Ken Rockwell (whose site I love, by the way), has an interesting comparison up between the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D7000 titled ‘Which makes better images?’. It’s a good read (spoiler: neither!), and as someone who has used the D7000 for the last year, and just moved over to the 5D MK II, I have a little insight in to this comparison.
Ken’s article focuses on which takes better images, and as he states correctly, neither. Or translated: they both take great photos, so long as the photographer knows how to take great photos.
But everyone knows that while photo quality itself is the number one concern of anyone making a decision about a camera, it’s not the only decision. So, here’s a few of my observations about the differences between these two models.
Body
Both cameras have substantial bodies and are sufficiently rugged. The Canon 5D is a little bit larger than the D7000, but not by enough that it would bother you. In terms of build, I give the slight nod to the D7000. One of the things that I noticed immediately after getting my 5D MK II was that the Compact Flash door hinge felt cheap compared to the door of the D7000, which was spring loaded to open automatically once sufficiently pulled back.
Storage
I have to give the nod to the D7000 here as well. Dual SD card slots easily trump the single Compact Flash slot that the 5D MK II features. I personally prefer SD cards to CF cards, but again, this is just a matter of preference. But having the ability to have a backup slot that is used in any number of manners is extremely nice and a big win for the D7000 over the 5D MK II.
Controls
Here I have to give the nod to Canon. Nikon’s button layout isn’t terrible, but there is one button that is severely out of place: the ISO button. All of the buttons/dials that can affect your image are on top of the D7000, except ISO, which is on the back to the left of the screen. Going back and forth adjusting ISO can be a pain on the D7000. By comparison, on the 5D MK II, the ISO button is on the top and and easy to access.
Focus
For focusing, it’s a mixed bag. The D7000 has more focus points (39) versus the 9 that the 5D MK II has. On the flip side, selecting a focus point is much easier on the 5D MK II thanks to the selection wheel, where you can quickly dial in your point (of course it helps that there are less of them). The D7000′s 39 points are extremely versatile, but using the DPad to select them is not as fluid of a motion as using Canon’s selection wheel. I fully acknowledge that this is a personal prurience, but after a year of using the D7000, I found it much easier to set my focus point on the 5D MK II almost instantly.
Shooting
The 5D MK II gets typecast a good bit as ideal for landscape photography. I guess this is a way of saying it’s not quite ideal for fashion or photojournalism, due to the slower than pro 3.9 fps shooting speed (the D7000 has a 6 fps shooting speed). If shooting off 6 frames in succession is important to you, the D7000 gets the nod here.
Lenses
Both Nikon and Canon have a wide array of lenses available to each. And since their mounts are completely incompatible with each other’s cameras, once you choose a side, you are pretty much stuck in that camp unless you want to sell all your lenses and start anew.
Pro lenses for both can get quite expensive. One of the main lenses most people use is a 24-70mm lens. This gives you a good wide angle view at one end, and a good close up portrait view at the other. The Canon 28-70mm f/2.8 lens costs about $1200. The comparable Nikon lens, the 17-55mm f/2.8 (remember, on the crop sensor of the D7000, to multiply by 1.5, which gives you and effective range of 25.5-85.5mm) costs about $1400.
Optics
The D7000 is 16 megapixels. The 5D MK II is 21 megapixels. If you are routinely making large prints from your shots, you will appreciate the extra mega pixels.
The main difference between these two cameras is that the 5D MK II is a full frame camera, and the D7000 is a DX, or crop frame camera. While both take wonderful pics, the full frame camera is going to give you more of the shot and afford you extra stops of useable ISO.
With better camera optics, come a few trade offs. First, there are a number of Canon lenses that will not work with Canon full frame cameras (like the 5D MK II). There are also full frame lenses that won’t work on crop frame cameras, but fewer in number, thanks to the crop frame cameras selling more numbers.
Second, full frame lenses tend to be of higher quality and cost more money.
The optics on the D7000 are extremely good. As are the optics on the 5D MK II. If you really want a full frame camera, go with the 5D MK II. If you could care less about that, go with the Nikon D7000 and save yourself some money.
Conclusion
Rockwell is right that time spent debating this is time taken away from taking photos. I couldn’t agree more. Try both cameras out. Research the specs on both. Weigh your current investment in lenses and other accessories. Make your decision. Either camera will serve you well.
Electronics manufacturers who produce products in the point and shoot camera category are having a tough go of it. With the advent of smartphones that take decent photographs, the point and shoot category has been one of decline. Companies like Sony, who produce smartphones themselves, at least have a product line that they can hope to offset the p&s (“point and shoot”) losses that will only accelerate over time. Companies like Canon have no presence in the smartphone category, and will see their sales eroded over time.
