“5d or 7d? That is the question…” UPDATED at bottom!

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EDIT: Please read the newer blog here.

To paraphrase a famous quote…

HOW many emails have I had asking me this? Oh and I will be referring to the 5dmkII as the 5d throughout this article as you all know what I am talking about!

I have had the 5d since late April/ Early May and I have had the pre-production model of the 7d for about 3 weeks now.

Which one do I prefer? That is one tough question.

Filming "Dublin's People" on the 7d
Filming "Dublin's People" on the 7d
Filming the Greenpeace commercial on the 5d
Filming the Greenpeace commercial on the 5d

First off…what is it the is the biggest frustration with the 5d, not taking into account form factor, sound, rolling shutter etc?  For me it’s 30p. Why? Aesthetics? Partly…mainly for broadcast work in the UK I need 25p. Yes I prefer the look of 24p and 25p but 30p isn’t horrible. It certainly isn’t interlaced! Now THAT is horrible!

OK so let’s go through what I believe are the plusses and minuses of the two cameras (ignoring the number of plusses the 7d has in stills mode like more FPS, better weatherproofing and a handy built in flash etc). What you need to do is take a piece of paper write 5d on one side and 7d on the other, make a list of these points below and put it which is more important then tick 5d or 7d. You following?

Also do not forget this is based on a pre-production 7d.

Full Frame:     5d YES

7d NO (cropped APS-C sensor 1.6x)

Frame rates:    5d 30p (but dead on 30p not 29.97 which is not much use!)

7d 24p (23.98) , 25p, 30p (29.97), 720 50p and 60p

Cleaner image: 5d. The 7d is a bit noisier, not enormously but noticeably in all ISOs.

Low light           5d just, mainly because it has less noise

Shallow DOF:  5d has more shallow DOF due it’s full frame sensor

Slow Motion:    7d can give you perfect slow motion by recording in 50p or 60p and changing the metadata to 24, 25 or 30p in post.

LCD:                    7d, it’s slightly less reflective and brighter

Monitor Output  7d as it doesn’t go all 480p squished on our a** when we hit record like the 5d does!

Rolling Shutter 7d seems marginally improved, what this is down to I have no idea, but it seems a bit improved although still VERY present

 

7d rolling shutter
7d rolling shutter

Both have full manual control, both operate in much the same way although the 7d has a dedicated record button now. Not a big deal but a nice touch.

I like the remapping ability of the 7d’s buttons, useful for Nikon heads like me to put the iris up front.

Now the 5d is unique in the video world. It can record video in full HD with a full frame still camera size 35mm sensor. Not a movie 35mm sensor. Much bigger. This is unique. No other video camera can do this. There is a Scarlet in the works that is full frame but that has yet to come out. This makes the 5d VERY  desirable. It gives a unique image that is punchy, superb in low light and is capable of achieving, with the right lens, an insanely shallow DOF for you insanely shallow DOF lovers out there!!

It also means all those lovely full frame lenses you have can be used to their fullest. Not just the wonderful Canon L series lenses which I have been buying avidly but my Nikon collection, especially my Zeiss lenses which fit with a simple adaptor and are generally cheaper than the Canon glass. Now there is no autofocus with these for when you take stills which is a shame as it’s lovely in stills mode but there is no autofocus in video mode, nor should there be. Autofocus in video in not a professional tool. When shooting video, everything should be manual!

Now when you use these wonderful lenses on the 7d what happens? Well the sensor size is very different. Take a look at the diagram below to see the difference.

Picture 37Now the sensor in the 7d is the APS-C sensor. Now first off, yes it is smaller than full frame BUT it is almost exactly the same (just a wee bit smaller) as the sensor in the RED one and Super 35mm movie cameras as you can see below.

Picture 38What does this mean to you when buying lenses? Well if you have loads of L series and full frame lenses like me is to work out what you are effectively /equivalent getting in 35mm still terms times the focal length by 1.6x. Why? Because to make the size of the APS-C sensor the same as the full frame sensor you need to multiply it by 1.6. So when doing this to a lens like my 50mm f1.2 it becomes more like an 80mm. It still is a 50mm, that hasn’t changed but it’s focal length is effectively magnified by 1.6x due to the image projected onto the 7d sensor being much bigger than the sensor can handle hence only the central part of it is captured effectively make the focal length longer. Look at the first diagram above. The grey area of it is the APS-C sensor, the white bit is what you are losing when you stick on a full frame lens. Hopefully that makes sense! Of course this works both ways, suddenly you have longer lenses. I shot on a 400mm lens with 2x extender and it was crazy long on the 7d, although unusable as the rolling shutter issues ruined the image. But you can make your 50mm f1.2 almost an 85mf1.2 which costs an arm and a leg!

So all your lovely wide lenses are no longer that wide. So your awesome Canon L series EF 16-35mm f2.8 constant aperture becomes effectively a 25.6-56mm f2.8 instead. Still a nice range, but not really wide. So if you want wide for the 7d you really have to buy the Canon EF-S series of lenses which are optimised for the cropped sensor cameras like the 7d. Or you can buy third party lenses like I have. I bought a Sigma 10mm f2.8 fisheye, effectively a 16mm fisheye and I bought a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 constant aperture zoom lens. Effectively a 17.6-25.6mm lens, not a huge range but a very useful wide and very affordable. Mine cost me $600 and the quality is very good.

NOW, the problem is, if you start buying EF-S style lenses you are pretty much stuck with using them on a cropped sensor camera. Below is the Tokina 11-16mm on my 5d. The lens is set to 11mm.

apscYou get this awful vignette so if you move to a full frame camera, it is next to useless. Now if you zoom into 16mm it fills the frame but then you are losing the wide end and are stuck with what is effectively a prime lens.

So be aware of this. My advice? Buy EF lenses for the most part and maybe just one EF-S style lens unless you are CERTAIN you will NEVER move to a full frame DSLR!!

The great thing about the APS-C sensor though is as it is close to 35mm movie sensor size, with some mods to the camera you can use cinema lenses. A HUGE bonus if you are a filmmaker. Check out 24 DP Rod Charter’s 7d with a f*** off Panavision Primo Zoom on it!

27105166-760020cbaae303892e3a64551bd75a3d.4a9da5e4-full

Ok, so let’s go through these plusses and minuses again.

30p…Can you live with it? Is it so bad? Well this commercial below I shot for Greenpeace is all 30p. See what you think…

Greenpeace: Voices of change. Shot on Canon 5dmkII from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

©2009 Greenpeace

Low light, yes it’s noisier on the 7d but compared to video cameras it’s cleaner than a new pair of knickers from the store still all shrink wrapped! 24p and 25p native? VERY important to many, me too, especially for my broadcast work. Can you convert 30p to 24p . Yes but it doesn’t look as good. Below are two films. One shot on the 5d at night at 30p and converted to 24p in post and the other shot native on the 7d in 24p.

Sofia’s People: Canon 5dmk2 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Music is performed by Stacey Kent: You can’t take that away from me.

Converted to 24p JES De-Interlacer

Dublin’s People: Canon 7d 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Music is by Thin Lizzy: Whiskey in the Jar

Now a big plus for me is the 7d’s 50p/60p mode. I hate the look of it natively, almost like interlaced but I love what happens when you change the metadata in something like cinema tools to make it play at 24 or 25p. This effectively gives you in camera slow motion. A MAJOR PLUS and something I have missed a lot on my 5d.

Shaving It Back: Canon 7d from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Filmed on a prototype Canon 7d in 720p 50p mode then converted to 25p using cinema tools to get overcrank.

Music is by Chris Montez

Shot with 50mm f1.2. and 24mm f1.4

So there are some examples of stuff shot with both cameras. What do I prefer you ask?

Easy. I prefer the image from the 5d, I prefer the stills from the 5d, I prefer the full frame of the 5d but I prefer the frame rates, 24, 25p and the “slow motion” of 50p and 60p. I also prefer the marginal less noise of the 5d.

Rolling shutter issues have been improved over the 5d but are still very present as you will see on the comparison video at the bottom. Also in this video shot on the 7d when I whip between people you can see it. Easy solution to that. Don’t whip pan!

Bloom’s USA Video Blog: The British Invasion. Shot on 7d from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

I own two 5ds and I have a 7d on order with The Flash Centre in London and should get it any day now. What will I use on paid jobs? Mostly the 7d due to the frame rates. Native 24p and 25p looks so much better than converted 24 and 25p from the 5d. But the image is nicer from the 5d! Confusing isn’t it.

OK, so you need the frame rates. Do you sell your 5d? Up to you! But what happens if Canon bring out firmware for the 5d that brings these frame rates to the 5d? Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not! I haven’t a clue. I hope so. I know it has been BETA tested and have heard all sorts of rumours, but they are just that. Rumours.

So should you wait? Do you need to earn money now? Do you need to shoot now? If the answer is yes then buy the one that has more ticks in the box (you did remember to do that didn’t you?)

Yes there will always be something better coming out in the future. The 1dmkIV is rumoured to have all the features of the 7d and more with a full frame sensor albeit with less megapixels. Nikon are way overdue with bringing their killer DSLR to the market. It certainly wasn’t the D300s, will it be the D700s/x? No idea. It could be! But we won’t know until it comes out. Then there is the Scarlet when that comes out but that will be more expensive. What about the GH1? I love my GH1 but i HATE the weak codec. Please bring it up to 24 mbps Panasonic! Then it will be a contender!!

Until then, it’s up to you what you want to buy. I cannot recommend one over the other. Only you can decide what is more important for you!

Will I be selling my 5ds? No way. Am I excited about getting my 7d! You betcha!! Is that helpful? Probably not! If I had to choose…if i REALLY had to chose? Right now…with the firmware as it is, with most of work needing to be 24 or 25p then I would have to say the 7d. But I am holding out hope for my 5ds as I bloody adore that image and 30p is still very usable for me.

