7D / 5D Owners?

Trev M

Hi All,

Im more sanity checking myself here as I have convinced myself that a 7D is the way to go as an upgrade from my current 450D (loyal & trusted little friend, most valued reliable servant;)).

So after a bit of reading and from what I understand Ive determined a 5D MKII, while in my budget range, is not for me as Im not convinced I will benefit significantly with a move to a full frame and the added cost has me believeing a 7D is better value for money :eek:.

Some of my own conclusions - My most favoured lense is my 70 - 200 F4L, Im so used to the fecking thing I really dont want to lose the magnification factor on the crop (sad I know but I cant find the endless pit of money so more glass in short term is not happening, and yeah I know I can crop the full frame but still meh.....). Perhaps Im being a bit short sighted here (no pun intended), I will eventually invest in some nice primes no doubt.

Rarely am I doing work that will need big prints, rarely am I in a situation where the relative benefit of the full frame high ISO performance will be an issue? I dont do a lot of landscape stuff that would push me towards a full frame, nor do I have any desire to do weddings.

I think the 7D will be more than adequate for my needs and the relative ISO performance issue will be negligible for my use. My motivation for upgrade is pretty simple, Im starting to do more work for other people, I want a more flexible higher end unit for multiple applications gigs, engineering/architectural applications, sports, portraits.

Now here's the thing , while I know my 450d inside out and upside down, I havent used a 7D or 5D, infact have I havent used a full frame of any kind for any significant time...so my choice is based on what I think I want in theory....anyones first hand experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Trev

Thin White Duck

Went from a 40D to a 7D this year haven't looked back.

The focusing is streets ahead and I don't think I've missed any shots where it's let me down. Iso performance has been very good - Lightroom 2 made a bit of a hash converting the raws to start with making me doubt this aspect but LR3 and DPP do a much better job of it. Found I can get good sharp, noise free shots at ISO1600.

Handling wise, it's a dream - very intuitive. The ability to customise controls has been useful for setting up back-button AF for custom settings and replacing the FE button with a viewfinder spirit-level display which is great for hand-held landscape photography. If instead you're shooting action then it's fast as hell

You probably don't need 18mp but it does mean you can get a decent crop - I know, get it right in camera but sometimes you do spot a better angle in PP.

One word of advice - if you're looking at sample shots at 100% they can look a bit grainy compared to smaller res output and you need to remember that at 100% you're effectively looking at an 8ft image. Any visible grain at 100% isn't apparent in prints.

As you say, the extra reach of the aps-c is a real benefit from my perspective. I always thought that I'd have to move full frame one day if I wanted to significantly improve on the 40D - the 7D has proved me wrong.

The only downside for me was once I got it I wanted new glass to make the most of it. That was 3 lenses ago

Jeez, I sound like an advert.

Borderfox

Went from the 40d to a 5dmk1 and found it a real eye opener, I have never missed the crop element of the 40d and something like a 70-200 turns into a perfect focal length for most anything. I pair it up with a 24mm f3.5 TSE lens for interiors and Architecture

If you do a lot of sports then the 7d would be a better bet but for everything else the full frame is where its at.

Nforce

Theres a 7D vs 5D shootout in this months WhatDigitalCamera mag...http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/

homerun_homer

I went from a 400d to 7d. Like you I've no reason to switch to full frame and the money I've put into lens' so far would make them redundant on a 5DmkII so I had no inner torment with getting the 7d.

It's a great camera, really easy to work and stunning video on it too. I must get using it more.

gman2k

I went from a 350d to a 7d, and the camera is very easy to use. The key to me was price, and still being able to use EFS lenses. The 5d will give a better image however - no doubting that.

Trev M

Cheers everyone - I appreciate the comprehensive reply Thin White Duck thank you, I suspect that I will ineveitably end up contemplating the actual need for two kidenys and sure Im in grand heath and sure wouldnt a 300mm f/2.8 be just lovely ;-).

Im smiling here at Homer nearly every forum Ive checked out users talking about their 7D theyve all said the same thing "I should really shoot some video"

Whats baterry life like, my 450 seems to run forever on a single charge , ive shot 8gb raw over three days on one charge, Id image with all the extra features on the 7D that its a bit hungrier. Im looking forward to the add AF features.

Thanks again .

homerun_homer

Trev M wrote: »

Im smiling here at Homer nearly every forum Ive checked out users talking about their 7D theyve all said the same thing "I should really shoot some video"

Whats baterry life like

I meant the camera in general as opposed to "taking more video". If anything since I got it I've had more use out of the video (combined with the editing programs of a new Mac), which I've never had properly on another camera before. I just haven't brought the 7d anywhere with me in ages, I meant to bring it to a festival a few weeks ago (decided not to in case tent condensation affected it), then to Berlin but I've done the touristy taking nice photos with a 400d and opted for more compact camera - barely used.

Battery life is fantastic I find.

Trev M

Ah right I see. Well Id plan on getting plenty of use out of mine. What software is good for vid editing ? I have i movie on my MBP havent really looked into anything else , any recommendations?

ike

I own neither (yet) but the 7D has really put the cat amongst the pigeon in term of upgrading from the XXXd or XXd models. Personally I'll probably go for the 7D - some of the extra features and more importantly cost have more or less made up my mind.

Digital Rev do a video review here http://www.digitalrev.com/en/canon-5d-mark-ii-vs-canon-7d-6264-article.html - its a little bit light hearted but stil gets the point across.

Either way you won't be making a bad decision!

DougL

For me it came down to better high ISO performance, and full-frame. I shoot landscapes, so longer effective focal lengths are usually a hindrance.

One thing the 7D is most likely better at is autofocus. It has 19 AF points as compared to nine in the 5D. The 5D is definitely slow to focus in low light, even with AF assist...slower than my old 30D.

Nforce

I've been eyeing up the 7D too...maybe in the new year I'll seriously give it some thought.

oshead

I had the same dilemma recently, I opted for the full frame. You seem to swaying towards the 7D. They're two excellent cameras. Without doubt, which ever one you pick, you'll be impressed by it.

Here's a video from Canon Fodder. It helped me put the different models into perspective and make my decision.

Canon Fodder - the EOS 7D, 1D Mk IV, and 5D Mk II

Effects

oshead wrote: »

Here's a video from Canon Fodder. It helped me put the different models into perspective and make my decision.

Canon Fodder - the EOS 7D, 1D Mk IV, and 5D Mk II

It's pretty boring, I couldn't listen to him for more than 3 minutes

McN

I have went from a 400D to a 5DMKII, they seem miles apart. I started looking at 50D and knew I'd still be wondering about full frame. I'm still only getting used to the 5D but love it. The difference in high ISO is unreal. Anything over 200 on the 400D was so noisy. I do miss the extra reach a bit what I am losing I am gaining in the wide end. If you are going for a 5D maybe consider an extender.

sprinkles

I had the same decision to make a few months back and in the end I went for the 5D mkII. I wanted to get more into landscape photography and with my 20mm lens the 1.6 crop would have been a draw back, the cost of the 7D plus a wide angle lens was similar to the 5D cost so it kinda made sense in my case to go for the 5D.

The ISO performance is amazing, a massive step up from the 450D. Coupled with the full frame has definitely opened new areas of opportunity for me and I'm delighted with my choice. I kinda thought that in a few years I'd want to make the leap to full frame anyway so why not now. That said it all depends on what type of photography you are into.

As already mentioned if you're into sports photography etc then the 7D is the better choice. Either way you'll be walking around with a huge smile on your face for quite some time

oshead

Effects wrote: »

It's pretty boring, I couldn't listen to him for more than 3 minutes

Maybe if you were in the market for a 7D it would hold your interest more. Though I guess with the media deluge we have these days, anything more than a 30sec sound bite seem a bit tedious and verbose.