Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera

Ease of use, tons of features, and a whopping 21 megapixels of resolution are all reasons to look at this camera.
By | Published: August 26, 2010 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The Canon EOS 5D Mark II features a 21.1-megapixel, full-frame complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor designed for high-resolution celestial object capture.
  • This review, "Astroimager's delight: Canon's EOS 5D Mark II," appeared in the October 2010 issue of *Astronomy* magazine, contextualizing five decades of significant advancements in astroimaging.
  • Previous Canon digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, such as the 8.2-megapixel EOS 20Da, were optimized for astronomical photography with a specialized filter to enhance Hydrogen-alpha line transmission.
  • Full access to this review and the publication's equipment archives is exclusively available to *Astronomy* magazine subscribers.
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store
Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera
Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II contains a 21.1-megapixel, full-frame complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor that captures celestial objects in high resolution.
Courtesy Canon U.S.A.

This review, “Astroimager’s delight: Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II,” appeared in the October 2010 issue of Astronomy magazine

Low resolutions, slow responses, and high-priced gizmos — astroimaging has come a long way since its inception. The past 50 years have seen major advances in film chemistry, film sensitivity, new imaging techniques such as using cold cameras and hypersensitized films, and, of course, digital imaging.

My first digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera was Canon’s EOS 10D, which featured a 6.3-megapixel chip. For my next camera, I moved up to Canon’s EOS 20Da, which the company optimized for astronomical photography. This 8.2-megapixel camera integrated a special filter that increased transmission of the Hydrogen-alpha line, a wavelength many nebulae emit. The result was better images of red nebulae.

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