Age-Old Question: 5D or 7D

existent

existent

Messages
1,417
Name
Esen
Edit My Images
Yes
I have been doing my research last few months with no conclusion on this. I have a holiday coming in January to Norway and would like to use a camera with better ISO capabilities than my 450D for the night time aurora photos (+ the wide angle primes with 5D).

My photography is landscapes 90% of the time, and I know 5D makes more sense and I like the idea of using wide angle primes for landscape photos. But the talk about the AF and the fact that it may be replaced next year puts me off a bit.

I was using my 450D indoors last week with a friend's 50mm f1.8 and AF was terrible on the outer points. As far as I know, 5D's AF is not much better on the outer focus points.

I am no pro, and don't sell my photos and can't afford to have both cameras. I like print my pictures occasionally to hang at home.

What I need is a reliable camera that will produce great IQ and last me 2 years at least :)

I know that 5DmkIII is most likely coming next year, but it could be March or it could be November... I don't want to end up waiting for it whole year when I could buy one of these and start shooting... If I knew the exact date of the mkIII release, it would be somewhat easier to decide...

so which one is the better choice? 5D or 7D?
 
The 7D is more recent so it probably has a longer product cycle. However it's often difficult to second guess when a new model will come out.

The fact that a camera has been succeeded doesn't mean it's not a good camera. Sometimes the older model can be better than it's replacement for some people. I'v a 5D mk1 which I use on a regular basis although I have a 1Dslll.

All I can say is that I've never had a problem with my 5D's ( Mk l) focus. The ocassional error I can put down to user rather than camera error.

The question is do you want full frame or not. If the answer is yes then it's either go for the 5D or wait and wait for the Mklll.

However the 7D is a good camera. You have a cropped frame camera at present so you know the advantages / disadvantages of this size of sensor. Another point is that both cameras will show poor lenses, so you need to decide not only on the camera but the lens (s) you use with it. Plus the 7D is around £500 cheaper, you could use the difference in price to purchase some really good glass for the camera
 
squishy said:
that sentence screams '5D!' ;)
Click to expand...

That's the thing... is it really going to be a big difference for landscapes?


micloi said:
Why not an 1Ds? Full frame with excellent AF?
Older and heavier but still an excellent camera.
Click to expand...

1Ds is too much of a camera for me - both the price and the size.

Chappers said:
The question is do you want full frame or not. If the answer is yes then it's either go for the 5D or wait and wait for the Mklll.

However the 7D is a good camera. You have a cropped frame camera at present so you know the advantages / disadvantages of this size of sensor. Another point is that both cameras will show poor lenses, so you need to decide not only on the camera but the lens (s) you use with it. Plus the 7D is around £500 cheaper, you could use the difference in price to purchase some really good glass for the camera
Click to expand...

That's the thing... I have seen forum treads both arguing that "5D blows 7D away in IQ" and also the opposite where they had very similar IQ...

Two lenses I use mostly right now are 10-22mm and 24-105mm... If I were to switch to FF, I would replace 10-22 with 17-40 or a similar choice... 24-105mm will be much better fit as a single walkaround lens with FF. I find it too long on the wide end on its own (but I knew this when I bought it).

Two other lenses I have are ef-s 60mm and 55-250mm which I would need to sell if I buy 5D.

If I were to buy 7D, I might need to replace 55-250mm with a better lens but this is not a very often used lens for me anyways.
 
Other than a weakish AF system the 5DMKII is a brilliant camera. The IQ is simply better than the 7D and its a beautiful portrait camera too.

If you are worried about the 5DMKII being replaced, then how about a 5D. For landscapes you won't miss the extra megapixels and the high ISO capabilities. 2nd hand 5D's are a steal at the moment and are solidly built. The rest could be put towards a lens (if you need one).
 
If i was in your shoes i think i would go for the 5D mk2

Hopefully the new 5D will be along these lines


The new 5D mk 3 will carry over the AF system off the 7d and at a Guess be about 6 frames a second it will have a lot of whats on the 7D and be about April on the market im wondering if canon will put a different sensor in to the 1Ds mk4 this time or wether they will reconfigure the existing one and increase the iso capability

Regards

Richard
 
I still think a 5DIII with an AF system to rival the 7D will put Canon between a rock and a hard place. I know a lot of photographers are crying out for such a camera, but if Canon do introduce such a beast, what will it do to the sales of the 1Ds?

Apart from better weather sealing, and perhaps a higher frame rate, why would anyone buy a 1Ds if the 5DIII comes out with the sort of specs being talked about? The only way Canon could stop a 5DIII stealing sales from the 1Ds would be to pitch it at a fairly high price. IMHO

I'd buy a 5DII because even if a 5DIII does come out next year, the 5DII won't suddenly degenerate into a completely crap camera because it has been superceded.
 
daugirdas said:
Norway means very harsh conditions, where I would go for 1Ds mkII for similar money. 5D is an excellent landscape camera, but dead 5D is not particularly useful.
Click to expand...

True, and I have been told the weather will be around -20 C when we are there, but the person I am going with has been there 3-4 times already with a 5D and no problems so far...
 
