Originally Posted by EdN
I've got both a 5D Mk II and a 7D. As others have said the 5D Mk II has superior IQ and this is really noticeable in shots with marginal lighting conditions. On a 7D, you can shoot decent shots that look great with good lighting but anywhere where there's shadows, you lose detail really quickly, even for ISO's as low as around 400. However, the 7D has such a great AF system that it makes up for thesuperior pictureof the 5D Mk II when you are shooting fast moving or erratically moving objects.For the 5D Mk II, you get great image quality but depending on what you are shooting, you may only get a blurred image because it can't lock onto the subject as fast. For the 7D, you have a softer picture andloss of shadow detail at lower ISO's but blazingly fast AF that locks onto moving objects better and a 1.6 x crop factor to get closer to your subject.
So here's some more points to consider:
1. If you think you will be encountering fast moving objects like birds, running animals, etc in the far distance then you might be better off with a 7D. I use a 7D for birds and it does a lot better than the 5D Mk II. You also have a 50 D that has the frame rate, the extra reach but not the super quick AF.
2. If you think that you will be encountering animals in a still life situation, like sitting under trees, not moving fast, and possibly be in relative close proximity from a vehicle, the 5D Mk II will give you WAY better high quality shots from better IQ, more shadow detail, sharper picturesand better high ISO performance.
For birds in particular, the 7D really shines with the reach and better AF. When I can get a bird with a 5D Mk II, the pictures are invaribly better. It's just that the 7D nails the focus WAY more often for fast moving birds.