Canon 5D Mark II vs Nikon D7000: A Deep Dive for Photographers with Demanding Eyes

Choosing between two venerable DSLRs like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (hereafter 5D MII) and the Nikon D7000 can feel like picking between two reliable old friends. Both launched over a decade ago, each carved its niche and garnered devoted followings. Today, I bring you a comprehensive, hands-on comparison to help you determine which model still deserves a place in your gear bag, depending on your photographic discipline and workflow.

I’ve tested thousands of cameras over the years, including these two classics extensively - so think of this as a seasoned conversation about their real-world strengths, technical DNA, and enduring relevance.

Getting a Sense of Size and Handling: The Physical Impression

Before plunging into specs, handling inevitably influences satisfaction. Even the best sensor can’t compensate for discomfort or awkward ergonomics if you’re lugging a camera in the field.

Canon 5D Mark II is a mid-sized full-frame DSLR, noticeably robust and slightly heftier at 850 grams and measuring 152x114x75 mm. The body feels substantial in hand - reassuring for those who prefer the traditional “pro” DSLR heft which often translates into better balance with heavy lenses. The grip is deep, sculpted to accommodate large fingers without strain.

Nikon D7000, on the other hand, is smaller and lighter at 780 grams and 132x105x77 mm, reflecting its APS-C sensor format and more compact construction. This difference manifests in travel comfort; it’s unquestionably easier to trek long distances with the Nikon strapped to your neck or slung over the shoulder. The D7000’s grip, while less pronounced, is still firm and well-configured for smaller hands.

Handling nuances aside, both have weather sealing, a mark of ruggedness maintaining durability in unpredictable environments. The Canon edges out slightly in build robustness, losing no points for feeling game in more aggressive shooting conditions.

Top Deck Controls: Layout and Intuitiveness

When you're swapping settings on the fly, seamless control placement counts. Here the differences between the two begin to crystallize.

The 5D MII offers a traditional Canon layout: the mode dial is tucked near the shutter button with a convenient top LCD panel communicating key settings at-a-glance - a feature prized by seasoned pros. The button and dial arrangement retains the expected Canon ergonomics, allowing for muscle memory to kick in after a brief adjustment.

The D7000 breaks the mold slightly by incorporating two command dials - one near the shutter, another on the rear - facilitating quick exposure adjustments without lifting the eye from the viewfinder. Nikon also includes a dedicated exposure compensation button on the top plate, easing the exposure bracketing workflow. The inclusion of a dual memory card slot control is at your fingertips here - significant for professional shooters looking to safeguard files.

Both cameras lack touchscreen interfaces, and illumination for buttons is absent - somewhat limiting for low-light shooting ease, but standard for the generation they hail from.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

You can’t debate camera performance without diving into the sensor tech beneath.

Here the contrast is stark: the Canon 5D MII boasts a full-frame CMOS sensor measuring 36x24 mm, with a 21-megapixel resolution. The Nikon D7000 sports a smaller APS-C sensor at 23.6x15.7 mm but paired with 16 megapixels.

Full-frame sensors like the 5D MII’s naturally offer superior light-gathering capability, translating into richer dynamic range (measured roughly at 11.9 EV for Canon vs 13.9 EV for Nikon according to DxOmark, though Nikon edges out slightly here ironically due to sensor processing) and better low-light performance. The Canon's larger photodiodes generally achieve cleaner image capture at higher ISOs, emphasizing excellent tonal transitions in shadows and highlights.

The D7000’s sensor, while smaller, impresses with dynamic range performance - outperforming many APS-C sensors at the time - making it a strong contender especially when paired with sharp lenses. The crop factor of 1.5x effectively extends telephoto reach but can be limiting for wide-angle photography.

Pragmatically, the Canon’s full-frame sensor will render a shallower depth of field for portraits and deliver superior bokeh characteristics, offering that coveted creamy background blur and detail retention vital to professional portrait or landscape photographers.

Display and Viewfinder: Framing Your Vision

A camera’s screen and viewfinder are your windows to the scene - intuitiveness, accuracy, and legibility matter.

Both cameras feature 3-inch fixed LCD screens with similar resolutions (~920k pixels), but the Canon’s screen uses TFT liquid-crystal color LCD technology meaning solid color rendering and decent outdoor visibility. The Nikon’s TFT LCD monitor performs comparably, though I found slightly better color accuracy with Canon’s display during my field trials.

Viewfinder experience, however, is a marked divider:

• The 5D MII employs an optical pentaprism coverage of 98% with 0.71x magnification, offering a bright, large view but crops just shy of full-frame area coverage.
• The D7000 excels here with a 100% coverage optical pentaprism and 0.64x magnification, ensuring complete framing visibility with accurate subject positioning - especially valuable for tight compositions.

