Digital BW, The Print

I bought the 5D-II as soon as it was available in Canada.  I had been  
using a 5D.

Under normal circumstances I find the 5D-II to be a significant  
improvement over the 5D, which was pretty good. It's difficult to  
quantify, but the 5D-II is good enough that I can "relax" with the  
technology, in the way that I can relax with a Leica M or when using  
an Apo-Symmar lens on a Linhof.  I am using "enlarging" and noise  
reductions plugins much less frequently.

I have two concerns, though.

1) The brightness range of the sensor is perhaps better than color  
film, but it falls short of a good film like Tri-X or TMY. It is at  
least as good as the 5D, although I haven't tested them side-by-side.  
It seems record image data deeper into the shadows than I expected.

2) The 5D-II (with the BIOS up to date) shows a window-screen-like  
pattern of noise when shades are pushed a great deal.  This shows up  
only when I have not given enough exposure to a photo of one of my  
black dogs, and I must really get everything I can out of the shadows  
in the raw file.  This has occurred even at ISO 400, underexposed by  
perhaps 1.5 stops. (Yeah, I know. Expose properly. But accidents  
happen... and sometimes the bad exposure is the perfect moment.)    
Random, grain-like noise doesn't bother me. I frequently add simulated  
grain to images. But patterns are a different matter.  I hasten to add  
that this screen-pattern noise is very subdued, appears only when the  
shadows are brought up a great deal and, probably, only when the image  
contains patterns or textures that all me to recognize subtle patterns.

Anyway, I love the camera.  ...well, it's not a Leica M with Tri-X,  
but it's hard to be disappointed with it!  Now, if only I could find  
lenses good enough!

Myron