5D/7D comparison

The 5D is a finer camera in all respects, and if you really do want the same 'characteristics' as 35mm motion picture film, just adjust your shot or try a different lens. The compression, framing, DOF and field of view is all shooter adjustable.


Especially when I can switch my 5DII into 60p or 24p mode to get the frame rates that…

Oh, wait. Nevermind. That's what my 7D is for.

Having 24p and 60p (in addition to 30p), is not an optional feature for me or my clients. The 7D is the "finer" camera in this respect.
 
60p is great for slow motion. But the 720p mode on the 7D is ropey compared to GH1. And 120fps may be around the corner as the chips become faster. That would give us extended possibilities for slow mo in the same way the 5D has extended image quality over the 7D. Why do you think Canon charge more for it?

Erm, 5DII will have 24p in 2010 anyway.

Numbers are meaningless. Some can get a 'film like' look with footage from cameras which had no right to be anywhere near 'film like' if we keep speaking about 24p, 35mm motion picture film, etc.

These will be legacies of cinema's past come the next wave of technology anyway. Sweep away the dogma and get on with making great looking movies.
 
60p is great for slow motion. But the 720p mode on the 7D is ropey compared to GH1. And 120fps may be around the corner as the chips become faster. That would give us extended possibilities for slow mo in the same way the 5D has extended image quality over the 7D. Why do you think Canon charge more for it?

Erm, 5DII will have 24p in 2010 anyway.

Numbers are meaningless. Some can get a 'film like' look with footage from cameras which had no right to be anywhere near 'film like' if we keep speaking about 24p, 35mm motion picture film, etc.

These will be legacies of cinema's past come the next wave of technology anyway. Sweep away the dogma and get on with making great looking movies.

That's all well and good, but my projects happen in the now. Believe me, I'm glad the 5DII will have 24p next year. I have one on my desk and can't wait to use it for 24p projects.

And having owned a GH1, I agree the 60p is nice. But 60p on the 7D is perfectly fine for me, knowing the limitations of it I'm able to work around the issues. But the fact is that the 5D doesn't offer it, and likely won't even after the firmware update in 2010.

My choices are not based on "cinema's past" or "dogma" or anything beyond what my clients need and the look I'm trying to create for my projects.
 
Based on Camcorderinfo and Barry's extensive tests, the resolutions of the two cameras are roughly equal. 650-700 lines.

Don't want to stray from the 5D / 7D thread, but how many resolution lines in the same price range on the HMC-40 and the GH-1?
 
LOL, I've never heard so much crazy stuff about the "cinema-like" look. I guess that 16mm camera I used isn't in the class of the "cinema-like" that some of you guy's refer too. Oh, and the Hi-8 camera that was used for "Hoop Dreams" Whooa, that doesn't fit into your 35mm "cinema-like" look.
"Crazy stuff"? I think that you're misinterpreting what we're saying. No single "look" is definitively THE "film look," in the sense that there are really many "film looks." I love many different looks. I generally love the distinctly DV looks of Michael Mann's latest movies. I love the even dirtier DV look of David Lynch's Inland Empire. I love the 70mm cinematography of Lawrence of Arabia, which is a serious contender for greatest cinematography ever. I love the VistaVision of several of Hitchcock's movies. I love 8mm film and have tried to duplicate it digitally.

However, when amateur, guerrilla, and indie filmmakers say that they want to emulate the "film look," their reference point is 35mm motion pictures in general, which are shot on ~22mm-wide frame at 1/48th second shutter and 24 fps with certain focal lengths and apertures typically between f/2.8 and f/5.6. The best way to emulate that is to try to match specs as closely as possible. Simple as that, end of story. There should be nothing controversial about it.

If the goal is to simply make something that looks more "film-like" than the kind of video that we've been used to seeing until now, and something that just looks pleasing to the eye without any deeper considerations, then yes, the 5D more than fits the bill. But so does the D90, the Pentax K-X, the GH1, and Canon's own T1i, all of which are even cheaper than the 7D. And the GH1 is still a more functional video camera than the the 5D, since the package includes a 10x zoom lens with fast, silent autofocus, articulating LCD, 24p/30p/60p modes, histogram that works while recording, and more, all on top of the manual controls. If you go over to the GH1 forum, you'll find many users who are so happy with that camera that they wouldn't even consider a more expensive Canon, like the 7D or 5D. A few of them even cast a denigrating eye on our beloved Canons. But that's OK.

