Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon 7D Mark II

Introduction

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a digital, full-frame camera SLR that has found itself on the market in September 2008, and since it has been going around for more than 10 years, it was and it is being widely used by hundreds of photographers and videographers who had really positive words regarding the camera’s capabilities.

On the contrary to this camera, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is also a DSLR camera that was officially announced in September, 2014, and it didn’t take long until photographers had an opportunity to try it and witness its huge potential. As a matter of fact, the 7D Mark II was named as the “Best Digital SLR Expert” in 2015 by the Technical Image Press Association which definitely has to mean something.

Now, let’s get the job done and find out which one should be a better option for you, and what are their pros and cons!

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Head To Head Comparison

Canon 5D Mark II

Design-wise, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II sports a solid yet sleek, all-black painted body that employs a weather-sealing which by default, makes you able in different environments under different weather conditions without any problem at all!

Aside from being a solid and durable camera, the EOS 5D Mark II is very comfortable to shoot with thanks to its chunky rubberized grip that will drastically enhance the way you’re holding the camera in your hands, because even if you’ve been shooting for hours, you will unlikely feel fatigued!

Moving on, I really like the way Canon managed to design the control layout, because each button is strategically positioned so that you’d be able to access it anytime you want easily and effectively during your photo sessions.

On the top-left, you can find a single Mode dial, a hot shoe that sits at the top-center, whereas on the right, there’s a large Information LCD screen which will keep you notified regarding the settings and camera’s exposure, and at the usual position, at the grip, there’s a shutter release button that fits and sit nicely on your thumb.

On the rear, there’s an array of buttons that stretch from below up to the top, a viewfinder that sits on the center, a couple of more buttons on the right, and of course, an LCD screen located in-between.

I’d also like to mention that the camera’s optical pentaprism viewfinder is very accurate, and according to Canon it covers up to 98% of the frame and has a magnification of 0.71x, so, once you start shooting through it, your shooting experience will definitely be convenient and you will easily lock onto the targets you intend to capture.

Furthermore, the 3″ LCD screen has a resolution of 920k-dots, and although you will not have the pleasure to adjust its position in order to shoot from different angles because it is fixed, the visuals are really good and I’m sure that you will find it super useful once you start shooting through the screen. In fact, the screen is covered in an anti-reflective coating which helps you have a clear sight even if you’re shooting under a bright daylight!

In terms of the connection options, the EOS 5D Mark II houses a Hi-speed USB port, 3.5mm audio mini-jack, an HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone port, and since it is an old model, it lacks Wi-Fi, and in this point, I can’t consider it as a remark to be honest.

When it comes to the performance, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is powered by a DIGIC 4 Image processor, employs a 21.1MP sensor, has a native ISO range of 100-6400 that is expandable to 25,600 and a continuous shooting rate of 3.9 fps.

For your information, this camera holds up pretty well all the way up to ISO 6400, because the noise is well-controlled, colors look vibrant and the details are indeed well-defined, or to summarize this with one word, the overall image quality does really look sharp!

But, as you’re pushing higher, noise starts to become heavily pronounced and reach its peak at the highest level ( ISO 25,600) which decrease the details as well as the image quality as a whole, so, in order to avoid these scenarios from happening, all you could do is to simply avoid the upper range of the ISO sensitivity.

On the contrary, RAW images look a lot better even if you shoot through the higher ISO range, but also, while pushing higher keep in mind that although the details will be somewhat preserved, the noise will become more prominent, so, once again, adjust the ISO range according to what you want to achieve in a particular moment.

Finally, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II records 1080p at 30 fps and 720p videos, and although it lacks recording at 60 fps, still, footage looks strong and I think that you won’t mind recording at 30fps!

Canon 5D Mark II Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon 7D Mark II

Canon 7D Mark II

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is one of the best dslr cameras under $2000, and unlike most of its competitors in that price range, it has a lot of things to offer for that price tag.

It measures 4.4 x 5.9 x 3.1″ (HWD), weighs around 2 pounds, and to be honest, it isn’t the lightest camera that you can find on the market. However, its solid build is a result of the use of magnesium-alloy and the weather-sealing which protects the camera from foreign factors such as moisture and dust, and if you ask me, I won’t mind this at all considering the freedom you’d have in terms of shooting!

