Canon EOS 7D

Last Updated
September 29, 2009

Disclaimer
If you want a technical and scientific review of the 7D, this is not the place for it. This mini review is the opinion of one guy and it’s straight to the point. This review will be updated over time.

Background
I am a 1D Mark III user, I have 2 of them. My main use for the cameras is weddings and stock photography. I also dabble in landscape and sports photography. I use B&W film (Leica M4-P) for all my street photography work. I’m looking at this camera from my point of view and if I’d use it for what I do. I am NOT a videographer so I won’t be touching too much on that.

Look & Feel
The first thing that strikes me about the 7D is the little extra bulge at the top. We have waited far too long for a 100% VF in an APS-C camera from Canon. I think a big and bright viewfinder is one of the most underrated features of a camera. I give top marks to the VF on the 7D.

The ergonomics of the camera are slightly different than any previous EOS camera. You’ll notice they finally moved the on/off switch to a better spot, this should be a lot less confusing for consumers. The lock button remains at the bottom. They have added a toggle switch around a stop/stop button for video and stills liveview. This is the best implementation so far on an EOS camera. It’s easy to get to and use. The “Q” button gets you to the on screen control menu where you can quickly navigate with the joystick. Another great implementation.

Canon has also finally added tons of button mapping customization to a camera. A+ on that.

Menu System
As with all Canon cameras, I think they have the best menu system in the industry. It’s fast to navigate and easy to read. Everything is pretty logically laid out. My favorite area of the menu is Custom Function IV Section 1, the graphical images to show which buttons you’re mapping is great.

Other than that, you won’t be surprised by anything here.

Autofocus System
19 autofocus points is just about perfect in my opinion. It’s quick to navigate from one side to the other and you get enough options for composition. I found the AI servo tracking to be more than adequate for my uses.

I didn’t mess around with the Spot AF or Zone AF modes. I’ll never use them. I’m a single point in AI servo person. The camera did a great job set up like that.

8 Frames Per Second
The camera is capable of 8 frames per second bursts. I do want to note that there are situations you won’t get the full 8fps. The following is from the manual of the 7D (page 93 USA/Canada).

- When the battery level is low, the continuous shooting speed will be slightly slower.
- In the AI Servo AF mode, the continuous shooting speed may become slightly slower depending on the subject and lens used.
- In low-light areas or indoors, the continuous shooting speed may become slower even if a fast shutter speed is set.

From Canon Tech Support in regards to the slowing of frame rate
The slowdown of the frame rate is because of Canon’s new metering system. Frame rate is sacrificed in favor of metering accuracy.

Workaround?
If you use exposure lock, the camera will ignore the above and shoot at the desired 8fps.

thanks to Dan for the research.

New Features

Electronic Level
The electronic level is a good addition to the camera. I mapped it to the M-fn button near the shutter button. It’s easy to see and may be useful. I’m still not sure if I’ll use it. The electronic level in live view mode is good as well, although I find it distracting and would need to continuously activate and deactivate it. That being said, it’s a lot better than using a flash shoe level.

Flash Master
It did it’s job and triggered my pair of 580 EXII’s. I’m so happy we don’t NEED pocketwizards, radiopoppers or the ST-E2 anymore. Obviously there are advantages to the first two I mentioned, but I can’t think of any for the ST-E2.

1080p in 24p and 30p
The 24p mode is fantastic and I love the look of it. 5D2 users are probably jealous as heck right now. Hopefully Canon will add the feature to the 5D2 soon.

There’s nothing of note I find different from the  5D2 movie mode. Great quality, a little bit cumbersome to use for the beginner videographer type.

Image Quality
This can be beaten to death by everyone and anyone. I am the wrong person to ask about this. I add noise to images sometimes. I’ll run around a wedding at ISO 3200 when I could be at 400. I love my 10mp cameras and have gotten 4′ x 6′ prints that look great.

