Product Reviews

The EOS 1D Mark IIN is a revamp of Canon's general purpose pro SLR. At £3050 it's pricey compared to mass-market models, but you do get what you pay for.

Sporting a robust body and an 8.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, it is possible to turn this camera to virtually any type of photography, from sports to close-up and anything in between. Not everyone needs the maximum 8.5 frames per second capture rate, but the extensive choice of metering methods - from automatic Evaluative metering to single Spot metering for precise user control - will provide something for all users. In the metering department, Canon offers more onboard options to match specific styles and subjects than any other manufacturer, and the E-TTL II flash control is Canon's best yet.

An impressive 2.5in LCD now adorns the rear, bringing it in line with other top cameras. But most significantly for Mac users is that, at last, a company has recognised us specifically. This camera has the ability to capture and plot colours within the Apple RGB colour space, providing an interesting and viable alternative to the standard Adobe and sRGB options, enabling an 'Apple' workflow to be followed starting at capture. With supplied software you can also take your images into Wide Gamut RGB and Colour Match RGB colour spaces, plenty of choice for the professional user or real enthusiast.

Working with colour has also been simplified as the colour menus now have more understandable terms. You can select from a series of picture styles including settings for standard, portrait, neutral, landscape, faithful, sports and monochrome. Although these are the obvious shooting choices, it's also worth playing around with the more obscure settings. And

With support for both Compact Flash and SD cards you get best of two worlds. While neither card type is included in the price, the package comprises the usual battery charger and mains adaptor, a FireWire cable for fast uploading and Digital Photo Professional, Canon's professional software package (version 2.0.1.4).

The ISO choice is wide and, to Canon's credit, usable from a quality perspective. The standard range is 100 to 1600, with both a 50 ISO (L) and 3200 ISO (H) capability in addition. At 100/200 ISO the camera's sensor and internal processing can produce eye-catching results, with excellent detail and pleasing colours. If you have an interest in sports photography, for example, you can shoot images at up to 800 ISO and even beyond before noise becomes too problematic. But as is commonly the case, colours may lose saturation as you go through the ISO range, so a set of images with different ISOs look subtly different.

The camera's APS H size sensor creates a longer focal length (1.3x) compared to a 35mm frame model, so anyone shooting a distant subject will see this as an advantage. If you can put up with the size and weight, then you also get the benefits of a magnesium alloy chassis, plus 'O' ring seals for water and dust resistance. Some of Canon's lenses are also prone to colour fringing and one advantage of the smaller sensor is that this may be reduced. The fringing can of course be removed post-capture with the right software, but that adds another unwanted step.

The 45-segment AF system sometimes chooses the wrong subject in the composition and may need intervention if it is widely different in brightness to the subject as evaluative metering is linked to the active AF points. Otherwise the results may need post-capture adjustment. But in fairness, the camera shows smoothness and quietness of focus across the full lens. Lastly, images shot using E-TTL II flash control confirm that this is certainly the best Canon TTL flash system so far, producing consistently reliable results.

The EOS 1D Mark IIN is a mighty fine camera for those who particularly need speed of capture. It is a true professional tool, but may be a slight overkill for anyone who isn't a prolific shooter.