Age old question - Canon 7D or 5DII - doing my head in!!

Jonmurgie

Jonmurgie

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New camera time... how the chuff do you decide on whether to go Canon 7D or 5DII when money isn't a deciding factor?!!

Have borrowed a 5D for a while and am LOVING FF and was going to go 7D until I started to use the 5D.

Will be treating myself to some L glass too and only have 1 EF-S lens so that's not a factor.

I shoot portraits, products and snap my little 1 year old a lot so don't see the superb 19-point AF on the 7D a major bonus.

I'm leaning towards the 5DII now after originally having an order in for a 7D but cancelling as it was a grey import (doh!).

What to do...?!
How to decide...?!
 
I have a 7D but I mainly use it for shooting wildlife and motorsport. I'm getting back in to portraits though, and I expect to get myself a 5D Mk2 early next year. If you don't need the focus and metering of the 7D, go with the 5D, it's a better camera for what you want to use it for.

Steve
 
I had the same dilemma (though money *was* an issue for me!). Borrowed a 7D for a few weeks and thought it was great, especially for birds. Image quality was slightly disappointing though, a lot more noise than I expected. I stretched myself and got the 5D mk 2 instead, haven't regretted it for a second. For portraits of your little one it's a no-brainer imo :)
 
You have already stated that you don't need the key deciding factor between the cameras - the 7D autofocus.

If you also don't need the 7D frame rate then I would put that 5D in your shopping card and click the order button ;)
 
Jonmurgie said:
Pretty much what I'm thinking... just don't want to end up buying the wrong one for my needs, then end up with both or something crazy like that ;)
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Well I intend to end up with both, but my Mrs also has an interest so 2 bodies would be handy.

Steve
 
Ig you need full frame the obviously 5dMKII, if you are happy with a crop camera then go for the 7D as the 5D MKII is just so basic in terms of features, menus and AF.

Also the 5D MKII is now so out of date Canon will be bringing out a newer model very soon and your 5DMKII will be going for under 1k.

Simples
 
raider2727 said:
Also the 5D MKII is now so out of date Canon will be bringing out a newer model very soon and your 5DMKII will be going for under 1k.
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Arrrg... don't say that! I'm a big Apple fan and there is ALWAYS a new/better/upgraded product around the corner which makes buying on any given day a tough decision!!

5DII still over £1600 at the moment so no small investment if price drops to £1000 in 6 months.... that would be a kick in the ** to any recent buyers I guess :(

The way I see it though, regardless of whether the tech is old or new a stunning picture is a stunning picture and the 5D takes stunning pictures... even the Mark 1 I tried out. A friend has a 1D Mark II n and that is still well capable so the "older tech" in the 5DII doesn't bother me a great deal.
 
Jonmurgie said:
5DII still over £1600 at the moment so no small investment if price drops to £1000 in 6 months.... that would be a kick in the ** to any recent buyers I guess :(
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Buy second hand. £1200-£1300. Less of a drop ;)
 
raider2727 said:
Ig you need full frame the obviously 5dMKII, if you are happy with a crop camera then go for the 7D as the 5D MKII is just so basic in terms of features, menus and AF.

Also the 5D MKII is now so out of date Canon will be bringing out a newer model very soon and your 5DMKII will be going for under 1k.

Simples
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If that's the case I'll buy another one as a backup! Under 1k for a camera that takes stunning pictures and has all the features I need, bring it on :)

I don't think the Mk III will be around as soon as some people think though, and when they do update it don't expect it to blow every other camera out of the water - why cannibalise 7D sales by putting the same AF and fps on it?

I say live for the moment, no point waiting about for the next update. Life's too short :)
 
Also the 5D MKII is now so out of date
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Bit harsh LOL. The 5D2 is still selling well so whilst it may get superceded I doubt it will be too soon.

As for no gadgets what do you want in a camera, I've taken a hard look at both the 7D and the 5D2 and the only gadget I'd like on my 5D2 that the 7D has is the artificial horizon.

