Canon XSi vs Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D Mark II advantages over Canon XSi

• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 6.41 vs 5.20 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  5D Mark II test data on DxO Mark XSi test data on DxO Mark
  1,815 vs 692 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  5D Mark II test data on DxO Mark XSi test data on DxO Mark
  11.9 vs 10.8 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  850 vs 500 shots
  Capture more photos
• More telephoto lens reach
  105 mm vs 88 mm
  Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Pentaprism viewfinder
  Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
  Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• More dots on screen
  920k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.71x vs 0.54x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  21.1 vs 12.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• More AF points
  15 vs 9
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Wider angle kit lens
  24 mm vs 29 mm
  Capture more of the scene with the included lens
• Faster JPEG shooting
  3.9 fps vs 3.5 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 1600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility