Hold your horses: Canon not ready to put 5D Mark II out to pasture just yet

 

 

It's been called one of the most influential digital SLRs of all time, and Canon isn't ready to officially declare it dead just yet.

While all signs point to the four-year-old Canon EOS 5D Mark II being finally put out to pasture, including what appears to be a discontinued notice (in Japanese) for the camera on Canon Inc.'s website, the U.S. branch of the Tokyo-based company would not say whether the legendary Mark II had been booted from the company's lineup.

"At this time we have no update regarding the status of the EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera," a Canon U.S.A. spokesperson told Imaging Resource. "This product has been faithfully selling in the market since 2008 and has helped usher in a new era for Canon with the introduction of the Cinema EOS System."

The 21.1-megapixel, full-frame Canon 5D Mark II, which was announced on September 17, 2008, was the first digital SLR capable of shooting 1080p HD video. The follow-up to that camera, the Canon 5D Mark III, was unveiled on March 2, 2012.

For old times' sake, check out photographer Vincent Laforet's ground-breaking video "Reverie" (below), which was the first widely released 1080p movie captured with the 5D Mark II. "Reverie" was viewed more than two million times in its first week of release and helped contribute to the 5D II's immense popularity.