Key features

Super responsive, the EOS 5D is driven by the same DIGIC II processor found in Canon’s EOS-1D professional range cameras.

Protected with a rugged yet lightweight magnesium alloy exterior, the camera also features new Picture Style pre-sets, a new hi-resolution 2.5” LCD monitor, 9-point auto focus with 6 invisible Assist AF points to improve tracking performance, compatibility with Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1, custom mode for fast recall of user defined camera set-ups, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface for fast downloads and 1/8000 – 30 second shutter speed with X-sync at 1/200s.

The CMOS advantage

With five years of in-house CMOS development since the original EOS D30, Canon’s latest CMOS sensor features 12.8 Megapixels, and the same second-generation on-chip noise reduction circuitry used on the EOS-1Ds Mark II. This effectively suppresses random noise and eliminates fixed-pattern noise for extremely clean, hi-fidelity images. Wide 100-1600 ISO speed range is extendable to L:50 and H:3200. Large 8.2 m pixels allow the capture of a superior dynamic range, enabling the reproduction of subtle tonal gradations in shadow, midtone and highlight areas.

Improved in-camera control

New Picture Style pre-sets simplify in-camera control over image quality. Delivering more immediately usable JPEG images straight out of the camera without need for post-production, Picture Style pre-sets can be likened to different film types – each one offering a different colour response. Within each easily selectable pre-set, photographers have control over sharpness, contrast, colour tone and saturation.

The pre-sets include:
▪ Standard – for crisp, vivid images that don’t require post-processing;
▪ Portrait – optimises colour tone and saturation and weakens sharpening to achieve attractive skin tones;
▪ Landscape – for deep greens and blues with stronger sharpening to give a crisp edge to mountain, tree and building outlines);
▪ Neutral – ideal for post-processing;
▪ Faithful – adjusts colour to match the subject colour when shot under a colour temperature of 5200K;
▪ Monochrome – for black and white shooting with a range of filter effects (yellow, orange, red and green) and toning effects (sepia, blue, purple and green)

Additionally, 3 user-defined entries allow the possibility to create additional variations on the in-camera styles or install additional custom Picture Style files. Additional custom Picture Style files may be downloaded from Canon’s web site.

Picture Style replaces internal image processing previously controlled by setting processing parameters and colour matrix. Picture Style is also supported by the supplied Digital Photo Professional and RAW Image Task software.

New LCD monitor

For improved image review and menu readability, the EOS 5D is fitted with a new large-size high-resolution 2.5” 230K pixel poly-silicon TFT LCD monitor. The improved screen retains brightness and visibility throughout a wide 170° angle of view, both vertically and horizontally, making it easy to view images when the camera is mounted in a fixed position.

Auto focus

A newly developed 9-point auto focus system features 6 additional invisible Assist AF points located inside the spot-metering circle. These points come into effect when the camera is switched to AI SERVO AF with the centre focus point selected and are automatically used to improve the camera’s subject tracking performance.

Ergonomics and control

The ‘Premium EOS’ design features a magnesium alloy exterior with rubberized grip surfaces. The discreet and lightweight compact body measures just 152 x 113 x 75 mm and weighs only 810 g making it two thirds the volume and weight of the EOS-1Ds Mark II.

In a handy new feature, current camera settings can be stored and assigned to the C (camera settings) position on the Mode Dial. This allows photographers to switch quickly between two completely different camera set-ups without having to switch bodies – ideal for photographers who need to rapidly switch their cameras from an indoor to outdoor shooting condition, for example. Exposure mode, ISO speed, AF mode, drive mode, Picture Style, white balance and custom functions are all stored in the custom setting. There are 21 custom functions with 57 user-definable settings to enable photographers to configure the camera for their preferred way of working.

Connectivity

With the optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E1, photographers can work cable-free as full-frame image files can be transferred automatically through a wireless LAN to a computer in seconds .

A USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface allows rapid transfer of images from camera to computer, ideal for shooting straight-to-hard-drive with the camera tethered to a computer in a studio environment, thus providing full screen previews of images as they are shot. The EOS 5D also has a Video out interface to allow playback and review on a TV monitor, and is PictBridge compliant to support direct printing to any compatible photo printer without the need for a computer. It takes both CompactFlash Type I and Type II cards, including cards of 2 Gb capacity and larger.

