7D or 5D Mark II?

[jdbatino]

First off sorry for digging this old thread up. I was wondering how come nobody speaks of DOF comparison when using 1.6 or full frame.
i was thinking to use 1.4 aperture on 5D mk2 means the dof may be too thin for certain shots. Thus we lose light be moving aperture up to gain the dof.

However if we're to use 7D with 1.4 aperture we actually gain a dof advantage at that same given light.

If you find the DoF too thin on the 5D2, you can stop down and then up the iSO (to retain amount of light). 5D2 has a 1 stop advantage over a 7D (some insist that its actually 1.5-2 , but based on my exp , prolly just 1).

Bottomline, the 5d2 gives you more DOF options than a crop body like the 7D. Having the ability to have a very shallow DOF is an advantage not a disadvantage.
This is one major reason why the 5d2 tops over 7D portraits. You can have more background separation. You pay a lot for those 1.4s and 1.2 lenses, a full frame just maximizes their abilities.

 

[blurry80]

If you find the DoF too thin on the 5D2, you can stop down and then up the iSO (to retain amount of light). 5D2 has a 1 stop advantage over a 7D (some insist that its actually 1.5-2 , but based on my exp , prolly just 1).

Bottomline, the 5d2 gives you more DOF options than a crop body like the 7D. Having the ability to have a very shallow DOF is an advantage not a disadvantage.
This is one major reason why the 5d2 tops over 7D portraits. You can have more background separation. You pay a lot for those 1.4s and 1.2 lenses, a full frame just maximizes their abilities.

Also true. But is the iq of 5d mkii @ iso 1 stop above the 7D still better?

 

[jdbatino]

Also true. But is the iq of 5d mkii @ iso 1 stop above the 7D still better?

Not sure if 5d2 IQ is still better, but should at least be the same . Or else it isn't a 1 stop iso advantage.

I have no problems going 6400 with the 5D2. With the 7D, i stopped at 3200.

 

[thomasq]

Just wondering under what situation we need to shoot with ISO above 3200?
I thought 1600 is already pretty high to shot with.

 

[Prince]

Just wondering under what situation we need to shoot with ISO above 3200?
I thought 1600 is already pretty high to shot with.

I shoot stage performances using my 135@ f2-3.2using iso2k to 4k. Sometimes you just need 1/160 or faster to freeze action. Btw this is assuming no flash used as flash can affect stage lighting.

 

[thomasq]

I shoot stage performances using my 135@ f2-3.2using iso2k to 4k. Sometimes you just need 1/160 or faster to freeze action. Btw this is assuming no flash used as flash can affect stage lighting.

Prince, thanks for info. Btw, when you shoot stage performance, are they rehearsal or actual performance? I have been wondering if big cam with large lens is allow in the actual show.

 

[blurry80]

Not sure if 5d2 IQ is still better, but should at least be the same . Or else it isn't a 1 stop iso advantage.

I have no problems going 6400 with the 5D2. With the 7D, i stopped at 3200.

So are we still sure it's a 1stop advatage? Considering 7D optimises the sweet spot of lenses. I was thinking both camera might just be evenly matched.

 

[markyen]

I have owned noth 5DMKII and 7D. I feel they are for diff purposes. 5DMKII is great at DOF and for use with primes it is fantastic.

7D I utilise it for telephoto lens as it uses the sweet spot of these lenses and I personally feel crop is great for tele.

One thing to note is the AF on 7D is great once you get used to the advanced AF. 5D MKII is still using a slightly older AF method but you just have to get used it.

7D has more flexibility in setup of cam buttons like the NIkon cams, I use it too. 7D has more control over the flash versus 5DMKII.

Again its my opinion I am no Pro here.

 

[CS TAN]

I have owned noth 5DMKII and 7D. I feel they are for diff purposes. 5DMKII is great at DOF and for use with primes it is fantastic.

7D I utilise it for telephoto lens as it uses the sweet spot of these lenses and I personally feel crop is great for tele.

One thing to note is the AF on 7D is great once you get used to the advanced AF. 5D MKII is still using a slightly older AF method but you just have to get used it.

7D has more flexibility in setup of cam buttons like the NIkon cams, I use it too. 7D has more control over the flash versus 5DMKII.

Again its my opinion I am no Pro here.

In what ways are they different? Are you talking about 7D's Wireless flash control?

