Canon has announced an update to its 5D camera. The Canon 5D Mark II will have a 21 megapixel CMOS sensor and be able to record full high definition video at 1920 x 1080 at 30 frames per second.

The updated camera has a 3-inch LCD and an upgraded Live View mode with face detection which can now recognize up to 35 faces in a photograph and has two grid styles to help with image composition. The camera uses the new LP-E6 Li-ion batter, and is also compatible with Canon’s wireless networking accessory, which allows the camera to be controlled remotely.

ISO settings on the camera run from 100 to 6400, with an extended range of 50 to 25,600. The camera offers a burst mode which shoots photos at 3.9 frames per second.

The 5D Mark II is the first digital SLR by Canon to be able to record video. We’ve seen a lot of camera manufacturers adding video recording functionality in the DSLR’s this year. The Mark II will offer a slightly better video quality than Nikon’s DSLR (1280 x 720 at 24fps) and will only be able to record 12 minutes on consecutive high-definition video. The Mark II will also have the ability to record a longer 24 minutes of continuous video at a much smaller 640 x 480 resolution. Video recording can only be done on the camera while it is in Live View mode, and audio for video files is recorded via built-in microphone on the camera or through an optical external stereo microphone.

The Mark II has a mini-HDMI output for playback on a high definition television, and stores video files in MPEG4 format as a .mov file.

The Canon 5D Mark II will ship in November body only for $2699 and with a 24-105mm lens for $3499. An update to the Canon 24mm f/1.4L wide-angle lens will be released in December for $1699.

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Entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am under Canon, Digital Camera, Digital SLR, Digital SLR - Canon, New Products.

Read more entries by Emily Price.