5D mk II vs 7D Tearing my hair out

[Mark101]

I'm like a kid in a sweet shop here. The nice insurance man has given me considerable funds to buy replacement kit. However, the more I read about the 5D mkII vs 7D debate the more confused I become. Since I already have a Mamiya RZ 6x7 do I need the detail provided by the full frame 5D sensor? Would I be better suited to the what appears better tech inside the 7D. Then of course that L glass which is best suited to the 5D is very very expensive and although I'd like one good prime L lens, there are some really good Sigma lenes I've used in the past on my old kit that were pretty good.

Argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Barney]

Why not take the opportunity to move to the dark side. You know you want to.

[Mark101]

Why not take the opportunity to move to the dark side. You know you want to.

You're not my father ... noooooooooooo

[OneTen]

I would strongly recommend the 7D if you shoot sport or wildlife with long lenses. However, for general photography I'd opt for the 5D MkII. In fact that exactly what I'm going to do and have both.

[Mark101]

You jammy wotsit [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Benchista]

Why not take the opportunity to move to the dork side. You know you want to.

Because he wants a camera, not a doorstop.

[Steve]

Hehe

I think I would go for full frame with my next camera as the type of photography I do most often doesn't really need the extra reach of the crop sensor.

But then, it's going to be ages before I can afford a new camera so by then the contenders will be different

[AGW]

Even worse....all that time....she was your sister!

Graeme

[tonycro]

Because he wants a camera, not a doorstop.

besides, have you seen what nikon give you for a lens cap!




click pic to bigger version

[Overread]

Mark - firstly I will warn you that both the 5DM2 and the 7D need high end glass to really perform well; low grade glass on either will show up in the results - even the 50D was subject to a similar factor when it came out.

That said have no fear for sigma they do make some very good glass and often its a case that its the same as or very close to the canon L alternatives in image quality. Though it does appear that sigma's revers design of the canon mount and quality control leaves them a little more open to "soft copies" which are not faulty lenses but simply those that all out of phase with the camera bodies more often. (which is why sending the lens back alone never gets it fixed as it is correctly set - it just needs tuning for the camera body - happily the 7d - and I think the 5DM2 - has a micro focus correction feature to fix this )

As for which one - I agree with the others - which use you need it for is what is the most important thing. If its wildlife, sports or kids then the crop factor and improved AF of the 7D is going to be what you need. The 5DM2 is not bad performer, but its AF is just not as good as the 7D - however for low light work and fullframe the 5DM2 is the choice

[Mark101]

I was left with my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 following the burglary which is a lovely lens and works well with the 5D so I'm told.

Looks like I'll have to buy new glass whatever camera I buy. I'm currently looking at the 24-70 f2.8 L as a prime lens currently and I'll take it from there.

[Malcolm_Stewart]

...I'm currently looking at the 24-70 f2.8 L as a prime lens currently and I'll take it from there.

Superglue on the zoom ring?

[Overread]

Have you considered the 25-105mm f4 IS as well? (yep just to put you in another mind twisting choice)

[Wheelu]

Looks like I'll have to buy new glass whatever camera I buy. I'm currently looking at the 24-70 f2.8 L as a prime lens currently and I'll take it from there.

Well, when it is good is it almost as good a prime lens, but when it is bad....

Mine has been back to Canon and came back much improved, but it has drifted back to its old ways (very soft on one side of the frame at some focal lengths) and I can foresee an expensive fix ahead. I would like to think that there are perfect copies out there, but don't assume that Canon L glass is without QC issues. If you do buy test it very thoroughly at all focal lengths and subject distances within a reasonable money back period.

My Sigma 100-300 f4 gives a more uniformly reliable performance, although it is not without some issues of its own - e.g. heavy vignetting at 300mm on full frame.

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Looks like I'll have to buy new glass whatever camera I buy. I'm currently looking at the 24-70 f2.8 L as a prime lens currently and I'll take it from there.

Well, when it is good is it almost as good a prime lens, but when it is bad....

Mine has been back to Canon and came back much improved, but it has drifted back to its old ways (very soft on one side of the frame at some focal lengths) and I can foresee an expensive fix ahead....

Your comment above about an adjusted L zoom drifting back to its old ways, has got to be one of the most worrying I've seen with regard to the design of the internal element mountings of these expensive items. My first copy of the renowned EF 70-200 F4L went straight back for a replacement as it clearly showed the problems of decentring. (The replacement was much better but still showed the problem to a small degree.) To now hear that other lenses aren't stable is quite worrying as the the warranty period isn't long, and the increasing pixel densities, so beloved of Canon, puts increasing demands on how their lenses remain in optimum internal alignment.

[Mark101]

Now you have made the decision even worse - not only do I have the camera decision hanging over my head, but now the prospect of suspect glass. ohhhhhhhhh god help me ! lol

[daft_biker]

It's alright, just keep buying new lenses and you'll be fine [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[DaveS]

Just a thought. . . . the 5DII is getting relatively long in the tooth, and the price is dropping, below £1700 now.
I think a replacement is due shortly, I won't speculate on what it will have, since we can all make an educated guess.
But I do think that if you're not exercised about cine, and you don't need the advanced AF from the 7D, then the 5DII may be a good buy.
Me, I'm holding out for a more cine-friendly 5DII replacement.
Dave

[Scphoto]

I tried the 7D today at focus and was surprised how good it felt. Very fast at focusing, mind you I thought the 5D mkII wasn't too slow either.

[Mark101]

Just a thought. . . . the 5DII is getting relatively long in the tooth, and the price is dropping, below £1700 now.
I think a replacement is due shortly, I won't speculate on what it will have, since we can all make an educated guess.
But I do think that if you're not exercised about cine, and you don't need the advanced AF from the 7D, then the 5DII may be a good buy.
Me, I'm holding out for a more cine-friendly 5DII replacement.
Dave

I suspect a 5D Mk III with everything the 7D had is likely to be pretty expensive. To be honest I can't see me using a lot of what the 7D has to offer. Plus I'd need to buy an additional wide angle to meet my needs.