But I'm not here trying to sell anyone on the GH1, or the 7D, or any other camera. I'm just saying that choices will be made for specific reasons. Aiming for a vaguely "film-like" image is simply not a good enough reason for choosing the 5D, since there are several other options out there, some cheaper, some not, all with different strengths and weaknesses. So if one's ultimate choice is the 5D, then there must be other reasons. Many have chosen the 5D for its particular "look." So "look" really matters. I don't know why you'd argue that it doesn't. Thus the "35mm motion picture look" also matters (to those who care about it), and it's a good reason to choose the 7D instead of the 5D.

Most of my work is in commercial photography and video production. I have worked on some movies years ago, but enjoy more what I'm doing now.
I just finished a shoot on a A340 airplane. I needed to capture the custom built rooms (bedrooms,office,etc.). They wanted steadi-cam shots. I used my 5D with a 16mm lens with a Glide-cam. Any other camera wouldn't have worked, ,,too big, not enough coverage. It looked great, not perfect,, had a few minor moire hits, but was pretty impressive and the client was happy.

So, let's not forget us guy's who use their cameras for other types of shoots. In fact, I bet only 5% of people on this forum will be able to make a living from just shooting full-length movies. It might be smaller than that. A few of my friends that are long time DPs, have to supplement their income shooting spots (Burger King,etc.), corporate film/videos, and so on.
Good for you. We know that the 5D works and works very well for a lot of people. This forum, the corresponding one over at DV Info Net, the 5D-oriented cinema5D forum, and others at DPReview and more are a testament to that. But it doesn't really address the topic of the 5D compared to the 7D. Nothing from your testimonial indicates that the 7D wouldn't work just as well in your (and others') case.

I'm with James Camron on the subject of 24fps. Out, out, go away 24. Get rid of the stutter. My man. Couldn't agree more. My worst day from the client ,"let's shoot my commercial in 24P via the video camera, it will look like film". Sure, right. A spot on TV that will stutter really good with the fast action he wants.
This debate has been done many times, in many places, and will probably never die. The result is always the same. The majority simply can't be talked out of believing that 24 fps is more aesthetically pleasing than any other frame rate for narrative production. So enjoy your 30p, 48p, 60p, or whatever other frame rate that you like. But please let us enjoy our 24p.
 
I think that Barry said that the HMC-40 approaches 900 lines. The GH1 does 700-750 lines.

I gotta say, for the money the GH-1 has a lot to offer shooting low, or no budget projects with the fewest hazards from what I've seen. Still needs something like an H4N for audio, but all the DSLRs need external audio as well.
Sorry I forgot this is 5D 7D thread.
 
Hello, I'm new to these forums but have been reading the threads recently.
Welcome!

Suppose an audience sits down to watch one of Barry's movies which he shot on his 7D... do they notice the artistry or the 35mm film characteristics?
The problem with this argument is that most people in the general public don't care about the things that obsess members of DVXuser and other such communities. They really, truly wouldn't even give much thought to 24p and shallow DOF. They are perfectly happy to be entertained by things that are artistically bankrupt. And that's OK. But we do care.

Because it sounds to me that Barry is determining his creativity with a mathematical set of specifications instead of what his eye thinks looks good? Why else would he choose a 7D over a 5D?
How do you know this? Can you read his mind? On what basis do you claim the authority to speak on his behalf?

They 5D clearly has the edge from what I've seen so far.
No reasonable person would try to argue you out of this opinion. But at the same time, there actually are people here who really, truly do prefer the image from the 7D. People like Kholi and Ian-T (if I'm not mistaken). Several users, such as stephenmick, have tried to match the 5D and 7D and have found the footage to be indistinguishable to their eyes. Some others have attempted the same and disagreed. Some users in the GH1 forum prefer that camera's image to either Canon's. Who's right and who's wrong?

Barry uses a specific sensor size alone, solely to determine his 'film look'.I feel the real meaning of 'film look' is entirely emotional, creative, subjective. And there are much larger image quality factors to consider than frame compression and field of view.
I don't think that anyone can really disagree with you here. After all, there is a really subjective aspect to the "film look." No one is stopping you from deciding for yourself which camera's image looks better to you. But please let us also decide the same for ourselves.

It is nonsense that the 7D can give a more 'film-look' than the 5D.
No, it is not nonsense. First, one must define exactly what one means by "film look." Once it is defined, criteria must be specified to allow one to evaluate what is necessary to achieve such a look. We have done that and showed that, in the technical aspects that matter (the emotional, creative, subjective ones aren't included, specifically because they are nebulous), the 7D offers an image that more closely resembles 35mm motion pictures than the 5D does. Again, I don't see how this could be controversial.

