Sony A7 or 5D mkII?

roxics

roxics

Veteran
Noticed that on the used market right now both go for around the same price. The A7 a little cheaper at around $800-900 and the 5D mkII around $900-$1000.

Which do you think is the better buy for photo and video from real world experience?

I've been looking to get a new personal camera for myself. Something around the $1000 mark. Currently shoot with a 60D but have always loved full frame for photography.

The 5D mkII is getting pretty old from a video standpont but can do raw at nealy 1080p which refreshes it at bit. I like the bigger body but I only own one Canon full frame lens. A 50 f1.8, so I'm not heavily invested in the system right now.
The A7 on the other hand has a tilt screen, does 60fps in 1080, has a heaphone jack, can use the Sony XLR adapter and can mount any old manual lenses to it with cheap adapters.

I had never even considered the A7 before until I saw the price last night. Even new they are only $1100, which is pretty crazy. A lot of people seem to be loving the Sony cameras lately so I'm wondering if it's actually the better buy or not from an end result perspective.
 
Magic Lantern RAW on a 5D destroys ALL "DSLR style" cameras images. Nothing can touch it. Granted there's the hassle of huge files, but doesn't a Terabyte cost like two dollars nowadays? LOL!

Go to Vimeo and search Canon 5D Magic Lantern RAW...

Once you go RAW you never go back. Totally different world.
 
Roxics, you probably saw me do some posts about the canons couple of years back, and I've been an ML user for a while and helped Stephen Mick do the ML manual for the 5D2, so having said that, I have since sold my 5D2 and 7D. The 5D2 for me has already been pushed beyond what it can do, twice. First when I bought a mosaic filter to control moire and aliasing, 2nd was when magic lantern gave it so much functionality like audio controls, fps controls and raw video with audio recording.
Today I'm using the GH4 with an LX100 as a B camera. Image wise, 4K for HD delivery just gives me a lot of flexibility, while RAW is "king" for flexibility, the non raw video of today is not bad considering grading tools is now accessible to all, with free da vinci resolve, LUTs, LOG, etc.
As for the full frame look, a speedbooster on the m4/3 makes up for it. The SONYs are also a thing to consider since they come with LOG and Full Frame. Wait for a while till NAB, its just around the corner. If I were in your shoes, I'd save up and go for the 2nd gen SONY Axx cams like the A7S II.
If you really want the Canon full frame look, consider a used 5D mkIII.

These are my personal thoughts about it.
 
I am also a 5D3 (not 5D2 sorry) RAW shooter as well...among other camera systems. My take is....it depends on the types of projects you are working on.

As great as the 5D3 raw image is...it takes time. More time than other cameras. The image is stellar...but you have to translate this time into money if you are being paid for work. The 5D raw workflow will cost you money in time (and a significant amount of hard drive space if you have an abundance of footage as I do)....BUT....if this camera is for personal projects or a labor of love...the 5D raw workflow can deliver amazing images.
So...if you intend to be paid for services and the 5D raw workflow ends up costing you $10K in time over the course of the year...you might as well save up and get a camera that can deliver high end imagery with a faster workflow and smaller file size.

Props to ML though...they are the ONLY reason I still own the 5D3.
 
Don't go for either, heaps more which are more appealing.
5Dmk2 is so bad, I'd prefer a Panasonic GH2 which is only US$250ish secondhand over a 5Dmk2. Or get a Panasonic G7 which is many times better!
5Dmk2 is only worthwhile looking at if you go with ML raw, but why? BMPCC or BMMCC will be superior raw work flow to deal with while shooting and afterwards. Plus give you more features.

Don't get an A7, the worthwhile A7 series cameras for filming are just these three: A7s mk1 / A7s mk2 / A7r mk2. You can ignore the rest of them.
I'd rather get an A6000 for filmmaking for the better quality and save the money too in the process, than getting an A7 mk1.

The top cameras in the under $1k price point to consider are (any of them would be a large leap forward from your 60D):
Sony A6000/A6300, Panasonic G7/G6, Samsung NX1/NX500, Nikon D5500/D5300, BMPCC, BMMCC.

Or for a little bit more than a thousand:
Sony F3, Sony A7s mk1, Panasonic GH4, Nikon D750, BMCC MFT.


I'd seriously struggle to think of *ANY* other camera in the sub $1k price range (or a bit more) that is worth seriously considering. Unless you want to go heaps cheaper and find a real bargain bang for your buck (such as GH1/GH2/A5100/D5200/NEX-5N/etc.... http://ironfilm.co.nz/a-priced-out-gear-kit-for-a-newbie-to-filmmaking-using-the-panasonic-gh2/ ).
 
IronFilm said:
Don't go for either, heaps more which are more appealing.
5Dmk2 is so bad, I'd prefer a Panasonic GH2 which is only US$250ish secondhand over a 5Dmk2. Or get a Panasonic G7 which is many times better!
5Dmk2 is only worthwhile looking at if you go with ML raw, but why? BMPCC or BMMCC will be superior raw work flow to deal with while shooting and afterwards. Plus give you more features.

Don't get an A7, the worthwhile A7 series cameras for filming are just these three: A7s mk1 / A7s mk2 / A7r mk2. You can ignore the rest of them.
I'd rather get an A6000 for filmmaking for the better quality and save the money too in the process, than getting an A7 mk1.

The top cameras in the under $1k price point to consider are (any of them would be a large leap forward from your 60D):
Sony A6000/A6300, Panasonic G7/G6, Samsung NX1/NX500, Nikon D5500/D5300, BMPCC, BMMCC.

Or for a little bit more than a thousand:
Sony F3, Sony A7s mk1, Panasonic GH4, Nikon D750, BMCC MFT.


I'd seriously struggle to think of *ANY* other camera in the sub $1k price range (or a bit more) that is worth seriously considering. Unless you want to go heaps cheaper and find a real bargain bang for your buck (such as GH1/GH2/A5100/D5200/NEX-5N/etc.... http://ironfilm.co.nz/a-priced-out-gear-kit-for-a-newbie-to-filmmaking-using-the-panasonic-gh2/ ).
Click to expand...

I owned a GH2 before trading it for the 60D. I like the image characteristics of the 60D more than the GH2 or the GH1 I owned before that.

I've pretty much settled my mind on picking up a BMPCC. I love the images I see from it. Even though it will require several accessories to make it a functional system for me and I'm still concerned about wide angle lenses for it.
 
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