There are a couple more options to consider. First off the price difference. In the US it is $1000 less to get a 7d, in the UK the difference is quite small. Just £200!!

Also the excellent Magic Lantern hack that gives huge number of extra features like making sound recording on the 5d possible is only working on the 5d…for now!!

UPDATE 1st October 2009

My opinion has changed. I prefer the 7d for one very simple reason. I HATE the 30p of the 5d. Not the look but the actual frame rate. It is TRUE and EXACTLY 30p. Not 29.97 like every other video camera that shoots 30p. I am trying to edit together a massive training DVD on the 7d shot using 2 5dmkII and one EX1. All the audio is on the ex1 and neither PLURALEYES or FCP Multicam is having any of it. My only option is to either convert ALL the EX1 footage to exactly 30p using compressor or ALL the 5dmkII stuff to exactly 29.97. I tried to do this and it has been going for a day and it has barely scratched the surface. So for this reason I say 7d because the 7d has proper 30p, that is 29.97. Not the 30p that is compatible with nothing but the 5dmkII!  Canon obviously realised this and gave the 7d the right frame rate(s)

Of course if you never plan to intercut 5d with anything else then don’t worry. The 5d still has a better image!!

[xr_video id=”d290b2637aa14508bd87f638b47fe9ee” size=”md”]
This is a heavily compressed version so the noise won’t show up but the rolling shutter shows clearly. But click on view on Exposure room and click on download original to see noise comparison. Again this is just a prototype 7d

1000pixel transparent

335 comments

      1. You have been quoted as informally saying that the GH1 is not even close to the 7d in image quality. Clearly the GH1 has better viewing options and longer filming times but IQ is what people see. I know Panasonic paid you for your really great video but this quote has frozen the market. How do the two cameras 1080p compare with the same lenses and no fast motion? Can either, or both, be used for big screen movies?

  1. I can’t wait! I bought the 5d about a month ago and just ordered your DVD on Shooting with it but if you tell me the 7d is the better for filming, I will make changes.

  2. Great. I’m looking forward to it. I’m on the list for a 7D as soon as they come in at my local shop but cold easily convert to the 5D2. I’ve really enjoyed your site.

  3. Thats the question i asked my self the last weeks since the 7D came out and no firmware update for the 5DmkII wich enables other framerates etc. Very interessted in your article and what you think about both.

  4. hi philip,
    for those of us who are poor with not a lot of money to spend, what lenses would you recommend for the 7D that could cover most situations?
    AF is not important just what ‘cheaper’ lenses we could use to get started shooting ( in the future as money is earned better lenses can be bought. well that’s the plan!)
    i understand my canon FDs won’t work with the 7D. is that right?
    is that the same for all 35mm SLR lenses?
    i’m interested in the 7D and the GH1 but i think i prefer what i’m seeing from the 7D. my fear is that once i factor in lenses etc the 7D will end up being rather costly! this is why i ask about the lenses!
    thx for your time

    1. Perhaps I can help. Canon used to make a FD converter lens to allow FD lenses to mount on EOS cameras. It is now discontinued and may not work with the 7D even if you can find one. Also, it disabled auto-focus. You can use both EF and EF-S lenses on the 7D, the EF lenses will give a focal length multiplier – a 50 mm EF lens will give a field of view on the 7D equivalent to a 80 mm lens on, say, the EOS 5D or EOS1 range. The Canon kit lenses are usually remarkably good value for money. Note you cannot use EF-S lenses on Canon cameras that were not designed for them. This is due to the shorter back focus of the EF-S lenses. Which ones to get depends on your budget, the EF-S 17mm to 55mm at f2.8 with image stabilisation lists at £1140 in the UK, or a EF 24 mm F1.4 prime ‘L’ lists at £1890. (‘L’ = Luxury, better weather seals, etc) Obviously you want a wide aperture, but you can halve these prices with less up market Canon lenses – or buy off e-bay. For my still photography I have an EF 24 to 105 mm ‘L’ f4 zoom, a 50 mm f1.4 prime and a 100 to 400 mm f4.5 to f5.6 ‘L’ zoom. The focal lengths are good for my full frame EOS 5D sensor, the equivalents you are looking for with the 7D would be about 60% of these. For reduced depth of field you need wider apertures than my zooms, especially as you will be using shorter focal length lenses, and in big glass, wide aperture does cost money. Have a look at the lens section on http://www.dpreview.com and your local Canon web site. Also check out http://www.eos-magazine.com/EOS%20lenses%20and%20Speedlites/EOS%20system/Lenses/lensdirectoryz.html. Cheers, Bob.

    2. FD lenses can be mounted on EOS cameras unmodified using adapters, but you either lose the ability to focus at infinity or suffer very poor image quality depending on the type of adapter you use.

      However you can get simple cheap adapters to mount Olympus OM, Nikon, Pentax K and M42 lenses on any EOS body and suffer no such problems.

      1. thx bob n skink,
        sorry for my ignorance,
        does that mean any nikon lenses can be used?
        like ones from old SLRs?

        what i’m interested in is the cheapest cost of getting some usable lenses. lenses tp cover general situations and DOF.
        is getting an adaptor and certain the best route on a budget?

          1. thx guys,
            if i were to buy old nikon lenses what should i go for?
            are there 3 cheap old nikons that would cover most situations?
            sorry to ask so many questions but i’m a noob with lenses and video!

        1. Older lenses equipped with a manual aperture ring, so up through the D series Nikkors. NOT the latest G series. They might work, but at maximum aperture only. I really like the 20mm f/2.8 D Nikkor. Very small, very nice FOV on APS chips, minimum distortion.

          1. I have an old 1970s Nikeon E-series 50mm 1.8 that I currently use on my D40. Works great! Manual focus and all. If I get the 7D, hopefully it’ll work good on there too.

  5. Thanks for tackling this topic – it’s been a considerable matter of debate for a while now.

    I guess the other question is: what’s lurking around the corner? As soon as we settle the matter and invest in one camera, another more powerful product is bound to come along and send us all reeling again. I think the coming year will bring exciting improvements to VDSLR capabilities. I’m sitting on the fence for a few months – frustrating and painful though it may be.

  6. Hi Philip,

    Any inside news on the Nikon 700s? I am desperate to buy but I’m a Nikon fan, and the 700 I understand has way better focus than the 5D mkII. And as a stills camera is way better.

    thanks,
    Andy

  7. Good for you Mr Bloom, that is a very fair assessment of the Canon 5D2 & 7D. I was worried that you would swing towards the 7D as it does have far more frame rates. Your assessment will also give 5D2 owners a lot of comfort that they have not just bought a lemon. Your 7D is a pre production but I think it will not change too much before production. I still think Canon should have reduced the 7D in price as technically it is not the same beast, photographically as the 5D2. Interesting to see what Canon pull out of the hat on the 29th September ? PS. Your Indian footage is your best yet, well done, did you edit it or did Greenpeace use a post house.

    1. Edit and grade was done by two separate people. Always good to have a third party edit your work as they bring something fresh to the table. The 7d is overpriced in the UK for sure. $1699 in US, £1699 in the UK. That’s rubbish and will make a lot of people import them which is not a good idea as the Canon warranty is localised so when it goes wrong back to the US it goes!

  8. It might have been covered above, but I think you’re missing a key point of comparison. You’re comparing apples to oranges in a way with image quality vs frame rates.

    Until a firmware comes out for the 5D, you say ‘it’s up to you’ but even if you prefer apples, oranges plus $1000 in cash makes it an easy decision.

    1. I am not comparing apples to oranges. I am comparing Granny Smiths to Golden Delicious. Both Apples but I prefer the look of the green Granny Smith but prefer the taste of the Golden Delicious. But that is where the analogy ends. Frame rates vs Image quality is covered quite clearly. I state categorically that I prefer the image out of the 5d but need the frame rates of the 7d and here in the UK the difference is not $1000, it’s more like $400…making the choice harder. In the US and the rest of the world there is a much bigger price difference but some people categorically need 24p and 25p and others don’t.

      That is why you need to decide do you want a slightly nicer image or do you want the different frame rates?

  9. I’ve ordered the 7D but just wanted to say I’ve watched your 5DM2 DVD a couple times and it is a wealth of great info and tips for shooting with these cams. I’m about to start a new docu and am considering how much frustration and agony might be involved to try it with the 7D…your DVD helped demystify the process of working with these cams, and I may just give it a go now that I have this great info. Thanks a bunch.

  10. You did an honest round up of the current conflict between 5D and 7D. No camera is perfect but a deal breaker for many is certainly selectable fps.

    If the GH1 was as good as it is at it’s best there would be no competition but that’s not the reality.

    1. true but the gh1 cannot compete with either the 7d or 5dmkII when it comes to low light and with a chip half the size of the 5d it’s ability to get shallow DOF is not as great. Still an awesome but flawed camera. Like all of them are!

  11. Hello,

    Two minor suggestions. First, I think it contributes to the general misunderstanding about crop factor when you say “So your awesome Canon L series EF 16-35mm f2.8 constant aperture becomes effectively a 25.6-56mm f2.8 instead.”

    “Effectively” is the wrong word. When you put a TC on a lens, it is the correct word. 200mm f/2.8 + 1.4X TC is *effectively* 280mm f/4, that is correct usage. But when you put 200mm f/2.8 on a 1.6X crop camera it does not “effectively” become something else, like attaching a TC. It is still a 200mm f/2.8.

    A much better word is “equivalent”. 16-35 on a crop camera has an angle of view that is *equivalent* to 25.6-56mm on a full frame camera.

    I strongly suggest using “equivalent” instead of “effective” to avoid misinforming your readers.

    Second, crop factor does not just apply to focal length (angle of view), but other f-number as well. In order to get equivalent DOF, diffraction, light, and noise, simply multiply the f-number by the crop factor. f/2.8 on APS-C is equivalent to f/4.5 on FF. f/2.8 on FF is equivalent to f/1.8 on APS-C.

    Therefore, here is how I would suggest phrasing it: “So your 16-35mm f/2.8 on the 7D is equivalent to a 25.6-56mm f/4.5 on the 5D2”.

    Hope that helps.

    1. Hi Daniel. Thanks for that. I think it’s more semantics than anything. Effectively/ equivalent, not much difference really in the words. I clearly state that it is still a 50mm not an 80mm. I don’t think it will confuse people. But a lot of people are newbies I am trying to simplify things. Going into F-Stops really complicates things.

    2. Hi Daniel,
      Regarding the teleconverter: I think the 1,4x on 200/2,8 will produce a 280mm T4 with the depth of field calculated at f2.8. It is the same as when you use cine zoom lenses where you have two scales: f stops and T stops. The first one for depth of field, the other for exposure.

      1. “I think the 1,4x on 200/2,8 will produce a 280mm T4 with the depth of field calculated at f2.8.”

        Valeriu, I am afraid you are mistaken. A DOF calculator will show that it’s f/4.

        (If you are near macro, bellows factor will may into play.)

  12. the best thing about the 7D is i can save carrying a lot of lenses when travelling with 2 cameras (which will be one 5D and one 7D instead of two 5D in the future).
    through the 7D 1.6x crop factor, with the 16-35 and 70-200 zooms i will have a 16-35mm and 112-320mm range, plus a 25.6-56mm and 70-200mm range if i switch lenses, covering 16-320mm with 2.8 stops and no need for a camera bag with more lenses at daytime. with additional 1.5x or 2x extenders in the pocket, it could even go up to a 480/4 or 640/5.6.
    at night, my nikon 28/1.4 and 85/1.4 will suddenly become four fast prime lenses at 28mm, 44.8mm, 85mm and 136mm! my nikon 24mm tilt shift becomes a 38.4mm, and with 2x kenko extender even a 76.8mm lense, so these expensive 45mm and 85mm tilt shift models are not absolutely necessary anymore. together with a 16mm fisheye, these few items cover nearly everything, and all 24-70mm, 100-400mm, 50mm etc lenses can be left at home!

  13. More like “5d or 7d? That is the EQUATION…”

    Thanks for a useful round-up, your insights into noise/low-light and rolling shutter are particularly useful.

    I assume that a great many HDSLR users and buyers are primarily interested (as I am) in achieving a ‘filmic’ image. As it is, both the 7D and 5D provide better noise and low-light capabilities than Super35 film, so for the ‘digital filmmaker’ that shouldn’t be much of an advantage on the 5D side. Likewise, the larger sensor of the 5D, while helping to give a beautiful image even with modest lenses, does not necessarily contribute to a picture similar to what we’re used to seeing on the silver screen.

    So for users who want their movies to look like Hollywood film, the relevant differences are native frame rates and rolling shutter. The 7D wins on both counts, and is thus likely the better camera for digital cinema *in the style of traditional film cinema*.

    If you prefer not to be held back by the traditional film cinema look, or you are a 70mm / IMAX enthusiast, knock yourself out with the 5D.

    My 1.5 (American) cents.

  14. Hi Phil,
    Thanks for the review. I think there is an error with the diagrams though. The 35mm motion frame size looks like 4 perf academy (4:3) rather than super 35.

    I think the point that a lot of people miss is that the main investment in these things in the lenses and other kit such as good lights and tripods. That is where people should put money into. EF L series lenses for instance will last ten times longer than the technology of a camera body. The bodies almost become through away. I got a 5d because of the amazing canon still lenses that stay sharp even when closed down – something that motion picture lenses have trouble with. I bet your collection of lenses have cost many times more than any of these camera. I know mine has.
    Oh well, off to check for some skid marks on my footage…
    Nigel Ellis

  15. With regard to rolling shutter, as a 20 year video pro, it bothers me to no end to have people (Panasonic included in a corporate video) recommend slower panning.

    We pan fast because we need to.

    Moreover, as The Foundry has demonstrated with their Rolling Shutter [Fixer] software, the rolling shutter affects _motion._ Not just motion of the camera, but motion within the frame.

    I recently watched a music video (a nice one) that touted being shot on the 5DmII and then the drummer moves the sticks (as drummers are want to do) they bend back and forth like wet noodles.

    Are we now supposed to tell him to drum slower?

    I’ll stick with my CCD-based HD camera for video.

    1. limitation of the camera. you work within the limitations of the camera. if your camera sucks in low light, light it or use a different camera. likewise if you need whip pans or to see fast drummer sticks use a different camera. As I have demonstrated with the Greenpeace film you can still have fast motion within the frame and get away with it wit the 5d.

  16. A wonderful, even handed analysis . Thank you very much. You really addressed the questions a lot of us are thinking at the moment. The visual evidence also helps to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses to be considered. After limited communication and assistance to Trammel Hudson, my money is one his amazing skills ( Magic Lantern) to elevate the 5d to a point where it continues to be the camera of choice.

  17. Hey phil just woundering if you still have that protech st-7 shoulder adaptor around. I’d love to see it setup with a dslr , mattebox, zfinder and a monito being powered of the battery plate.

    I ask because I’m considering purchasing a rig like that but can’t my head around the nuts and bolts

    like can one’s eye reach the zfinder, is it even worth it with a marshall… and so on

  18. Philip,

    I just bought a 5D to start to make short documentaries with for the web (have previous experience). I have to say that my real concerns don’t involve frame rates or formats, it’s telling a compelling story. The tools have to allow me to tell the story. If they don’t do that then I need a different tool. To be perfectly honest, 99% of the time my tools aren’t the limiting factor.

    Now I see your situation slightly different than some of us. When you’re paid to deliver footage in a certain format/frame rate you do need a tool that delivers that feature and in the highest quality (because we are often only as good as our last reference).

    I like gear; the smell of Japanese electronics, new gear bag fabric…etc, but gear doesn’t suddenly produce creativity. Something too often forgotten.

  19. Nice one Philip,

    Really appreciate the thoughts that you put down here. Been an avid follower of the blogs for a while now and this is exactly what i was waiting for to make a decision on the camera. I am based in Hong Kong and as it happens was in a shop today asking when the 7D may come in. Low and behold the man from Cannon walks in right then and dumps the newly arrived cameras on the counter, destiny. Out came the wallet and bought one right away. Looking forward to trying it after work tonight and thinking that i may be one of the lucky first people to buy one in Hong Kong… Oh yea baby…

  20. Thanks for this review, probably the best review on this topic today. I ordered a 5DMKII a few months ago, but it gets delayed and delayed, it’s not around to find. So, when I heard about the 7D I cancelled and pre-ordered that camera instead. BUT!!! Am I making a fatal mistake?

    I already bought two expensive lenses:
    EF 85mm F1.2 L II USM
    EF 16-35mm F2.8L USM II

    I also have a BG-E6 battery pack for D5MKII. Does the battery pack work with D7?

    Does the 7D 1.6x crop, totally destroy the purpose with my lenses? Which would more turn out like this:
    EF 136mm F1.2 L II USM
    EF 25.6-56mm F2.8L USM II

    1. That would depend on your purpose Mattias. It is a big shift, especially at the wide end, and there isn’t really an L equivalent to fill that gap. 25.6-56mm makes it close to the 24-70L 2.8 on a 5D which is a popular range. Those 2 lenses are a similar price (Canon UK list).

      For your 85 equivalent you would be looking at the 50mm f1.2 for the 7D which is a fair bit cheaper than the 85mm f1.2. Canons fastest 135mm for a 5D is f2 which is much slower than you will be getting with your 85mm on the 7D but it is also about half the price. Would you use a 135mm enough to warrant that investment? I would be tempted to try and talk the dealer into swapping the 85 for the 50 and the Tokina.

      The battery grip for the 7D is different but they use the same batteries.

      Phil, I was thinking, if you wanted to simulate what a 7D would have done in place of a 5D with the same lens – would dropping some 5D footage into a timeline and scaling it to 160% do the trick? Frame rates and softening aside, it should give you a good idea of field of view, perspective and depth of field shouldn’t it?

  21. Thanks Phillip your article adresses the questions I asked you in email. I just brought a Gh1. Good for my needs pal sd delivery. And I just pre ordered my 7d. If 5D firmware comes along well I spose I will buy one. No simple answers but your opinions are apreciated.

  22. Brilliant post, this is exactly the kind of gold I’ve been digging for.

    I think I’m going to get me a 7D, and if the 5D steps up to the multiple frame rates my 7D can be a second camera………..

    Can you imagine with the 7D its possible to do slow mo, like that you’ve achieved in Alone in Tokyo ? including the rotating shots those rotating shots?

  23. Thank you so much for posting this, Philip. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether to sell my 5D for the 7D, and after reading this I think I probably won’t. Yeah, I’m really hoping for that firmware upgrade to get 24p to come out(is it too much to hope for 60p too?), but even if that doesn’t come out I don’t think I want to put up with a noisier image. Anyway, thanks for this, it’s exactly what I needed to read.

  24. Nice writeup, just one clarification regarding EF-S lenses. There is a common misunderstanding that the focal length on a EF-S is “adjusted” for the crop sensor. This is not the case, it still “suffers” from the same 1.6 crop as a non EF-S lens. Ie. a 10mm EF-S is equivalent to a 16mm lens on a full frame sensor.

    The only thing with EF-S lenses is that they are cheaper to make since the area outside the sensor is not being fully covered by the lens, making it a little cheaper to manifacture. And if you only shoot crop-sensors, why bother with the part outside the sensor that you never use. This is also why they vignette badly if you actually put them on a full sized sensor, since they are not covering the full sensor area.

    Just to clear that up so no one goes off thinking they will get ultrawide 10mm action on a EF-S lens. That 10mm will still only give you 16mm worth of wide angle focal length 😉

  25. Great job Phillip,
    I appreciate so much your work.
    I bought the GH1 30 day ago. Noising ccd in dark condition but excellent in lighting condition. Now I’ve ordered the Canon 7D. I got a collegue in my studio that own a 5D mark II. I wondering when using photo lenses. Swollow DOF it’s fantastic. I got 2 Leica (14-50 f2.8/3.5 and 25mm f1.4) and a lot of Contax Zeiss lenses to use with adaptors. I’ve bought from redrock the cineDSLR kit, and a Glidecam very nice. I prefer to produce in 50P this frame rate let me large range of editing in post. So at this moment I will produce with GH1 and 7D and less things with 5D. Coming from video production now I can’t do without my dslr video recorder for emotional production. That’s it. I hope too that firmware will improved from Canon… In my town lot of collegue are watching me like a UFO… 🙂

  26. Thanks for the detailed comparison. A couple of questions. You mention that at all ISO’s the 7d is grainier than the 5d. Projected on a theatre screen, is it something the average moviegoer would notice or only something the filmmaker with a close attention to technicals would notice?
    Also, I thought you said in the article that the 7d 24p footage is better looking that the 5d 30p footage that was coverted in post to 24p — but that the 5d native footage in 30p was best of all. Did I interpret that correctly. If so, if the 7d produces better 24p footage that you can get out of the 5d, that’s important for a lot of people.
    Thanks again.

      1. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not disagreeing with you since i don’t own either one, i just don’t see how the 5d transcoded to 24p looks worse than the native 7d 24p. the noise and contrast still look better in Sofia’s People than Dublin’s People. I do see some foreground-background shifting in Sofia’s People though. is that what you mean by the 24p transcoding degrading the quality?

        could we get a side-by-side comparison video of the same shot? 5d 30p, 5d 24p, 7d 24p?

        thanks so much.

          1. ah yes. i downloaded them from exposure room and saw them more closely. you’re right.

            analyzing them so closely made me realize that the 7d still has a way to go as far as getting good motion. (unless it’s the mp4 compression). maybe by the next year or so the technology will catch up. until then, i made my choice: 7D. the motion was the deciding factor for me.

            1. I’m not sure how you would get particularly smooth motion from 24p since that’s what it is 24 frames per second. No interlacing involved here so it won’t ever look as smooth as something at a higher framerate, but that just provides more of the filmic effect :-).

  27. Got my first real hands-on today on the 7D at my dealers. No actual use just a bit of fondling. What do you make of the physical handling? It felt more different to the 5D than I expected. Just as a bare camera I would have liked a deeper thumb moulding and I wasn’t entirely convinced by the live view switch which felt a bit flimsy.

    I did take a trip to the menu and change the frame rate a couple of times just because I could – sad eh? Didn’t see 30/60 come up – do they only show if you set the camera to NTSC elsewhere?

      1. Collecting camera bodies is an expensive business when no-one is paying you to use them. My 5D is still off for repair (remember that problem you spotted in the rushes in Dublin?). Not heard of anyone else having the same problem. I have this fantasy that they will tell me the only way they could fix it was with experimental firmware with variable frame rate. Its probably more likely that they will just say its frakked.

        As much as I would like those frame rates, I didn’t have another red mist moment with the 7D. For photography, the 5D is the better choice for the kind of stuff I do and the video capabilities are still more than I could have dreamed of 12 months ago. It will still be a while before I have progressed to the point where not being 24p is the biggest thing wrong with my film making.

        Maybe it was the withdrawl symptoms of being cameraless for a fortnight but I was watching Michael Fletcher’s “Images of the West Kimberley” and I wondered how many of those remarkable images wouldn’t have existed without the advent of the Video DSLR. So what I take from it is that whether your camera ends in a D or starts with a D or perhaps a G keep shooting guys for we live in exciting times.

  28. I have the Sony Z1 with Letus Extreme my lenses are
    Nikon 24mm 2.0,Nikon 50mm 1.4,Nikon 85mm 2.0,
    Nikon 135mm 2.0,Nikon 180 2.8,Nikon 300mm 4.5 all Nikon AIS

    I have read alot about the Video Dslr and I am thinking to change I would keep my Z1 but would sell my Letus and buy the 7D for the DOF cinema look. I would get the the progressive and the slow motion ability what I think is realy nice. Everything about the 7D sounds all very good but what if you had to choose, what do you think is the best D7 or Z1 with Letus extreme?

    Thanks

  29. hey phil
    thanks for all great info

    wet myself watching the downfall hitler video
    been on the 5d fence for awhile but in pal land so didn’t make to much sense

    my questions
    so are the british broadcasters excepting 7d footage (both SD&HD)

    also how to you think the 7d will hold up shooting high motion sports stuff?

    would love the 7d to be able to do stuff like this but sure canon not there yet
    http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=7BOhDaJH0m4

    1. British HD broadcasters are not accepting is as far as I know officially. All my work with them has been for commercials where the guidelines don’t apply.

      No way would I shoot sport with them because of the rolling shutter. Although at 50p the rolling shutter might be less…

  30. Hi all,

    I red lot of comparisons in this blog.
    I am totally still photographer with Canon 5d first generation and 24-105/4, 700-200/4 lens. One 1,4 extender too.
    I am very lazy too changes lenses. It is very bad action for 5d (dust on sensor). So I change a lenses very seldom. 24-105 lens is very suitable for my most work. 24 mm is sometimes not enough for architecture business, so I have to do panoramas for this kind of photos.
    I am interested in some footage too. Mainly I am a photographer. But short mixed still and video clips for weddings and for some commercial clients would add a good value for my work.
    I do not want mess with bad EF-S lens for APS-C sensors. They are absolutely non suitable for big quality photos. I do not want to buy an additional camera like eos 7d, because it has a small sensor. Even my 5d first generation full sensor camera produce a better photo quality than 7d. Especially in low light. Comparisons from
    http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
    There is a big problem. Damn Canon made 5d mark 2 for US market with his 30 fps. I need 24 or 25 fps for Europe. 30 fps is not problem for computer, but I can not create a video 30 fps burned dvd for client. It does not work in dvd player. If I convert 30 fps to 25 fps I will have a total problems with sound. I can not use a direct sound like speech in wedding. And all this converting and is an additional work.
    So there is not a full normal solution for europeans yet. ( for full frame sensor)
    Ok, if I buy a 7d, I have to change my lenses.
    But as 11-16mm Tokina or 16-35 mm Canon. They are not suitable for quick reportage. 24-105 mm covers almost all. I want that video and full frame still are in one camera body. No lot of stuff. No several cameras around my neck. Second should be for backup only. Conclusion-all this technology is in evolving process and it is not yet enough good.

    All the best
    http://wwwjaaknilson.ee

  31. Thank you Philip,this has been a great help,i like many was a little worried that i had bought a 5dMK2 lemon after the release of the 7D but after this wonderful review I’ve decided too stick with the 5dMK2,i will sleep a lot better now especially when i silence my neighbors randy cat, we are spoiled these days with the technology at our disposal,you work with what you’ve got and we have more than our teachers ever dreamed of, peace

  32. Easy, fast question: After reading your article and ALL the comments, I’m assuming the 7d would be perfect and better than the 5d to shoot events right? Still pictures, people getting married, portraits, candids, etc…

    What do you think?

  33. Hi Phillip;

    living in the world of NTSC, the 30p isn’t a real problem and i’ll be totally real when i say ain’t no one hiring me for something that would require filmic applications – that’s when they’ll give someone like yourself a call! That said, i’ll probably stick with the 5d. Anyhoo, I have a question regarding broadcast delivery. You mentioned that the BBC won’t take 5d – did you mean that it won’t take it natively in the h264 or even if converted to something else, meaning the actual footage quality is unnaceptable. If say the BBC will take 5d footage (converted) – what are the odds of maybe putting up a post/tutorial regarding delivery of 5D/7D footage?…pretty please with a cherry on top.

  34. Good comparision. Honestly, If I had been waiting, right now I would buy the 7. On the other hand I love the look of the 5D footage – and the photos I can shoot with it. The 7D is ways too crisp IMO. So I decided to wait for the next big step before changing my camera. The 5D is, after all, the best still camera around.

    Though there is one extra advantage of the 7D quite visible in your test footage: At the bottom of the venetian blinds you can see strong aliasing with both models. But chroma aliasing seems to be much better controlled with the 7D.

  35. Just to help out… the rolling shutter is better because the chip is smaller. Rolling shutter on cmos is caused because chip records info as a scan of the chip so each line from top to bottom say. That mean of panning of moving fast the top line is recorded before the bottom line and so the scene has changed. The smaller the chip the less that difference will be as there are less lines to scan. This is why I think the 5d may not get a 24p update as the problem may be unacceptable at that chip size. CCD’s flash the whole chip in one go so they don;t suffer the problem.

    7d is looking like a great camera.

  36. After writing these articles and answering all these posts, do you really have time to work?? You’re GOD Mr. Bloom. I bet you have a troop of dwarfs doing hours! 🙂
    Thanks for taking your time! For me it has been very usefull.
    P.D: 5D or 7D? Go for both!

  37. Phil,

    sorry to hear about the audio mess so short before the deadline. What about simply dropping every 1000th frame?

    Wish you loads of luck with the DVD,

    Thomas

    1. Sorry, but people who are against universal health care might not have workflow issues, but many, many other issues. The most pressing issue might be the fact on how badly they have been indoctrinated by right-wing media.

        1. The guy posts an overtly political video making us waste 5 minutes of our lives watching a bunch of right wing turkeys calling for Christmas to come every day. There must be a Sanity Clause allowing common sense a right to reply. As for the video fluttering US flags over Slave owner Abe lincoln, my god the imagination and originality blew me away. Such an asenine vacuous simplistic video, is the guy looking for a job on Fox.

          1. yeah sorry. didn’t get chance to click on link. just seen it. let’s keep politics away from my site please. Too hot a potato.

            For the record I am a “stinkin’ liberal” and if it were up to me we would all go back to the 1967 and the Summer of Love. Gutted i missed it!

            Too my friends of all political persuasions. Please don’t post any links to work that might offend people, including myself! Peace!!

    2. What an awful video. Why care so much about image quality if it is to serve such a retarded content ? I would prefer watch interesting thinks shot on mini dv.

  38. Hey Phil:

    Re: the 29.97 thing…On 5D footage, Cineform’s Neo Scene converts to a 29.97 frame rate automatically, conforming the sound track to.

        1. ayep – I had a similar problem, and found that Cineform alter the frame rate of 5Dmk2 footage from it’s native 30fps to a more ‘useful’ 29.97… useful, that is, until you have to match it to sound recorded at the same time ;-]
          That’s why your audio is slightly out.
          You can either timestretch footage again by 0.1% in your NLE, or if you spring for the more expensive NeoHD version over NeoScene, you have the option of specifying a speed correction during conversion – so you apply the reverse 0.1% of the 0.1% that happens automatically and you’re theoretically back where we started at 30fps – with an audio that should be in synch.
          Hopefully ;-]

          good luck,

          Andy Mac

  39. Hi Phil,

    nice help as usual.
    Do you still use your Zeiss lenses with the 7D? Even with a crop factor?
    Your Zeiss lenses are ZE or ZF? Is it possible (no problem at all?) to use ZF (for Nikon) Zeiss lenses with Canon 7D? With a ring adaptor? Which one?

    Thanks very much.

      1. For a use with a new 7D in your opinion is it better to buy new Zeiss primes:

        1. ZE line?
        or
        2. ZF line with ring adaptor?

        Optic quality and construction are the same on both?

      2. just want to let you know I got my 7D today in Los Angeles. I got a novoflex nikon adapter but I am looking for others as this one is 300 dollars. I will look into fotodiox as you mentioned. thnx for your research.

          1. I just ordered mine today. one with the focus finder. 2 pro and one consumer.
            I got this camera to shoot a feature film on that will be projected in theaters in europe. Have you thrown this image 100 feet across a darkened room yet? I’m nervous and confident.

  40. Have to agree, the 30p from the 5Dmk2 is a major PITA.
    If you need to convert to 29.97, though, try using the Cineform codec – it automatically converts to 29.97 during the [fast] conversion process.

    …Which is actually also a pain if you have to synch with an external or previously recorded sound track, as it means you have to now timestretch *that* by 0.1% to match, but for visuals only it might help.

    Cheers,

    Andy

    1. Had to transcode 5d30p to 29.97 for some multiclips in FCP.
      Took forever… and the drift. I would have given the time I spent fixing this to help the DOP better light 7d shot at 24p.

  41. Hi Philip

    I have the Sony Z1 with Letus Extreme my lenses are
    Nikon 24mm 2.0,Nikon 50mm 1.4,Nikon 85mm 2.0,
    Nikon 135mm 2.0,Nikon 180 2.8,Nikon 300mm 4.5 all Nikon AIS

    I have read alot about the Video Dslr and I am thinking to change I would keep my Z1 but would sell my Letus and buy the 7D for the DOF cinema look. I would get the the progressive and the slow motion ability what I think is realy nice. Everything about the 7D sounds all very good but what if you had to choose, what do you think is the best D7 or Z1 with Letus extreme?

    Thanks

      1. Hi Phillip

        After long thinking I decided to go with the Sony EX1 with my letus extreme and sell my Sony Z1 because the Sony EX1 has more capabilities then the 7D.I will get my Sony EX1 this Friday and my Sony PMW-EX1/EX3 Optimization Kit I’m very excited.

        Thanks Rudy

  42. Philip, What makes the 5D image ‘better’ to you in comparison to the 7D. Is it more dynamic range, better color, or do you just like that ultra wide look of Full Frame? I’m about to sell my 5D for a 7D because I really don’t believe Canon will upgrade these framerates.

  43. “Autofocus in video in not a professional tool. When shooting video, everything should be manual!”

    Philip, could you humor a question from a non-video/film, non-professional amateur still photographer (soon to be a 7D owner) about the above quote. Is it your absolute opinion, or is it based upon the inadequacies of AF for video that presently exist? With the advent of HDTV, imprecise and sloppy focus pulling has become very obvious to the casual viewer (me).

    What if we had really good AF? For example, no hunting, and the focus “puller” could choose any location in the frame (maybe even out of the frame) on, say, a touch screen, to be the focus point. Maybe you define multiple focus points at different locations on the screen, and the AF mechanism can transition between them at a user-selectable rate (linear or not), or those multiple focus points could be subtle clicks that the focus puller could go between by turning a nice, big, smooth, weighted, no-backlash knob? And so on.

    Is it tradition, regardless of how good the technology might get? Or is there something artistic that AF is intrinsically incompatible with, no matter how sophisticated it might get? Or something that’s just not obvious to an outsider?

    Thanks for humoring me, and thank you for this great resource on DSLR video!

  44. I know you’re on a Mac with FCP, so maybe this doesn’t apply, but I transcode all of my footage with Cineform’s NeoScene and it automatically converts my video to 29.97 and if I’m using camera audio, it slows it down and pitch corrects it with absolutely no problems. It’s also does a very fast conversion. I’ve been really happy with this solution. Is there not a similar solution for FCP?

  45. Just patch the files of the 5D Mk II to let them have 29.97, that’s what I’m going to with all my clips and I did that manually (it’s 2 locations in the file) once, worked fine.
    For my bunch of files now I will probably write a small Java app to do that for a batch.

  46. Philip,

    It just dawned on me!!

    You still have to convert the 7D H264 files in order to edit. Doesn’t that degrade the image quality like it does when you convert the 5D H264 files? you said that transcoding the 5D files to 24p made the quality worse.

    Or, does it only degrade the image when you change frame rates?

    thanks evermore,
    Jason

  47. got my 7d here in germany today, compared it with the 5d, and philips experience seems to be right: 7d has less rolling shutter problems (but still moire issues i hate) and a bit more noise (but still on a very good level). the big advantage of walking around with a 5d and a 1.6x mm-factor 7d and less lenses (as a 50mm prime can replace an additional 80/85mm on the 7d) is indeed pretty much destroyed by the fact that one camera is shooting 30,00 frames a second and the other 29,97. canon needs to come up with a 5d software update more than ever now! a nice feature for photographers on the 7d is the new one touch button that lets you choose to shoot a raw pic by pic, without going to the menu all the time. always hated to have either tons of raws shot additionaly to jpg i didnt need, or no raws saved at all when i needed just one among hundreds of shots.

  48. Hi Philip, I’ve got in my hand the 7D now. I’m making some test but the Canon show me compression artifact more than the GH1. Very evident in straits line lot of scaling. I know the ccd is bigger than GH1 but the AVCHD codec seems to works better than MPEG4. What do you thing about it. I’m very Sad. 🙁

  49. hmm, interesting update – that means not only if you shoot audio with another cam and intercut , but if you record separate audio and plan to intercut (with another cam shooting 30fps) – it will ‘drift’ or slowly get out of sync over time due to the 5D not running exactly 29.97 right?

    so if the 1D rumours are right and we get a
    5D image quality or better with 24/25/30(true)/50/60 @ 1080p due to digic 5 – we are looking at a real killer cam who gets the best of both worlds… probably worth the $$ they are going to charge for it no doubt…

  50. My 7d just arrived this morning, too bad I am not at home now, studying at university…
    Amazon Germany, Photo-Universal : 1629€

    Getting my Novoflex Nik/Eos adapter tomorrow.
    Hope my 16:9 Nikon G/Canon Eos adapter will arrive soon, since most of my lenses are Nikkor G lenses!

    Will post news about my camera adventures on my website!

  51. Good Afternoon Philip, How does the Panasonic GH1 video capture compare to Canon’s 7D & 5D MarkII?

    I’ve never owned a video camera but I do own a 5D classic and various f2.8 L glass.

    Recently I’ve considered adding something for video capture of the geysers at Yellowstone National Park.

    I’ve got no video skills, no video edit software, but I’d like to get the geysers in motion.

  52. Great post sir!

    I think it’s worth noting that although the 5D is the only video shooter out there with a full frame sensor you can still get full frame FOV using 35mm adapter kits with dedicated video cameras…sure the sensors are smaller but at least your lenses behave as advertised.

  53. Thank you Mr Bloom for the amazing minutes I spent watching your videos.
    I’m just curious though, the videos that are being uploaded to vimeo aren’t they being converted from the 5d’s 30fps to the 29.97fps automatically via vimeo’s compressor/converter! and aren’t they still looking as amazing as they do!
    secondly, which quality is better the converted 30p to 24p of the 5d or the native 24p of the 7d?
    I understand that the quality of the 5d is just amazing but would it be as good or better still than the 7d’s native?
    thank for your input in advance.

  54. Hey Philip,

    I am a big fan of your work and I intensely appreciate your posts on the 5D and 7D. I am hoping to purchase a DSLR soon and I have heard from a friend of mine about the overheating issue with the 7D. How has your experience been?

    Thanks!

  55. Don’t you think Canon will give out -in a few month- a firmware wich makes the 5D Mark II possible to shoot in 24/25p?
    It depends on marketing guys, I think…

  56. Phil,

    I notice the comments made about the 7D and potential overheating issues in warm climates and longer continuous shooting.

    Have you experienced them yourself in FL, and if so was it only with the 7D or the 5dmk2 as well?

    Interested to hear as to be honest I am a little concerned by this and may hang back on the 7D?

    Also, I’m still working out whether to get a 7D to use alongside the existing 5d2 (and shoot both at 30p and convert final film) or whether to ditch the 5d2 and get 2 x 7D’s and edit all in 25p? Decisions decisions! Your tuppence?

    Oh and i’m in UK, hence my interest in 25p!

    cheers

    Steve

      1. OK thanks, hopefully the production models have that fixed, although the chances of such hot weather here in the UK…well.. not much of a worry anyway is it 🙂 cheers

        1. i had 2 5ds on ibiza some weeks ago at 35 degrees celsius, and both stopped working correctly at the same time when they got too hot – not stopping completely, but did switch to auto mode while being in manual mode. after avoiding to leave the cameras in the sun for too long, and liveview turned off after 1 minute, the problem was gone.

  57. Still totally unsure… Sorry another blatant req for help (I do have the 5d DVD). Maybe a common question but…

    I already have a 5d2 and I want to get another DSLR to shoot 2 cam events with in the UK…. so should I….

    a) get another 5d2, shoot everything in 30p and then convert once the final film to 24 or 35p

    b) get a 7D and use it alongside the 5d2 but shoot both in 30p and convert as above?

    c) ditch the 5d2 and buy 2 x 7D’s and shoot in 25p

    Any thoughts? Thanks again Philip.

      1. one nice new feature of the 7d is that you finally can start/stop video through a wireless remote control (new camera/photo button switch the 5d doesnt have makes it possible). could be helpful for your events as well. both canon remote controls (20-25 euros each) are good for it, while the rc-5 is best, as it works pointing from every angle, not just front as the rc-1. another new addon is the electronic spirit level that can help in live view mode. all in all the 7d is better – just the wide angle range below 18mm is not possible with it, as even the widest lense for dx (11-16mm tokina) is just 17.6-25.6mm compared to full frame. i like the shots with full frame lenses sigma 12-24mm, canon 16-35mm and nikon 14mm, so i will keep at least one 5d.

  58. Philip, I really need your help. I have been watching your videos for the past few years when I was thinking about buying an EX1. Well now I have the money and was wondering what equipment you would purchase with a limited budget. I can either get a 7d and an EX3 or get 2 7D’s and purchase some extra lenses. Currently I have the 16-35 II 2.8 L, 70-200 2.8 L, and the 300 2.8 L. If I go with the 7D’s alone I can pick up some of the other primes 50 1.8 L, 85 1.8 L etc. I could really use some expert advise. I would also pick up an audio recording system to get good sound. Thank you so much.

  59. If the end result is HD footage where does the sensor size come into effect. The 5D is 35mm Full Frame the 7D is APS-C… close to Super 35mm. If the 5D is outputting to HD footage how is it better then APS-C, close Super 35. Is DoF and Lens choices the two reasons for Full Frame or have I missed others. Thanks

  60. Got a question, these films look beautiful and I know it is a pain to convert the files from the 5D MKII from 30 to 29.97 or 24, but I do own one and use it for everything that does not include dialogue (I love the picture quality from it)
    I am facing a dilemma no, albeit a good one. I can either purchase an EX3 or an EX1 and a 7D. I havent had a chance to play with a 7D yet but having 2 cameras that recorded in 24P or 29.97 seems more appealing.

  61. Read you use Zeiss lenses…. is it possible to use a Zeiss ultra cineprime? or just the still version of Zeiss.

    ANYONE KNOW? I read about some adaptors for PL mounts but seem unproven

  62. Thanks Phil. Love that you take the time to share this information.

    More than 90 percent of my work goes on the web. And buying gear I take this into consideration. But then again, I do get tvc’s and do shoot for film festivals. And I think the ex1, 5D and 7D are quite capable of all these platforms.

    I’m not sure where your Greenpeace commercial was used (which is awesome by the way) but would you have been just as comfortable shooting that on the 7D or ex3 with letus? Knowing that it will be used on television?

    cheers mate

    Geoff

  63. Just received the 7D this week and had it out in -10C weather. It did well, the rolling shutter effect seemed more noticable on one shot.

    The manual states (p257) it’s good to -40C or -104F?! -104F is -75C! In anycase I’d be afraid of taking out past -15C for very long.

    First impressions, I miss some features of traditional video camera’s. Love the ability to change lenses at the $2000 price point.

  64. Hi Philip
    Was just wondering if you had noticed an anomaly with 7D footage.
    It appears that nearly all of the 7d footage I have seen exhibits a sharp horizontal shimmer (tearing) effect when a subject is moving in shot….it follows the subject and appears to be each successive frame struggling to line up with the next…

    Any thoughts here?

    Cheers

    Justin

  65. Philip, thanks for all the great info on the two cameras. I have two questions for you if you don’t mind.

    If they don’t come out with the firmware for the 5D do you think soon they will come out with a newer camera that has a full frame chip and does 24P? Should I hold out?

    I am deciding between getting a 5D/7D with a great lens or getting a Sony EX1 with a Letus (I understand the price differences; so igoring price), which would you go with (simply considering quality of image)(I am a total film guy who wants shallow DOF and total film look)?

    Thanks!!

  66. Does anyone know if there is a lens equivalent to the 24mm 1.4 while using on a 7d??? I love that thing! It would need to be a 15mm 1.4, I am sure hard to find and very expensive.

  67. hi philip
    iam owner of red camera, but for another shoot i need because of its small size the d7. so i have it here.
    1. how do i cange metadata (for slomo)
    2. the RS in 1080p is horrible. as handcamera 100% NOT useable in my eyes. a joke. is there a solution? in 70p its dramatically better, but i need 1080p.
    i cant imagine that all the “quite good” stuff shown was shot in 1080p?

    thanks for your advice

      1. thanks. ok.
        but is it possible to use this RS stuff as car rigged cams? i think not. i saw some clips with rigged D5, but no idea how they achieved a good image. maybe my hands are to shaky, but it´s hardly useable here.

  68. How’re tricks Philip? There have been some developments and I will be returning to Canon in the coming weeks after 17+ years shooting Nikon. I started all those years ago with the brilliant Canon T90 before a staff job issued me with Nikon gear.

    I hope to FULLY embrace hd video via the entirely compelling 7D. Getting very excited. Will likely get two of them and a bunch of Canon primes along with Tokina zooms. Or I might simply fire my Nikkor primes through an adaptor. Ultimately, if I can afford it, I would like the Canon primes with inbuilt i.s. as I prefer to shoot guerilla style, handheld. Not big into tripods. I’m too frenetic for that.

    I’ve learned a lot from you, Philip, both here at your blog and those two interesting days at Sky. Thank you.

    Best,
    Paulyman.

  69. NEW 5D Firmware Announced! According to dpreview Canon announced a new firmware for the 5D mark 2 letting it record in full 1080p 24 and 25fps. No word about true 30fps (29.97) does this now make the 5D better. After reading this I was set on the 7D but now I’m confused haha. I am sure if they are releasing 24 and 25fps rates that they will change the 29.97 fps rate for the 5D maybe even adding 60fps(which would be amazing)

  70. “Easy. I prefer the image from the 5d, I prefer the stills from the 5d, I prefer the full frame of the 5d but I prefer the frame rates, 24, 25p and the “slow motion” of 50p and 60p. I also prefer the marginal less noise of the 5d.”

    “My opinion has changed. I prefer the 7d for one very simple reason. I HATE the 30p of the 5d. Not the look but the actual frame rate. It is TRUE and EXACTLY 30p. Not 29.97 like every other video camera that shoots 30p. I am trying to edit together a massive training DVD on the 7d shot using 2 5dmkII and one EX1. All the audio is on the ex1 and neither PLURALEYES or FCP Multicam is having any of it. My only option is to either convert ALL the EX1 footage to exactly 30p using compressor or ALL the 5dmkII stuff to exactly 29.97. I tried to do this and it has been going for a day and it has barely scratched the surface. So for this reason I say 7d because the 7d has proper 30p, that is 29.97. Not the 30p that is compatible with nothing but the 5dmkII! Canon obviously realised this and gave the 7d the right frame rate(s)
    Of course if you never plan to intercut 5d with anything else then don’t worry. The 5d still has a better image!!”

    What about now Phil?
    5D vs 7D
    with 2010 firmware? Frame rates issues solved for 5D.

    5D is full frame – better video, better stills bigger sensor, low noise, full EF, ZEISS, etc; lens compatible. More than one year old.
    Is it again the good choice the legenday Canon 5D mark II? ;-D

    I´m in europe so price isn´t a huge issue between these cameras.
    Well?
    P.

    1. Pansottin, I echo your concerns and would also love to hear Phillip’s response to this

      I will be doing equal work with the camera I choose to buy (5D or 7D) in both stills and video

      do we: get the 7d now as it has variable frame rates and wait until canon puts out the improved ver of the 5DmkII that is everything plus full frame sensor??? or will the firmware take care most of everything?

  71. I would love to know your recommendations for fast wide lenses to achieve maximum depth of field using the 7D To me, it doesn’t matter which manufacturer, canon, nikon, tokina, etc. Thanks in advance.

    paul

  72. Hi Philip,
    The folks at MediaStorm recently posted a 5DMk2 workflow (http://mediastorm.org/submissions/Setting_up_Final_Cut_Pro_for_Canon_5DMarkII_Video.pdf) which states that the 5D is recording at 29.97 but incorrectly tagging the file as 30fps — they use Cinema Tools to conform it back to 29.97. Any comments (from you or others in the know) on this workflow and the assertion that the 5D really is recording at 29.97?
    Many thanks!
    – dave

  73. Hey Phillip I got my hands on one of the 7d cameras from Best Buy last week. I have 45 days to return with no restocking fee, which is a great deal. Knowing that the 5d will have 24p and 25p firmware update next year I am unsure of what to do. I can’t see getting a second 5d because of the cost difference. Do you think I am making a huge mistake if I keep the 7d and mix it up with the 5d?? I may have mostly answered my own question here. Would you have gotten a 7d after you knew about the 5d firmware update? Just wondering wwpd? What would Phillip do? There is alot to like about the 7d. Thanks for any thoughts you can share here.