I agree with others here, notably the guy in the last post (Johnny) regarding the 'film look craziness'. None of what Barry says makes sense to me on an artistic level, it only seems to make sense on a text book page or in math class.
Then why not stick with the trusty old DVX100 instead of spending several thousand dollars on a 5D package? It's just as capable of inspiring great, creative work, especially if you leave that "film look craziness" aside.

7D has the same sensor size as 35mm academy motion picture film.... really? So what? People don't notice these things and often don't have a frame of reference to compare one format to another. They see beauty in a shot like they do in a photograph. Cinematographers can get a little too far into the rock-face and the gear to realise that human beings can find a range of looks beautiful regardless of the format or technology used to create them.
If "people don't notice these things and often don't have a frame of reference to compare one format to another," then why choose the 5D over the 7D or any other camera, since your audience can't compare the difference in quality anyway?

Image quality is a production quality, and the parameters are - low light performance, noise, grain ascetics, colour, dynamic range, how the sensor looks with a given lens.
Several traditional camcorders offer comparable or superior low-light performance, noise and grain "aesthetics," color, and dynamic range. "How a sensor looks with a given lens": Now that's totally subjective.

Having a specific size measured in millimetres, and very small details regarding scene compression, field of view, etc. come a very distant last in my thoughts whilst shooting a film.

But if you're strange and you really do want the same 'characteristics' as 35mm motion picture film, and think the audience actually gives a damn, just adjust your shot or try a different lens... because also remember, the compression, framing, DOF and field of view is all shooter adjustable.
I just wanted to let you know that you've spent quite a lot of text on arguments that would discourage people from adopting the 5D or any other DSLR over what they already have, such as the EX1, XH-A1, Z1U, DVX100, HVX200, HMC150, and other prosumer "small-chip" camcorders.

There seems a lot of miss-info on here, and stagnation in numbers and dogma from people who should really know better.
It's not an obsession with numbers or dogma. And you want to talk about "people who should really know better"?

OK, here's the reason why I've spent so much time here arguing with people like yoclay, JohnnyD, and you. It's the fact that you all seem to be saying that the 5D is needed to get the "film look", is superior for the "film look." Heck, yoclay even stated this explicitly. One of the key factors in the DSLRs' meteoric rise is their price points. Price is a major reason why the 7D and GH1 have largely stolen the 5D's thunder as of late. Many of the people who visit the DSLR forums are on rather tight budgets. In other words, they want cinematic image quality without spending a whole lot of money. Do they really need to be told that they must spend $1000 more to get what they want?

See, that's where I have the problem. That's why I'm telling people that the 7D is the best choice for achieving the 35mm motion picture look that they have in mind. I'm not telling people that they shouldn't even consider the 5D, or to stay away from it, or that it's an inferior camera. But if they ultimately decide that they still like the 5D's image better, and that the $1000 price premium is worth it, then I'm not going to say that they've made the wrong decision.
 
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Suppose an audience sits down to watch one of Barry's movies which he shot on his 7D... do they notice the artistry or the 35mm film characteristics?
Hopefully the artistry. If they're noticing anything else, I did something wrong.

Because it sounds to me that Barry is determining his creativity with a mathematical set of specifications instead of what his eye thinks looks good?
Sounds like you're being presumptuous and, on top of that, just plain wrong. I light by eye, and I think my stuff looks pretty good. I don't calculate camera positions off of a slide rule, so I'm not sure what you're getting at? And, owning a 35mm film camera, as well as a Letus Ultimate adapter, and having worked heavily in film for the last 12 years, but not as much in the last 5, I think I really rather know what I like. I'm used to the framing, the depth, the perspective, and the feel of 35mm film. I have shot hundreds of thousands of feet of it, I've shot commercials for regional and national organizations on it, won an Emmy with it, and am really just rather experienced with and fond of it.

So why would I want to abandon what it does, and go with the non-film 30p frame rate? I don't want to. I won't. No thanks. Why would I want to go to a sensor that's twice the size? No interest. Don't want it. No thanks. You're entitled to set your own preferences, but I'll stick with mine. And the 7D delivers much more of what I'm looking for than the 5D does.

Why else would he choose a 7D over a 5D?
Is this a serious question? 24p vs. not. Game, set, and match. Over and done. No further investigation necessary. That right there is enough to settle the issue, but the fact that the 7D has a film-style field of view and costs $1,000 less are also compelling reasons.

So why didn't you just ASK why I chose it, instead of choosing some odd roundabout slighting style of slamming me? Very curious, very odd behavior for someone "brand new to the forums"...

Barry uses a specific sensor size alone, solely to determine his 'film look'.
Perhaps you need to spend a little more time reading the forums before making unfounded proclamations? Sensor size is certainly a factor, but frame rate is the far more important factor.

