Canon EOS
550D
 vs
Canon EOS
5D Mark II

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 600D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

94
"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
"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

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 550D

73
Runner-up

Canon EOS 550D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 550D

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
530 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 550D
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Size Significantly smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 152x114x75 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 3"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
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
Weight Significantly lighter 530 g vs 850 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $652.43 vs $2,330.54
Help
 The best price we've seen is $1,678 cheaper (3.6x less)
Canon EOS 550D Learn more about
the Canon 550D

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 1,815 ISO vs 784 ISO
Help
 The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the 550D
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 79.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Color depth Better color depth 23.7 bits vs 22.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.54x
Help
 More than 70% larger viewfinder
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 0.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
True resolution Higher true resolution 21 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 98% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 206 ms vs 252 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Battery life Longer battery life 850 shots vs 440 shots
Help
 More than 90% more shots per battery charge
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
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 DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 550D
73 vs 94
Explain scores
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 550D
 Canon EOS 550D vs Canon EOS 5D Mark II
CanonEOS 5D Mark II
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
58
27
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
39
39
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
46
31
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
43
32
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
45
32
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
31
44
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
30
50
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
1080p @ 30fps
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
550D:1,040k dots
5D Mark II:920k dots
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Focus points Few focus points Help
9
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
550D:3.7 fps
5D Mark II:3.9 fps
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

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$860 - $1,035 body only

$922 - $1,099 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
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
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Cross type focus points Has slightly more cross-type focus points
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 60D 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
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 550D
Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 50D

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,299 body only

$1,625 with 28-135mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Shutter lag Has slightly less shutter lag
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 550D
Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 550D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Autofocus Video autofocus
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 550D
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$484 - $648 body only

$570 - $659 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Longer battery life
Weight Lighter
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Much smaller screen
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 550D
Canon EOS 500D

Canon EOS 500D

Entry-level DSLR

$599 with 18-55mm lens
Shutter lag Less shutter lag
Startup delay Less startup delay
Color depth Worse color depth
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the EOS 500D vs the EOS 550D

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Focus points Many more focus points
Movie format Does not take movies
True resolution Significantly lower true resolution
Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
Nikon D800

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Size Larger
Thickness Thicker
Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II
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 550D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 550D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 550D 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?

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