    Jerry Cleveland

  74. Just a thought, Philip… seeing Sofia’s and Dublin’s People side by side, I think you may have discovered doppelgangers! Compare:

    Sofia’s – 00:44
    Dublin’s – 00:55

    Long lost twins? Maybe you should do the good thing and unite them 😉

  75. hey there.

    first things first. warm welcome.

    now.

    i´m a young photographer and film-maker. im working as video editor in a small company.

    im thinking buying the 5d or 7d. i want to shoot and film.

    i´ve seen a lot of forum to see the best one to buy.

    in your opinian what do think its better? quality vs price.

  76. Hi Phillip,

    Thanks for all the great information on this site. I have recently been shooting an interview-based documentary and have been experimenting with both the 5D and the 7D. I am absolutely amazed at the images I can get, especially in truly tight spaces – I can shoot an interview in what feels like a closet and still get the background out of focus! For someone who has made a lot of PBS documentaries, I think the dslr as video camera is a game changer.

    Question: Have you noticed significant overheating issues with the 7D? Very different overheating performance between the 7D and 5D?

    I ask because I rented the 5D and shot 3 1.5 hour interviews back to back to back and not once did I get an overheating signal (actually I never saw this on the 5d). I then tried the 7D and about 45 minutes into the first interview I got the overheating warning. I managed to get about 20 more minutes out of it before it shut down. That’s was a real bummer because I wanted to purchase the 7D instead of the 5D but now I am hesitating. (Also, am I correct in saying that the 5D only has automatic video mode while the 7D has the option for manual? That’s a huge bonus for the 7D if it didn’t overheat).

    Let me know your thoughts on this one overheating issue. I am hoping its an anomaly.

    Thanks,
    Corey

  77. My question is simple. I work for a small agency in Georgia, USA, and we have a crummy excuse for a 35mm adapter. Naturally, I am trying to get my boss to let us upgrade this piece specifically, as we are shooting on an HVX200. The 35mm adapter is really what we need most. We are on a tight budget, so I can only get one or the other, but I was thinking of trying to get the Canon 7D rather than the Letus Extreme. Now, I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but like I said, we can only afford to get one or the other. I have plenty of know-how in getting audio recorded separately for the video, so that’s not an issue. I simply want to hear an opinion of someone that has had the chance to use both systems.

    Thanks in advance.

      1. Mostly 30-second commercials and 4-minute infomercials. Our clients range from local restaurants to car dealers to fitness training clubs. Our most used piece of equipment for bigger projects is a crane…for sweeping shots and big pans. We do some slow-motion and emotional type commercials with a cinematic feel…nothing too funny. Mostly, I’d like to have a piece of equipment that allows me to be more creative and less worried about a broken 35mm adapter.

        Like I mentioned, we have a 35mm adapter, but it has been dropped and broken and then fixed with super glue. It really isn’t worth a dime in my opinion. My boss, however likes the idea of having the 7D in order to use it with the HVX200 for multi-camera shoots.

  78. Bloom, trying to figure out the cropping issue for wide lenses due to the sensor size of the 7d. Since the image shown is wide, but simply smaller that the full frame couldn’t you just resize it in post. Wouldn’t it have the same pixel count as an uncropped image from a APS accommodating lens?

      1. Ha, sorry the military got me in to the habit of the last name thing…Phil, I was basically wondering if I can get lenses for the 7d that with work if I choose later to get a full frame sensor camera? Or am I stuck with the black perimeter?

        Thanks,
        Maury

  79. Phil, is the DVD ‘Learn 5d mkII Cinematography’ available in the UK on UK format – couldn’t find any reference over at F-STOP?

    Incidentally really appreciate your knowledge share – thank you

  80. Hello Phillip,

    Your guidance has been indispensable. I have been following your site and have bought and watched your 5D MK2 DVD…. Very helpful! Thanks!

    I do travel documentary work and i was going to bring 2 5D MK2’s for an upcoming 4month project in Africa.

    The Plan was to convert to 24p, but now the 7D is here I am thinking to trade those 5D’s for 7D’s.

    My Question Is: In your (respected) opinion, is the image quality loss of transforming the 5D 30p video to 24p, greater then the quality loss of switching from a 5D to a 7D.

    I can’t really wait on the firmware upgrade because the project is set to start in January.

    Please Advise :Senior Bloom

    Thanks – ALex

      1. Thanks for the response,

        Yes i have the cameras

        I have one 5D and one 7D now at this point. so i am testing them against each other.

        I find the 5D image quality superior, which makes me want to choose the 5D.

        but

        The problem in testing is that it is hard to tell the difference between the 24p 5D footage and the 24p 7D footage on my computer’s screen

        the final project is likely to be shown at outdoor/adventure filmfests where its going to be blown up to the big screen… if only i could blow up the footage I would know.

        Ever seen a big screen comparison?

        Honestly, I am worried about the big screen showings being “lack luster” in image quality using either of the Canon DSLRS. But the portability is key to the project.

        Anyways,

        Thanks So much for everything you have done on the internet. Seriously everybody and anybody i talk to about DSLR video knows you, yoursite, and has been watching all your videos. its weird. we are all connected… somewhat intimately before we meet.

        Thanks man, good luck with all things.

  81. is 7d-stuff good enough for broadcasting?
    what about bitrates, colorspace, codec?
    officially (in germany) you need at least 50mbit/s and 4:2:2 …
    they won’t check every time but isn’t it too risky to deliver films shot with the 7d? – no matter how “good” they look on the first view?
    are the limitation visible or is it just figures and “theory”?
    how good does the material look when it is broadcastet?
    the quality you see on your nle is not relevant …

    1. I have been in contact with the camera research and development dept in the BBC and they are not accepting any of the DSLR’s as true HD and say buy the time they are broadcast they are closer to standard Def, due to bitrates, compression, image quality and many of the things you mention. Also due to the way the cameras are designed and use their chips for gathering HD and missing out pixels they are not there yet according to those in BBC.
      As far as I’m concerned they are another useful tool in the kit bag and may be useful for more specialist stuff.
      I have also not yet seen any of them blown up on a big screen in some sort of comparison, but others have told me they don’t hold up as well as Broadcast cameras. But hey, massive difference in price, I just feel they are a bit over hyped at the moment, and are a way off from being used on many major productions.

  82. Hi Phil,
    Thank you for a lot of great insight.
    Can you please explain more about Tokina lens behaviour? From the blog entry I understand that on one hand it is EF-S like lens as it results in vignette with full sensor camera like Canon 5D. On the other, you have to do this x1.6 calculation while using it with EF-S camera like Canon 7D.
    Thank you a lot, I appreciate you work and dedication,
    Take care,
    Ed.

  83. Hey Phillip, I assume you heard about the 24p 25p update for the 5D scheduled for the first half of 2010?
    How does this now change your view of the overall comparison?

  84. “I have been in contact with the camera research and development dept in the BBC and they are not accepting any of the DSLR’s as true HD”

    Now, I haven’t tried any of these cameras but I’m thinking of buying one for shooting commercials and to use for other broadcasting purposes. And I find this a bit disturbing.

    How would they tell the difference from any other source?
    Sounds VERY arbitrary. If it looks good well, it looks good.
    If you can deliver stuff shot on for example DVC ProHD from a HVX200, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to deliver from a DSLR.
    Yes, the H264 codec is compressing hard and I would expect that material shot on D5 or D7 wouldn’t be very usefull in a compositing environment but for broadcast…?
    I think it all comes down to how it’s compressed to the requested delivery format. Broadcasters have different specs to what they need.
    If this BBC thing is true then all the artistic freedom is gone, I mean, what happens if i shoot 35mm film and decided to add a lot of grain and other “artifacts” in post because this is how I want to tell my story? Would that be rejected too by the BBC?

  85. Im an aspiring filmmaker in Fairbanks Alaska, I think the 7d is the best option but my serious question would be my sound options,,,,iv been reserching your site and Im learning all that a can but I need to know is Cinema tools best for editing with the 7d?… I do own a mac laptop will it be fine for editing or will iMovie work with 7d?…..my first film can be googled on video called “Operation Letherneck” it needed more work but the magic there. Great work Mr. bloom you have inspired me greatly id be lost without this helpful site, cant wait for RED SCARLET.

    1. Hi Benjamin. 7D is great but you really need Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere. You also need to convert the footage out of its native codec into an editable one and there are guides on my site for that.

  86. Hi Philip,

    Have used the RED One for numerous productions over the last 12 months. The Canon EOS 7D is intriguing, and seems like a cost-effective alternative to the RED One, but the H.264 compression worries me.

    My production company produces television commercials and music videos. I wouldn’t think the H.264 compression would be an issue there, but what about low-budget features projected in 35mm?

    In theory, I guess you could get around the compression issue with the right lenses and enough light, but in your experience, would that be enough?

    Cheers,

    Matt

  87. I’ve been searching through the archives for comparisons of the D7 and D5 and came across this. I believe the D5 will let you do variable speeds now with the latest firmware update. Does this change your mind on the D7 over the D5?

    I’m a Nikon user getting ready to switch over and would like to go for the D5, but just like everyone else fear as soon as I buy a D5 Canon will release something newer! Any advice? I’m guess that’s just the way it goes.

    Glad to hear Nikon lenses will work!

