Wow, so everyone was freaking out about Canon’s new camera before it was officially announced. But all the specs were released (leaked?) and it’s now showing up on Amazon.com. This is huge. If you’re even thinking about getting one, pre-order now. Canon is going to sell a ton of these.
Why is this such a big deal? Take a look at this diagram:
The 5D Mark II
Brilliant, yet flawed. It’s sensor was larger than the Red One’s. And phenomenally larger than the EX1/EX3. It’s actually the equivalent of Vistavision 35mm film. Among other things, this meant better low-light, less noise, higher dynamic range. As soon as it was put on the market, Canon (and everyone else) realized its potential and they quickly released a firmware update to allow manual video adjustments. But the one reason that it’s a flawed system is because it only shoots in 30p. There are workarounds, but it’s still not a perfect system. Not bad for Canon’s first D-SLR that shoots video, though.
T1i / 500D
Already the leader in the market, Canon then released the T1i (which was essentially the Mark II’s little brother). Do you know how much that camera costs? $899. Ridiculously affordable. Only shoots in 720p, but that’s more than enough for most people posting videos to YouTube and Vimeo. The bad news? No manual controls and still only shoots in 30p.
7D
Now, the 7D is here. Canon finally realized what everyone wants. It only has an APS-C sensor with a 1.6x crop factor (no so good for wide angle). But! Canon claims that this new sensor has its pixels packed even tighter than the Mark II’s. It also shoots in 1920×1080 24p. It also shoots in 1280×720 60p (yeah, that spells slow-motion). How much does this camera cost? $1699. That’s $1000 cheaper than the Mark II. How is this possible? To indie filmmakers, these are going to be hotter than a Nintendo Wii a few years ago. Pre-order yours now. This camera is going to change everything.
This is no doubt going to take away Canon’s Mark II sales. Why would they do that? It probably means that the Mark II will never see 24p due to hardware limitations. Canon couldn’t fix it, so they released a brand new, cheaper camera to attract even more people. Smart. The 7D uses the same batteries and CF cards as the Mark II. Very smart.
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Peter Men
The Mark II just needs 24p. That’s it. And I’ll be happy.
Sean
I updated the image with the exact sensor dimensions listed on Canon.com
Turns out the 7D’s sensor is quite a bit smaller than the Mark II’s.
Allen Rockwell
My 1D Mk III goes on eBay tonight. This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for; more MP, a respectable FPS, and HD video all in one package.
Sean
It’s amazing how technology works. The 7D shoots at a bitrate of 48 mb/s while the Mark II only shoots at 41. Even if the Mark II gets 24p, it’s hardware is limited.
Duncan Babbage
Your diagram may be to scale (I haven’t checked) but it is markedly larger than life size. The 5D Mk II sensor is 3.6 x 2.4 CENTIMETERS… your diagram has a sensor that is 3.7 INCHES wide…
Sean
Yeah, it’s only to scale, not life-size. Mark II has a 24×36mm sensor (I used 300 dpi to enlarge it).
Prolost has a better diagram: http://prolost.com/blog/2008/8/14/sensor-size-cheat-sheet.html
Sean
Updated everything in this post. Turns out the 7D has a smaller sensor, but it’s actually better than the Mark II!
Shenda
Hello ;) Sean, I’m in the market to buy the 5D Mark II so when you say the 7D is better than the 5DII you mean strictly for video reasons right? If not please elaborate for me and I will greatly appreciate it ;) Oh, 95% shoot raw frames vs. HD video for my usage so which would you buy if you were me? I also use prime lenses mostly!
Shenda
You can pre-order it(7D) on QVC.com w/ a payment plan too.
Sean
Thanks Shenda, I have one for preorder on Amazon already :)
I’ll email you. Yes, most of what I was talking about pertains only to video.
Gary
I am very happy with the 5d II and need full frame. This
would be a nice back up to it. My 40d is now for sale.
Stace
Helpful comparisons – I actually picked up the T1i for a product (video) shoot last month, and for what it does it’s great, but one thing worth noting is that the Rebel does not have an audio input, so for videomakers this is where the 5D and 7D really stand out. As much as I love the little Rebel, I think I’ll be trading up to the 7D for audio alone.
Jason
Thank you so much for posting this Sean. If you don’t mind, I could use some help in understanding from a pure still shot perspective if the 5D is worth spending the extra grand?
I primarily shot weddings (indoor and out) and dance recitals (usually low light situations).
Any advice is GREATLY appriciated!!
-Jason
arparp
“We understand that EOS 5D Mark II users desire additional frame rates and we’re preparing a firmware update to allow the camera to shoot at both 24P and 25P,” said Chris Macleod, Brand Manager – EOS, Canon Australia. “The upgrade to 24P and 25P will broaden the usage scope for this popular camera to include cinema and broadcast applications, respectively.”
Canon expects the firmware update to be available in the first half of 2010 and will release more details as they become available.
paul
Are you sure about the red one sensor. It has a full frame sensor. Is the Mark II 5d sensor image above for stills and not video. There is no way the markII sensor is that much bigger for video than the red one???
paul
I stand corrected. You are correct sir…
Sean
Yep, the Mark II’s sensor is larger than the RED One’s. Though, that isn’t to say it’s better quality. The RED shoots video at 4 times the resolution. Plus it’s a matter of CMOS vs. CCD.
Carlo Olmi
Helpful comparisons but the real problem is about lenses. I own EFs lenses and I will change my 20D with the 7D just to be able to use my lenses.
http://www.couponshouse.com/B-&-H-Photo-Video-Global/9184/coupon-promotional-code.htm
Kyle
I currently have the 5D mkI and have been considering selling it and getting the 7D due to the video and awesome 19 point autofocus. Would is your opinion on that move? I don’t currently have the money to upgrade to the mkII
Sean
Well, things have changed. If you can save up for the 5D Mark II, I highly recommend it. The video quality is much better than the 7D, and it’s getting a firmware update to support 24p as well.
I tend to just use the middle point when focusing with a DSLR, even for still photography, so the 19 point autofocus hasn’t really been that useful to me. But if you take a lot of stills, I guess it’s something to consider. And the 7D video quality is still really good, just not as good as the Mark II’s :)
Hope that helps!
Nimrod Amitai
Hey! Greetings from Chile. I am just about yo buy the mark II 7d, but during my investigation I heard from different sources that the 7D shuts down after excessive usage. I am an indie filmmaker and its probable that I use the camera for long shootings…
1.- Have you heard about this shutting down thing??
2.- does the 5d Aldo habe the dame problrm??
3.- what do you suggest??
Thanks a lot for the great info!