difference 550D and 5DII: only sensor size or also codec quality? Mbit/s?

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daktulus

Well-known member
What is the difference between the 550D and 5DII: only sensor size or also codec quality?
(I know 5D is full format, 550D only APS-C)
What Mbit/s is 550D codec what is 5D codec?
 
Sensor size and build quality.
The 5D also has more accessible controls (aperture dial, etc). Aside from the sensor and the body design, they take identical images.
 
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They're similar, but in no way do they take identical images. The Canon APS-C DSLRs have a 1.6x crop on your lenses' FOV, will not be as light sensitive at the same ISO's as a 5D, and have 60p recording where the 5D has none.
 
Yes, we're all aware.
Aside from the sensor and the body design, they take identical images.
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Aside from the sensor, the megapixels, video bitrate, etc, along with all the pros and cons that come with it (cleaner high ISO, bad moire, etc) are identical.
 
Both produce essentially the same 1080p image. Main difference is that a full frame camera has better high iso performance.
 
resolution, codec, line-skipping, etc, are either the same or very similar, BUT people who care about "image quality" in a more abstract way (colors, organic look, things like that) say the sensor on the 5D is not just bigger, but also better

(people like those on last year's zacuto shootout)
 
NormanBates said:
resolution, codec, line-skipping, etc, are either the same or very similar, BUT people who care about "image quality" in a more abstract way (colors, organic look, things like that) say the sensor on the 5D is not just bigger, but also better

(people like those on last year's zacuto shootout)
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Hmmm.... not sure about the 'abstract' point there...... I can easily tell my 5D footage from my 550D/60D/7D footage. We use them all, but I definitely prefer the 5D2 footage.
 
Exact said:
Hmmm.... not sure about the 'abstract' point there...... I can easily tell my 5D footage from my 550D/60D/7D footage. We use them all, but I definitely prefer the 5D2 footage.
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Hmm. I've seem them mixed together and even side by side. I think its hard to tell the difference. I'd love a full frame sensor though- that alone would make me want a 5D.
 
5d is better. More sensitive to low light, cleaner iso & you can achieve some very nice wide shots. They look very similar but imo the 5d looks a tad bit more organic and I really love the way it looks. Both are great cameras and are designed for photography, but the 5d with it's larger sensor just has a certain look to it.
 
vision_filmz said:
5d is better. More sensitive to low light, cleaner iso & you can achieve some very nice wide shots. They look very similar but imo the 5d looks a tad bit more organic and I really love the way it looks. Both are great cameras and are designed for photography, but the 5d with it's larger sensor just has a certain look to it.
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I always thought the low-light ability was due to the larger sensor. Larger the sensor, the more light hits it?
 
dishe said:
I always thought the low-light ability was due to the larger sensor. Larger the sensor, the more light hits it?
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I thought that's what I said? maybe I worded it wrong, but yes more light hits the sensor so it is more sensitive to low light. These cameras basically all put out the same image, but in my opinion I personally think that the bigger sensor of the 5d allows for some beautiful shots especially when you have a lot of light. I was always taught that cameras need light to create their best image, with the 5d you have such a large sensor that works wonderful when you have light.

This is my personal opinion and experience, others might disagree.
 
dishe said:
I always thought the low-light ability was due to the larger sensor. Larger the sensor, the more light hits it?
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Well it is more to the effect that the photosites on the sensor are larger due to the lower pixel density of the sensor (I know it is 21.1 MP vs. 18 MP, but the larger sensor actually makes for less pixels per mm). Since each pixel is larger, so it lets more light in per pixel. That is what makes the 5D so much better in low light than other cameras.

That is also why I would love to have a 12 MP full frame camera with todays sensor technology. It would be CRAZY good at lowlight.
 
JPM Photography said:
Well it is more to the effect that the photosites on the sensor are larger due to the lower pixel density of the sensor (I know it is 21.1 MP vs. 18 MP, but the larger sensor actually makes for less pixels per mm). Since each pixel is larger, so it lets more light in per pixel. That is what makes the 5D so much better in low light than other cameras.

That is also why I would love to have a 12 MP full frame camera with todays sensor technology. It would be CRAZY good at lowlight.
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That's a great explanation of it.

BTW- I did not realize that in stills mode the resolution of the 5D was higher. I'm only familiar with it for video.

But the bottom line is, to answer the OP's question about codec quality and bitrate, the only difference is the sensor size and body design. All other aspects of the camera (especially in video mode) are identical.
 
I don't know about you, but I would say sensor size + lack of 60p on a 5D makes for some pretty big differences that can't be just dismissed!
 
using the whole sensor, instead of skipping lines, would reduce noise even more than using a low-res sensor
(as noise gets averaged out and we move from the noise-per-pixel thing that we have now, where photosite size is a primary issue, to noise-per-sensor-area world in which increased resolution does not mean more noise)
 
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