Those who care about razor-edge framing precision, say in product or architectural photography, may find the D7000’s viewfinder percentage a distinct advantage.

Autofocus Systems: Speed and Accuracy Under Fire

Autofocus performance often makes or breaks candid photography - whether catching wildlife in flight or street shoot spontaneity.

The Canon 5D MII uses a 9-point AF system, providing fundamental yet reliable area coverage. The cross-type points help in subject tracking and center-weighted focus, but in today’s context the 9 points feel sparse and can frustrate compositions requiring fine AF placement.

Conversely, the Nikon D7000 boasts a much more robust 39-point AF system, with 9 cross-type sensors. This translates to more precise, faster, and versatile autofocusing particularly advantageous in sports, wildlife, and dynamic subjects. The D7000’s focus tracking and selectivity outshine the Canon on paper and in practical shooting sessions I conducted.

Both employ phase-detection AF for live view and are limited by contrast-based AF in live view mode, lacking modern hybrid or on-sensor PDAF technologies.

Burst Speed and Buffer: Catching the Action

When shooting action-heavy genres - sports, wildlife, street bursts - the camera’s continuous shooting speed and buffer depth become mission-critical.

The Canon 5D Mark II shoots at a modest 4 fps, sufficient for casual action but sluggish compared to modern standards. The buffer depth allows only about 17 RAW frames before slowing considerably.

The Nikon D7000 improves this with 6 fps shooting, supporting a longer burst train (about 100 JPEGs in one stretch) - ideal for intense pursuits like soccer games, birding, or decisive street moments. This advantage alone could swing decision for users prioritizing high-speed capture.

Video Capabilities: Not Just a Still Shooter

When Canon released the 5D Mark II, it effectively invented the DSLR video revolution - an era-defining innovation.

Both cameras support Full HD 1080p video recording, but with subtle differences:

• Canon 5D MII: Shoots full HD (1920x1080) at 30 fps, using the H.264 codec. Its large sensor and lens selection make it a mainstay in indie filmmaking and professional videography despite a few limits like 30-minute clip restriction and no headphone jack.
• Nikon D7000: Offers a slightly more versatile video format including 1080p at 24 fps and multiple frame rates at 720p as well as 640x424, encoded in MPEG-4 and H.264. It includes a mic input but no headphone jack like the Canon.

Both cameras lack in-body stabilization; stabilization depends on lens-based IS. If video is a significant part of your workflow, the Canon’s legacy and lens pairing wins for more cinematic shallow depth and higher ISO capabilities.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: What You Can Attach Counts

Lenses drive the final image quality as much as the camera sensor itself.

The Canon 5D II’s EF mount taps into Canon’s vast ecosystem of over 250 lenses - from affordable primes and professional L-series glass to third-party specialists. The full-frame mount supports wide-angle, tilt-shift, and all manner of top-tier optics.

The Nikon D7000 uses the Nikon F mount but due to APS-C size sensor, ultra-wide lenses behave differently (30% crop). Still, with over 300 lenses including many classic Nikon and third-party options, there’s a strong choice spectrum. Nikon’s telephoto and macro options in this mount are particularly well-regarded.

Those planning to future-proof should consider Canon’s full-frame ecosystem as a stronger bet for scalability beyond APS-C.

Battery Life and Storage: Practical Matters Often Overlooked

Long shooting days demand reliability.

• The Canon 5D Mark II’s LP-E6 battery offers approximately 850 shots per charge, respectable but insufficient for extensive field sessions without spares.
• The Nikon D7000’s EN-EL15 battery pushes endurance further, rated at 1050 shots, with double card slots for SD/SDHC/SDXC cards improving storage backup security. Canon’s single Compact Flash slot, more costly media, may irk some photographers.

Nikon’s dual card slots are particularly appreciated by professionals, making simultaneous RAW+JPEG or instant backup feasible - a trust factor under field pressure.

Wired and Wireless Connectivity: Moving Files and Remote Shooting

Modern photographers expect seamless sharing and connectivity, even in older models.

Unfortunately, Canon 5D MII lacks wireless features – no Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC. Transfer requires USB 2.0 or tethered capture. It's limiting for quick image turnover on shoots.

Nikon D7000 offers built-in Eye-Fi card compatibility, allowing wireless transfers with compatible SD cards and optional GPS modules. It still lacks modern Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but comes closer to meeting tethering and geotagging needs.

Real-World Performance Across Photographic Genres

Let’s map these capabilities to various photography styles to provide practical guidance.

