Matching SENSORS in Canon 7D vs. 5D ??

[George D.]

Since the sensor in a Canon 7D is smaller than the full size sensor in a Canon 5D Mark II, if the SAME portion of the 5Ds sensor was used to match the sensor size of the 7D, which camera would produce the best quality video ?

In other words, what I'm trying to find out is which camera would produce better over-all quality video using the exact same portion of the sensor?

Since both cameras produce HD 1080p video, it would seem to me that the 1080p packed into the smaller size sensor of the 7D would be better than the same portion of the 5Ds sensor, since its 1080p is spread over the entire "full frame" sensor.

I am going to be using lenses that WILL cause vignetting with either camera, so I'm trying to find out, since I'll have to crop in post, which camera will produce the best quality video. Don't ask my why....that's just the way I have to do it.

I hope that makes sense, and if I'm not understanding something clearly, forgive me. I'd just like to clarify this issue from people that understand digital better than I do.

 

[Lammy]

In that case, the 7D video will perform better because more detail will be captured, rather than vignetted/mushed/thrown away from the 5D video.

If you wanted to try to match the sensors, then it'd be best to do STILLS as comparison.

With the Canon 7D, take a raw 18 megapixel photo with, let's say the APS-C lens Tokina 11-16mm lens. Then resize this image to 13 megapixels.

With the Canon 5D, take a raw 21 megaixel photo with that same lens. Crop it by the 1.6 factor so then it becomes 13 megapixels.

Compare the quality of both

And I have no idea why you'd want to do this by the way.

 

[Cieloent]

Just because the 5D is a full frame camera does not mean it produces a better image than the 7D or even T2i, I have no idea why people think this?



The only known fact of a full frame camera such as the 5D is that it allows for better low light usage as the sensor is bigger, but no where have I ever heard or read that this produces a better image.

The panasonic Gh1 has a smaller sensor than a 5D and 7D/T2i yet now after the firmware hack many people now agree that it produces a better/cleaner image (outside of low light)

 

[Barry_Green]

I think Lammy's post was pretty much spot-on. Since the lens is going to be vignetting on both anyway, you'll get more USABLE image out of the 7D, since less of it will be cut off due to vignetting.