Which Camera? 5D or 7D?

[Lars Koerkemeier]

Hey All,

So I am looking at getting a new camera. I do a lot of filming in a very low light recording studio. The only audio i need is people talking. I cover the rest with what was recorded in the studio.

I have read both that the 7D is better in low light and that the 5D is better? So which one really is better?

My price limit is really that of the 5D. I currently have a Sony HVR-A1U which is absolutely worthless in low light.

So my question is which camera should I get. Or should I get a totally different one. I like the 5D and 7D because it gives me the option to take pictures as well.

Thanks
-Lars Koerkemeier

[Jerry Porter]

5D has a larger sensor and is better in low light. From what I hear the new 1D is even better than the 5D so how big is your budget?

[Olof Ekbergh]

I posted some low light footage from both cameras with the same lens and settings here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...t-7d-5d-2.html

[Lars Koerkemeier]

Originally Posted by Jerry Porter

5D has a larger sensor and is better in low light. From what I hear the new 1D is even better than the 5D so how big is your budget?

The 1D is out of my budget. I just cant afford $5000 for a camera right now.

Originally Posted by Olof Ekbergh

I posted some low light footage from both cameras with the same lens and settings here:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eo...t-7d-5d-2.html

Well theres definitely quite a difference there.

Are there any plans of new cameras that might come out?

Thanks
-Lars Koerkemeier

[Fei Meng]

Do you already have a part of your budget set aside for lenses?

[Robert Bec]

now with the firmware upgrade for the 5D confirmed definitely i think the 5D is a way better choice plus full frame

[Fei Meng]

Why is full-frame better than APS-C? The 5D might perform better in low light, but the size of the sensor is not the only factor in that. The 1D Mark IV is way better than the 5D in low light, but it uses an APS-H sensor, which has a 1.3x crop factor.

I'm not saying that full-frame is inferior to APS-C, nor am I denying that it offers certain benefits. But I just don't see full-frame as a clear-cut advantage. If a prospective buyer needs full-frame, then he/she should buy a full-frame camera. If not, then there better be other advantages of the camera under consideration to justify the large price difference.

[Jon Fairhurst]

If the technology is identical, a larger sensor will collect more light and have a better signal to noise ratio. Clearly, the 1D4 has superior technology in its sensor and signal path.

[Michael Wisniewski]

Originally Posted by Fei Meng

Why is full-frame better than APS-C?

Full frame & APS-C are just different. For me, full frame gives me more options with wide angle lenses that can shoot well in low light. Specifically the Canon EF 16-35mm 2.8, and EF 24-70mm 2.8, as well as several Canon EF prime lenses. That's important to me. If you're someone who needs more telephoto, APS-C has more options, but you are limited in the selection of good wide angles lenses that are still decent in low light (f2.8 or better).

Depending on where you live, the overheating of the 7D might be an issue. For example, New York City in the summer, or Manila & Singapore right now ... I have sweat dripping of my nose as I type this, and because of that I'm darn glad I went with the 5D.

One thing other thing in favor of the 7D, it has a built-in wireless trigger for Canon Speedlights, a great feature for fast light weight flash photography, that doesn't exist on the 5D.

[EDIT] Just thought I'd add, for me wide = 16-24mm on a full frame camera. But that's just me. I have had many nights making drinking bets on what constitutes a "wide angle".

[Fei Meng]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

If the technology is identical, a larger sensor will collect more light and have a better signal to noise ratio. Clearly, the 1D4 has superior technology in its sensor and signal path.

You don't know that, and it's unreasonable to assume. What seems to be a far more convincing factor is the fact that the pixels on the 1D are much bigger. The 5D Mark II has the exact same sensor as the 1Ds Mark III, Canon's previous flagship DSLR. Do you seriously believe that the jump in performance could be that great in a difference of only one generation? Why is the difference not as great between the original 5D and the 5D Mark II, or the 7D and the 50D, or the T2i and the T1i?

[Fei Meng]

Originally Posted by Michael Wisniewski

Depending on where you live, the overheating of the 7D might be an issue.

I don't see that overheating is that much more of a significant issue on the 7D as compared to the 5D. In my opinion, the overheating issue on the 7D has been overstated.

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Fei Meng

...I just don't see full-frame as a clear-cut advantage. If a prospective buyer needs full-frame, then he/she should buy a full-frame camera. If not, then there better be other advantages of the camera under consideration to justify the large price difference.

I think your assessment is spot-on and I agree with you completely. The primary advantage of full-frame is the ability to go wide. While it is indeed possible to achieve a wide field of view with an APS-C sensor, the best L-class wide angle lenses such as the EF 14mm f/2.8L Rectilinear will require a full-frame sensor to maximize the wide angle of view that they offer.

[John Jay]

Hi Chris, Howya doin?

I just realised you cant be quoted :@)


To add, in my mind the chief reason for a video enabled DSLR is to get the shallow DOF look. The 5D2 gives you the most Bokeh for a given lens, it basically is VistaVision. In fact it can give you more than twice the blurred area than a cropped cam. Also compared to a 7D/T2i, a 5D2 can use cheaper and slower glass for the same DOF, without compromising perspective.

You have already mentioned the wide angle benefits. If anyone has seen footage from a 24/1.4 on a 5D shot close and personal, no cropped cam can ever match it.

[Chris Hurd]

Hi John,

There's really no need to quote an immediately preceding post, so we took away that option in order to reduce forum clutter. The quote function is a great way to reference something that happened earlier in the thread, but it gets kind of annoying when it just repeats the post that immediately preceded it. That's why it isn't there any more.

[Ian G. Thompson]

Smart move. Ha....now I can quote you.