Compatibility and accessories

The EOS 5D offers complete compatibility with all Canon EF lenses , providing photographers with access to a vast range of lenses with focal lengths from 14 to 600 mm.

The camera’s launch coincides with the release of the high performance EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM a lightweight Image Stabilizer lens. Completing Canon’s f/4L-series zoom lens range, the new lens complements the EF17-40mm f/4L USM and EF70-200mm f/4L USM lenses. An ideal match for the lightweight EOS 5D, these lenses are designed for professional photographers requiring high quality lightweight lenses with a fixed aperture throughout the zoom range.

Also compatible with EX series Speedlites and other EOS accessories, the camera provides photographers with a highly adaptable and flexible camera system. Canon’s E-TTL II flash metering ensures accurate flash exposures by taking into account such factors as lens distance information, ambient light readings and the detection of reflective objects in order to calculate flash output.

The BG-E4 is a new battery grip designed especially for the EOS 5D. Constructed with the same magnesium alloy as the camera’s exterior, it has a solid and comfortable hold. The grip can accommodate two BP-511A/514/512/511 battery packs or six AA batteries . The Battery Grip BG-E4 features a shutter release button, AE/FE lock button, AF point selector and main dial to enable comfortable use of the camera when held vertically.

The camera’s focussing screens are interchangeable: in addition to the “Standard Precision Matte” (Ee-A) focussing screen supplied with the camera, “Precision Matte with Grid” (Ee-D) and Super Precision Matte (Ee-S) screens are available.

The EOS 5D supports the optional Data Verification Kit DVK-E2 v2.2, which verifies the authenticity of images taken with the camera.

New software

The EOS 5D is supplied with the EOS Digital Solution Disk v11, which includes a new version of Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) RAW processing software – now at version 2.0. DPP now supports RAW images shot on all EOS digital cameras from the EOS D30 onwards, and includes support for Picture Styles. Improvements and additions are aimed at improving functionality and workflow efficiency for professionals, and include: easy image selection with three levels of check marks; real-time adjustment of sharpness; improved image correction (Copy Stamp); enhanced image transfer function –single image transfer to PhotoShop is possible; extended colour space support, now including Apple RGB and ColorMatch RGB; and improved usability of the CMYK simulation function.

Also provided is on the EOS Digital Solution Disk v11 is ZoomBrowser EX (PC) and ImageBrowser (MAC) v5.5 for managing images, EOS Capture v1.5 for remote shooting, PhotoStitch v3.1, PhotoRecord v2.2 (PC) and RAW ImageTask v2.2. The EOS 5D is compatible with CANON iMAGE GATEWAY , which provides a 100 MB online photo album.

Comprehensive range

This new category camera adds to Canon’s already comprehensive D-SLR range. In terms of speed and resolution, Canon has the leading performance camera in every D-SLR segment, all launched since April last year:
▪ EOS-1Ds Mark II – 16.7 Megapixel full frame 35 mm sensor, 4 fps
▪ EOS-1D Mark II N – 8.2 Megapixel APS-H size sensor, 8.5 fps
▪ EOS 5D – 12.8 Megapixel full frame sensor, 3 fps
▪ EOS 20D – 8.2 Megapixel APS-C size sensor, 5 fps
▪ EOS 350D Digital – 8.0 Megapixel APS-C size sensor, 3 fps

The low-pass filter positioned in front of the EOS 20Da’s 8.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor has been modified to yield sharper and higher contrast images of various astronomical phenomena such as diffuse reddish nebulae. The modification increases the transmission of light at the wavelength of 656nm, known as the Hydrogen Alpha line, or Hα wavelength, by a factor of 2.5x compared to the standard EOS 20D digital SLR.

“The EOS 20Da digital SLR is a direct result of Canon addressing the specialised needs of the astrophotography market,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “As an affordable digital alternative to their familiar film bodies, the EOS 20D offered semi-professional and serious amateur photographers digital photographic freedom. Now with the
EOS 20Da, we also offer astronomy enthusiasts a new photographic freedom, by providing an easier and more cost effective way to photograph the heavens.”