I respect that people want low noise, high ISO images. I’m just not that guy.

I will say that this camera is a lot noisier at ISO 400 than the 1D Mark III. It’s not even close. I didn’t see any difference between the 7D and 50D as far as noise goes in print. The “noise pattern” was a little more appealing in the 7D. However, if you’re looking for a clean high ISO performing camera, get a 5D Mark II or wait a while for new EOS-1′s.

A personal opinion on image noise. Don’t judge image quality based on what you see on your monitor. Head to a good print shop and get some nice 8×12 RA4 prints and judge those. Everything looks better on paper.

Color accuracy and all that looked just fine. Auto white balance is still pretty crappy, so I recommend a white balance cap or pay attention to it in post.

Conclusion
Things I liked and disliked about the camera are below. This review will get updated over time

Likes:

• Image quality is very good. Images are full of detail.
• The viewfinder. It’s big and bright.
• 8fps is never a bad thing to have.
• Flash master finally built in.
• 19 AF Points. This to me is the perfect amount. Having 40+ selectable AF points is crazy!
• 30p and 24p at 1080p
• Video quality is amazing, wish I knew what I was doing with it.
• The Liveview and VF leveling tool is a nice touch.
• Compact Flash. No SD slot is fine by me, I never want CF to die.
• Lots of button mapping options, more than any other EOS.
• Menu System. They are easy to navigate. I especially like Custom Function IV Menu 1. The graphical display of what button you’re mapping is great.
• The toggle switch for movies and stills is the best yet for EOS.
• “Q” Button, accessing & navigating the Quick Control screen is a breeze.
• No “Scene Modes”. I like that folks will have to be forced to learn a little bit about photography. Auto & Creative still there, but we’re progressing!
• The on/off switch is idiot proof now.

Dislikes:

• In high speed drive mode (8fps), you may not actually get 8fps in certain situations. See page 93 of the manual (Canada/USA). Drive speed is also affected in full M mode. According to Canon, this is because of the new metering system in the camera. It’s far more accurate at the expense of some FPS.
• AWB still stinks. I don’t think that will ever change.
• Liveview AF still hasn’t improved in speed.
• 18mp – Not because of noise and all that (and it definitely contributes to noise). I’m just happy with the 10mp filesize. An optimized 10-12mp sensor would have been grand. I hate to beat a dead horse.
• ISO performance hasn’t improved enough over the 50D to be a reason to upgrade. I didn’t notice any difference in prints.
• Chipped battery. I don’t like paying more for batteries that give no real advantage in performance.
• No ergonomic improvement to the battery grip, how about another joystick?
• No affordable GPS addon yet.

In closing
This is a camera Canon should have made a few years ago. A pro feature set without the bulk or price tag. No, it won’t have the image quality of an EOS-1 or 5D/5D2, but it will give serious amateurs a lot more to work with.

At its price point, I don’t see how you can ask for anything more. If you’re coming from a Rebel or xxD camera, you’re going to love this camera.

Canon Rumors Rating: 8/10

Reader Questions
Whenever I get a question in regards to the 7D that others may want an answer to, I’ll post them here.

Q. Would this camera be a good complement to a 5d2? I love the image (quality) of that camera, but I also love to go outside and shoot some birds & critters. I find the 5d2 slightly too sluggish in that regard. would a 7D fill that gap for me?

A. There’s two answers to the question.

The 7D would be a great compliment to the 5D Mark II if you want increased responsiveness, snappy AI Servo autofocus and the big frame rate increase. If you bought the 5D Mark II because you wanted the best image quality you could afford, then the 7D may disappoint.

If you lower your image quality standards and realize you’re snapping birds in flight at 8fps, you’ll be happy with the 7D.

Q. Is this camera on par with the 1D Mark III

A. Image quality wise? In a word, no. As for the autofocus system, I can’t give you an educated answer at this time. I’ll continue to play around.

cr