Sell either 5D Mark II or 7D for 5D Mark III?

Hey guys,

I have an interesting question.

I have a 7D for a backup to my 5D Mark II. It holds my 70-200L II pretty much all the time.
Question is, do I sell the 7D or 5D Mark II to upgrade to the 5D Mark III?

I'm thinking about selling the 5D Mark II + Grip for around 2K to fund my 5D Mark III just so my setup is pretty much the same and it seems the two bodies are the most similar and use the same battery.

Anyone else in this position. I see a thread for selling both to buy one 5D Mark III but I need 2 bodies.

Thanks in advance.

Sell the 5DMK2. You want the 7D to get the reach out of your lenses. Also the speed of the 7D. Take some money and get a good lens.

I have a 7D and the 5DMK3 is nice but I have no plan to upgrade. If you need 2 bodies include a 7D for the crop sensor.

If you don't need the "reach" of the 18mp pixel density, or the 8 fps (that you can settle w/ the 6 fps provided by the 5d3), then sell the 7D. If it's a back up, it means it's not used as often. So if you're going to shoot primarily on the 5D3, most of your AF/high ISO needs are taken care of. The 5D2, as a back-up, will at least give you more consistency in the type of photos you generate (in terms of perspective and also DoF control if/when you shoot your primes wide open).

But that's just how my take on the situation, and not really knowing what you shoot, and that you're willing to sell one or the other would suggest that you're okay letting either one go.

I'm wondering if having better low-light capability for churches and venues with the 70-200L II with the 5D Mark II would be a keeper, but the AF is much better on the 7D. The 5D Mark II is usuable at iso6400 where the 7D is usuable at iso3200 imo.

8 Minutes Ago * #9
Mesh1DMarkIV
Junior Member
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I would sell the 5d Mark ii and keep the reach of the crop sensor and also the speed would be a factor. Have a best of both worlds. Have you thought about a 1d Mark IV..it's an amazing piece of precision machinery.
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What do you use 70-200mm f2.8 IS II on 7d for?

If you need the reach of the crop sell the 5D, otherwise sell the 7D.

I'd sell the mk2 and basically replace it with the mk3. that way you are keeping the 7d as a back up.

While the shots you'll get out of the 5D2 will have the same look as those from the 5D3, the ergonomics of the 7D are a closer match to the 5D3, as is the feature set.

Keeping the 7D will get you greater flexibility because of its crop factor.

I think you need to figure out whether what you're after out of the camera you keep is a backup camera to be used when the primary fails, or a second camera to be used side by side with the primary. The 7D is almost certainly a better choice in the latter role and, with the appropriate lenses, will work reasonably well in the former role as well.

I sold my first 7D and regretted that move. Just bought one back last week.

I was in the same boat, I ended up selling my Mk2 for and kept the 7d. Now I barely use the 7d...I tried the other day and found the AF to pale in comparison to the mk3...I can't even imagine what using the mk2 would be like at this point.

TheBigDog wrote in post #14883325
I was in the same boat, I ended up selling my Mk2 for and kept the 7d. Now I barely use the 7d...I tried the other day and found the AF to pale in comparison to the mk3...I can't even imagine what using the mk2 would be like at this point.

Try upgrading your 7D's firmware to version 2.0. You may find it improves the autofocus enough to make it more usable for your purposes.

There have been a lot of threads like this that suggest that the 7D has an advantage over a full frame camera for reach with a telephoto. I had a 7D for awhile along with my 5DIIs. The reality is that the image size, in pixels, means that the pixels are smaller. This has a negative impact on quality.

I never noticed any real advantage to the 7D compared to a cropped 5D image. And I always found that having two identical cameras created a nice comfort zone.

kcbrown wrote in post #14883541
Try upgrading your 7D's firmware to version 2.0. You may find it improves the autofocus enough to make it more usable for your purposes.

I did upgrade the firmware, I just can't put the 5d down

Haven't used 1.6x crop for a while but when I look at 7d images at larger size I am glad I am only shooting FF. And I used to use 1.6x crop for more reach with superteles when shooting birds. Personally I learn to get closer. Or get longer lens if you can afford it.