Canon 5DmkII vs Canon 7D

A

adamkesher

New member
I'm having trouble deciding which of these two cameras to invest in for shooting short narrative films and possibly feature films as well. I like to shoot in low light a lot and would want a camera that can handle very low light with rich blacks.

I'm leaning toward the 5D but am a little worried that pulling focus will be too laborious with the extra shallow DOF of the full frame sensor. Is it easy to work around?

The 7D seems to do well in low light as well but seems a bit noisier than the 5D.

I don't know if I should invest in the 7D + extra lenses or go with the 5D minus the lens or two extra I'd be able to afford with the 7D.

I was hoping some of you here had experience using both cameras and could provide me with some experiential information.
 
Nice concise response :) Thanks, mcgeedigital.

How far can you push the 7D in low light and still get a sharp image? Does it rival the 5D's low light ability enough that 5D's superiority in that realm is a non-issue so to speak?
 
I have both

7d - live focussing with the 720p small hd monitor and 'lots' of DOF make it 'easy' to use

Its my daily camera

5d for lock offs, 14mm and ultra low light shots

Its my special shots camera

the 5d has a kind of clunky user experience with bad monitoring and maybe more jello/dropped frames it feels more first generation - but rocks at f2 1600 50mm in a way no other camera does

S
 
yes but i dont like the 7 above 640 ISO

Really either are hard to work with you (might) need lights for the 7 and extreme care and skill with the 5

on paid gigs its the 7 every time mainly because of the great monitor output res

probably a lot is pace, you can shoot slow and lovely (piano?) with the 5 and commercially fast or action with the 7 (district9?)

edit

BTW cost is not really different (IMO) you save a heap with the 5 getting something like an old 20mm compared to something like a 14 2.8 for the 7

your saved money will be spent on a decent wide

S
 
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I disagree and not to trample on anyones opinion but I have worked with both cameras and i have compared both cameras side by side and there is a pretty noticeable difference and image quality is something you simply cant get around. I tried 7D in low light compared to the 5D...doesn't even come close...thats why I am not sure why you would use 7D on paid gigs over the 5D...well assuming we all have the same idea on what a paid gig is (weddings, promos, events) and all of those = low light in which case 7D doesn't even come near the 5D.

but mcgedigital owns both so im sure he is most qualified to answer your questions, just wanted throw my 2 cents in

btw pull focus is only a ***** depending on what lens your using. I have the standard 24-105mm and dont have a problem but thats because its only a f4
 
tackleqb said:
I disagree and not to trample on anyones opinion but I have worked with both cameras and i have compared both cameras side by side and there is a pretty noticeable difference and image quality is something you simply cant get around.
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What do you think is the difference in image quality? Not disagreeing, just curious what stood out to you? I've used them both as well.

tackleqb said:
I tried 7D in low light compared to the 5D...doesn't even come close...thats why I am not sure why you would use 7D on paid gigs over the 5D...well assuming we all have the same idea on what a paid gig is (weddings, promos, events) and all of those = low light in which case 7D doesn't even come near the 5D.
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How about in normal light? This is something that I never could understand. Why compare the cameras in a worst case scenario. How is their performance when measured in a properly lit scene? We all know the 5D is going to be superior in uncontrollable, dark scenarios.
 
tackleqb said:
I disagree and not to trample on anyones opinion but I have worked with both cameras and i have compared both cameras side by side and there is a pretty noticeable difference and image quality is something you simply cant get around. I tried 7D in low light compared to the 5D...doesn't even come close...thats why I am not sure why you would use 7D on paid gigs over the 5D...well assuming we all have the same idea on what a paid gig is (weddings, promos, events) and all of those = low light in which case 7D doesn't even come near the 5D.

but mcgedigital owns both so im sure he is most qualified to answer your questions, just wanted throw my 2 cents in

btw pull focus is only a ***** depending on what lens your using. I have the standard 24-105mm and dont have a problem but thats because its only a f4
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I said I dont like the 7 above 640 - that is an acknowledgement that the 5 is better in low light

of course with the 5 and a dynamic subject you may need to close down 2 stops and boost ISO another 2 stops to sustain focus

so for static subjects you can compare say 1600 to 1600 but for dynamic subject you should maybe compare 1600 on the 7 to 6400 on the 5 - a rather smaller gap in quality

Paid for me would not be a dark wedding - more a corporate

The reason I use the 7 is that drifting focus (even in an interview) is not an acceptable thing to deliver professionally, again demanding many takes due to operator error is not acceptable

With the 7 you can (sort of) see your focus live (with a small HD) with a 5 you cant becuase there is no way to monitor above 480p - the output is not there however wonderful your monitor

I often pair the 24-105 with the 5 its a great combo for practicality and I think F4 is about the limit of being able to sustain focus so its a practical match, but if you can sustain focus at F2 with the 7 the lowlight noise advantage of the 5 drops away (if you can find an f2 lens for the 7 - which you cant at the wide end)

S
 
PerroneFord said:
What do you think is the difference in image quality? Not disagreeing, just curious what stood out to you? I've used them both as well.



How about in normal light? This is something that I never could understand. Why compare the cameras in a worst case scenario. How is their performance when measured in a properly lit scene? We all know the 5D is going to be superior in uncontrollable, dark scenarios.
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In normal light I still saw a difference, most of it was in the color, the 5D gives more of a film-ic look even though that word very subjective, i guess it just rendered the colors more pleasing to my eye.

Why compare cameras in worst case scenarios? Why not? When your in the field and a worst case scenario comes your way you are going to need a camera to perform so this is why i compared in low light...not sure how you don't understand.
 
tackleqb said:
Why compare cameras in worst case scenarios? Why not? When your in the field and a worst case scenario comes your way you are going to need a camera to perform so this is why i compared in low light...not sure how you don't understand.
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What I don't understand is that the majority of people who seem to be buying this camera to shoot video with are, using them for narrative work. They're not very good for event filming. Or at least there are far better options available. In narrative work, the lighting is usually very strictly controlled.

Thus it makes little sense to compare the cameras in worst case, since they are most likely going to be used in BEST case.

Does that make sense?
 
PerroneFord said:
What I don't understand is that the majority of people who seem to be buying this camera to shoot video with are, using them for narrative work. They're not very good for event filming. Or at least there are far better options available. In narrative work, the lighting is usually very strictly controlled.

Thus it makes little sense to compare the cameras in worst case, since they are most likely going to be used in BEST case.

Does that make sense?
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Makes perfect sense and well said too!
 
I guess, well I have used both, prefer to use 5D, yes has it's drawbacks but I am very happy with it! =)
 
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