5DSR vs 7D2 vs 5D3 (70-200II vs 100-400II at F11)

I was asked to do a test on my 5DSR of the 70-200II vs the 100-400II at F11 by another poster.

I was not able to do it in good light but I did do it in my house in a controlled test on a RRS tripod.


Here is the setup:
- approx 45feet on a tripod
- 10 second shutter delay
- 1/20, ISO 1250, F11
- 5D3, 5DSR, 7D2
- 100-400II, 70-200II
- RRS tripod
- Gov't of Ontario Marriage form taped on door down hallway with ceiling light shining on form
- all 6 original pictures saved with no adjustments besides default LR sharpening and Lens Profile adjustment


This is going to take a few posts to show the pictures.

First the originals (zooms will have the real detail - all files are available for download)

5DSR with 100-400II

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continued

5DSR 100-400 crop

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continued

5DSR 100-400 with NR

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when I line up the 5DSR 100-400 and the 5DSR 70-200 the 100-400 at f11 is very slightly sharper
- to see this look at the very smallest writing along the bottom of the form
- other sites have reported the 100-400 being slightly sharper as well
- i also think by looking at the histograms that F11 on the 100-400 lets in more light than F11 for the 70-200 so T-stop wise the 100-400II may in fact be under-rated or the 70-200II may be slightly over-rated - either way, the 100-400II is a very sharp lens (never mind the IS is out of this world good)

another observation is that if you line up the 5DSR vs the 7D2 both on the 100-400 you can see that the 5DSR is very slightly sharper - this should mostly be the cancelling AA filter at work

Thank you for taking the time to do this and share with the community!

another observation would be NR and to look at the 5DSR 100-400 II side by side with and without NR at ISO 1250

the NR version is 45 feet away down a dark hallway - pretty incredible - I have learned to embrace NR with the 7D2 and now I can see again how it can be used to clean up an image if you want to truly pixel peep

drifter106 wrote in post #17644040
Thank you for taking the time to do this and share with the community!

this is actually something I wanted to do and I had all my gear out as I just came back from a wedding last night so it was actually fun to do and it keeps me from beginning editing

the 100-400II has proved to me that every single lens Canon makes will be improved over the next 10 years - even the mighty 70-200II is showing its age which is incredible since it is the goto lens for the entire wedding world and it is worshipped

but thank you

This is an awesome comparison, thank you so much for posting. 5Dsr is a wonderful camera, but seeing this comparison makes me love my 7DII just a bit more, holds it's own well against two great FF cameras. Stopped just a bit of the itch for a 5Ds - definitely top dog here, but I don't think I'm way behind with what I have.

wallstreetoneil wrote in post #17644050
another observation would be NR and to look at the 5DSR 100-400 II side by side with and without NR at ISO 1250

the NR version is 45 feet away down a dark hallway - pretty incredible - I have learned to embrace NR with the 7D2 and now I can see again how it can be used to clean up an image if you want to truly pixel peep

When I am shooting my 400/4 DO II IS on my 7D2 with a 2x and 1.4x stacked (1120mm f/11), I really wish that the AA filter wasn't there - there is no danger of severe aliasing, but the lens is sharp enough that the 7D2's AA filter eats up some of the potential pixel contrast. Amazingly, I can actually see fine detail pop into focus in the OVF when manual focus is right with this combo, even with the two TCs.

I Think I was the one who asked.
Thanks so much for all the work, very much appreciated.

Well blow me over !!
OK I am sold the 5DS R is definitely for me!

What shocked me was Imwas expecting the 70-200 MK II to better the 100-400 II. But for my eyes, the 100-400 II was significantly better and quite a bit sharper.
Actually the lens comparison quite upset me, as I genuinely thought it was king of the heap IQ wise.

I was also quite surprised how much clearer the 5DSR was over the 5D3.
Hmmm as soon as the price drops or the greys appear I am going to get a 5DS R. ( Sod the DR and low light negatives ) this is IMO for what I do a big improvement. )

Guess its a good job I have upgraded the Laptop to a Workstation to handle those big files.

Once again very much appreciated - as your test spells it out in Black and White for me!
And its so important as I really dont have the cash to make a mistake.

I have to say that I thought the 7DII shots looked a little dark, then noticed from the EXIF that they were exposed at 1/25s not 1/20s as the two 5D sets were. I know that it is only a third of a stop, but at the exposure levels that you are using it is likely to have a negative effect on the perceived image noise.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #17644172
I have to say that I thought the 7DII shots looked a little dark, then noticed from the EXIF that they were exposed at 1/25s not 1/20s as the two 5D sets were. I know that it is only a third of a stop, but at the exposure levels that you are using it is likely to have a negative effect on the perceived image noise.

Alan

Well that pisses me off but I appreciate the finding - I was trying to be careful.
I had 3 cameras and 2 lens with all the caps off trying not to move the tripod and I had to unscrew the RRS collar foot to move between lenses.

No question from a noise perspective then that the 7D2 was therefore negatively biassed but at least I wasn't testing for noise between the full frames and crop 7D2.

Thanks for finding that.

I know who annoying it is when someone else spots the mistake you make in a testing situation where you are juggling lots of items around. Thanks for the effort on behalf of others though, I have really liked the sample stuff that you have posted with these cameras. I have to say from a noise point of view, the results are exactly what I expected to see from the 5DSR and the 7DII, pretty much identical in the 100% crops, where the used sensor area of each sensor is equal. I have to say that personally I think for shooting at 200mm I would rather have your 100-400 than your 70-200, I definitely prefer the look of that lens. Especially on the 5DSR. You know I really do think that camera would be my perfect airshow setup, coupled with a 600 f/4. I would have originally gone for the 5DS, but thinking about it I'm unlikely to bump up against really fine detail doing aviation, so the AA filter cancellation shouldn't really pose an issue. Of course apart from winning very big on the Lottery, and I don't play, it's only going to be a thought exercise as far as I am concerned.

Alan

BigAl007 wrote in post #17644320
I know who annoying it is when someone else spots the mistake you make in a testing situation where you are juggling lots of items around. Thanks for the effort on behalf of others though, I have really liked the sample stuff that you have posted with these cameras. I have to say from a noise point of view, the results are exactly what I expected to see from the 5DSR and the 7DII, pretty much identical in the 100% crops, where the used sensor area of each sensor is equal. I have to say that personally I think for shooting at 200mm I would rather have your 100-400 than your 70-200, I definitely prefer the look of that lens. Especially on the 5DSR. You know I really do think that camera would be my perfect airshow setup, coupled with a 600 f/4. I would have originally gone for the 5DS, but thinking about it I'm unlikely to bump up against really fine detail doing aviation, so the AA filter cancellation shouldn't really pose an issue. Of course apart from winning very big on the Lottery, and I don't play, it's only going to be a thought exercise as far as I am concerned.

Alan

I agree - the 100-400II produces the nicer images.

From a wedding perspective, I have already brought it to two weddings and I managed to crack off a few pictures because if you have the available light, F5.6 to F8 @200 - 300mm and this lens just cannot be beat - the images are better than the 70-200 which I have said to a few fellow wedding pros and they almost laugh because it is basically heresy to say it - but it is true - and never mind that the IS on the lens is I think 1 full stop better than the 70-200 which is already world class.

IMO, the 100-400II is in the same class of lens as the 85L - it produces final images that are incredible.


Paul