“It if ain’t broke, don’t fix” it seems to have been the key aim of the Canon engineering team when designing the 5D Mark II. It’s outwardly almost identical to its predecessor, sharing exactly the same dimensions (152 x 113.5 x 75mm), and same weight (810g), making it very slightly bigger and heavier than the next Canon model down the range, the EOS 5D Mark II. The 5D Mark II has the same magnesium alloy body as the original 5D Mark I, which should make it more durable in the longer term than plastic-bodied cameras, but it doesn’t add any serious level of weather-proofing.
Other than the larger LCD screen, slightly chunkier handgrip, bigger top LCD display, and tweaked control layout, you’d be hard-pushed to tell the difference between the Mark II and Mark I if they were put side by side with the name-badge blanked out. The most serious design flaw on the 5D Mark II is the rubber cover for the extension system terminal on the bottom of the camera, which will take you about five minutes to lose as it’s completely unsecured.