I feel the real meaning of 'film look' is entirely emotional, creative, subjective.
Well, then you and I will completely disagree. I think "film look" means it looks as if it's been shot on film.

And there are much larger image quality factors to consider than frame compression and field of view.
Go right ahead. You're free to include whatever you want. Just please don't try to tell me what I think, or try to tell anyone else what I think, especially when you're wrong about it.

Actually, in cinema, 70mm is not considered the poor insignificant un-film like brother of 35mm.
In cinema, 70mm is considered extinct. Or have I somehow missed out on a new gold rush of 70mm films being made?

If you're looking at a movie in the theater, there is at least a 98% chance that it was shot on a 35mm cine-sized imaging frame, using 35mm cine-style lenses, at 24fps. That is completely indisputable... that is the look people see. That is what the movies look like.

You cannot call the shots in Lawrence of Arabia or Baraka ugly or un-film like, and neither can you when it comes to the best 5D footage out there.
Did anyone say any such thing? All I said was "if you want it to look like the movies, you want a cine-sized sensor running at 24fps. Because that is what the movies are shot on." Or are you somehow trying to contradict that?

It is nonsense that the 7D can give a more 'film-look' than the 5D.
Actually, it's obvious. Patently obvious.

I own both, and the 5D has a more attractive image for much of the time. It's also sharper.
We aren't talking about what's "more attractive" or "sharper". We are talking about what looks more like the cinema.

There are many things that can look a lot more attractive than what the cinema looks like. ShowScan at 60fps, Imax, ultra-HD 3-D, all sorts of things. But none of those has any substantial presence in what has entered the zeitgeist and the collective human experience which is known as the movies.

None of what Barry says makes sense to me on an artistic level, it only seems to make sense on a text book page or in math class.
Fortunately for me, the truth doesn't depend on you believing in it. It's true whether any particular individual wants to believe in it or not.

7D has the same sensor size as 35mm academy motion picture film.... really? So what?
Er... it makes it more film-like... more cinema-like... kind of the whole point...

People don't notice these things and often don't have a frame of reference to compare one format to another. They see beauty in a shot like they do in a photograph. Cinematographers can get a little too far into the rock-face and the gear to realise that human beings can find a range of looks beautiful regardless of the format or technology used to create them.
I see that you're clearly having an argument with someone else, certainly not with me. I didn't say it was "better looking" or "not beautiful" or anything like that. Go shoot on PixelVision, it's a very different look and quite artistic. But it looks nothing like the cinema. Go shoot still photographs, they can have an astonishing richness of texture and depth and sharpness... but they look nothing like the cinema. Go paint -- paintings are a superlative way to experience beauty and presence, art and imagery and emotion all at once. But they are not the cinema.

Even in terms of the maths, the 5D is a finer camera in all respects.
Was anyone in my post trying to imply otherwise? The 5D certainly has superiority over the 7D, which is why it costs more.

But it is not the superior product for replicating the cinema look.

There seems a lot of miss-info on here, and stagnation in numbers and dogma from people who should really know better.
Oh, I agree that there's a lot of misinformation here, yes. A lot of it.
 
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I just want to step in here and say that there is something that is troubling me of late in the DSLR forums. Currently, there are one or two particular members who I find a little too aggressive and I am watching them undercut and attack members left and right. There is something pedantic, academic and faintly troll-like in the manner in which things are being phrased. As a moderator in another forum, I have had more than a little experience with Troll's in Librarian's Glasses. Most of the time it is unintentional, so I would prefer to keep this general. Given some of the terminology being used and the harsh strident tone, I am starting to feel more like I am in an Ayn Rand Forum on Objectivist living than in a friendly user's forum for DSLR's. It is a total turn off and it just makes me not want to come back here again. It's not WHAT is being said, it's the WAY it's being said that is the problem. Picking apart each other's posts and trying to pull rank by demanding each other's professional credentials is really poor manners. I would like to encourage people to chill a little and be a bit more respectful of each other.
 
Having 24p and 60p (in addition to 30p), is not an optional feature for me or my clients. The 7D is the "finer" camera in this respect.


24p sounds like the right idea, but I have heard a bit of negative feedback about not always being smooth in playback. I suppose it may be problems many are experiencing with too much data for their computer to handle.
Does anyone have 100% positive smooth results with 24p work, and links to footage (with movement) showing good examples? Of course if the project were to be scanned back to film and projected it may be a different situation, but most of these projects will remain in the digital world.
 
