7D - How bad is it? Really?

[tortilla]

but I also realize that the standards on this forum is VERY high.

Wrong. Most of the people on this forum are pixel peepers who don't enjoy photography.

Haha. Yes there are pros here who shoot for living, but many people here are pixel peepers who just love photography.

[tomscott]

but I also realize that the standards on this forum is VERY high.

Wrong. Most of the people on this forum are pixel peepers who don't enjoy photography. The 7D will be a huge upgrade over that 30D in exactly the areas you need it to be. Buy one and enjoy for years to come...

Overall, the 7D was my first DSLR ever, that never left me wanting for more. In my opinion, it was and still is the only recommendable APS-C DSLR from Canon. I may eventually move to FF, but only once a really good successor to the 5D 3 [in terms of sensor performance, specifically DR] will ever be released.

Having owned both in a recent time frame, the 5D MKIII is head and shoulders above the 7D in all those areas and you would see it a very good upgrade. Was for me, find I get much more keepers and DR is much better. There is something about the images they just look better. Something about FF.

Worth having a good go anyway, but yes the 7D is a great camera the 5DMKIII is just much better.

[nicku]

I own a 7D. I can say that you can use ISO 3200 with above average results. Using a good soft to remove noise and downsizing the image to about 10MP the results are very pleasing.

PS you must use good quality glass.

[crasher8]

I used a 7D for 2 years. Under 3200 I would spend minimal time with each image in post but at 3200 and above I found myself trying to salvage photos and that just wasn't a way I wanted to capture things. I bought a noise program just because of the 7D's limitations. Not the way I like to do things! In camera is what photography is all about and if you are finding yourself spending over 2 minutes on each image (caveat: paid gigs I understand) to get rid of noise then you become a computer image manipulator. I enjoy my camera time much more than my post!

[Stichus III]

The 7D is a pleasure to use. It's a great camera. However, the high iso noise performance is not comparable to full frame camera's.

Images shot at iso 3200 and 6400 (please shoot RAW) need processing to reduce noise (Adobe Camera RAW does a great job) but are very usable unless (1) the images are underexposed or (2) you intend to print the images large.

For me the 7D has always delivered. Even at high iso's. 

[TAW]

I used my 7D for two years and loved it.  I tried not to go above ISO 1000.  The 5D III is just an improvement in so many ways.   Many of my pictures are of kids & school related stuff and it seems every gym and fieldtrip is in challenging lighting where the higher ISO of the 5D III was so helpful.  With that said, when I am out taking pictures of my kids skiing, I was (and would be today) completely happy with my 7D.  IMHO, You will not be unhappy with the 7D unless you need a lot of 1000+ iso.  You should at least give the 5D III a test drive.  I fall into the armature that loves photography and I can also add that I loved moving to full frame.  In a year or two, we will be having this same conversation about the 7D III vs the 5D X.  God help us when they introduce a new sensor 

Have fun shooting

tom

[Wilmark]

Any camera will shoot good pictures and the 7D certainly shoot good pictures even under the conditions you describe with some limitations. If that's all you are going to use to make your decision the 7D will be fine. I owned the 7d and I was terribly disappointed with it especially in lowlight high ISO situations. I was also disappointed with the IQ. I believe that the 7d is a Rebel in a pro body. There is little difference in IQ between the 2ti (and its successors) and the 7D, there is some debate about whether it uses the same sensor. The 7D has almost every pro body feature of the big bodies that does not affect IQ - weather sealing, advanced auto focus, high frame rate, 60p 720 video, etc but i could never get over why canon chose to put a Rebel quality sensor in this body. Canon is already in the dumps with its sensors and the 7D's sensor the lowest performing sensor in their pro lineup. It is old and outdated, and we are just on the verge of a new wave of cameras and possibly new sensors, I would never buy a new 7D at this point. Esp that its rumored a new 7D will be out this year. If you ever plan to make the leap to FF body stop buying any EFS lenses.

[DaveQ]

I shoot wildlife for some very demanding clients with the 7D and 100-400L, and a couple of L Telephoto lenses, and do not hesitate to use ISO 3200 and even ISO 6400 when necessary. I process in RAW, and then run the images through Topaz Denoise. My customers and I are very happy with their A2 and A3 size prints. Go ahead...use the camera and don't let the ISO setting limit your creativity!

[insanitybeard]

Any camera will shoot good pictures and the 7D certainly shoot good pictures even under the conditions you describe with some limitations. If that's all you are going to use to make your decision the 7D will be fine. I owned the 7d and I was terribly disappointed with it especially in lowlight high ISO situations. I was also disappointed with the IQ. I believe that the 7d is a Rebel in a pro body. There is little difference in IQ between the 2ti (and its successors) and the 7D, there is some debate about whether it uses the same sensor. The 7D has almost every pro body feature of the big bodies that does not affect IQ - weather sealing, advanced auto focus, high frame rate, 60p 720 video, etc but i could never get over why canon chose to put a Rebel quality sensor in this body. Canon is already in the dumps with its sensors and the 7D's sensor the lowest performing sensor in their pro lineup. It is old and outdated, and we are just on the verge of a new wave of cameras and possibly new sensors, I would never buy a new 7D at this point. Esp that its rumored a new 7D will be out this year. If you ever plan to make the leap to FF body stop buying any EFS lenses.

