Review
of the Canon EOS 1D Mark II for Nature Photography
Text copyright Heather Forcier, Greg Downing, and E.J. Peiker
Images copyrighted as indicated, all rights reserved
Three members of the NatureScapes.Net editorial staff have been working in the field with the Mark II for a month now. Combined, we come from backgrounds using digital camera bodies such as the Nikon D1, Canon D30, D60, 1D, 10D, and 1Ds. Following a month of Mark II testing and practical use in the field, plus by collaborating with colleagues also using the camera, we have formed some initial impressions about Canon’s latest DSLR release.
OVERVIEW
The features of this camera make it one that has been long-awaited by
many nature photographers. With a relatively reasonable price tag for
a digital SLR camera body, the Mark II offers high resolution files at
8.2 megapixels, notably faster autofocus acquisition, 8.5 frames per second
to capture fast action, and the flexibility to use a higher ISO for less
evident noise or graininess. Problems with the initial release of this
camera are varied but, with a few exceptions, appear minor and most likely
correctible with future firmware updates. Problems noted include cameras
with one dead green pixel and some with a thumbwheel error where use of
the thumbwheel randomly either sticks or skips a step. Also, two of the
evaluated cameras locked up briefly for unknown reasons during shooting,
whereby the shutter button could not be depressed to capture an image.
Either changing operating modes or turning the camera off, then back on
again, resolved the issue.
In an entire series of Black-crowned Night Heron flight images almost none were out of focus. Using the Canon EOS 1D Mark II with the Canon 300 f/4 L, the center autofocus point was active; despite a very short flight path, it was easy to focus on each bird and track it. Equipment
and settings: Image © Heather Forcier |
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AUTOFOCUS
A new dual
processor autofocus system is faster to acquire focus lock than any other
digital SLR we have used and maintains focus well when locked on a moving
subject. This is a great asset for visually tracking wildlife and birds
on the move. Typically, forty-five point autofocus works very well, although
activating a single focus point can help in low contrast conditions and
situations where the background is busy or for slower aperture lenses
that need the additional assistance. Autofocus for birds in flight is
fast and accurate, even for subjects flying towards the camera. In very
low light the autofocus is sometimes slow, and we have experienced
an initial “pause” before the focus begins. Using a flash
unit with AF assist can help with this problem in some cases.
FLASH
The new E-TTL II seems more consistent than E-TTL, with more predictable
results using flash. E-TTL II combines distance information from the lens
focus setting with standard flash exposure information to allow a more
accurate flash power calculation. Use of setting “1” on Custom
Function 14, whereby center-weight determines the flash, can help in situations
where the subject contrasts more with the habitat.
While photographing Red-footed Boobys in flight at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge in Kauai, Hawaii, this Japanese White-eye flew in and perched for a mere few seconds. E.J. quickly focused and got one shot before the bird flew away. The flash was on and Custom Function 14 was set to “1”, where center-weight determines the flash. With a light-colored bird and darker surrounding habitat, this setting may have saved the one image he was able to capture. Had the flash been determined by the entire scene, the lighter-toned bird might have been over-flashed. Equipment
and settings: Image
© E.J. Peiker |
POWER
Specifications estimate a battery life of roughly 1,200 frames with a
new Canon NP-E3 battery, and field-testing confirmed this is not too far
off, even with IS lenses which draw more power. This is a significant
improvement over the battery life using the original 1D, although comparable
to the 10D and its battery pack.
Using a camera with better battery life provides the flexibility to review more images on the LCD and delete missed shots in-camera without excessive drain of the battery.
LCD
The LCD has twice the resolution of other EOS digital cameras and a feature
to zoom in and scroll over an image. While ultimate image quality cannot
really be determined from an LCD preview, much more information appears
apparent on this new display, allowing informed, real-time adjustments
in the field to improve photos. While critical sharpness should not be
judged using the LCD, it is often possible to see obvious focus and sharpness
errors when zooming in on an image.
The histogram is relatively easy to read even in a bright environment, although data to the left and/or right edge of the histogram is not always easy to ascertain. Perhaps a border around the data area could improve readability.
The histogram is also able to display each color channel independently giving the photographer a tool to better evaluate individual color channels. In some cases, color highlights may blink in small areas of the image whereas the normal histogram will not show that data is going off the right edge (as blown or “blinking” highlights would indicate).
ISO
The camera has a default range from ISO 100 to 1600 and adjusts in full,
half or third-stop increments. Third-stop increments in ISO is a key feature
for us and is not available in consumer bodies such as the D30, D60, 10D
or Digital Rebel. With ISO expansion turned on, ISO 50 and ISO 3200 are
also available. Less noise is evident at higher ISO settings than on earlier
Canon digital cameras; ISO 400 and even ISO 800 are reasonable for many
situations. The higher ISO numbers handle light backgrounds with some
detail well, while noise may be evident at the same ISO with dark, smooth-toned
backgrounds.
There is a great deal of flexibility in having a larger range of usable ISO choices: expect improved shutter speeds and/or depth of field by varying ISO settings.
IMAGE QUALITY
A strong anti-aliasing filter which can create some soft looking images
is employed to prevent moiré pattern distortion. This image softness
is easily corrected by some initial sharpening prior to further photo
editing or experimenting with more in-camera sharpening. The Mark II images
hold up well to image editing, due in part to a higher signal-to-noise
ratio and greater pixel size.
An
image from the Mark II with a full-sized view of a section, illustrated
on the right.
