Name: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Category: digital SLR camera
Price: About JPY300,000
Release date in Japan: Late November, 2008

With all the light'n'easy digital SLRs  coming out - the Panasonic LUMIX G1, the Canon EOS Kiss F, the Pentax K-m, and more - it's good to see a new release of pro-level heavy iron. "Middle high class" iron, more specifically, to quote Canon's positioning of its newly updated EOS 5D DSLR camera, the Mark II.

The key bragging points are two-fold: a 21-megapixel CMOS sensor, and 30 fps full HD video recording. The former offers about twice the pixels of the recent "light" DSLRs (as you'd expect from a camera in a much higher price range), churning out shots in resolutions up to 5616x3744 pixels. Continuous shooting is 3.9 fps.

The latter feature comes too late to claim "first!" for video in a DSLR; the Nikon D90 brought that to the world in early September. But while the D90's video topped out at HD720p (1280 x 720 resolution), the 5D Mark II leaps to HD1080 (1920x1080). Video is saved to Quicktime 1080p H.264 format. (As with the Nikon, some restrictions apply: HD video shooting is limited to 12 minutes, and auto-focus is disabled.)

The camera's new Canon CMOS sensor handles ISO up to a whopping 25,600, for shooting in light so dim even owls give up and lie down. Shutter speed is as fast as 1/8000 second. There's a 3-inch LCD display, with automatic brightness adjustment and 30 fps Live View mode for composition without use of the viewfinder (useful for shooting from difficult positions). The EOS Integrated Cleaning System repels and removes internal dust. (The only major feature you might expect but won't find is a built-in flash - sorry, the pros don't use those little lights.) Weight without battery is 810 grams.

Expect to see the Mark II turning up soon in the hands of photojournalists, wedding photographers, and other pros (as well as the really serious hobbyists). With the 5D Mark II representing "middle high class", the 5D and 50D "middle class", and the kiss X2 and kiss F "entry class", Canon expresses hope that it'll grab 45% unit share of Japan's DSLR market in the coming year.

More info (Japanese):
http://cweb.canon.jp/camera/eosd/5dmk2/index.html
Panasonic LUMIX G1 (English):
http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/09/lumix_g1
Canon EOS Kiss F (English):
http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/06/eos_kiss_f
Pentax K-m (English):
http://www.tekronomicon.com/gadget/2008/09/pentax_k_m

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