5DMKII vs 7D which should I buy??

TomTC wrote in post #9545790
When people ask these types of questions you have to understand first and foremost that you really should not even compare these two cameras as they are targeted at two totally opposites types of photography. The 5DMKII is a portrait/studio/landsc​ape camera with IQ that simply blows the doors off the 7D. The 7D is basically a 50D with a lot of bells and whistles (ie better AF, integrated flash control, 100% viewfinder which is nice and 3 million more smaller pixels than the 50D crammed on to a small sensor, etc) that makes it a camera that can do a lot of things pretty good but nothing overly spectacular….atleast from a professional standpoint but probably more than adequate for the advanced amateur. Are you a portrait landscape studio type of photographer that has to deliver stunning files for large prints to highly critical clients……if so get the 5D MKII and never look back or if you are just looking for a general purpose camera that can handle all sort of task pretty well (but not great) then get the 7D. If you are not a pro and are on a limited budget then you might want to consider getting a 50D which would allow you to get some really nice lenses which we all know is where it really is. Outside of the bells and whistles on the 7D I just am not impressed with the image files it delivers over even the 50D and it certainly can't hold a candle to the files that the 5DMKII produces. Get a 50D for $950 and a good 2.8L zoom or nice L prime. Not a bad option to consider. I just can't see spending the extra cash on the 7D over the 50D not when you could use the difference to get some really nice lenses.

Image quality blows the doors off the 7D? I'd like to see how much better the image quality is compared to each other. Better depth of field I can understand, better High iso performance, but better image quality?

slowdad wrote in post #9545885
totally disagree on your assessment on the 7d. it does great with portraiture, not as good as the 5dmk11, but i dont peek that far into the pixels to see the difference. 7d and a 50 or 85mm prime are awesome. its a perfect camera for weddings and once you learn how to use the focal system and set your custom functions properly, its is deadly accurate on all the focal points. lots of guys switched over from 1 series to the 7d because the features that are in it at the price point its at makes for a really fantastic deal. you would really need to play with the 7d more than you have before you could make the determination.

but i agree with what you said about the 5dmk11. it is my choice for portrait work in my studio, but i also have the 7d with a prime attached for tight shots. works well. 7d is no where close to a 50d. its way ahead of that curve. ive tested both and own both 7d and 50d. 50d is a great camera, 7d leaves it in the dust as far as im concerned. as far as the comment about does nothing spectacular...look at the 7d picture post. Nothing but examples of spectacular results.

7d and a 5d classic, or a 5dmk11 is a perfect combo in my opinion. double what your glass can do and opens up a world of possibilities. best 1-2 punch on the market right now.

as for the OP, like everyone else says, determine what your going to be doing and buy accordingly. but one thing always rings true with these decisions

bodies come and go but glass lasts forever. make good glass first your priority and your body choice 2nd. the exception would be efs glass for the 1.6 format cameras like the 7d. buy a 17-55 and a 10-22 for the 1.6 format cameras and stick with L glass if you can afford it for everything else.

This ^^

drumsfield wrote in post #9549856
Image quality blows the doors off the 7D? I'd like to see how much better the image quality is compared to each other. Better depth of field I can understand, better High iso performance, but better image quality?

This is really what I want to know. How much better especially considering a lot can be done in PP. Hell I still see some images taken with Rebels that blow my stuff away. I find myself back in this situation trying to decide whether I keep my 7D or sell it and get a 5D MkII because having two bodies isn't in the budget now. I have seen some landscape photos recently shot with a 5D MkII which I just don't think the 7D could pull off. Then again I absolutely love the 7D AF compared to the slow sluggish one of the 5D.

Some sample stuff. Below link shows all images shot with the 7D.
http://www.flickr.com …ctions/72157623​127844361/

Big prints also look pretty badass, my largest print was 50"

Mark ii, hands down. I've tried both, and when I had the 7d, I kept thinking "damn, I wish I still had my mark ii." So I bought a 5d since I couldn't afford it anymore...

I used both side by side for a fortnight before choosing. Both great cameras.

I chose the 7D but I already had a 1Ds so this coloured the decision a touch. The 5D2 renders slightly more detail and is a bit cleaner at high ISO. I doubt you'd notice too much difference in prints up to A3+ though. 7D is the most user friendly and versatile camera I've ever used.

Never tried the 7D but I went from a 40D to a 5D.... 10 mpixels to 12.x pixels and I was blown away within 2 seconds of seeing my first image on my PC.

