Perrone Ford

The 5D has a sensor that is quite a lot larger than even most film cameras. The 7D is a lot closer to a film camera's printed image. However, the 5D (and other cameras like it) offer sensor sizes far greater than the average consumer camcorder. The larger sensor gives it vastly superior light gathering, excellent ability to have selective focus (that shallow DOF everyone seems to be so in love with), and it has numerous other advantages over normal video cameras as well. But all is not roses. It has some pretty severe limitations if you intend to use it like a common camcorder. The first is that you can only record 12 minutes at a time. This is fine for narrative work, but a show stopper for doing something like a wedding, or an interview or a conference. There is not auto-focus. Film people are used to that, but video people usually are not. It does not record usable sound. So you need to get a separate recorder for sound. Again, in film this is normal, but not in video. There are other things also, but what it mostly comes down to, is that this is the closest thing to an electronic film camera that most people will ever be able to afford. The next step up in price to a camera with this size sensor is the RED, and it costs over $35k ready to shoot.