Canon EOS 5D Mark II

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a full-frame DSLR released in 2008, using the Canon EF lens mount. It measures 152 x 114 x 75 mm.

It suits photographers who want a full-frame sensor for landscapes, portraits and travel, particularly if newer body features matter less to them.

Owning it means accepting an older design. The body weighs 850g, the fixed 3-inch screen does not tilt or accept touch, and storage runs on CompactFlash media, including Type I or II, UDMA and Microdrive support.

A 21MP full-frame CMOS sensor paired with the Digic 4 processor offers resolution suited to large prints and room for generous crops. Its Optics score of 59 is modest, and the camera sits around the middle of cameras in our database for Optics.

Autofocus offers nine points, and the maximum burst rate reaches 3.9fps. Burst mode and shooting-duration conditions are not specified, so the 3.9fps figure is a ceiling rather than a promised sustained rate.

The ISO range runs from 100 to 6400, and the maximum shutter speed is 1/8000. There is no in-body stabilisation, so nothing in the body counters camera shake. Stabilised lenses, a tripod or steady technique can help, though none of them will freeze subject movement.

Framing happens through an optical pentaprism viewfinder, which offers a direct, lag-free view of the scene.

Video tops out at Full HD, and the maximum frame rate is 30fps, with clips recorded as MOV files. The Video score of 43 is modest, reflecting the Full HD ceiling, the 30fps limit and the lack of built-in timelapse.

Live view lets you check framing on the rear 3-inch LCD, but the screen is fixed in place, so shooting at low or high angles means moving yourself rather than tilting the display. The screen also accepts no touch input.

There is no built-in timelapse mode, so interval shooting has to be handled another way, whether that means an external controller or simply working through frames by hand. With 30fps as the maximum recording frame rate, high-frame-rate slow motion is not available on this body.

The body is weather sealed, offering more protection from dust and moisture than an unsealed body would provide. There is no built-in flash, but the camera supports external flash units, so lighting choices stay open for portraits and events.

The 3-inch TFT LCD offers 920,000 dots for reviewing focus and detail after a shot. It does not tilt or accept touch input, so composition happens at eye level or through live view.

Wi-Fi is built in, while Bluetooth and GPS are absent. Without GPS, adding location data means tagging images separately, whether by phone or another device. The Features score of 54 is modest, with the absent Bluetooth and touch input among the fields that cost it points.

The camera records to CompactFlash cards, accepting Type I and II, UDMA and Microdrive media in its single slot. With no second card slot, simultaneous recording is not possible, so long shoots mean packing spare cards.

The LP-E6 battery carries a rating of 850 shots. The viewfinder or screen mode and measurement conditions behind that rating are not specified, so it should not be read as a promise of real-world endurance.

USB charging is not supported, so the battery cannot be charged through the camera's USB connection. For long days of shooting away from power, carrying a second LP-E6 is a sensible precaution.