Canon EOS
5D Mark II
vs
Canon Rebel
T2i

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 5D Mark II vs Canon Rebel T3i

Winner

Canon Rebel T2i

"Excellent detail and resolution"

dpreview.com | talking about the T2i's image-quality

"Since the body shell is virtually identical to the EOS 500D that it replaces, the handling is also virtually identical, meaning the grip still feels a bit fiddly unless you're got very delicate hands."

dpreview.com | talking about the T2i's feel

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T2i

	High resolution screen
	1,040k dots

	External mic jack
	Record higher quality audio with a microphone

	Really small
	Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm

	Built-in focus motor
	Autofocuses with more lenses

	Thin
	2.4"

	Light-weight
	530 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 5D Mark II

Much lower noise at high ISO

1,815 ISO

784 ISO

The 5D Mark II has excellent image quality 1.2 f-stops higher ISO than the T2i

Significantly better image quality

79.0

66.0

Around 20% better image quality

Better color depth

23.7 bits

22.1 bits

Distinguishes 1.6 more bits of color

Much larger viewfinder

0.71x

0.54x

More than 70% larger viewfinder

Much larger sensor

Full frame 36.0x24.0mm

APS-C 22.3x14.9mm

More than 2.5x larger sensor

Weather sealed

Yes

Sealed to shoot in the rain

More dynamic range

11.9 EV

11.5 EV

0.4 f-stops more dynamic range

Has a pentaprism viewfinder

Pentaprism

Pentamirror

Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter

Higher true resolution

21 MP

17.9 MP

Capture around 20% more detail in your photos

Significantly better viewfinder coverage

98%

95%

Almost the same

Less shutter lag

206 ms

252 ms

Around 20% less delay when taking photos

Longer battery life

850 shots

440 shots

More than 90% more shots per battery charge

Much faster max shutter speed

1/8000s

1/4000s

2x faster max shutter speed

Better boost ISO

25,600 ISO

12,800 ISO

The 5D Mark II's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better

Learn more about
the Canon 5D Mark II

Advantages of the Canon T2i

More lenses available

162 lenses

125 lenses

Around 30% more lenses available

Higher resolution screen

1,040k dots

920k dots

More than 10% higher resolution screen

Significantly smaller

129x98x62 mm

152x114x75 mm

Around 40% smaller

Significantly thinner

2.4"

Around 20% thinner

Built-in flash

Yes

A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light

Significantly lighter

530 g

850 g

Around 40% lighter

Cheaper

$499.00

$2,330.54

The best price we've seen is $1,832 cheaper (4.7x less)

Learn more about
the Canon T2i

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

94	vs	73
Explain scores

Canon Rebel T2i

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 pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

	CanonEOS 5D Mark II		vs		CanonRebel T2i


Uses	Travel On holiday or vacation	19		18
Uses	Travel On holiday or vacation	Vote		Vote

	Sports Fast action, sometimes indoors	21		7
	Sports Fast action, sometimes indoors	Vote		Vote

Features	Color accuracy White balance in varied lighting	23		3
Features	Color accuracy White balance in varied lighting	Vote		Vote

	Still image focusing Speed and accuracy	15		11
	Still image focusing Speed and accuracy	Vote		Vote

	Video focusing Speed and accuracy	11		15
	Video focusing Speed and accuracy	Vote		Vote

	Manual settings How quickly and easily you can change settings	23		3
		Vote		Vote

	Build quality Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal	21		6
	Build quality Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal	Vote		Vote

Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths

Common Weaknesses

	Both shoot high resolution HD movies
	1080p @ 30fps

High resolution screens

5D Mark II:	920k dots
T2i:	1,040k dots

	24p support
	For that film look

	Minimal startup delay
	400 ms startup delay

	Fewer storage slots
	1

	Neither has in-camera HDR
	You could do HDR manually

	No flip-out screens
	Less flexible

	Few cross-type focus points
	1

	Few focus points
	9

Slow continuous shooting

5D Mark II:	3.9 fps
T2i:	3.7 fps

	No video autofocus
	Manual focus only

	No image stabilization
	Risk of blur

	Neither camera stitches together panoramas
	You could stitch photos in post

	Neither camera can take 3D photos
	No 3d support

dxomark

Image quality data for the Canon 5D Mark II provided by DxOMark
Image quality data for the Canon T2i provided by DxOMark

competitors

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens

Has a screen which flips out

Has a slower max shutter speed

Is thicker

Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Rebel T2i

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens

Has slightly wider dynamic range

Has a screen which flips out

Has a slower max shutter speed

Is thicker

Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the D5100 vs the Rebel T2i

Canon EOS 7D

Pro DSLR

$1,329 - $1,821 body only

$1,498 - $1,800 with 28-135mm lens

Shoots faster continuously

Has slightly less shutter lag

Is thicker

Is significantly heavier

Compare the EOS 7D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the EOS 7D vs the Rebel T2i

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens

Has a screen which flips out

Has slightly more cross-type focus points

Is thicker

Is slightly heavier

Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the EOS 60D vs the Rebel T2i

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens

Has slightly wider dynamic range

Shoots faster continuously

Is thicker

Is slightly heavier

Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the D7000 vs the Rebel T2i

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$869 - $897 body only

$1,099 - $1,200 with 18-105mm lens

Has slightly wider dynamic range

Has a slower max shutter speed

Is thicker

Compare the D90 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the D90 vs the Rebel T2i

Canon EOS 50D

Pro DSLR

$1,282 - $1,299 body only

$1,625 with 28-135mm lens

Shoots faster continuously

Has slightly less shutter lag

Is thicker

Is significantly heavier

Compare the EOS 50D vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Compare the EOS 50D vs the Rebel T2i

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$2,750 body only

Lower noise at high ISO

Many more focus points

Does not take movies

Significantly lower true resolution

Compare the D700 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D800

Pro DSLR

Much higher true resolution

Significantly larger screen

Larger

Thicker

Compare the D800 vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Pro DSLR

$5,000 - $5,930 body only

Many more cross-type focus points

Shoots much faster

More noise at high ISO

Worse image quality

Compare the EOS-1D Mark IV vs the EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens

Video autofocus

Slightly lower noise at high ISO

Much lower resolution screen

Lacks an external mic jack

Compare the D3100 vs the Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens

Longer battery life

Lighter

Much lower resolution screen

Much smaller screen

Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$445 - $629 body only

$504 - $609 with 18-55mm lens

Less shutter lag

Less startup delay

Worse color depth

Lacks an external mic jack

Compare the Rebel T1i vs the Rebel T2i

appearance

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 3 comments

Squash2

(7:00 PM, July 24, 2011)

There's an error here. The 5DII isn't weathersealed, it's on par with the ~the 50D in terms of sealing, which is to say, not a lot.

http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/CanonEOS5DMarkII/Images/seals-001.jpg is the technical diagram.

Snapsort

(2:25 PM, September 22, 2010)

Thanks for letting us know, you're right. Canon released firmware 2.04 for the 5D Mk II which adds 24p support, e.g. 1920x1080 @ 24fps (23.976 actually). For Europe, PAL video support was added for 1920x1080 @ 25fps in addition to 24p.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html

We'll update the specs, thanks.

videostudent

(2:50 AM, September 22, 2010)

I think there is an error here. Canon 5d mk II Supports 24p "No"? Isn't there a firmware update for this?

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Canon EOS5D Mark II vs Canon RebelT2i