550D/5d Mark II

Yellowbelly

Yellowbelly

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Out of sheer curiosity I have been comparing the above two cameras by taking shots of exactly the same indoors scene lit by daylight with both cameras set identically in terms of aperture (F8), white balance (daylight), picture style (standard) etc. All shots taken in RAW at maximum resolution for each camera.

Now I know these two cameras are no where near a like-for-like comparison, but the greatest differences between them immediately apparent on opening the RAW files is the colour rendition. The 550 images show a distinct cool blueish cast compared to the warmer, more natural tones of the 5D. OK, the lenses are different in that I used the EF-S 15-85 on the 550 and the EF24-105 F4L on the 5D, but would you expect that alone to make such a difference?
 
why don't you mount the 24-105 onto the 550d for a fairer comparison?

edit: and show us some photos!
 
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aeronic said:
why don't you mount the 24-105 onto the 550d for a fairer comparison?

edit: and show us some photos!
Click to expand...

The 24-105 was my regular lens on the 550 until my new 5D arrived. As far as posting the pics... erm I erased them half an hour ago :(
 
Probably just the AWB choosing different settings.
 
Yellowbelly said:
No, both cameras set to daylight WB.
Click to expand...

Apologies for not reading the first paragraph carefully enough :bonk:

Maybe the two cameras have different settings for their Daylight preset (seems unlikely though)? Maybe if you do the test again, try altering the white balance of both RAW files to the same values manually.
 
squishy said:
Apologies for not reading the first paragraph carefully enough :bonk:



Maybe the two cameras have different settings for their Daylight preset (seems unlikely though)? Maybe if you do the test again, try altering the white balance of both RAW files to the same values manually.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought. When I tried it I was unable to replicate the other camera's colour rendition by merely changing the white balance settings. I got nearer when also manipulating RGB.

This isn't a huge issue, but I am astounded that two Canon cameras on the same settings can produce images so totally different.
 
or use custom white balance to the room instead of preset camera setings?
 
theboss said:
or use custom white balance to the room instead of preset camera setings?
Click to expand...
I didn't think of that so I may try the shots again. I'll report back.
 
I still think the lens will have an awful lot to do with this
 
I would not draw any conclusions until you have tested both cameras with the same lens. I only need to look at the difference when I use two lenses on the same camera to know what a big difference the lens makes. Eg my 17-55 2.8 canon at 50mm and my 50mm 1.4 sigma.
 
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Funny you mention the 24-105L

Mine has a slight warm feel to the pictures whereas my 17-40L deffinately is a little cooler.

I like my 24-105 for daily use but for landscapes the 17-40 gives me much better pictures. Luckily you can tweek things a little later so it doesn't matter.

Oh and I too have a 5d2
 
dubcat said:
I would draw any conclusions until you have tested both cameras with the same lens. I only need to look at the difference when I use two lenses on the same camera to know what a big difference the lens makes. Eg my 17-55 2.8 canon at 50mm and my 50mm 1.4 sigma.
Click to expand...

Now those two are both quality lenses. What difference do you notice?
 
The colours from the canon are far more vivid than out of the sigma. A bit of post processing gets the sigma there but straight ooc the canon lens pics are more vivid.
 
OK I have repeated the tests, this time using custom WB's set from the same grey card for each camera. Both cameras were set identically in respect of picture style etc. Both shots were taken with the same 24-105 F4L lens. The only processing from RAW was convert to a JPEG suitable for uploading to the gallery.

Although the difference between these two images is not as pronounced as the differences between those I shot yesterday (and deleted :(), there is nevertheless a notable difference in rendering.

I'm still not sure why this should matter greatly as I always shoot in RAW and routine processing would soon sort it. I suppose it is just a little more work as I intend to use both bodies with different lenses on the same subjects.

Anyway any comments would be welcome.

5501.jpg

550D



5d21.jpg

5D Mk II
 
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I think I know the answer to this......


THE PRICE! :lol:

Well all joking aside I'd be pretty miffed if a 550D could produce exactly the same IQ as a 5DII costing almost triple the price tag.
 
travellingcello said:
I think I know the answer to this......


THE PRICE! :lol:

Well all joking aside I'd be pretty miffed if a 550D could produce exactly the same IQ as a 5DII costing almost triple the price tag.
Click to expand...