Enhanced features

While traditional digital SLRs lack a live preview on the LCD monitor due to the reflex mirror and shutter, the EOS 20Da digital SLR resolves this issue by locking up the mirror and opening the shutter to display a magnified live view of the subject on the 1.8” LCD monitor. (This feature is effective for night viewing conditions only. It cannot be used in bright light.) To ensure a sharp focus, the central portion of the image can be magnified on the LCD by 5x (4% of the picture area) or 10x (1% of the picture area). The live view mode can also be viewed through a TV monitor while connected to the EOS 20Da camera’s video OUT terminal.

The EOS 20Da is compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses – the world’s largest selection of interchangeable autofocus lenses – including select image stabilised telephoto lenses. Photographers can also attach the EOS 20Da digital SLR to a telescope through the use of widely available T-mounts.

The EOS 20Da digital SLR features enhanced noise reduction for long exposures; achieved by incorporating an optimised CMOS control system. A custom function is also available for noise reduction, so users can enjoy the wide array of ISO settings ranging from 100-3200.

The EOS 20Da retains the same features that have made the EOS 20D a favourite among discerning photographers, such as Canon’s DIGIC II processor for low noise, high speed operation, and excellent image quality. Other features include an intelligent nine point autofocus system, full manual controls, five frames per second burst mode, and RAW, JPEG, and RAW+JPEG image recording capabilities. To reduce vibration at the start of the exposure, self-timer and mirror lock-up functions are integrated into the camera. The camera also features a backlit LCD display on top for easy setting adjustments in the dark.

Software

EOS 20Da is supplied with Canon EOS Solution Disk 9.1, containing EOS Viewer Utility 1.2, EOS Capture v1.2 and PhotoStitch 3.1. Canon Digital Photo Professional v1.6 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 is included to allow comprehensive image manipulation when needed.

EOS Capture v1.2 is a remote capture and control application for when the camera is tethered to a computer. It provides automated sequential control of the shutter release and download of images to the computer. The EOS 20Da is supplied with the AC adapter kit ACK-E2 as standard to allow the camera to be operated for long periods on AC power.

Digital Photo Professional v1.6 provides high-speed processing of lossless RAW images, and allows real-time display and immediate application of adjustments to images. The software includes a wide array of RAW, TIFF or JPEG image editing functions, which give control over variables such as white balance, dynamic range, exposure compensation and colour tone. The camera JPEG images can be recorded in sRGB or Adobe RGB colour space, and the Digital Photo Professional application supports sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB colour spaces. An ICC (International Colour Consortium) profile attaches automatically to RAW images converted to TIFF or JPEG images. This allows faithful reproduction of colours in software applications that support ICC profiles, such as Adobe Photoshop. Image processing of various parameter changes can now be batched rather than carried out sequentially, vastly increasing the efficiency when applying a number of changes to the same images.

The EOS 20Da includes membership of Canon’s online photo album, CANON iMAGE GATEWAY with 100MB of space for image uploads and photo sharing.

Astrophotography accessories

To support the needs of astrophotography, Canon provides a full line of EOS system accessories compatible with the EOS 20Da digital SLR. For control over shutter release timing and to reduce vibration, Canon offers remote control solutions such as the Timer Remote Controller TC-80N3, and Remote Switch RS-80N3. When the camera is attached to a telescope, low angles can make composing shots through the viewfinder difficult – Canon’s Angle Finder C attaches to the camera’s eyepiece allowing adjustment of the viewing angle while providing a 2.5x magnification. To increase battery life for even longer exposures, the optional Battery Grip BG-E2 uses two powerful Lithium-Ion battery packs. It can also be used with six AA batteries in the supplied
BM-E2 battery magazine.

Availability

As a specialised product, the EOS 20Da is only available to order from selected dealers; each country has a number of specialist dealers that can take orders for this camera. These dealers will have the opportunity to place orders for a limited time only. Local Canon sales companies can be contacted for the country dealer list.