is 5D > 5Dii a good move?

K6AZ wrote in post #10291680
Either I have a really good 5Dc or a really bad 5D2 but I'm not seeing a full stop in ISO performance between the two. I think the 5D2 is a little better but not nearly a full stop, at least with the two I'm comparing.

Hmmm. Link here for scientific charting that agrees with that statement.

I'm just skeptical of having smaller individual pixels. If they figured out a new pixel-lens or some sort of predictive algorithm that sucks more light or at least sucks enough light to make a good call (for each pixel) then the advantages of bigger pixel count is warranted.

Nikon's gone the other route ... forfeit being first in the MP wars for better actual performance in getting it right in low light (see the charts on Nikon comparisons ... they actually do have a full stop advantage).

My fear is mainly that I spend $1K to upgrade and wind up with marketing hype and possibly even a downgrade of IQ performance in difficult lighting. Ergo; this thread.

I don't think you'll see a downgrade of IQ in difficult lighting, just.. not as big of an improvement maybe. Or alternatively, enough of an improvement that it makes it for you.

My personal biggest gripe about the 5d2 is the AF system is old. Canon seemed to have been caught with their pants down on that one as soon as the D700 was released.

NBEast wrote in post #10291953
Hmmm. Link here for scientific charting that agrees with that statement.

I'm just skeptical of having smaller individual pixels. If they figured out a new pixel-lens or some sort of predictive algorithm that sucks more light or at least sucks enough light to make a good call (for each pixel) then the advantages of bigger pixel count is warranted.

Nikon's gone the other route ... forfeit being first in the MP wars for better actual performance in getting it right in low light (see the charts on Nikon comparisons ... they actually do have a full stop advantage).

My fear is mainly that I spend $1K to upgrade and wind up with marketing hype and possibly even a downgrade of IQ performance in difficult lighting. Ergo; this thread.

One thing I don't agree with is the "packing more pixels in the same sized sensor results in more noise". One thing that is overlooked in this thinking are the technological advances in producing sensors. The 5D2 was released three years after the 5Dc.

One real advantage of the 5D2 is the resolution. I can get away with a 70-200 in situations where I couldn't on the 5Dc and crop. Even 100% crops are perfectly usable.

If you're shooting portraits and landscapes, I don't know why the greater resolution isn't important to you.

The 5D2 has greater resolution that is quite significant at greater enlargements or with greater cropping. Even at moderate enlargements, I find the greater resolution of the 5D2 eliminates hair moire that frequently occurs with the 5D.

Live View on the 5D2 is an incredibly nice tool for both portraits on a tripod and landscapes. Manual focusing in Live View with the 5x/10X digital loupe is like working with a view camera tripod--except it's much brighter and right-side up. If you've never had that experience, you're in for a photographic treat. Also, the depth of field preview is actually usable because Live View automatically brightens the image (which you can't even get on a view camera). I've never had such perfect focusing from a DLSR.

And when you're shooting in ambient light (not flash), Live View Exposure Simulation actually works great--what you see is what you will get.

I hear enough pluses that it sounds like I'll be pleasantly surprised about the usefulness of things like pixel count and live view on top of a noticeable improvement in all round performance and IQ.

I was shooting birds on my 7D with just a 70-200 and was positively amazed with the cropping ability.

Thisgets cropped into this. There's something to this higher MP count.

Sometimes pleasant surprises come from the least expected areas.

Anyway; it's ordered and time for out with the old.

randomlinh, I hear you on the AF overlook. Canon needed a swift wake-up call. Healthy competition and all that.

If you like the cropping ability of the 7D you will absolutely love it on the 5D2.

Not to tempt you even more but there are a couple of authorized dealers selling them on eBay. With Bing, eBay bucks, and mr rebates you can get your net cost down close to $2k.