I have no issues with image quality. What does surprise me is the difference in colour rendering. Don't misunderstand me, it is not a huge issue with me. I offer the post merely as a discussion point. :)
 
I get different colour rendition between my 1D and my 5D when set on Auto WB, havent really looked into it in great detail but the 1D is definitely "cooler", maybe its to do with the 5D being seen by Canon as a portrait camera? Need to do an exhaustive test though to see if its any other setting which is affecting things, I tend to shoot in RAW so it shouldnt be.

Matt
 
Yellowbelly said:
The only processing from RAW was convert to a JPEG suitable for uploading to the gallery.
Click to expand...
How are you processing the raw? In Lightroom? Adobe RAW?

If so, the camera profile (last box on the develop page) defines how raw colours are processed into what we see. The profiles are different for each camera so will produce different renditions.
 
arad85 said:
How are you processing the raw? In Lightroom? Adobe RAW?

If so, the camera profile (last box on the develop page) defines how raw colours are processed into what we see. The profiles are different for each camera so will produce different renditions.
Click to expand...
All conversion and re-sizing were carried out identically in Elements 9.

I will try and post the EXIFs.
 
Yellowbelly said:
All conversion and re-sizing were carried out identically in Elements 9.
Click to expand...
Which uses Adobe Camera RAW which in turn uses camera profiles to "develop" the RAW image. In reading the data in, it applies a profile which converts the numbers from the sensor to the colours that you see on the screen. The key thing is that the profiles for different cameras are different. This will lead to different renditions of colour of exactly the same scene.

To see what sort of difference camera profiles can make to exactly the same image, have a look here: http://photo.andysheen.co.uk/techni...g/lightroom-raw-vs-dpp-raw-processing-part-2/
 
Here is the EXIF data for my two posted images:



File Name 5501.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 550D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.0.9
Shooting Date/Time 09/01/2012 11:45:03
Author Robert F Smith
Copyright Notice Robert F Smith
2012

Owner's Name Robert F Smith
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/200
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
AE lock ON
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 40.0mm
Image Size 5184x3456
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode One-Shot AF
AF area select mode Manual selection
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 0:Off
High ISO speed noise reduction 0:Standard
Highlight tone priority Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer Disable
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
Dust Delete Data No
File Size 24297KB
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Camera Body No.
Comment












File Name 5d21.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Firmware Firmware Version 2.1.1
Shooting Date/Time 09/01/2012 11:36:23
Author Photographer: Robert F Smith
Copyright Notice Copyright: Robert F Smith 2012
Owner's Name Robert F Smith
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/250
Av( Aperture Value ) 4.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 67.0mm
Image Size 5616x3744
Image Quality RAW
Flash Off
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode One-Shot AF
Picture Style Standard
Sharpness 3
Contrast 0
Saturation 0
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction Off
High ISO speed noise reduction Standard
Highlight tone priority Disable
Auto Lighting Optimizer Disable
Peripheral illumination correction Enable
Dust Delete Data No
File Size 25831KB
Drive Mode Single shooting
Live View Shooting OFF
Satellite signal status
Date/Time(UTC)
Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Geographic coordinate system
Camera Body No.
Comment
 
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arad85 said:
Which uses Adobe Camera RAW which in turn uses camera profiles to "develop" the RAW image. In reading the data in, it applies a profile which converts the numbers from the sensor to the colours that you see on the screen. The key thing is that the profiles for different cameras are different. This will lead to different renditions of colour of exactly the same scene.

To see what sort of difference camera profiles can make to exactly the same image, have a look here: http://photo.andysheen.co.uk/techni...g/lightroom-raw-vs-dpp-raw-processing-part-2/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link Andy, that looks interesting. I suspect you have nailed it.
 
How about taking photos in raw+ jpg to see how the camera handles the processing :-)
 
Yellowbelly said:
Thanks for the link Andy, that looks interesting. I suspect you have nailed it.
Click to expand...
It's taken me a year to get my head around how raw processing works. Understanding the camera profile (and how it maps the sensor numbers to the colours you see) was the bit that made it all fall into place.
 
aeronic said:
How about taking photos in raw+ jpg to see how the camera handles the processing :-)
Click to expand...
I could, but as I said in an earlier post, I always shoot in RAW so in-camera processing is of no consequence to me.
 
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