 

[spooN]

This is what i heard from some of the 5DMKII users. (You will need ideal lighting conditions to be able to focus on your subject's face, if under challenging lighting conditions, your camera will likely miss focus more times than usual.)

can any other 5dmkII user verify this??

 

[blurry80]

I think can be fixed by a st-e2 or external flash with the af assist. Unless you need the stealth mode.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

I just upgraded to 7D.
I was impress with the High ISO.

Here is a sample of my pix.
Only crop to the composition and editing on colour but no sharpen on the pix.
So is still base on what you want and ur needs.
Both camera have their own usage.

I'm still learning on my 7D, yet I dont see any problem on the AF.
if you want to see more 7D pix, please visit my APAD 2010.. :sweat:

 

[Prince]

Prince, thanks for info. Btw, when you shoot stage performance, are they rehearsal or actual performance? I have been wondering if big cam with large lens is allow in the actual show.

Because i am the event photog, i am able to carry. I think normalky the benchmark for the size s probably anythg smaller tgan say 500d w kit lense?

 

[Prince]

This is what i heard from some of the 5DMKII users. (You will need ideal lighting conditions to be able to focus on your subject's face, if under challenging lighting conditions, your camera will likely miss focus more times than usual.)

can any other 5dmkII user verify this??

It will tend to hunt under bad lighting but t is still very accurate. AF of this camera us something i least like

 

[jdbatino]

So are we still sure it's a 1stop advatage? Considering 7D optimises the sweet spot of lenses. I was thinking both camera might just be evenly matched.

The EF-S lenses like the 17-55 2.8 are optimized for crop bodies, the EF lenses are optimized for full frame. Or are you talking about the thing where a crop body only uses the center portion of an EF lens image? Its got nothing to do with high ISO performance.

I like the 7D but for high ISO , 5d2 beats it and is 1 at least stop ahead. That I am sure of.

 

[jdbatino]

Just wondering under what situation we need to shoot with ISO above 3200?
I thought 1600 is already pretty high to shot with.

I've found myself in a lot of situations. Also, it can make up for lack of speed of your lens.
I have no need for the heavy and expensive 70-200mm 2.8 ,coz 5D2's high ISO makes my 70-200mm F4 fast enough (at the expense of background blur ability and AF speed at low light).

Even if you can use flash, high iso allows you to take in more ambient light, reducing the need for high flash output. It makes your flash photos look more natural.

 

[jdbatino]

This is what i heard from some of the 5DMKII users. (You will need ideal lighting conditions to be able to focus on your subject's face, if under challenging lighting conditions, your camera will likely miss focus more times than usual.)

can any other 5dmkII user verify this??

You definitely need a 2.8 lens for lowlight focusing (which is another reason why i gave up 24-105 for 24-70). Also, you have to use center AF point as the others stink in low light. 7D is better in this regard.

But all of this is fixed with the infrared assist of of the 580ex,430ex and 220ex. As well as the ST-E2.

I use both the 220ex and 580ex for this purpose.

 

[wolfbeng]

Recently I exchange my 1 week old 7D and one month old 17 55 for a4 month plus 5D Mark 2. And what can I say?

Absolutely no regrets. Aside from all the technicalities that we see in the forum, I am very happy with my current set up, pictures wise. Of course if you were to analyse, there will be a lot of rooms for improvement. All I can say is that the 5D Mark 2 make me a very happy person. I had some fantastic shots (well, to me anyway) and the best part is that I don't do PP except for a little auto adjustment now and then. Whether it's lanscape, portrait, close-up I am happy with what I have manage to shoot. It is a fun filled past time and every week I am looking for new places and new targets.

I am currently using 24 70, 70 200 and 100 400 for my 5D M2 and enjoying every minute of it.

So to all the fellow newbies out there, evolve to the set-up you need and happy shooting.

 

[archlover]

i was using my 350d for 3.5 years, and i have few ef-s lenses...
but 7d comes too late, so i change to 5dmk2 exactly a year ago... if 7d comes earlier, maybe i will choose 7d....

 

[bEnd1ck]

You definitely need a 2.8 lens for lowlight focusing (which is another reason why i gave up 24-105 for 24-70). Also, you have to use center AF point as the others stink in low light. 7D is better in this regard.

But all of this is fixed with the infrared assist of of the 580ex,430ex and 220ex. As well as the ST-E2.

I use both the 220ex and 580ex for this purpose.

Do bigger apertures help in focusing? :dunno: