characteristics of optional interchangeable viewfinder screens.
0: Ee-A, standard Precision Matte. 1: Ee-D, Precision Matte with grid. 2: Ee-S, Super Precision Matte
Included accessories and equipment.
The camera ships with a number of different odds and ends, depending on the market in which it was sold. However, the following items are fairly standard. If you go to buy a 5D somewhere and the salesperson tries to claim that they’re going to throw in a battery as a "free gift" or worse, tries to sell you the item at extra cost then it probably means you’re dealing with a scam artist. Do a little research and see if the 5D package sold in your area actually doesn’t come with the item, or whether the seller is trying to rip you off by taking things out of the box and reselling them back to you; a popular technique with less honourable camera merchants.
Battery. Canon-proprietary rechargeable lithium BP-511A battery or similar with plastic cover.
Canon have used three types of batteries in their digital SLR cameras over the years. Most of the midrange and early consumer cameras use BP-511 type batteries, which include the compatible BP-512, BP-514 and BP-511A packs. (these variations are all the same physical shape but have different power capacities) This means that batteries are safely interchangeable between the 5D, 10D, 20D, 30D, etc.
These batteries are not interchangeable with the smaller NB-2LH lithium battery used on recent EOS consumer cameras, not with the huge battery packs employed by 1D series cameras.
Battery charger. Depending on where you bought the camera, you’ll most likely get either the CG-580 charger, which has flip-out power pins (North America and Japan) or the CB-5L charger, which has a removable power cord and can thus be used with different power plugs for different countries (the rest of the world).
Either charger holds a single BP-511 or similar battery, and has a red LED which flashes to indicate charge level. Both chargers are designed to work from 100-240 VAC at either 50 or 60 Hz, and so only need adapter plugs (not transformers or power converters) to work anywhere around the world. See the next section if you want to buy a two-battery charger.
USB interface cable. USB A to USB mini-B. This standard data cable is used to connect the camera to a computer or printer. It's not a special Canon cable, so if you lose it you can just replace it with an ordinary computer cable of the same type.
Video output cable. 2.5mm male audio plug to male RCA plug. This standard cable is used to connect the camera to the composite input on a PAL or NTSC compatible TV set. It's not a special Canon cable, so if you lose it you can just replace it with an ordinary audio cable of the same type.
Camera strap. Usually a wide strap emblazoned with the Canon logo so you can advertise the company wherever you go!
Manuals and software. Printed books and CDs containing the Canon solutions software are always included with new Canon cameras. If the manual is in a language not commonly spoken in your region (for example, Japanese) or is just a photocopy of an English manual then it’s likely that your product was imported without the permission of the local distributor. This type of grey market import usually isn’t illegal as such, but it does mean that you probably will not be able to get warranty support from Canon if the product goes wrong. In the days of film, Canon EOS cameras had international warranties. Unfortunately EOS digital cameras have restricted warranties which only cover the region in which they were bought.
Usually no lens. Generally semi-pro cameras like the EOS 5D are sold without lenses, on the assumption that the buyer probably already has a selection of lenses available. However, the 5D is available in "kit" form, bundled with an optional lens. The EF 24-105 4L IS USM is a popular and versatile, if not inexpensive, lens bundled with the 5D.
No memory card. In the past, Canon would sometimes throw in a very small memory card to get you started. This was fairly pointless since most people would just go out and buy a memory card of a useful size, so these days the cameras generally do not ship with cards.
There are all manner of add-on accessories for the 5D. Here are some of the more common ones from Canon.
Lenses. Not really accessories, since a lens is a fundamental part of any SLR system. But anyway, any Canon-branded EF lens will work with the 5D. No EF-S lens will work with the 5D, because it is not a subframe camera. Various third party lenses should work with the 5D if they’re identified as being Canon EOS compatible, but some early Sigma lenses will not work.
Flash units. Any Canon Speedlite with a product name ending in "EX," along with the ST-E2 remote controller, is E-TTL compatible and can, therefore, work with the EOS 5D.
Battery grip BG-E4. This grip, shown here, can contain two lithium batteries for double the shooting time, or AA cells when using an optional tray. AA cells don’t last very long, but can be very useful if you’re in the Middle of Nowhere and your lithium batteries are dead, there’s no charger handy, but the local gift shop sells AAs. The grip also makes vertical (portrait) shooting more comfortable, and duplicates the shutter release and dial functionality.
E1 hand strap. This handstrap with its oval-shaped pad can be attached directly to any 1 series EOS camera. But since smaller EOS cameras lack the strap attachment point at the bottom, you need to buy the battery grip BG-E4 if you want to use this side-mounted strap with the EOS 5D.
Viewfinder accessories. Canon sell a range of accessories which fit onto the viewfinder eyepiece. Since Canon have used the same eyepiece design for some years most of these accessories are interchangeable with previous EOS cameras. The accessories include the following. Rubber Frame Eb, which is a simple soft rubber frame which allows the use of optional dioptric compensation lenses. Eyecup Eb - the standard soft rubber frame supplied with the camera. Angle Finder C allows you to look into the viewfinder for above; very handy for macro shots or photographing with the camera low to the ground. Eyepiece Extender EP-EX15, which stops your nose bumping up against the rear LCD screen, at the cost of making the viewfinder image look further away. Dioptric Adjustment Lens E, in a variety of strengths from +2 to -4, to compensate further than the built-in dioptric compensation dial can handle.
AC adapter kit ACK-E2. This power adapter allows the 5D to be plugged into a mains power source for continuous operation. It has a sort of hollow battery shell which fits inside the battery compartment.
N3 compatible wired shutter release remotes. Canon sell the RS-80N3 wired remote and the TC-80N3 timer remote, but many third party remotes are now available. If you need a longer cable, you can buy the 10 metre (30 foot) long Canon Extension Cord ET-1000N3 which costs twice as much as the actual Canon remote, or a cheaper third party remote with a longer cable.
Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1, WFT-E1A. This somewhat ungainly device fastens to the bottom of the camera and allows for wireless connections using ordinary WiFi wireless Ethernet. The A version is for North America, since it only supports 11 channels versus the international 13 channel version. Neither version is technically legal for use in France because of that country’s limited channel options for wireless Ethernet.
Data verification kits. The EOS 5D has the ability to embed a mathematically generated code within a photo that can be used to determine whether or not the picture has been digitally altered since it was taken; a feature very useful for law enforcement, etc. To do this you need to turn on the feature using custom function 20. You then need to use the Canon Original Data Verification Kit DVK-E2 to inspect each file. There's conflicting information on the Canon Web site as to whether the newer Canon Original Data Security Kit OSK-E3 can be used with the 5D or not. Unfortunately the software used by these kits is Windows-only.
Compact Power Adapter CA-PS400. A confusingly named dual battery charger and power adapter. This charger holds two BP-511 type batteries at once, though it cannot charge them simultaneously - it charges first one and then the other. Apparently it sometimes does not ship with a cable, so you may need a standard "figure 8" cable for whatever country you're in. Like the other Canon chargers it's a universal voltage (100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz) device so it does not need a transformer or converter. When used with the DC-Coupler DR-400 it can also power a camera much like the ACK-E2, though it cannot charge batteries at the same time. This device shipped as the standard charger with the original EOS D30 and D60 cameras, but was replaced by the smaller single-battery chargers with the arrival of the EOS 10D. It's convenient to have two batteries in at once, but it's much bulkier and less convenient for travelling than the single-battery units.
- NK Guy, PhotoNotes.org.
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