Canon 5D Mark II vs. Canon 7D vs. Nikon D90

We’re planning on shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II as our primary camera becuase it has the largest sensor and it has better light sensitivity than the other two cameras. The Canon 5D has a full frame 24mm by 36mm sensor. This is about 24 times the size of a standard compact camera sensor. The Canon 5D’s sensor size is the same as a standard film camera frame and it is even larger than the RED camera’s 24.4mm x 13.7mm sensor.

The Nikon D90 on the other hand has a 16mm by 24mm sensor. This is still 11 times the area of the average compact camera’s imaging chip.

Sensor size is important to us becuase the larger the sensor, the better the camera will handle in low light environments. We plan on shooting many of our scenes at night which means we need a camera that is sensitive to light. If our primary camera’s sensor is too small the resulting image will suffer from having too much “noise” (which is the digital equivalent to “grain” in film).

You can also see that the Canon eos 5D Mark II has an ISO range from 100-6400 while the Nikon D90 only ranges from 200-3200. While it’s likely we won’t be shooting over 3200 ISO with the Canon 5D (as doing so you increase your chances of “noise”), it’s always nice to have the option.

All three cameras use CMOS sensors (instead of CCD’s) and all three camera’s have been criticized for this to varying degrees as well. One of the main criticisms of the CMOS sensor is that it produces a “jellocam” effect (also known as rolling shutter). What this means is that the image may warp slightly if there is too much movement in a shot (i.e. actor movements, dolly or jib shots etc).

This happens because the CMOS sensor (unlike the CCD sensor) doesn’t capture the entire image simultaneously, but instead captures the image from top to bottom. This means if there is too much movement in the frame, the image may “lag” causing a jello effect. Using a larger off-camera  monitor will help you identify when this problem does occur so you can re-take your shot if necessary.

However, we’ve shot quite a bit of footage with the Canon 5D and we’ve incorporated a lot of movement into our shots and have still not experienced a problem with the jello effect yet. The more expensive RED camera also uses the CMOS sensor but the jello effect doesn’t seem to be as big of a problem with this camera either. However, it has been cited as an issue with the Nikon D90.

The Nikon D90 is also criticized for its onboard microphone. The fact is, that all three cameras have terrible onboard microphones. The Nikon D90 has an 11khz mono track which is simply not compatible with professional broadcast standards, and with no auxiliary inputs for sound you’ll be forced to find some type of double system solution. On the Canon 5D Mark II we use an adapter call Beachtek which allows us to insert our XLR cables for our Sennheiser microphones.

But there are some major drawbacks to the D90 that are not found in the Canon 5D or 7D cameras. For instance the Nikon D90 has no  power zoom, no auto-focus and virtually no manual control over the camera’s shutter speed, aperture or ISO when in video mode.

The 5D (before the 2 most recent firmware updates) suffered from some of the same criticisms of the Nikon D90. However, Canon released 2 firmware updates. The first gave filmmakers more manual control over their settings in video mode and the second update allowed for 24p shooting. Therefore in our opinion, the Canon 5D is a much better first unit camera if your budget allows for it.

That being said, the Nikon D90 has a price tag under $1000 dollars while the Canon 5D costs over $3000 with lenses.  The price difference is dramatic and filmmakers should not let the technical limitations of the Nikon D90 deter them from undertaking both short film and feature film projects. The video quality the camera produces is still great for the price of the camera.

There are a series of great short films being shot on the Nikon D90. In fact some of the best short films I’ve seen have been shot on the Nikon D90. For example, I’m really drawn towards the aesthetics of the French film director Jean Julien Pous. He too seems heavily influenced by Chinese filmmakers as can be seen in his short film “Drifting Away” which was shot on the Nikon D90. Enjoy!

To watch another great project of his of his watch “Seeking You”

RELATED POSTS:

Screenplay writing
How to audition
Nikon D90 for filmmakers
Independent feature film
Feature film Canon EOS 5D Mark II

We’re also finalizing finishing touches on the subtitles, sound and music for the short documentary we filmed, then somehow managed to break, last year entitled The Purpose of Life is Rice… Wink. We went to commercial Drive to interview Danse Crowkiller last night in the rain to find out what’s happened to him since we’ve finished filming.  He’s been stabbed, had his corner burned down, his bags stolen and most recently he was attacked with a metal bar which cut open his head and broke his arm. The hospital also cut his hair, which I thought was a sort of tragedy, but he seemed to be indifferent towards the new hairdo. For those of you that know Danse, you’ll know that he loves fashion and he loves his hair.