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Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII

Portability
58
Imaging
46
Features
39
Overall
43
Canon EOS 30D front
 
Canon EOS 5D Mark II front
Portability
56
Imaging
65
Features
70
Overall
67

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Key Specs

Canon 30D
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Boost to 3200)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 784g - 144 x 106 x 74mm
  • Introduced April 2006
  • Succeeded the Canon 20D
  • Newer Model is Canon 40D
Canon 5D MII
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Boost to 25600)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF Mount
  • 850g - 152 x 114 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2009
  • Replaced the Canon 5D
  • Successor is Canon 5D MIII
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Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Canon 30D versus Canon 5D MII, both Advanced DSLR cameras and they are both designed by Canon. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the 30D (8MP) and 5D MII (21MP) and the 30D (APS-C) and 5D MII (Full frame) have different sensor size.

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The 30D was manufactured 3 years prior to the 5D MII and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a simple summation of how the 30D scores vs the 5D MII for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Canon 30D over the Canon 5D MII

 30D 5D MII 

Reasons to pick Canon 5D MII over the Canon 30D

 5D MII 30D 
RevealedFebruary 2009April 2006Fresher by 34 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Canon 30D and Canon 5D MII

 30D 5D MII 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera often, you are going to need to consider its weight and measurements. The Canon 30D features outside measurements of 144mm x 106mm x 74mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 784 grams (1.73 lbs) while the Canon 5D MII has proportions of 152mm x 114mm x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0") and a weight of 850 grams (1.87 lbs).

Examine the Canon 30D versus Canon 5D MII in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the 30D and the 5D MII.

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 30D and 5D MII is 58 and 56 respectively.

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII top view buttons comparison

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The visual below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the 30D and 5D MII.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The 30D featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Canon 5D MII will provide you with more detail due to its extra 13 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older 30D will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII sensor size comparison

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 30D as a Portrait photography camera
Canon 5D MII as a Portrait photography camera
51
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
79
manual focus
good MP (21 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Canon 30D
Street photography with Canon 5D MII
52
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
no image stabilization
59
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 30D as a Sports photography camera
Canon 5D MII as a Sports photography camera
44
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
slow frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
good MP (21 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (4.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Canon 30D Travel photography factors
Canon 5D MII Travel photography factors
42
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
55
weather proofing
good MP (21 megapixels)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 30D Landscape photography factors
Canon 5D MII Landscape photography factors
46
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.5")
no liveview feature
no image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
70
manual focus
switch lenses (Canon EF mount)
good sized screen (3")
good MP (21MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
lack of image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 30D Vlogging information
Canon 5D MII Vlogging information
9
no video recording
29
comes with face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external mic support
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Canon 30D vs Canon 5D MII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 30D and Canon 5D MII
 Canon EOS 30DCanon EOS 5D Mark II
General Information
Make Canon Canon
Model type Canon EOS 30D Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Category Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2006-04-04 2009-02-13
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Digic 4
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 22.5 x 15mm 36 x 24mm
Sensor area 337.5mm² 864.0mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 21MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Highest Possible resolution 3504 x 2336 5616 x 3744
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Minimum enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF
Number of lenses 326 250
Crop factor 1.6 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT liquid-crystal color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.56x 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 secs 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 784 grams (1.73 pounds) 850 grams (1.87 pounds)
Physical dimensions 144 x 106 x 74mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.9") 152 x 114 x 75mm (6.0" x 4.5" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 59 79
DXO Color Depth rating 21.5 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.8 11.9
DXO Low light rating 736 1815
Other
Battery life - 850 photographs
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - LP-E6
Self timer Yes (10 sec (2 sec with mirror lock-up)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $773 $1,190