Canon 7D vs 5D mkII

Dubaiian · Jul 1, 2012

Hello everyone, I currently have a 7D and really like it. I use it mainly for wildlife, sports and other general photography. Here in the Middle East we have a thriving second hand market and a 5D mkII has just come on for about the same price as a new 7d. I have for some time thought about getting a 2nd body as when I am shooting cricket I regularly swap between my 100-400 and my 24-105 due to differing focal distances for the the wicket vs outfield shots. I have recently also been shooting at some indoor sports such as indoor cricket and basketball and wondered if the 5D would perform better in the challenging light? I have good glass including the above and a 70-200 f2.8L so I dont think I am limited by my lenses and really am not sure if I am limited by my camera. My two thoughts so far are1. The 5D would perform better so I could use faster shutters in limited light (I dont know if this is true)2. Just get another 7D as it performs reasonably well, would save me changing lenses and I am already extremelly familiar with the layout. Forgot to say - The reason I am even looking at this is that although the 7D is good, noise does appear at ISO 1600 so I try to avoid that wherever possible. Am I being silly to even think about this and should I just save for a 5D MKiii or even look for a 1D Mk IV second hand? So many choices :-(Any help appreciated.

LShooter · Jul 1, 2012

I owned a 7D for years and loved most of it. Hated the ISO performance, loved the autofocus. Tried a friends 5D Mark II a few times. Loved the IQ, HATED the AF performace. To me, the Mk II is not for anything other than still life/portraits. I sold my 7D and bought the 5D Mk III a couple months back and could not be happier! Yes, you lose some of the reach the 7D had due to the crop, BUT, just buy a 1.4 or 2x extender and you're set. The ISO is amazing out to 25,000 and beyond! The long exposure noise reduction is amazing! The AF is better than the 7D and the IQ is great. I'm hoping to get many years out of this camera, even if it means paying to replace a shutter down the road. I know this didn't answer your question exactly, but I hope it gives you something to think about. If you're just going to use the second body for stills, landscape, portraits, the Mk II should be fine. If you want a camera that can do it all, better, then get the Mk III.

john5189 · Jul 1, 2012

I prefer using the 7D,BUT the 5D2 has better high ISO ability.
5D2 can cover a wider range of focal lengths since no cropping factor to account for.

Get both is my answer therefore.

5D2 but with more expensive lenses

jaomul · Jul 1, 2012

I have a 7d and happily have printed ISO 6400 but within reason a little noise does not bother me much, i find its usually not as noticeable in print as on screen. Having only played with a 5d ii but seeing many high ISO shots I would say if I could have only 1 i would go with a 7d as it is slightly more flexible. I would definitely pick a 5d as a second rather than two 7ds to have the benefits of a crop camera and the benefits of full frame. If money was not a problem a 5d iii would be lovely as a second but at the moment it is imho over priced

TheBiles · Jul 1, 2012

The only solution is the 5D Mark III.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201

3bayjunkie · Jul 2, 2012

5D MKII of course... Haha! No brainer

jed_rollins · Jul 3, 2012

I own both the 7D and mark II and III, of course the mark III is a great camera, and is the best choice, but between the mII and 7D I think it comes down to your needs. If you're a sports shooter or need some extra reach from your lens go 7D, but if your a portrait, wedding, travel, etc. photog if go 5D, noise performance is head over heels better than the 7D and to me I hate not having the full frame feel. 5d would be my choice!
Cheers,
Jed

ScubaDude · Jul 4, 2012

Master noise reduction. Much cheaper than buying a new camera.

morganza · Jul 4, 2012

ScubaDude said:
Master noise reduction. Much cheaper than buying a new camera.

Thanks for the link, that was interesting to read.

liuxinglanyue · Jul 17, 2012

5D MK3 now ........

Raian-san · Jul 18, 2012

I would get the 5D mark ii. Both are different cameras for different needs and situation.

sovietdoc · Jul 18, 2012

If only 5D III had 8-9 fps. There would be no point on getting anything else in this world...

BXPhoto · Jul 20, 2012

It all really depends in your needs and preferences. At the price of CPL 5d2's soooo cheap I wouldn't hesitate to add that to your roster. It's great shooting FF for wider FOV, DOF control and low light. Plus honestly I was never a fan of the images from my 7d or 60d as it was just noisy even at low ISO's in the shadow areas. But a great combo would be a 5d2/7d. Heck that was my setup for a while till the 5d3 came out and I still eventually switched to the dark side for personal reasons/needs how ever.