Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Quality is superb as long as you have the lens to do it justice. The sensor, being less than full-frame, really needs high-quality optics, but the lens supplied for testing wasn't quite up to standard in that regard. Detail was still extremely high though, and as far as image noise is concerned, the EOS-1D is on a different planet to its lower-end brethren. It's only barely perceptible at ISO 800 - a setting that produces unacceptable results in many cameras - and still relatively faint at 1600. We took ISO 1600 shots without flash during a press conference in very dim light; the results not only looked far more effective than the flash shots being taken by others at the event, but noise simply wasn't an issue.

The EOS-1D is by no means perfect though. It sports both USB 1.1 and FireWire interfaces, but USB is slow, even for a 1.1 device. However, unlike the FireWire interface, it doesn't need drivers under Windows XP, so it will potentially save you if you're caught short without your own computer in the field. Although the FireWire interface is nowhere near full speed, as it takes nearly two minutes to transfer 180MB of images.

Control of the EOS-1D is quirky to say the least; it's almost as if Canon has deliberately made it different to distinguish it from lower-end cameras. A large rotary control dial on the back - about the size of a 50p piece - cycles through options, but it does nothing by itself; you always need to have another button pressed simultaneously to indicate which parameter you want to alter, and you then release the second button to indicate selection, rather than pressing - all a bit odd.

Overall, nature and landscape photographers are still going to need film for some time to come, as the EOS-1D can't match the resolution of the best 35mm emulsion films or medium format. However, sports and documentary photojournalists no longer need to think about paying upwards of £10,000 for a viable digital answer to their needs; the EOS-1D is it.

Author: David Fearon