As for AF then I wonder what all the comments are about, if you use your camera like I do for Trains, planes and automobiles, scenery and people then I think there's nothing to choose. I always use centre spot. For scenery the 5D2 wins hands down with IQ.

I think this is a little like the Canon, Nikon arguments. Those that have 7D's always maintain them to be better than the 5D2, most of those with 5D2's will maintain they are better.

If your shooting mainly scenery and portraits then go for the 5D2, if you need reach buy a Canon 2x teleconvertor. If your into sports the 7D is supposedly better :D
 
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Another 'recent' thread over at POTN http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=936244 currently running into page 46.

One thing that stands out clearly is DOF control. From what you say (and your shotting sounds like mine), it's 5Dii all the way. It's just down to whether or not you want to spend that much more over the 7d.
 
The way I see it though, regardless of whether the tech is old or new a stunning picture is a stunning picture and the 5D takes stunning pictures... even the Mark 1 I tried out. A friend has a 1D Mark II n and that is still well capable so the "older tech" in the 5DII doesn't bother me a great deal.
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The 5Dmkii does take nice pics as does the 7D.

If you want a camera that takes stunning pics and makes the 5D MKII look as outdated as my old eos 500N,,, Try a D700 simply stunning pics every time.
 
GRECIAN said:
The 5Dmkii does take nice pics as does the 7D.

If you want a camera that takes stunning pics and makes the 5D MKII look as outdated as my old eos 500N,,, Try a D700 simply stunning pics every time.
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LOL and the D700 is a low-resolution ancient camera which doesn't even do 720p video, that's how far behind it is :D
Funny how Nikon users seem to be so insecure :D.
 
LOL @ GRECIAN - You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to move to Nikon thank you very much :p

5DII seems the sensible choice... gonna sleep on it and get an order in tomorrow I reckon :)
 
What sort of shots are your priority? You mention your 1 year old, do you like to get "action" shots there? I do which is why I ended up with a 1DmkIII, I also had the 7D prior to that. AF performance was my driving requirement as I like to use a shallow dof as well at times with AI servo. Other cameras 40D,50D, 5D just don't cut it for me. I recently downgraded as part of an economy drive, worst decision ever! I'm going back to a 7D unless a cheap 1D turns up!
 
Spot on about the "action" shots of my little lad... though I seem to get on perfectly well with using the centre spot on 99% of ALL my photography, personally find AF a tad annoying!!

That said, he's just started walking so perhaps AF will be key in getting good shots...
 
It's all about percentages I guess. Relatively static objects are fine, but as things get moving... I also shoot sports so bit of a no brainer for me. 1D 95%+ keepers, 7D 80%+, 40D/50D 60%+... That's for me anyway. (AI Servo AF use).
 
[QUOTE
That said, he's just started walking so perhaps AF will be key in getting good shots...[/QUOTE]

Just started walking!!!!

I'm sure you'll be able to keep up with spot AF(y)
 
I am in the same situation as you are. I will be buying in December time so I haven't created my thread yet :D

All the bells and whistles on 7D are attractive but like you, I wouldn't utilize the AF and high frame rate on the 7D.

90% of my shots are landscape, so people would say 5D for landscape :D also, everytime I search through flickr, I don't see many 7D landscape photos.

I have played around with both at a store, and the AF of 5D is pretty good to be honest. I didn't try AI-servo, but for one shot, it was working fine on all AF points in the store.
 
Well this has thrown a spanner in the works. I've been researching for months and decided on a 7D through all the write ups I've seen a\nd the spec.

I shoot a lot of landscape and also around town, but also do some car meets

You saying the 7D is not as good for landscapes?
 
Mitzyboy said:
You saying the 7D is not as good for landscapes?
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It's not that the 7D isn't good for landscapes but I believe it is generally regarded that FF cameras are better suited to landscapes hence the 5DII is seen as 'better'

Guess you need to consider whether you'd use the other features on the 7D that make it different to the 5DII. I know I won't so have gone for a 5DII :D
 
I was in this exact situation just last month - looking to upgrade from a 40D.