I now have a 5DII, 21 mpixels. I would imagine going from a 7D to a 5DII would solicite a similar reaction.

If IQ is the most important thing, than a FF is the way to go. No one can contest that. As much as I need the reach, at times, a crop can provide, I bought a 300 F4 IS to give me back the reach I had with the 40D instead of adding a 7D.

I shoot portrait/people, nature, still life and concerts/events. The 7D gives me nothing that the 5DII does for what I shoot.

If you really need fps then the 5DII, for example, is not for you.

I sold all my Sony gear and bought a 7D. After 7 weeks, I was never really happy with the IQ and found the autofocus to be a bit of a lottery, 9 times out of 10 it was spot on, then it would miss for no discernable reason. I was ready to go back to Sony, but after investing in Canon lenses, I thought I'd give the mount another chance. The 7D went back to the shop and I bought a 5D mark II. What a difference. Huge jump in IQ at all ISO, and never misses focus.

Maybe the 7D I had was a bit of a lemon, since others seem to be happy with it (and yes, I RTFM, watched the videos and spent a lot of time with the set up). I spent more time taking shots to test the camera than I did taking shots of subjects.

My personal opinion - get the 5D2.

I would first like to say thanks! What an awesome forum for advice and opinions from an undoubtedly experienced group of people. I have to say initially I was leaning towards the 7D. I listened to what you all said in fact I looked at all my photos to sum up what type of photography I do most. I would have to say I really enjoy Scenic landscapes, stormy weather, Lightning, portraits and low light. This leads me to believe that I should go with the 5DMKII.

In my research I thought I would look at canons road map of cameras it puts out. It would seem to me that historically canon has put a new version of the 5D every three years. As I said before I am hoping to buy a camera I can live with for a bit. And not have buyers remorse with a year or two of my purchase. I am beginning to think this is the nature of the beast and I should get used to it. So now I am back leaning to the 7D I will use this camera to further polish my skills and when the new 5D (or what ever its name will be comes) out I will purchase it. By then I should have a nice collection of lenses as I hope to stick with L series.

Thanks again for all of the advice. I have alot of reading to do as this forum is a wealth of knowledge.

i just browsed through the 7D photo thread and the 5D2 photo thread and the decision was pretty easy after that. 5D2>7D

seriously though. i had the 7D for 2 weeks before swapping it for the 5d2 and while i do miss alot of those bells and whistles the 7d has. when it came down to it, i don't shoot sports and IQ is most important to me.

the 2 threads were partly a factor.

Art Rodriguez wrote in post #9546368
I'm in the same boat the OP is. I'm looking to upgrade from my XT. I'm torn between the two cameras. Amazon has the 7D w/28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens for $1870.00. The 5D Mark II body only is $2459.00. I like to shoot portraits but don't do it very often. I want something mostly as a carry around camera. From what I've read so far the 5D2 does much better in noise performance. But I've alse read that the 7D isn't bad either in noise perfromance. If I could afford it, I would get both

Art

Um, just pick up the effin 5ds LOL

I have two of these babies, LOVE THEM! you wont regret it, I thought maybe about picking up a 7D as an additional maybe for video purposes because of the whole FPS BS,but honestly MK2 is your best bet, and dont even waste your money on the 17-40.
Look into 16-35....

Good decision...I'm also waiting for 5D III with 7D AF.

scotchfargo wrote in post #9551239
In my research I thought I would look at canons road map of cameras it puts out. It would seem to me that historically canon has put a new version of the 5D every three years. As I said before I am hoping to buy a camera I can live with for a bit. And not have buyers remorse with a year or two of my purchase. I am beginning to think this is the nature of the beast and I should get used to it. So now I am back leaning to the 7D I will use this camera to further polish my skills and when the new 5D (or what ever its name will be comes) out I will purchase it. By then I should have a nice collection of lenses as I hope to stick with L series.

Thanks again for all of the advice. I have alot of reading to do as this forum is a wealth of knowledge.

5D2 gives you thinner DOF options, use of wider primes, a few extra MP, slightly bigger viewfinder, and high ISO handling.

7D beats it in everything else. Operationally, it's a monster. It's packed with more goodies than even the 1-series line.

The 7D is FAR from what I'd call an amateur camera. It's built like a pro body. The 5D2 is built on the canon consumer philosophy.