This camera looks neat as well, and I really like its black aesthetics which are synonymous for style, but what I like even more, is the ergonomics, specifically the grip who is covered in a rubberised texture that helps you keep the camera steadily in hands and shoot comfortably regardless of the time frame!

In terms of the control layout, well, Canon managed to keep the controls in a fairly simple fashion, organizing them intuitively, so that the photographer can reach them anytime he/she wants throughout his/her shooting sessions.

Namely, the top plate is a home of a standard Mode dial, an Information LCD screen that is surrounded by 4 dedicated buttons positioned slightly above, along with an M-Fn button that sits closel to the shutter release button on the grip, and a hot shoe that is located at the top-center.

If you view from the rear, you can recognize that the EOS 7D II looks nearly identical to the 5D Mark II, because as was the case with the first camera, this one also has an array of buttons positioned on the top-left side, and a couple of more of buttons on the right-handed part, with a viewfinder and an LCD screen sitting in-between.

The camera’s viewfinder is big, covers up to 100% of the frame and let’s not forget that it is bright enough to keep your eyesight undistracted once you opt to capture imagery of your surrounding or simply an image of a specific target.

On the other hand, the 3″ LCD screen has a resolution of 1,040k-dots, and as was the case with the 5D Mark II, this one also lacks flexibility and touch-sensitivity. Either way, I don’t think that you will have difficulties in terms of shooting or previewing the content you’ve captured because of its ability to produce superb visuals.

Moving on, the EOS 7D Mark II’s connection ports are composed of an HDMI port, USB 3.0 port, dual memory card slots’ one CF memory card slot and a second, SD memory card slot with UHS-I support, headphone jack, PC sync terminal, external mic port, and unfortunately, it lacks built-in Wi-Fi support same as the 5D Mark II. Honestly, I think it’s a pity because we are talking about a newer model in comparison to the 5D Mark II.

Performance-wise, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is equipped with a 20.2MP sensor, has an impressive, 65-point all cross-type AF system that will let you achieve great results in video recording, an ISO range of 100-16,000 which can be expanded up to 51,200, burst shooting speed of 10 fps, and runs on Dual DIGIC 6 image processors whose present is going to be instantly felt once you start shooting!

To be more precise, if you opt to shoot through ISO 100, you can notice that images have lots of details and very little luminance noise that can be seen if you really want to see it, let’s say if you zoom at 100%.

The same can be said about the ISO 1600 and ISO 3200, hence, let’s conclude that the best results can be achieved between this range.

If you’re going further, keep in mind that starting from ISO 12,800 and above, noise starts to get heavily pronounced and it distorts the image quality, and I don’t really think that you can use the images.

I would also like to mention that in our dental photography cameras list, this camera won the number 1 spot as the best professional pick.

In the end, the EOS 7D Mark II lacks 4K capability, but on the contrary to the EOS 5D Mark II, it records 1080p videos at 60 fps and you can also switch between 24/25/30 if you want, clearly, this unit is far better than its opponent in this area. 

Canon 7D Mark II Sample Images:

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Canon 5D Mark II vs Canon 7D Mark II Feature Comparison

	Canon 5D Mark II	Canon 7D Mark II
Camera Type	DSLR	DSLR
Megapixels	21.0	20.2
ISO Range	100–6400; 50-25,600	100-16,000;51,200
Flip-Out Screen	No	No
AF Points	9 AF Points	65 AF Points
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	No	No
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	Full-Frame	APS-C

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Conclusion

Before we announce the winner, I’d suggest making a quick overview of the areas where one camera proves itself as better and vice-versa, because after we are done with that, your final decision will be the most accurate!

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II outputs richer colors due to the fact that it has 1.3 bits more color depth than the opponent, it is way more affordable, has a higher magnification, better battery life ( ~850 vs ~670), and performs better under low-light sensitivity.

On the other hand, the EOS 7D Mark II employs a faster burst shooting speed, better LCD screen, supports a more advanced USB protocol, the viewfinder has a larger field of view ( 100 vs 98%), records 1080p videos at 60 fps, whereas the EOS 5D Mark II can only record at 30 fps, and has way better AF system which may be decisive in some situations.

If you ask me, I’d go for the newer model – the EOS 7D Mark II because it worths every penny!

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