Mini-Review: 7D and 5DII Quick IQ Comparison

We were having a very nice and heated debate over in the Poll over 7D Remorse? post, and I decided I would put this together into a new thread. Discussions welcome, I tried to do this correctly per requests from others. I did a high ISO review some time ago too.

(LEGEND: top or left is always 7D, bottom or right is 5D)

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Well too my eyes I can't honestly see much difference between the two. Perhaps instead of the the 7D versus 5d2 wars it would be better to just go out and shoot.

artyman wrote in post #11149214
Well too my eyes I can't honestly see much difference between the two. Perhaps instead of the the 7D versus 5d2 wars it would be better to just go out and shoot.

I second that

I personally think they are very different animals, and ideally I would like one of each for the different types of photography I would like to do, but whatever you have got, spending time enjoying shooting with it will do you far more good than arguing about it round here

Thanks for the comparisons ... and FWIW in all 7D shots I see some of what I see with my 50D shots, punchier and slightly harsher details and colours ... it might seem slight, but I see it a lot round here which is another reason why I would like a 5D II, to me it captures far more detail and subtleties than my crop sensor is able to.

I personally think the reason for choosing either of these cameras is quite obvious, but if you can't see it for yourself , then simply save yourself some money and get yourself the improved fps/AF etc of the a 7D

I know there are many members who have both cameras and some prefer the 5D MkII over the 7D when it comes to ISO results but from what I've seen around the web and your samples too TS ... I just don't see anything that sets the 5D MkII apart as really surpassing the 7D in this category.

When I did this test, the first thing that seem to stand out to me was more the tonal qualities of the 5D.

The 7D, when dialed in with lenses, pulls the details, I really haven't seen very much even in regards where supposedly the 5DII has a weaker AA filter. I run the same actions on both sets and get something like 98-99% of the same details. However the 5D image is less harsh (I think somebody said this) and has a smoother appearance.

I also like the added life to f2.8 zoom lenses that the 5D brings to the table in regards to DOF. I know the reason the DOF is different is because once you frame your image the same as the crop, you either have changed your distance and/or FL, and that causes the DOF difference, but still, it does give that little extra.

I just like doing these tests because I have long since lost count of how many say "the 5D IQ is dramatically better than the 7D", etc. It is certainly not dramatic, but there is a difference that many do enjoy, and rightly so. That being said about the 5D, the 7D is easily the most versatile of any crop camera Canon has made to date, barring the 1D series.

The 1Ds MKIV will be an amazing camera if Canon keeps up the improvements. It will be an exciting announcement I think.

awesome..lets see the PP action

lol, not much difference, a bit punchier. Here it is with a more creative crop too.

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You can't compare different format images unless you have the SAME DOF in both pictures. When you put both cameras at F2.8 the 7D has the advantage of a larger DOF, it's hard to know if a section of the photo is not sharp or just not in focus and thus you can't compare.

If you want to use your 7D at F2.8 ISO640 1/500 then put the 5DII at F4.5, 1/500 ISO1600 then you'll have the same DOF, same shutter speed,same diffraction levels and same noise level.

Test = FAIL

luigis wrote in post #11149589
You can't compare different format images unless you have the SAME DOF in both pictures. When you put both cameras at F2.8 the 7D has the advantage of a larger DOF, it's hard to know if a section of the photo is not sharp or just not in focus and thus you can't compare.

If you want to use your 7D at F2.8 ISO640 1/500 then put the 5DII at F4.5, 1/500 ISO1600 then you'll have the same DOF, same shutter speed,same diffraction levels and same noise level.

Test = FAIL

Perhaps you need to relook at the 2nd set of images, somebody needs some coffee to get started this morning. There are two tests here, one that shows the difference between the 5D and 7D with the same FOV and same exposure settings, and one exactly what you said, equalizing the formats. It covers the two ways people compare the two formats. In both cases, comparing sharpness is still valid. Comment = FAIL

And this test clearly shows the 5D MK II to be better....

(Read this post with the humour of a 5D MK II owner - there really doesn't seem to be any real difference if any)

7D more harsh... that be me that said that. I haven't done any side by side testing, and won't, but that was one of the first things that I noticed about the 7D. Actually it was the first thing. I can speculate it has to do with the higher noise levels at low/mid ISO than the 5DII and is what contributes to the appeareance of sharper tonal graduations. How it will affect my overall (dis)pleasure with my 7D is still to be determined. I am seriously looking forward to a 5DIII.

TS: Thanks for the all the time you have put into these posts.

There is not much in it. To balance the poster with the negative comment that didn't even read the entire post, thanks for going out of your way to do the work!

Nice work Teamspeed.

It would be cool to see a sample of say a 20x16 print between the 2 cameras.

Now that the initial dust has settled from the 7D's release.... we can get back to creating great images with what ever camera you have.

I am another shooter waiting for the 5Dmkiii.

but this does not mean i am sitting on the side lines .... nope.


(....Just some random thoughts)

Wow, I thought there was supposed to be some appreciable difference between FF and a crop when it came to portraits. I'm having a pretty hard time seeing what the big deal is when it comes down to the final image.