50D vs 7D vs 5D

[Fastfwd13]

I'm sure there are different views on this but here is what it comes down to for me:

I don't need video
I would have liked full frame but the price spread between the 50D and 5D was too big so I got the 50D.

Now that the 7D is here and seeing how it comes with the same sensor as the 50D I think I would probably have chosen the 50D anyway. Then again the t1i also had the same sensor and was cheaper but I went with the 50D for the faster fps sport shots and reportedly faster focusing.

I have already seen a few comments from people that prefer to 7D but still won't go for the 5D so there is definitely a place for this model in the market.

Anything beside the video option that makes it worth it? Surely it's not about the pixel count unless you frequently print head to toe portraits at 1:1 size

[Lazuka]

Wrong forum, belongs in the camera forum, 5d is a great cam, don't let age fool you.

[Karlo]

After trying a 5D ... I would certainly vote for the 5D over any cropper i ever had or used.

[Fastfwd13]

Originally Posted by Lazuka

Wrong forum, belongs in the camera forum, 5d is a great cam, don't let age fool you.

Oups. If someone can move that to the right forum please. I would really like to know what motivates people to choose between those 3.

I meant 5d II. Basically trying to get a feel of what is the deciding factor for someone buying new gear today.

My gut feeling is that the 5D is about getting full frame
The 7D is about getting a top 1.6x crop + video
The 50D is the top 1.6x crop

[neilwood32]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

Oups. If someone can move that to the right forum please. I would really like to know what motivates people to choose between those 3.

I meant 5d II. Basically trying to get a feel of what is the deciding factor for someone buying new gear today.

My gut feeling is that the 5D is about getting full frame
The 7D is about getting a top 1.6x crop + video
The 50D is the top 1.6x crop

5D is all about Image Quality (IQ) with the acceptance of lower burst speeds etc.

7D is about higher burst speeds with very good IQ and impressive specifications. Video means very little to most people in here. The object of desire for crop owners with large budgets now.

50D is now no longer the top 1.6x crop (that tile now firmly resides with the 7D assuming it lives up to its specification and hype). Cheaper alternative to the 7D.

[shomat]

Originally Posted by neilwood32

5D is all about Image Quality (IQ) with the acceptance of lower burst speeds etc.

That sums it up right there. I like the images that come out of my 5D so much that I've never regretted its slower burst rate. I had no hesitation buying one in early 2008, 3 years after its debut, and it's so good I'll use it until it physically falls apart.

[hollis_f]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

Now that the 7D is here and seeing how it comes with the same sensor as the 50D

Wrong

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

Then again the t1i also had the same sensor

And wrong again. Congratulations that's 2 out of 2.

[Fastfwd13]

Originally Posted by hollis_f

Wrong




And wrong again. Congratulations that's 2 out of 2.

So what is the difference? From what I have read all 3 of them are APS-C and all use the Digic 4 "engine". The 7D has 2 "engines" which is probably to take care of the pixel count and increased frame rate.

[mickee311]

Originally Posted by hollis_f

And wrong again. Congratulations that's 2 out of 2.

Wow. Harsh, but it made me giggle.

[Fastfwd13]

Originally Posted by mickee311

Wow. Harsh, but it made me giggle.

I have yet to see anyone prove me wrong. From everything I have read the sensor in the t1i and 50d are identical in every way.

One could think that the sensor on the 7d is different if the pixel count stems from the sensor and not from the D/A conversion. But it's still APS-C sized and as far as I know maybe you still get the same analog signal from the same sensor and it's only the twin digic-4 that make the higher pixel count possible.

Or maybe I am wrong

[hollis_f]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

I have yet to see anyone prove me wrong. From everything I have read the sensor in the t1i and 50d are identical in every way.

The 50D sensor, while having the same number of photosites, has microlenses that increase the amount of light that each site picks up. Here's a pic.

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

One could think that the sensor on the 7d is different if the pixel count stems from the sensor and not from the D/A conversion.

The pixel count is, indeed, determined by the number of photosites on the sensor. One hopes that the 7D sensor has continued the progress we've seen in sensor technology that has helped high ISOs become possible. That would explain many reports which suggest that the 7D is a better high-ISO performer than one would expect with the increase in pixel density.

[neilwood32]

Originally Posted by Fastfwd13

I have yet to see anyone prove me wrong. From everything I have read the sensor in the t1i and 50d are identical in every way.

One could think that the sensor on the 7d is different if the pixel count stems from the sensor and not from the D/A conversion. But it's still APS-C sized and as far as I know maybe you still get the same analog signal from the same sensor and it's only the twin digic-4 that make the higher pixel count possible.

Or maybe I am wrong

The pixel count is decided by the number of photosites on the sensor - not by the chip size.

Hence every Canon camera in the XXXD and XXD ranges all have APS-C sensors but vastly different pixel counts.

The twin Digic 4 chips mean that the camera can throughput a lot more information and thus it can achieve 8 FPS. They have nothing to do with pixel count!