Canon EOS
50D
 vs
Canon EOS
5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

100
"In addition the adoption of high precision split-level alignment of the magnesium-alloy external covers, high precision dial construction and external rubber grip covers, has improved the camera's dust and water resistance."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's build-quality
"The original 5D was the first 'affordable' and lightweight full frame camera, and set a standard for low noise at high ISO settings that remains competitive three years later."
dpreview.com | talking about the 5D Mark II's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
1,815 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
79.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
23.7 bits
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
True resolution
 High true resolution
21 MP
Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Canon EOS 50D

69
Runner-up

Canon EOS 50D
"The ergonomics feel well sorted, all the controls are in the right place and even the formerly rather pointless Direct Print button now serves a purpose"
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's button-layout
"The 50D delivers a lot of detail and clean images with well balanced contrast and colors."
dpreview.com | talking about the 50D's image-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 50D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 50D
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 206 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 9 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 6.3 fps vs 3.9 fps
Help
 More than 60% faster continuous shooting
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when turning on
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Size Smaller 146x108x74 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 More than 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $1,281.99 vs $2,160.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $878 cheaper (more than 40% less)
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 822 g vs 850 g
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 50D Learn more about
the Canon 50D

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 696 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.4 f-stops higher ISO than the 50D
Overall image quality Much better image quality 79.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Around 30% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 21.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.9 more bits of color
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.4 EV
Help
 0.5 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.59x
Help
 Around 50% larger viewfinder
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 21 MP vs 15.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 40% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Battery life Slightly longer battery life 850 shots vs 640 shots
Help
 More than 30% more shots per battery charge
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 50D
69 vs 100
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 50D
 Canon EOS 50D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II
CanonEOS 5D Mark II
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
11
9
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
16
5
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
10
10
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
12
6
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
10
10
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
10
12
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
50D:300 ms
5D Mark II:400 ms
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Weight Heavy Help
50D:822 g
5D Mark II:850 g
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
50D:146x108x74 mm
5D Mark II:152x114x75 mm
Thickness Thin Help
50D:2.9"
5D Mark II:3"
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
50D:$1,281.99
5D Mark II:$2,160.00
Weight Light weight Help
50D:822 g
5D Mark II:850 g
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
50D:12,800 ISO
5D Mark II:25,600 ISO
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
50D:95%
5D Mark II:98%
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
50D:640 shots
5D Mark II:850 shots
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
50D:9
5D Mark II:1
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
50D:3,200 ISO
5D Mark II:6,400 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
50D:6.3 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Focus points Has slightly more focus points
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$879 - $1,304 body only

$1,139 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 50D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Focus points Has much more focus points
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$569 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$624 - $800 body only

$869 - $1,100 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 50D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$849 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 50D
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 50D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 40D

Canon EOS 40D

Pro DSLR

$1,000 body only
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
True resolution Lower true resolution
Compare the EOS 40D vs the EOS 50D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

appearance

Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 50D Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 0 comments