Just Switched From 7D to a 5D

[Evan Estern]

My new 5D arrives today. Do you guys have any advice regarding differences in the two cameras? Is the current 5 good to go right out of the box? Or are there firmware issues I should know about?

[Pete Bauer]

The current firmware (2.0.8) has been out for a couple of months so if you bought the 5DmII new, it should be ready to go out of the box. You can check the firmware version in the menu. If it has older firmware, the file is available at the Canon site:

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS 5D Mark II

and very easy to upgrade -- but of course as with any firmware, follow the instructions exactly for a happy outcome!

[Evan Estern]

Thanks, Pete, it does indeed have that version of the firmware. I bought it new from B&H. I imagine they turn them over pretty quickly there, so I bet I got a recently manufactured one.

[Bill Pryor]

I don't know about right out of the box...you'll still have to go through all the setup, turning off all the auto stuff, etc., that you would have done with the 7D. I made the switch early last year. The 5D isn't quite as ergonomic as the 7D, and may be a little frustrating at first, but once you get it all setup and go into the menu and get the live view setup right, the manual audio, etc., you'll love it. I wouldn't go back. The only real issue i have to work around sometimes is that the DOF is way more shallow than the 7D, so there are some situations where I have to boost ISO to get enough DOF to follow focus. And that's another thing--after my first shoot with the 5D I ordered a follow focus system. You can live without it on the 7D but it's difficult on the 5D.

[Kris Koster]

Hi Evan,

I wrote a rather long diatribe regarding optimizing the 5D2 for filmmaking based off my own experiences and experiences of others. You may find it helpful, or not, as the case may be:

http://kriskoster.com/2010/08/optimi...or-filmmaking/

The ISO settings section is controversial with some here believing it makes no difference and others who stick to specific ISOs. Do some tests and judge for yourself!

Have fun playing with your new toy!

[Ethan Lane]

Kris do you have a ISO-noise chart like that for the 7D?

[Kris Koster]

Ethan -

I'm afraid not and that 5D2 test isn't even mine. I grabbed it from another forum before it went to the ether. The test has been challenged here by some, I can't remember the thread. But I still think it's pretty accurate.

[Bill Pryor]

Kris--very nice article. The Zacuto tests confirmed the ISO thing. There was some disagreement some time back but I believe that was from still photographers. If you're shooting stills, it's possible different ISO settings are cleaner, but for video those have been proven to be the best.

[Mark Lyon]

I know there are a lot of opinions about optimal ISO settings out there.

One school of thought holds that 160, 320, 640 etc. are lower noise because they're a "pull" from the chip, while 100, 200, 400 etc. have better dynamic range. 125, 250, 500 etc. are just bad--worse noise and dynamic range. On my monitors, this appears to be the case, but the differences are subtle. Because DR is way more important to me than noise in most cases, I've been using 100, 200, etc.

Your thoughts?

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

The only real issue i have to work around sometimes is that the DOF is way more shallow than the 7D,...

There is no difference at all in DOF between the 5D & 7D bodies, it is the aperture of the lens that you bayonet onto the bodies that controls DOF.

[Jon Fairhurst]

This depends on how you look at it. When you set the view of both cameras identically (say, a 50mm lens on the 7D and 80mm on the 5D2) and set the exposure (including aperture) identically, the 5D2 will have shallower focus.

On the other hand, with the same lens and same settings on both cams, the DOF will be about the same, but the 7D image will be zoomed in.

And sure, you can adjust aperture to deepen focus, but there are limits depending on available light.

[Greg Fiske]

One thing to do with a new camera is to test it for any dead pixels. Get somewhere dark, set it to 3200 and film a wall or something uniform. Take the footage and inspect it for any white dead pixels. If manual sensor cleaning doesn't fix it, b&h will replace it and even have their sales guy check the unit before they ship out the new one.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

A dead pixel is no problem because it would definiteley not show on a video. Even a stills image taken at full resolution would only show the pixel when you examin it very closely at 100%. When you view a 21MP Raw image at 33% in ZoomBrowzer EX, this will be what it will look like when printed in a magazine or book, and you will definitely not see a dead pixel in the print. Footage captured in video mode, with one or two dead pixels on the sensor, would almost be impossible to see even if blown up and watched on a big screen. Dead pixels would only be an issue if numerous dead-pixels were grouped tightly together on the sensor.

[Khoi Pham]

Yes you will see dead pixel on your tv or print if the dead pixels are on the chip, if the dead pixel is on the lcd then you won't see it, I would hook up your camera to your monitor by the hdmi cable and put a lens cap on and crank up your iso to 3200 or so, if you see dead pixel then do manual cleaning like Greg suggested, if that doesn't fix it return it for another.

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

I was of course not talking about pixels on the LCD screen, as this has no connection whatsover to the actual stills image or video footage.

Note: "Dead" pixels are actually black; "Hot" pixels are white; and "Stuck" pixels are generally red/blue/green.