To be fair, to my knowledge, when the 7D was new- ie, 3+ years ago, it WAS a new sensor which, as I understand it was competitive at the time (without getting dragged into arguments involving low ISO noise and banding) against the then comparable models- e.g, Nikon D300. It is only because subsequent Rebels have used basically the same sensor that the 7D now offers no IQ benefits compared to them (disregarding the improved AF, FPS performance etc), so whilst I agree the 7D needs an overhaul/refresh, to say the sensor is 'Rebel quality' is comparing the newer Rebels with a 3 year old camera.

[K3nt]

I say get the 7D now, especially if you can find a good price, which shouldn't be too hard. It's a step up from your current gear and will serve you well.
There's always the option of upgrading to the next bells-and-whistles device that's "just around the corner", and then you'll make a decision on keeping the 7D as a backup body or selling it, it's not a hard sell by any stretch.
I will probably keep mine even when I do upgrade as I simply LOVE the way the 7D works. It is awesome. I haven't tried 1D-series stuff which I'm told are brilliant as well.
But, when and if you get the 7D, take the time to learn its ways, it'll pay off.

[SPL]

The 7D is a very nice camera that will serve you well.  I have had mine for about 2.5 years and have enjoyed it.  I have however, on several occasions been very annoyed by its noise and banding (especially with some landscape shots) at ISO 100.  Now,..I am an enthusiast and an amateur who very much enjoys his hobby,…but I honestly at times do a good amount of pixel peeping, when I shouldn’t be pixel peeping.  I love the ergonomics and functionality of the camera, and the FPS and reach of the crop are very nice when you need it.  I recently upgraded to a 5D III and the IQ is far superior.  Some people might say this is a lame comment, but as some other posters have said,..there is just something about a FF image,…there is…  The current prices that we have seen for a new 7D body are interesting,…looks like a replacement is coming soon,..so as another poster said,..a used body or a refurbished one may be a good choice..

[vargyropoulos]

I picked up a 7D about a month ago and I've used it for both studio and wildlife. I have a few decent ISO1600 shots for wildlife that did not lose too much detail during noise reduction but if you want those magazine quality photos try to stick with ISO 640 or less.. .maybe ISO800 with good light

for studio, I do find that FF will give you some better detail resolution but I'm not making money off photos.... so for me the 7D is proving an excellent value... to upgrade it for studio use... is about a $2000 deal... to upgrade it for wildlife use.... is more than a $10,000 deal

[Trovador]

Bad?, best camera ever! 

All pics on my website taken with 7D: www.ruddyflorentino.com

That said, ISO 1600 is as high as I went, 3200 if absolutely necessary to get the shot.  You can always reduce noise on post though.  For your needs I think is more than OK, unless you plan to use isos higher than 1600 often, then I'd recommend going full frame.

[FatDaddyJones]

I don't think most of the people that replied really cared to read the original post. He's NOT looking to upgrade to full frame.

That being said, I would highly recommend the 7D, having spent the last three years shooting with it exclusively. To be fair, the new t4i is supposed to have one more stop of ISO usability than the 7D, and will benefit from the new Digic 5 processor in noise reduction, mostly in the in-camera processing when your shooting JPEG. They're both great cameras. The 7D is a lot more sturdy and just feels better in your hands. After shooting with a 7D, a Rebel will feel more like a toy. If you don't need that toughness, weather sealing, and 8fps, look into the t4i, which should give you equal, if not better, ISO noise quality.

I just got a 5D Mark III, and I can't bring myself to part with my 7D. With the price of the 7D right now, you can't go wrong if that's your camera of choice for upgrade. The quality is head and shoulders above the 30D, and I'm sure you would be pleased.

If you're not looking to upgrade to FF, don't listen to all these guys going on about how much better it is. There's ALWAYS something better out there for lots more money. You need to look at your needs and your price range and decide what camera is best for you. The 7D will make an awesome upgrade in IQ and ISO quality. There are other options (60D, t4i, etc.) that you ought to look at also when choosing a crop body, but considering that you take sports photos, the 8 frames per second on the 7D might be a deciding factor of what would best fit your shooting needs. Hope this helps.

[danjwark]

The 7D still is a great camera. However, ISO wise it is really no better than any other current 18MP APS-C cameras - even the Rebels. The key to having less noise in your high ISO shots is to have good light. In poor (low) light, ISO 1600 will look noisy on a 7D. With better light you can go up to 6400 in a pinch and it may look OK. Just don't try using 6400 in very low light as the noise will be very bad.
In terms of comparing it to your 30D, try this site: http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
It allows you to compare different models side by side. Just bear in mind that these are studio shots with good light so it makes it hard to see huge differences.
Handling wise, you will definitely enjoy the 7D over the 30D. Almost everything about it is a vast improvement.