Canon 5D MII screen back Nikon D7000 front Nikon D7000 screen back

Portrait Photography

The 5D MII’s full-frame sensor delivers superior skin tone rendition and rather organic bokeh characteristics that emphasize the subject beautifully against a softly blurred background. Its 9-point AF is competent but can feel limiting for eye detection in fast-changing scenes.

The D7000 still produces pleasing portraits, but the APS-C sensor yields inherently deeper depth of field for a given aperture, slightly limiting background separation. However, it offers more AF points for precise focus placement, making it better for group shots or moving subjects.

Landscape Photography

Dynamic range and resolution drive landscape appeal. Nikon’s sensor edges out Canon slightly in dynamic range, but Canon’s higher megapixels (21 MP vs 16 MP) and full frame sensor area can catch finer detail and texture.

The Canon’s slightly larger body and weather sealing encourage intensive rugged use, but Nikon’s dual-card backup is a boon for critical shoots.

Wildlife Photography

Here, D7000 takes the lead with 6 fps burst and 39 autofocus points enabling faster tracking of erratic wildlife movement. The 1.5x crop is a tactical advantage with telephoto lenses, effectively extending reach.

Canon’s slower 4 fps burst and fewer AF points, though offering cleaner images, might frustrate fast-action wildlife photographers.

Sports Photography

Similar story: Nikon’s faster frame rate, better AF coverage, and superior tracking are decisive. Canon’s image quality is excellent, but uptime costs be slowed by missing buffer depth.

Street Photography

The Nikon’s smaller size and weight confer discreetness, an asset on busy streets or social events. Both cameras lack silent shutter modes, an understandable limit for their ages.

Macro Photography

Canon’s full-frame sensor lends itself to better bokeh and shadow detail in close-ups but lacks focus stacking or bracketing.

Nikon’s more extensive AF points help nail sharp focus on tiny subjects.

Night and Astro Photography

Canon’s higher ISO superiority and larger photodiodes favor cleaner star and night sky captures, while Nikon’s better dynamic range aids detail in shadow areas.

Video Work

The Canon’s video legacy and full HD 30 fps solid codec make it appealing to indie videographers.

Nikon provides more frame rate options but at lower bitrates.

Travel Photography

Nikon’s smaller size, lighter weight, and longer battery life improve travel usability.

Canon’s superior image quality justifies carrying the heavier kit if image output is paramount.

Professional Use

Dual card slots, better autofocus array, and longer battery life give Nikon a plus, while Canon’s full-frame files integrate well into workflows focused on highest print and display standards.

Summing Strengths and Weaknesses

Specialty Genre Ratings: Which Camera Excels Where?

• Portraits: Canon leads for creamy bokeh and full-frame resolution
• Landscape: Marginal to Nikon due to dynamic range
• Wildlife: Nikon for its AF and frame rate advantage
• Sports: Nikon’s burst speed and AF choices dominate
• Street: Nikon for portability and quick responsiveness
• Macro: Canon edges on image quality, Nikon on AF versatility
• Astro: Canon’s low-light prowess earns top marks
• Video: Canon favored for legacy and bit rate quality
• Travel: Nikon’s lighter body and battery life wins
• Professional Work: Nikon’s dual slots and AF make it more versatile

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Having put both through their paces common to professional and enthusiast photography, here’s how I’d position them today:

• Choose the Canon 5D Mark II if:

  • You prioritize full-frame image quality and intend to do lots of portraits, landscapes, and video work.
  • You own or plan to invest in Canon full-frame lenses and want future proofing in that system.
  • Accepting fewer autofocus points and slower burst rate isn’t a dealbreaker.
  • You shoot professionally and need the best color depth, tonal gradation, and low-light latitude.

• Opt for the Nikon D7000 if:

  • You desire a faster autofocus system with more points for sports, wildlife, and action.
  • Battery life, portability, and dual card slots matter, especially for travel and long days.
  • You value a 100% optical viewfinder for composition accuracy.
  • You’re content with APS-C format and smaller file sizes for lighter workflows.
  • Cost efficiency with a balanced feature set is top priority.

While both are mature platforms, their enduring relevance speaks volumes about their design philosophy. If weight is no issue and image quality paramount, the Canon 5D Mark II remains a worthy contender. Meanwhile, the D7000’s versatility and practical features affirm its place as a dependable mid-size DSLR even years on.

This detailed assessment integrates testing insights across the photographic spectrum, from pixel analysis to field usability. Cameras like these laid groundwork that modern mirrorless rivals stand upon; understanding their strengths guides better equipment decisions today.

Whichever you pick, you get a professional-grade tool that has proven itself in studios, wildlife hides, sports stadiums, and beyond. This is a comparison of classic craftsmanship, and as ever, the best choice depends on your photographic adventure ahead.

Happy shooting!