What are the differences between the Canon 5D Mark II and the 7D, besides price?
Asked by
Carly (
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August 25th, 2010
I’m the president of the film club at my college and we’re looking into investing a large amount of money toward one of these cameras including a steadicam and several prime lenses.
Which one do you think would be a better investment?
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7 Answers
The 5D Mark II has a 21.1 megapixel full-frame sensor
The 7D has an 18 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor.
That full-frame sensor is the key reason the 5D costs so much more. Produces higher quality images.
5D Mark II is the better investment. Full frame is what most pros use. Less noise at high ISO. But the full frame lenses must be of the highest caliber, otherwise the edges can get blurry. Half frame doesn’t have this issue with full frame lenses because the sensor only images from the central portion of the optics.
There’s a good comparison here. I assume you’re interested in shooting video. The 7D will shoot in 24p, among other rates, giving you a more filmic look. The 5D only shoots video at 30p.
Save money by going with the 7D and use it to buy better L series lenses.
Agree with @simpleD. Assuming a fixed budget, save on the body, and buy great lenses.
sounds great, thanks guys!
iso performance is a good one if you plan on shooting in dark conditions ever I would do the 5d. Based on what you said about wanting to invest I would get the 7d and some L lenses. The 7ds video looks awesome and you can always upgrade the camera later.
on another note check out the 60d. It was just announced today. It shoots video and has the same sensor as the 7d. So it will produce the same video quality and it even has better iso performance than the 7d. And it’s cheaper by $700. I am looking into it as a backup myself.
I’m so glad I don’t have to keep up with Canon cameras any longer. After decades of shooting Canon, I traded everything for Sony a900, a700 and a couple of a200’s for good measure along with a collection of vintage Minolta Rokkors from 16mm to 600mm to go along with it.
Two years now and I couldn’t be happier with the performance. The in body stabilization and locking spot meter is worth its weight in gold against the Canons. Every lens is stabilized including wide and ultra wide.
For video, the Panasonic GH1 is a scream.
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