  88. Philip, I’m sure many have discovered that when using a tap with the 5Dmrkii or the 7D the live view is switched off and only the external monitor is used. Do you know if there is anyway to overide this so that the operator can still use the live view while the focus puller uses the external monitor? I’ve looked around and been surprised that no one has really mentioned this. Thanks for the response.

  89. Hi
    This may seem like a daft question but I am in this situation..
    I have a Sony Z1E and an A1E. Great cameras and have served me well.
    I want to get out of tapes as at £250 a pop to get them fixed I want as few moving parts as possible!
    I need 2 cameras and cannot afford 2 EX1s.. (Who can???)
    Is jumping from Z1/A1E to 7ds going to be a move in the wrong direction? All I am interested in is the picture.
    We are shooting some short films and a feature later in the year. Does it hold up to projection??
    HELP????
    I’m excited but I don’t know why..
    Cheers for now
    Mat

  90. Hi Mr Bloom!

    I’m a fan of your work and I really appreciate the fact that you give advice to aspiring film makers.

    I’m going to go ahead with a Canon 7D as opposed to Mark II because I really like the look of 24p.

    But the 1.6x is proving to be a bit of a problem in that I can’t get wide angle lenses other than really expensive ones. More expensive than the 7D body itself.

    So, my stupid question: I have a video camera, the Canon XL-2. It came with a Canon 20x zoom XL 5.4-108mm L IS II Lens. Is that usable on a 7D? Would this then be a wide-angle lens?

    Thanks.

      1. Thank you so much for the advice. I was thinking about the Tokina myself but a professional cameraman told me its not great glass. Plus that its always better to get primes instead.
        I’ll get it now that you say its brilliant.
        Thanks!
        Any suggestions on a good normal for the 7D? I want to be able to get something 50mm ish (functionally, after factoring in the 1.6x) with a f/1.4.
        I think its absolutely great you actually give advice to people.

    1. Thank you Phillip for leading the way to information and excellence. Based on all the knowledge you provided I bought the 7D and a cheep 50mm cannon lens (90. usd) that’s it I was hooked – gave the lens away and spent a fortune on L glass and Cam support from RedRock. I went cheep on a WA lens(because the L glass and Redrock broke my bank) and for a Wide lens I went with Sigma EX 10 – 20. (luv It) I also have a Cannon 24mm prime and it is smashing even in small spaces. My obscured point is HOW WIDE do people need to get. I’ve been shooting film and video for 30 years and these lenses even with the 1.6 mag are fantastically wide. This technology and this camera are the greatest thing to hit indie film making since the Amiga Toaster and Stedycam JR. I am glad I spent the money on Glass and Support though because I’m already seeing things change an get cheaper with the T2 ( a great little emergency back up) and next the Scarlet – The glass and support will transcend when the 7D becomes the next ebay special (not any time soon.

      SAVE YOUR ASS – BUY GOOD GLASS

  91. Philip, first of all, congrats for your amazing job!

    Besides had read your comparison, I still with this awful doubt, about buy 5D MkII or 7D. I prefer the 5D, because I usually shot in small rooms (and the 7D cropped sensor would be a problem) and because it’s image looks so much better. But the 5D’s 30p scares me a lot.

    My question is: there’s no doubt that Canon will release the new firmware, including 1080 24p, 25p and 30p to 5D MkII? Is it sure?

    Many T1i users was expecting new firmware too, but, instead of it, Canon releases the T2i. My fear is that, instead of the new 5D’s firmware, Canon releases a 5D MkIII or something like it. Do you think is it possible?

    And, another question. Do you have problems with 7D overheating? Does the 5D MkII also has this prolem?

  92. Phil,
    Love ya work mate….& thank you for your blog.
    I’m looking at switching over from Nikon to Canon….only for the 7D!
    My only sticking point is I have a few of Nikon lenses already in my swag.
    I hear you can purchase a Nikon to Canon adaptor (& vice versa), but do you know if my lens will lose any quality or make the lens less responsive with focus etc when using the adaptor.

    Cheers
    Lance

  93. fantastic post mr bloom!

    there are so many people out there wondering what the hell to do over this, i am one of those people.

    i was soooo frustrated when the 7d came out, mainly because of its 60p and fast burst rate, i came very close to selling it and its still an option, if canon do not bring out the firmware for 60p then i think i will definitely sell, its the biggest feture for me… but.. my first dlsr was the 5dmkii, so all ive ever worked with is full frame, i really dont know how it will feel going to the cropped sensor, plus i have not heard mr bloom say too much about this part, wether it bothers him much or gives him any issues? can you look at a shot and tell if its full frame or not? or does it just come down to the lens?

    if anyone has any thoughts on this, id love to hear from you…

    http://twitter.com/sidekikstudio

  94. do another hitler flick, that was great!~

    this page reminds me of that short you did it deserves an oscar.

    mickey friend of rick young `email only.

    1. Well, I was torn between the two bodies but i just went on the Canon site and a update 2.0.3 will be coming out for the 5d. I will be picking up my 5d mk11 in the morrows. That is also just one of the many pro updates that they will be including in that version update.

  95. Im still really torn between the two! i would love to have the 5d, but the money factor is a big thing for me, considering i am sixteen and don’t have a steady income. lol
    I love the image of the 5d, do you think its worth it to keep saving up?
    or should i go for the 7d?
    what three cheapish lenses would you recommend?
    i was thinking
    50mm 1.8 (possibly 1.4)
    Tamron 28-75
    and maybe the canon 70-200l 4?
    what do you think?

  96. but will there ever be an update that gives the 5dmII 60fps? I bought the 5dmII and i have really been wishing i had that capability. but the bottom line for me was the full sensor, and less noise.

  97. Hi Philip

    I’m planning to buy 7D, do you think its worth to choose or i’ll go for 5d? i am only a photography enthusiast and not a professional one. also i wanna ask in case i buy canon 7d, what lenses you can recommend me to buy along with the 7d body? typically, the canon kit contains only a 7d body plus the 18-135 lens.. is it worth? or i should go to buy body alone and buy separate lens/es base from my daily shooting necessity? pls. also advice me what lens should i buy, my purpose is for a daily workaround… 28-135mm is good enough, what do you think? and 50mm for macro shooting?

    thanks,
    oying

  98. Philip:
    Now that the firmware is out, is there any real advantage to the 7d over the 5d (provided i live without variable frame rates and 720p)?

    Or should i just go for a 5d if i have the $ for it. The 7d would be perfect for me if it didnt crop my lenses, but it does.

  99. Is it possible to use Canon FD lenses with 5dmii or 7d via adapter?
    Sorry, if the question looks stupid – I am a Nikon man and never worked with Canons.

  100. Hey Philip,

    I’m needing a new Camera Body & lens.

    switching from Nikon to Canon.

    I was thinking about the 5d m2 or the 7d.

    If i got the 5d mark 2, I’d want to get the 85mm 1.2.

    But if I got the 7d, is there a lens that is close/similar to the 85 1 2?

      1. “7D is a 2/3 inch sensor” ???!!! As far as I know the 7D has an APS-C sensor which conforms to around 22.3x15mm which is equivalent to 1.8″, while a 2/3 sensor is only 6.6×8.8mm.

  101. Hi Philip. Well done for your fair analysis on both cameras. I’m just seeing this now, and of course there has been some nice firmware update for the 5dmkII. I was about to purchase a 5DmkII this week, but then I thought I should get 550D, since the video quality and video feature seems to be just like the 7D. I will use the 550D for now, and wait a little longer until September, since the 5DmkII has been out for quite some time now. I thought Canon will always come up with something great at Photokina. Perhaps they announce 5DmkIII, and then I will buy the MKIII ,and use my 550D as a second camera. What do you think?

  102. Hi Philip. Well done for your fair judgment. I was about to purchase a 5dmk2 last week. Then after giving it some more thought. I started thinking about getting the 550d for now, since it performs like the 7D for video. Of course I love the 5d’2 full frame, but I thought I should wait until September, since the mk2 has been out for quite sometime. Canon always seem to come up with something new at Photokina. If they launch something like the 5DMK3, I might buy the MK3 and use the 550D as a second camera. What do you think? thanks

  103. Hi phillp, I have the 7d…just got it…very new to it…..got it just before the new firmware for the 5d came out….now everyone is telling me to sell the 7d..and get the 5d…it has a better picture..better in low light etc. etc. I have a chance to get almost all my money back for the 7d…and get the 5d at a real good price……what do you think???

    thank you,alex

  104. Argh I can’t decide
    7D has 60p for slowmo but the 5D’s better for stills and low light. and the 7D is only 30% cheaper here in Japan.
    It’s driving me crazy.

  105. Looking forward to your response. Just about to get either a 5D Mk II or 7D… don’t know which one is “better”! I know the 5D MK III will blow both away in the fullness of time… lol

  106. Philip:

    I have searched your blog looking for your opinion on zooming manually. As an cameraman with an EX-3 background, I have to say that the biggest drawback to this DSLR revolution is the ability to have a constant zoom. It is a useful tool in event videography and in filmmaking. Just think of the first shot in The Godfather Part I… and if you remember it correctly I rest my case. Please address us your opinion on this matter and what do you expect that can help in the future. Thanks.

  107. Hey! thanks for your info. What do you think about the CP2 optics for the 7D? is is worth it converting the 7D to a Pl mount knowing we could use it with regular Ef mount?
    Thanks!

    I´m looking foward for one of your workshops!

  108. phillip,

    if you had the 7d or t2i and a limited budget, would you have the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 (per your blog) and a Zeiss 50mm f1.4 Planar T* ZE or Carl Zeiss 35mm F1.4 Contax/Yashica/Canon Mount?… or a totally different combination?

    also by using 2 different lens manufacturers (tokina and zeiss) would you run into any harsh image differences?

    enjoy your work.

    thanks.

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