Canon EOS
5D
 vs
Canon EOS
7D

Canon EOS 7D

71
Winner

Canon EOS 7D
"The Canon EOS 7D is a camera that can convince in all areas, and at its current pricing is going to be a very serious competitor for Nikon's flagship APS-C DSLR, the D300S."
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's overall-performance
"Excellent build quality with magnesium body and environmental sealing"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's build-quality

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
8 fps
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
19
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Canon EOS 5D

61
Runner-up

Canon EOS 5D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 5D

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.71x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
Full frame 36.0x24.0mm
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 1,368 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The 5D has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Color depth Better color depth 22.9 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.9 more bits of color
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 36.0x24.0mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 2.5x larger sensor
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.71x vs 0.62x
Help
 More than 30% larger viewfinder
Canon EOS 5D Learn more about
the Canon 5D

Advantages of the Canon 7D
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.5"
Help
 More than 20% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.7 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 8 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 More than 2.5x faster continuous shooting
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.7 MP
Help
 Capture more than 40% more detail in your photos
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Viewfinder coverage Significantly better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 96%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The 7D's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
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
Lowest price Cheaper $1,549.00 vs $3,991.31
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,442 cheaper (2.6x less)
Size Slightly smaller 148x111x74 mm vs 152x113x75 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 7D's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
Thickness Slightly thinner 2.9" vs 3"
Help
 Almost the same
Weight Slightly lighter 860 g vs 895 g
Help
 Almost the same
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 5D
61 vs 71
Explain scores
Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 7D.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Thickness Thin Help
5D:3"
7D:2.9"
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Weight Heavy Help
5D:895 g
7D:860 g
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
5D:3,200 ISO
7D:12,800 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
5D:1,600 ISO
7D:6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Size Fairly small Help
5D:152x113x75 mm
7D:148x111x74 mm
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Screen size Very small screens Help
5D:2.5"
7D:3.0"
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
5D:11.1 EV
7D:11.7 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
5D:71.0
7D:66.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
5D:22.9 bits
7D:22 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
5D:1,368 ISO
7D:854 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $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 5D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,130 body only

$2,875 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Focus points Has slightly fewer focus points
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm 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 5D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 5D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 7D
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has significantly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $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 5D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 7D

Canon EOS 5D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Canon EOS 5D.

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$1,398 body only

$1,998 with 16-50mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Color depth Better color depth
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Lens availability Significantly fewer lenses available
Compare the SLT A77 vs the EOS 7D

appearance

Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Canon EOS 7D

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Engr Omerfaoroq (5:38 PM, November 25, 2011)
by image quality 5d is is lot better then any latest crop sensor camera available...
 
Englishsteve_2000 (11:13 PM, August 26, 2011)
Interesting comparisons! I;ve had my 7D for about a year now and recently acquired a mint 5D. There's no doubt that for wildlife and sports the 7D is the better camera where it's 1.6 crop factor actually helps! Maybe it's just becuase it's a novelty but I fing I'm picking up the 5D for 'waalkabout' stuff and even portraits. There's just some king of elusive quality to full frame I guess! The 7D is technologically years ahead of the 5D but I'm still enjoying the 5D experience! Looking for a 17-40L lens now.......