Scarecrow said:
I still think a 5DIII with an AF system to rival the 7D will put Canon between a rock and a hard place. I know a lot of photographers are crying out for such a camera, but if Canon do introduce such a beast, what will it do to the sales of the 1Ds?
Click to expand...

Has Nikon found the same thing, with the D700 eating into sales of the D3?

A.
 
existent said:
interesting how only 1 person recommended 7D over 5D so far :D
Click to expand...

Well that would be because the 5D is the better camera for your needs... :shrug:

The 7D is a better camera for action, the 5D is the one if you want ultimate image quality.
 
existent said:
Fair comment...

Next question then: Will I see a noticable difference in IQ for prints around 30"x20"?
Click to expand...

Have a read.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=3184282&postcount=15
My bold.

HoppyUK said:
I know the pixels thing is very seductive, but perhaps you should do some tests, like I did. Went into Jessops with my 40D and shot identical images side by side with that, a 7D and then a 5D2. 24-105L lens, all at f/8, just zoomed to alter the framing. Nothing special, just inside the shop with flash to keep the light identical and eliminate any shake. I then put the card in the shop printer and printed out A4 prints of each, 15in prints, and some small sections blown up to max.

Of the A4 prints, at normal viewing distance, you could not tell them apart. Honestly not. Looking at the 15in prints, taking a close peek at the 7D and 40D you could tell a difference, but mainly because of the better noise (ISO400) from the 7D. But the 5D2 pictures clearly stood out - you didn't need to peek. No noise, smooth tones, more detailed shadows, better sharpness. Just better, all over. Even my wife could see it (which is kinda important ;) ). Looking then at the big crops, the 5D2's better sharpness was not just skin deep :thumbs:

Bottom line is I ended up with a 5D2. I expected the 7D to be better than it was compared to the 40D, and was surprised at how much better the 5D2 was than either. It's a very easy test to do for yourself :)
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Vertigo1 said:
That thread is about the 60D vs the 7D, are you sure you've not misread the title of this thread?



See above - I think he was mistaken.
Click to expand...

Wrong again, Old age has nothing too offer:lol:
 
Weather looks like sunny spells after a cloudy start. Enjoy
 
"...would like to use a camera with better ISO capabilities than my 450D for the night time aurora photos (+ the wide angle primes with 5D)."

Would you be using high ISO for these shots? I'd have thought that you'd be using low ISO, a tripod and a slower shutter speed?
 
woof woof said:
"...would like to use a camera with better ISO capabilities than my 450D for the night time aurora photos (+ the wide angle primes with 5D)."

Would you be using high ISO for these shots? I'd have thought that you'd be using low ISO, a tripod and a slower shutter speed?
Click to expand...

Based on the other photos on flickr, the better ones are shot with fast glass (f/1.4) around iso 800 - 1600 and short shutter speed
 
Well, I'd never have believed it...

But after Googling I must say that some of the pictures I've just looked at are simply awful, way over processed. Deffo a case of should have stepped away from the keyboard sooner.
 
Last edited:
horses for courses really

- 5D2 is a landscape/portrait/wedding cam ~ Clarity and colours
- 7D is a sports & birds/wildlife gatling gun ~ crop & AF/FPS

7D

AF on the 7D is superb, very fast and fully customisable with zones/sections/spots etc which makes it good for birds in flight/motorsport/aviation etc
8 frames per second which is never enough
Full HD Video 24p (and others)
18 mp sensor
Very well weather sealed which I tested shooting Deer last week in Scotland, was absolutely dripping with rain!
screen clear and vivid
Also as it's 1.6x crop sensor the effective focal length is greater than what lens you put on it, so 400 mm lens on the front becomes 640 mm which is why it's a sought after camera amongst birders and wildlife shooters.
But on the low end a 24 mm would become 38.4mm which isn't very wide, so people usually choose the EF-S (crop camera lens) 17-55 f/2.8 as it makes it comparable to the 24-70 as it's being multiplied by 1.6.
ISO is pretty good, although cannot compete at the high end compared to the 5D2 - but it's fair enough as with a bigger sensor you've got more room on the sensor to spread out the photo-sites so the noise frequency doesn't build up as much as the crammed in one on the 7D.

5D2

AF pretty standard and same as 30/40/50D not designed for moving objects but can handle them if needed, not as good as 7D for birds in flight etc
3.9 fps
21 mp sensor
Not sure on weather sealed, should handle rain showers though
screen not as clear as 7D
Full frame so what it says on the lens is what you get - superb colour rendition, just in general very nice and clear shots (Wouldn't say they were better than what the 7D produces though, just different!)
HD Video same options as 7D now with firmware update
ISO, very good all the way to the top - but it should be as it's Full Frame

All in all both cameras are great, for what they're designed to do. Also you've got to remember that the 7D is a brand new camera designed from the ground up, whereas the 5D2 is new tech in a 5D body - and for me personally I much prefer the build quality and overall feel of the 7D in my hands even though the 5D2 cost more 2nd hand than a new 7D

Definitely get a grip for both and they feel much better in your hand, another battery and also vertical shooting made easier.

Also these cameras are resolving so much detail nowadays with high MP sensors that you need only the best glass in front of the lens as bad glass will show up even more now, so unfortunately or fortunately you need to buy L glass

You can check side by side on here >> http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

all the best

drew
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top