Canon EOS 5D Mark II Review – Mike Perlman:

Following the legacy left by the Canon EOS 5D, the EOS 5D Mark II was not only a still frame-capturing champion, but its HD video quality was out of this world. For a 21-megapixel camera, we were surprised with the level of detail exhibited by the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, as well as its ability to make excellent use of available light. Noise was never an issue in nearly every shooting environment and fringing was almost nonexistent. The only time we encountered moderate amounts of noise was at night when we shot with higher ISO levels. However, even our images captured at ISO 3200 exhibited minimal amounts of noise, and the fact that we could size them down from 21-megapixels meant we wouldn't be able to notice the noise anyway.

Mike gave the 5DM2 a rating score of 89% (VERY GOOD).

At the end of the review are links to full-resolution sample images.

There's also a sample movie / video clip (view in HD on YouTube).

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens Review, With Many Pictures – Simply a fantastic user review and some nice Canon EOS 5D Mark II images by maiaibing, who concludes:

It's a great lens that has lots to offer for anyone who like wide angle shots. Colors and flare resistance is tops. Center sharpness is very good even at wide open aperture, while corners tend to be soft and suffer CA (chromatic aberration) unless it is stopped down.

Some other interesting bits of information that I learned in the post follow.

Optical characteristics:

The Sigma 15mm is diagonal fisheye, and fills a FF (full-frame) picture across the entire sensor.

Why buy a fisheye lens?

Three main reasons; its wider than a standard lens (so 15mm fisheye is much wider than a 14mm standard lens) by not correcting the light (as much as a traditional lens), the fisheye should have less flare and better – even spectacular – colors.

Metering and exposure:

Colors are also great, but fisheye lenses can be very tricky for the camera's light meter. So with the 5DII I often shoot @ EV -2/3 to -1½ to compensate for overexposure in bright daylight.

AF (autofocus performance):

Some people have complained that the Sigma may hunt at low light, but I do not find it more difficult to use than most other lenses – actually I find it quite good. It has worked fine from early morning, over heavy rain to dark night.

Tips on shooting with a fisheye:

The important aspect of shooting a fisheye is to use the focal plane very actively in your shots. There is a dramatic shift in the look and feel of a shot depending on the tilt to the horizon and where in the picture plane your objects are. Also, as long as you shoot "rounded" objects such as people, a fisheye often works better than a traditional wide lens like the Canon 14L. On the other hand its not very good at buildings unless you use software to correct. The ability to use software to straighten out the curved lines makes fisheye lenses more versatile than ever.

maiaibing added:

The Sigma is an "EX" lens, which means "Excellent". One of the trademarks of Sigma "EX" is a high build quality. This is my third "EX"-lens, and they have all stood the test of time and use. There are some mixed reactions to Sigma's black powder coating but I like it and it seems durable.

The lens is not HSM and is therefore not silent. Instead you get a low whirring sound when focussing. However, more often than not, people will not notice as it drowns in the backdrop of the ambient sound.

Little White Lies posted this excellent interview with Jeffrey Jacob "J. J." Abrams, and in a forum post at cinema5d.com, it was revealed that a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens was mounted on the EOS 5D Mark II to shoot this footage.

A mattebox and follow focus mechanism were also used.

See here for a photo of the entire video gear.

John Thawley talks about High ISO, Noise, and the Canon EOS 5D MK11 – An insightful article by a professional race car photographer (who uses the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens) on the usefulness of the Canon 5D Mark II's high ISO capabilities.

A few high-ISO sample photos are included to drive home the point.

Canon 5D MkII Test on Vimeo by Kevin Rose – Register at Vimeo for free and you get to download the .MOV Quicktime file (1920×1080, 105.43MB).

The quality of the test footage is simply astounding – see to believe.