I was being swayed towards the 7D by the FPS and the new focus system. Once I looked at what I actually used the camera for (much the same as you), and the fact that I really had no gripes with the focus on the 40D, I decided that these features really were not going to be of any real use to me.

I also had lens issues... I wanted weather sealed lenses to go with the new body. This meant the only real options were 24-70 or 24-105 as walkabout lenses. Neither of these would be wide enough on a crop body in my opinion. The 16-35 would not be long enough on a crop...

The final decision was to go for the 5D2 and the 24-70 2.8

So impressed with the results from this combination. The high ISO results are awesome!

The only thing I miss is the convenience of the pop up flash - not a great flash - but does come in handy now and again! Sometimes there just isn't enough time to fit a speedlight!
 
Mitzyboy said:
Well this has thrown a spanner in the works. I've been researching for months and decided on a 7D through all the write ups I've seen a\nd the spec.

I shoot a lot of landscape and also around town, but also do some car meets

You saying the 7D is not as good for landscapes?
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No... but all the posts on the forums suggest that 5D is better than 7D for landscapes... BUT, on few threads that I have seen on other forums that compare 5D and 7D photos, I don't see a big difference.

BUT, none of these photos are proper landscape shots either... so in the end, not very helpful :LOL:

I agree with Ian though - moving to a 5D would allow me to use weather sealed lenses for uwa for that little extra comfort.
 
existent said:
BUT, on few threads that I have seen on other forums that compare 5D and 7D photos, I don't see a big difference.
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When I was looking (3 months ago) I found a site comparing the two, shot for shot (i.e. a tripod next to each other taking the same shot), at the same ISO levels. The 7D was significantly (to my eyes) worse than the 5Dmk2 - hence why I have a 5Dmk2...
 
:
arad85 said:
When I was looking (3 months ago) I found a site comparing the two, shot for shot (i.e. a tripod next to each other taking the same shot), at the same ISO levels. The 7D was significantly (to my eyes) worse than the 5Dmk2 - hence why I have a 5Dmk2...
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Link?

They are two very different cameras, if you like landscapes and studio/portrait work then the 5D is your man, action and wildlife the 7D. Even if the 5D MKIII comes with 7D AF (pretty unlikely), there would still be a market for a 1.6x crop camera because of the extra reach it gives. If the centre AF point was good in AIServo on the 5D it might have made up for the poor outer points performance, but it's not. I still can't work out if it's Canon being clever or just plain evil! :D
 
I've got both of them! I use the 5d2 when I'm "working" and the 7d when I'm in my "own time". They are both great cameras so I would suggest that you go into your friendly Canon dealership and handle both of them, find out which one "feels" better.

Don't know if that will help you in any way :)
 
He heh, I need all the help I can get ... thanks
Trouble is when I analyse it I enjoy landscape, dont do much (if any) portrait), a fair amount of "town" work, a little wildlife and I want to do more sport.

So it's a complete mixture

I'm aware I've walked in to someone elses thread here, but I've been recommended to a seller on here and I've asked for a price for both. In the meantime I'll have to read up on the 5D2, and hopefully all will become clear to me in the fullness of time. :)
 
My 20D is excellent at ISO 400.

Anyway, the big killer for me is that the 5DII doesn't have a flash and I've never owned an SLR without a built in flash.

I don't see the point of a 7D but the 60D interests me for the screen.
 
woof woof said:
Anyway, the big killer for me is that the 5DII doesn't have a flash and I've never owned an SLR without a built in flash.
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You know.. I thought that when I bought the 5Dmk2.. but the photos I've taken with the flash off camera (in manual via some RF602s) are sooooo much better than the ones on camera with TTL. In fact, I'd rather not take the pic than have to use a small on camera flash now....
 
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