'Canon Inc. in Japan has indeed been actively investigating the claims of banding under certain conditions with the EOS 5D since the first reports surfaced shortly after the camera was delivered to the market. Here is what we have been told so far:
“There may be cases where random noise or pattern noise [banding] stands out in images taken at high ISO settings. This is because the noise component is also amplified at high ISO settings. Various measures are taken to reduce noise, but the fact is that it cannot be entirely eliminated technologically. We are continuing to work on reducing noise even further.”
“The following shooting techniques can reduce or prevent the occurrence of noise.”
* Whenever possible, use low ISO settings (ISO 800 or lower)
* For subjects that do not move, use One-Shot AF mode
“Horizontal line noise may be somewhat more noticeable for the following six lenses when compared to other lenses, but horizontal line noise with these lenses can be reduced by replacing parts.”
EF85mm F1.8 USM — Part No. YG2-0199-000
EF16-35mm F2.8L USM — Part No. YG2-2011-129
EF17-40mm F4L USM — Part No. YG2-2081-009
EF20-35mm F3.5-4.5 USM — Part No. YG2-0268-009
EF24-85mm F3.5-4.5 USM — Part No. YG2-0299-009
EF28-200mm F3.5-5.6 USM — Part No. YG9-2059-170 or YG9-2059-179
“Going forward, we will continue to work on even further noise reduction in the development of both cameras and lenses from now on. It would be difficult to completely eliminate noise, but we will continue to make efforts to reduce it.”'