which camera to buy? Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon 7D

5d MK II vs 7D

I got an email from Chile last week asking which camera to buy the Canon 5D Mark II ($2739) or 7D (in stock here) ($1700) . The truth is that I really cannot say. They are different cameras and do different things.  It really depends on what you need.  I have just gotten back to Kampala from shooting in South Sudan with both cameras sided by side so here is a BREIF out line of the differences. But first let me say that they both preformed flawlessly in the the hot, dusty conditions along the border.

First Price: the 7d is nearly $1000 less than the 5d MK II.  That extra grand buys you a better sensor.

The 5D MK II has a full frame 21 megapixel sensor that is simply the best in the business. It performs better in low light. In Madagascar on the Stone Forest story I routinely shot the camera at iso 1000 or greater and we are running some of those pictures double truck. It is the finest low light camera ever made. If you have a fast lens you can make pictures in almost any light.

As we have all seen the 5D MK II  produces very good HD video, but only in 30fps frame rate.  The sound synching problems have all been worked out. 

The 7D has a physically smaller sensor so all your lenses will be magnified by 1.6.  My 24 is now a 38, my 200 a 320.  An 18 megapixel sensor gives good large files but it is no match for the 5D mk II in low light.  It is just the wrong tool to use when it starts getting dark.  I find the camera unacceptably noisy above iso 800. It does fire incredibly fast, 8 frames per second and the buffer clears quickly.

I bought the 7D for its video functions. It shots 1080HD at multiple frame rates but will also shoot 720 HD at 60fps letting you do slow motion.

 The sound card in either camera still blows so you will need to do second system sound to get good results. I have been using a Rode stereo video mic (about $250 here) on the 7D while it  is much better than the built in mike, I still have to run the files through sound soap to get rid of the hiss. But sometimes dual system sound is more than I can manage.

 Which one to buy? If you want to do video or shoot sports it is the 7D hands down.  But if you want the best files you can get buy the 5D MK II.

 

-Stephen Alvarez

Kampala Uganda

Comments

[cartucho r4i]

Great comparison between nice cameras of canon. I would go for Canon 7D. And the price makes it affordable to take good pictures.

[delmi alvarez]

I work with MArk 5D II and a Rode and I am very happy with that. Good camera and sharp video footage. great!

[Stephen Alvarez]

@ Dr. Dave The noise issue with either the 5D MK II or the 7D seems to be a shockingly bad amp in the camera and automated gain control. For good sound I run a zoom h4n recorder with good mics. But sometimes that is too much to handle particularly by myself, then I need something to scrub out the camera's hiss

[Dr Dave]

There are better choices than sound soap, or you could use a quieter mic. Thanks for the mini review.

[Patrick]

Totally agree with Stephen on this. The 5D2 is all about the sensor and the 7D is everything else. If I could only get this 5D2 sensor in the 7D, I'd be so happy.

[Stephen Alvarez]

@Ralph Doyle I hadn't heard that about canon and new firmware. I hope that it incorporates some of the Majic Lantern improvements, most importantly manual sound levels.

@ Lucas Ridley I like fast glass so 2.8 is the slowest I'm willing to go. I know Ira bought a 10-22(?) zoom and is pretty happy with it on the 7D. I almost took that lens to Africa on this trip but was trying to travel light.

[Ralph Doyle]

You know that Canon have announced development of a firmware update for the 5D Mk II for 2010 which add 24 and 25 fps capability to the 5D?

[Lucas Ridley]

Excellent overview Stephen, I've had the 7D for about 5 days and am loving it. I got the new EFS 15-85mm lens for it and that seems to be a good all purpose lens that has a range to handle the cropped sensor.

Safe travels.