7D vs 5D MKII *with a 50D*

Hey everyone!

First off, sorry for another 7D vs 5D2 post... I've done a lot of research but still can't find a solid answer for the position I'm in. Last time I was buying a camera, I turned to these forums and got some awesome response! I also posted this in the Canon DSLR User Group on Flickr.

Obviously there's been a lot of talk debating the 7D vs the 5D Mark II. Both have their pros and cons, I know. I still managed to find myself in the middle of the two.

Here's my situation:
-Don't have a ton of money to spend, so 1D4 probably isn't an option.
-Currently own a 50D with a 50 f/1.8, 17-40 f/4L, and 70-200 f/4L.
-I shoot sports, which is why I'm diggin' the 7D's frame rate.
-I also shoot people and objects, which is where the 5D shines.
-I'm reeaaalllyyyy into the whole video thing, both of them have this.

So here's my question:
-Do I get the 7D and sell the 50D? (and maybe get a lens?)
or
-Do I get the 5D2 and keep the 50D for sports? (more expensive)
or
-Something else?

I really appreciate any help. All advice is good advice.

Thanks,
Andrew

Get the best of both world with 1D IV .

Get the 5dII kit with 24-105. A vast improvement in many ways over the 40D I still have. Keep the 50D for times when you need the higher shutter count or extra reach.

I'm kinda in the same boat,although I'm considering a 1D MkIII + a 1st gen 5D.
I would assume the 5D2 could be employed for sports? why not? 4fps? Same focus as the 50D. I used to shoot alot of sports with my XT @ 3 fps. I really wanna try a FF. Something about a FF image stands out so that you can usually pick it out from the 1.6X images.
Man,I would think 4fps would be plenty for H.S. sports? Alot of today's kids are fat and slow.
I've heard about shutter lag on the 5d's? What's it comparable to? A 50D?

I would keep the 50D and get more lenses. If you must change bodies go with the 7D (sell the 50D) and get a nice lens.

DanY0 wrote in post #8974695
I would keep the 50D and get more lenses.

My current line up is:17-40L,70-200 2.8IS,70-200F4Lis,100-400L IS,400 2.8Non IS
I'm satisfied with these lenses and probably won't add anymore for awhile,but I've lusted for FF for some time.
Maybe I should just snag a nice 5DMkI to try out FF first?

Get the 5D MKII and keep the 50. You'll absolutely love the 5D MKII, I know I love mine. It amazes me more every day!

5D MkII and 50D are a good combo.

If you want to shoot with with two formats, the 5D2 can serve well for people and low light situations. But it's not a sports camera.

50D works fine as a sports camera, as you probably already know. Decent as a people/objects camera, but not as good as the 5D2, and it lacks video.

5D MkII and 7D are an even better combo. They have more similar controls and layouts, although when you get into the menus and functions they are quite different.

I don't see much reason to pair up 50D and 7D, unless it just happened to be the cameras you have at hand.

If you want only one camera to serve both purposes, I'd recommend the 7D.

If you're shooting sports and really looking for that longer reach, 5D2 may not be the camera for you.

For sports the 5D2 is too slow. Coming from a 50D, I miss the buttery smooth mirror flipup/shutter acutation and the fast FPS.

For my application I do fast action photography 30% of the time, so it made sense for me.

5D2 quality, field of view, dynamic range is outstanding! Not to mention ISO as a bonus

I do miss the long reach and fast photography I can do with a crop. I do plan on getting a 7D when it comes down in price - who knows when that will be.

It's up to you which order you get it in based on your type of shooting.

I bought a 7D to go with my 5D2, but I sold it because I decided that a full frame sensor really suits my shooting style much better. I don't take a lot of pictures of fast-moving or far-away things.

But as a sports camera, I think the 7D would be fantastic. The camera's shutter and auto focus are just spectacular. The built-in wireless flash transmitter is really nice too.

Overall, I much prefer the feel and features of the 7D over the 5D2. I wish the same camera was available in a non-crop version.

If you don't care about having a full frame sensor, I think the 7D would be the much better choice. I see you shoot f/4 zooms and an f/1.8 prime. Do you find yourself often pegged to the widest apertures of those lenses wishing you could get a narrower depth of field? If so, you might consider the 5D2 plus 50D combo. But if not, I would recommend the 7D.

do yourself a favor, get more glass... by the time you have a ton of nice portrait lenses, you'll have a 5dmkIII that has an AF system similar to the 7D.

Hey everyone thanks for the responses!

I was thinking, and now that my high school football sport shooting is over, the fast frame rate isn't as important to me anymore... I'm going to be shooting some more portraiture soon (and of course playing with video...), so maybe the 5D Mark II would be better?

Also, for what it's worth, I have no external lighting.

andrew_a wrote in post #8987123
Hey everyone thanks for the responses!

I was thinking, and now that my high school football sport shooting is over, the fast frame rate isn't as important to me anymore... I'm going to be shooting some more portraiture soon (and of course playing with video...), so maybe the 5D Mark II would be better?

Also, for what it's worth, I have no external lighting.

Get the 5D2 first and sell the 50D. I also had the same idea , 7D and 5D2 cravings. Got the 5D2 and sold the 50D. WOW. But I'm missing the crop a bit and the speed. So 7D is in the future when it comes down in price.

But you cannot lose with the 5D2 (other than money) but I'm smacking myself in the back of my head wondering why didn't I do this earlier?

From what you posted about most likely types of shooting, the 5D2 sounds like it would be the best way to go for now (and if you can keep the 50D that gives you plenty of flexibility for the faster shooting if you go back to that and situations where you want a little more reach than the FF gives you). I say this from the perspective of a new 7D owner who really loves its features, ergonomics, and all-around usability, so no bias in favor of the 5D2.

I went through same predicament but ended up with 5dmk2 and kept my 50D for sports.
5DMK2 shines when I shoot landscaping and snapshots but shows weakness when I shoot fast action martial arts. I might sell 50D in the future, but for now I'll keep both.