Equipment and settings: Canon EOS 1D Mark II; Canon 300 f/4 L IS; 1/500
at f/13; ISO 400; handheld.
Image © Greg Downing
MANUAL
The manual is brief and does not provide the depth of information similar
to previous EOS manuals. One interesting note is that the custom functions
guide describes the different settings from CF00 through CF21 except the
default option for each.
SOFTWARE
The camera comes with Digital Photo Professional and EOS File Viewer Utility.
Due to certain features we prefer to use DPP. This conversion software
is a fairly good program, allowing numerous adjustments to RAW files during
conversion, although lacking the ability to modify any in-camera sharpening
settings.
DPP immediately updates the image view real-time and is monitor profile-aware, so a very accurate view of the image is available prior to RAW conversion. It offers a full-feature set of options including batch processing and all the RAW tools one would want with the exception of sharpening. Critical sharpening should be done after conversion of RAW images in PhotoShop or another image editing program.
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Using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software to convert this RAW image, the high contrast of dappled light in a wooded area was somewhat reduced. Using the view “before/after comparison”, adjustments to the original image could be reviewed real-time. Equipment
and settings: Image
© Heather Forcier |
When loading a directory of thumbnails, DPP can be somewhat slow because DPP does not cache thumbnails like other programs do. Instead, for faster preview, review files with BreezeBrowser (PC) as this program quickly reads a JPEG that is embedded in the RAW file. Photoshop (PC or Mac) caches thumbnails; while the initial opening of a directory might seem slower, subsequent reviews of the same directory should go more quickly. An efficient workflow for us has been to review images in BreezeBrowser, move images of interest to a separate directory, then convert them using DPP.
When converting files in Adobe RAW Converter, better shadow details seem immediately apparent. However, upon further processing in the image editor, underexposed areas cannot always be lightened up as well as in the same image converted in Canon’s DPP software. This often results in complete black shadow areas wherein DPP extracts significant image detail.
CaptureOne conversion software was not evaluated as of the date of this article.
DUST
Although CMOS, the Mark II sensor is prone to dust. It does not appear
to pick up dust at quite the rate of the original 1D or the 1Ds, but it
does show spots faster than the smaller sensor size of the EOS 10D. Dust
on the sensor can be minimized by limiting the amount of time a cap or
a lens is not attached to the camera. We use Hakuba bulb blowers to remove
dust from the sensor and also from lenses or camera caps as necessary
before mounting.
AREAS
FOR IMPROVEMENT
Canon may have rushed this product to market before addressing a number
of issues. Some cameras have shown delamination of the rubberized surfaces
in the first few hours of use. There are also numerous reports of cameras
being shipped with moderate to excessively dirty sensors.
The shutter buttons are noticeably more sensitive, especially the vertical button, causing a number of accidental captures. It can be annoying, but perhaps the additional responsiveness will pay off at some point in the field.
The Mark II may abandon its own numbering sequence and continue a higher sequence if the memory card already contains images taken with certain other cameras, such as the 1Ds. While this can be reset to zero through the menu at any time, it could cause problems for people who rely upon file numbering to know how many images they captured at a particular shoot or to determine roughly how many total frames they’ve shot.
The DEP mode, a feature that allows users to focus on two separate points and allows the camera to determine the proper depth of field in order for both to be in focus, has been eliminated from the Mark II. The loss of this mode will affect a number of photographers who have come to rely upon it in previous bodies; it is often used by some in landscape photography as well as in other situations.
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The
DEP mode available in previous EOS cameras was eliminated from the
Mark II. This is an often used feature by some photographers, especially
for landscape work, allowing a user to select two points in a scene
and have the camera determine appropriate depth of field in order
for both to be in focus.
E.J. has continued to rely upon his Canon EOS 1Ds for landscape work, although this Morton Overlook image taken in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, was captured with the Mark II. As a distant scene it required little depth of field in order for all important elements to be in focus. Equipment
and settings: Image
© E.J. Peiker |
Despite these issues, we feel that the Mark II is a significant evolutionary step forward for the nature photographer from its predecessor, the EOS 1D. Most all of the problems in the initial release can be fixed with future firmware updates.
OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS
Previous 1D shooters should evaluate their memory and storage needs before
their first time in the field with the new Mark II. Capturing RAW files
from 6 to 10 megabytes, it doesn’t take long to fill up flashcards
or the laptop hard drive space. Users of the 10D and/or 1Ds will likely
find their previous memory and storage requirements adequate.
With the Mark II's capability to capture 8.5 frames per second, a burst can sometimes catch fascinating subject motion and behavior. In a nice series of images of an Eastern Bluebird was this photo with the wings up for a dynamic feel. Having the ability to use higher ISOs also helped to improve the shutter speed for this capture. Equipment
and settings: Image © Greg Downing |
CONCLUSION
While we anxiously await firmware updates to fix some minor quirks and
an upgrade to DPP that caches thumbnails and allows sharpening, we are,
to date, quite pleased with the features of the Canon EOS 1D Mark II for
use in nature photography. Especially for wildlife in action and/or situations
where use of a higher ISO is needed, this is the camera to have.
Heather Forcier is the Editor in Chief at NatureScapes.Net. For more information on Heather, please visit her website at www.hforcier.com.
Greg Downing is the Publisher of NatureScapes.Net. For more information on Greg, please visit his website at www.gdphotography.com.
E.J. Peiker is the Senior Technical Editor at NatureScapes.Net. For more information on E.J., please visit his website at www.ejphoto.com.
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