# Canon 5D Mark II or Nikon D7000?



## thinkbeinteresting (Jan 29, 2012)

Hello All:

This is my first post on the forum!  First, A little Background:  I've worked in digital video.  A few years ago I bought a Panasonic AG-HMC150 Camcorder when the Mark II was $5000 (outside my budget) and impossible to find.  After taking a break from video for a year, I bought myself a transitional DSLR on a lark.  I began taking pics, long story short - I have a little business with family portraiture going.  I love portraiture and I'm looking to get into Wedding photography.  For the most part I feel my video days are behind me.  I've quickly outgrown my transitional dslr and I'm now looking to upgrade.  One caveat, I am planning on shooting one documentary in the next year or two.  This is not definite and it is only one project (I would be in the film, not shooting).  I've done a ton of research and I'd narrowed it down to the D7000 body and a 85mm f/1.8 prime + one zoom (Plus extra battery, off-camera flash and a remote).  Peripherals add up and ideally I'd like to spend $1800-3200 max.  I don't have $12,000 to plunk down on a full rig and frankly what I've learned is that when people hire me, they're hiring me, not my equipment.  Last night I bumped into a former video colleague while checking out the D7000.  When he heard I was going NIKON, he told me I was crazy.  "If you're going to do any video, Mark II covers all the bases.  You'll get more shots with the Mark II than the panasonic and it's full sensor, people are more responsive to cameras.  If you go Nikon, you won't have any lenses for a Canon down the line."  I don't really have the money for a Mark II, but I value his thoughts. PS: I found a new Nikon D7000 body in store for $1199.  Due to flooding in Asia, D7000s are scarce.

SUMMARY:  shooting 95% portrait photography.  Want to get into wedding photography, 1 documentary on the horizon. Nikon D7000 (more purchase power) or 5D Mark II (more versatile?).  Max price range total $3200-3500 (MAX!). Thanks in advance


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## thinkbeinteresting (Jan 29, 2012)

PS:  I know D7000 is full sensor as well, I was referring to Mark II vs. shooting video with the Panasonic.


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## Derrel (Jan 29, 2012)

If you're shooting 95% portraiture, why all the talk about video? There are MANY video cameras that perform better than the 5D-II at video. The Canon needs an external microphone and sound recording system, has a kludgy exposure system, and suffers from pretty severe rolling shutter AKA "Jell-O effect" due to how long it takes to expose that huge sensor...people who really KNOW video, and know it well, will tell you that the 5D-II is not all the average layman talks it up to be as a video capture device.

Anyway...just as an aside, Nikon manual focus Ai-S lenses are now in pretty good demand for shooting video with on various mirrorless cameras, and on 5D's and other cameras, due to the fact that they have smooth focusing, noiseless focusing, detailed and complete focusing scales, AND most-importantly, aperture rings on each and every lens.

For portraiture and other "people" work, I would rather have a 5D-II than a D7000. The D7000's viewfinder is hard to see through while wearing eyeglasses. The 5D series is much easier to see the corners of the frame, and the FF size sensor means the CRITICAL portraiture lengths from 70 to 200mm are all very,very useful, and also means that a 28-70 f/2.8 Canon ($995 used, this week) is actually a wide-angle to short telephoto, utility zoom. I have used my 5D with many Nikkor lenses...the 5D adapts very well to Nikon lenses like the 105mm f/2 DC portrait lens, and so on. I would go with the Canon FF for 95% portrait work.


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## thinkbeinteresting (Jan 29, 2012)

Thanks for the quick response Derrel.  I really appreciate the input.  Do you think it's worth buying a used 5D body? (Any ideas where I might start looking to purchase online?)


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## Ballistics (Jan 29, 2012)

The D7000 is not full-frame.


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## thinkbeinteresting (Jan 29, 2012)

You're right about the sensor. Thnx.


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## Ballistics (Jan 29, 2012)

I'd also like to add that the D7000 does exceptionally well with video. The only thing it really lacks is 60fps. But so does the 5D Mark II. I've seen some phenomenal videos shot with a D7000. Like this one for example.


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## MLeeK (Jan 29, 2012)

You're kind of comparing apples and oranges here. One is an all around camera with a crop sensor. The other is a  very targeted camera with a full frame sensor. The D7000 compares more to the Canon 60D. You still have the 7d then the 5d2 in terms of steps up the ladder. The D7000 is the top of the line entry level. The 5D2 is a professional grade camera.  The 5d2 is more comparable to the Nikon D700. Which do you need? 
The wedding work you'll be ABLE to do with the D7000, low light wedding work with high ISO's will be cleaner and easier on the 5d2. 
The focus system in the D7000 is a vast improvement over the 5d2. The focus system on the 5d2 SUCKS. You have one cross type focus point and if you are shooting in low contrast with any of the other focus points? It misses. It doesn't track focus well for anything like sports. It will work, so if sports of any type is only a once in a blue moon thing it will work well. If it's to be a fairly regular thing it sucks-the D7000 is far better in that case. 
For portrait work either one is a great camera. 
I believe that the D7000 can shoot longer video in full HD and has auto focus while in video. The 5d2 does not have auto focus in video and can shoot only up to 12 minutes in full HD format. Not that there are many clips in any video or move that are 12 minutes long anyway.


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## MLeeK (Jan 29, 2012)

In the end? I vote D700. Not D7000... the D700.


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## Ballistics (Jan 29, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> In the end? I vote D700. Not D7000... the D700.



The D700 has 0 video capability.
The autofocus on the D7000 is worthless for video. I manual focus my videos. 
And yes the D7000 shoots up to 20 minutes of video at a time.


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## nickzou (Jan 29, 2012)

Ballistics said:


> MLeeK said:
> 
> 
> > In the end? I vote D700. Not D7000... the D700.
> ...



Ha! I feel that the D7000 live view autofocus is worthless nevermind it's video autofocus. (maybe they are the same)


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## greybeard (Jan 29, 2012)

I think either camera will fill your needs.  Lots of people using the 5dii or d7000 for what you intend.  If it were me, I'd probably go with the 5Dii because it is full frame, 21MP.  It isn't the fastest tool in the shed but you don't need a lot of speed for portraiture and wedding work.


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## bentcountershaft (Jan 29, 2012)

Something else to consider is how much have you budgeted for lenses?  If you go with the Canon that's a grand or so that could spent on better/a variety of glass.


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