It Has Arrived...

My 5D MKII arrived yesterday! I spent last night (at work) reading the manual and experimenting with different ISO's. In my brief experiments the noise at even ISO 1600 is minimal. 3200 would be usable in some situations. Tomorrow is the first real test for it as I'm shooting sunrise in Canyonlands with a client. I can't wait to see what this puppy will do!

Congrats man! Can't wait to hear your report and see some posts. I put my purchase on the backburner for a while. Between my need for a new monitor (I'd like a good one) and some pet hospitalization bills, I've decided to wait a few months for the purchase.

Great! I'm looking forward to seeing your new images. In particular, how do you percieve the image quality compared to your ancient 1Ds2 ???? There are plenty of conveneince features that are tempting me to place an order, but image quality is still my primary criteria.

Sa-weet! I can't wait to see some images.

Get out now, while the gettin's good. In a few months, you'll be relegated to baby pics and changing diapers!

Bill: I can't make any IQ comparisons just yet. Apparently LR 2.1. doesn't yet support 5D MKII files. So, I'm chompin' at the bit for that to happen before I'm able to really process anything. I hope it's soon!

Scott: Oh yeah, I'm gonna try to make the most of the next few months!

Yes, LR 2.2 is still not available, but Adobe has a free DNG converter which does support the 5D2 raw files:
http://www.adobe.com/products/dng/

Just convert everything to DNG and dump it into LR - no need to wait on Adobe.

Bill: I tried that but got a message stating there was an error parsing the files. I dunno...

I just downloaded the latest Adobe DNG converter.
Converted one 5D2 raw file to DNG and imported that to LR2.1 with no problems.

I guess it's time to have Nat come to the rescue.

You DAWG! Mine's on order but not sure when it will come in. Lookin' forward to seeing some mind-blowing Canyonlands sunrises!! No pressure!

Mine arrived today too. Charging the battery so I can start taking test shots

Yes, until Lightroom 2.2 comes out (within the next week or so) you need to first use DNG Convertor on the 5d2 files before importing them into LR.

I hope you're having fun with my camera.

Not yet, Adam. I will starting tomorrow though!

Congrats dude! Looking forward to hearing how you like it and seeing some pics!

Nice Bret, looking forward to your report and some excellent images from your trip this morning...

Mine's on order, hope it arrives soon, too! Now I'm on a lens hunt. Have fun with the new toys, everyone!

I went out this morning and photographed sunrise with the new camera. I'm lovin' the big, very detailed screen. I also find the controls to be much more intuitive than my 1Ds MKII. Unfortunately, I'm still having issues converting the RAW's to DNG and LR hasn't been updated yet to include the 5D2. Until then, I think I'm going to have to wait to process anything. Dang it!!!!!

When you open the file with the DNG converter, you have to simultaneously tap your ruby heels together and say "There's no company like Adobe!" in order for it to work! Seriously!

Bret, this siite has 9 sample 5D2 raw files that can be downloaded.
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_canon_eos_5d_mark_ii_3.php

I download the last file (church steeple) and had no problems converting it using the Adobe DNG converter. If you have time, you might want to see if this file converts on your system. I'm running Vista Ultimate 64 bit.

I'll be happy to test your camera until LR 2.2 is released.

Bret, why don't you use the Canon DPP software to process images until your LR is updated? DPP is the first step in my workflow. For one thing, it preserves your picture style setting, from which you can tweak it, then convert to tiff and continue on in the program of your choosing.

Todd: I tried the DPP but really didn't like it at all. I might have to resort to that until LR 2.2 comes out though.