24p sounds like the right idea, but I have heard a bit of negative feedback about not always being smooth in playback. I suppose it may be problems many are experiencing with too much data for their computer to handle.
Does anyone have 100% positive smooth results with 24p work, and links to footage (with movement) showing good examples? Of course if the project were to be scanned back to film and projected it may be a different situation, but most of these projects will remain in the digital world.

Rock-

I'm in the process of putting together a quick edit of some 7D 24p footage I recently shot in Brazil. Sadly, editing over an hour's worth of content for another client job is getting in the way, but hopefully I'll have it up soon after turkey day.

To my eye, 24p looks plenty smooth in playback, both in my NLE and on the 42" HDTV in my office. I've got footage where there's plenty of subject movement in frame, and plenty of detail/data. I've never had a problem.

I doubt any of my projects will ever be scanned back to film as that's not really part of my workflow. I have had 24p projects digitally projected in theaters for festival screenings, and it played back perfectly and looked really nice.
 
I've been reading about some folks complaining about the smoothness (or lack of) with the 7D's 24p. It sounds like they need to get a faster PC or better video card because even on my problematic video card I have no issues.
 
I just want to step in here and say that there is something that is troubling me of late in the DSLR forums. Currently, there are one or two particular members who I find a little too aggressive and I am watching them undercut and attack members left and right. There is something pedantic, academic and faintly troll-like in the manner in which things are being phrased. As a moderator in another forum, I have had more than a little experience with Troll's in Librarian's Glasses. Most of the time it is unintentional, so I would prefer to keep this general. Given some of the terminology being used and the harsh strident tone, I am starting to feel more like I am in an Ayn Rand Forum on Objectivist living than in a friendly user's forum for DSLR's. It is a total turn off and it just makes me not want to come back here again. It's not WHAT is being said, it's the WAY it's being said that is the problem. Picking apart each other's posts and trying to pull rank by demanding each other's professional credentials is really poor manners. I would like to encourage people to chill a little and be a bit more respectful of each other.

you're right it is very off putting. I hadn't expected the lack of respect, it's only my first post... and a mod laughs at me? wtf?

I think this discussion would do well to concentrate on people's subjective reasons for liking one or the other, and what jobs one or the other are better suited to, rather than new people (who come here for advice, yes?) being patronised with chart tests and '12 years of shooting 35mm blah blah blah'. Some here seem to have a very high opinion of their own opinions!!!!

Another thing I noticed with my 5D versus my 7D (which is now being sold) is the degradation of the image in the shadows. The 5D holds onto more colour in dark gradients and resolves more a lot more detail in both video mode and in the still photos. Plus it's a pain putting a nice wide 20mm SLR lens on a crop body.... cinema dogma or not it still aint wide.
 
you're right it is very off putting. I hadn't expected the lack of respect, it's only my first post... and a mod laughs at me? wtf?

I think this discussion would do well to concentrate on people's subjective reasons for liking one or the other, and what jobs one or the other are better suited to, rather than new people (who come here for advice, yes?) being patronised with chart tests and '12 years of shooting 35mm blah blah blah'. Some here seem to have a very high opinion of their own opinions!!!!

I think the real issue is that, in your first post, you proceed to denigrate the choices and reasoning behind them made by people like Barry Green. Respectfully, the lack of respect began with your post.

I've seen very little in the responses to your posts (and others) that I would deem patronizing. We're here, as the OP requested, to "compare" the 5D and 7D. When anyone comes along and says things like, "clearly the 5D is the superior camera" or "the 7D is the only real choice for video," it's our collective job to stand up and say bullsh*t.

Both cameras have their pros and cons. Let's discuss them on the merits of which one we've chosen and why, without the blanket statements as to which is "better."

Me? I chose both. I like the 7D for it's versatility (frame rate choices), I like the sensor characteristics as described by ydgmdlu and Barry, and I liked the price tag. I like the 5DII for its full-frame photographic goodness and better low-light performance. When it gets 24p, I'll like it that much more.
 
Imo, the 7D is the closet to replicating the characteristics of 35mm film at the moment due to it's crop sensor giving the equivalent field of view of 35mm film.

The 5D however I feel is the better camera, side by side, esp w/25P coming, as it's bigger sensor produces slightly better images from a noise/quality pov.

Therefore, the 7D is the more 'filmic' camera in that it's look is closer to replicating 35mm film, but the 5D is the camera capable of producing higher quality images.
 
If canon would include option to use different/cropped frame sizes like different perforations and we could have super 35mm frame size on 5D mark II then with 24p firmware 5D would be better.
That would be very nice , option similar to EOS crop for 640x480 to get 4:3
This should be on requests list to canon.
 
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