Canon EOS 7D - Full "hands on" Review
Canon's new EOS 7D isn't a replacement for any current EOS DSLR. It's a new "advanced APS-C" class camera, positioned between the current EOS 50D and EOS 5D MkII in terms of both price and features. Actually it has most of the features of the EOS 5D MkII except for the fact that it uses a smaller sensor. It's closer to a "mini 5D MkII" than it is to an "upgraded EOS 50D". It's priced at $1700, while the 50D is available for around $1000 and the 5D MkII will cost you $2700.
Here are the main differences between the EOS 50D and the new Canon EOS 7D:
| Canon EOS 50D | Canon EOS 7D | Canon EOS 5D MkII | |
| Est. Street Price (09/09) | $1100 | $1699 | $2699 |
Adorama Links |
EOS 50D | EOS 7D | EOS 5D MkII |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 22.3 x 14.9 mm (3.32 cm²) | 22.3 x 14.9 mm (3.32 cm²) | 36 x 24 mm (8.64 cm²) |
| Sensor resolution | 4752 x 3168 | 5184 x 3456 | 5616 x 3744 |
| Effective pixels | 15.1 MP | 18.0 MP | 21.1 MP |
| Pixel density | 4.5 MP/cm² | 5.4 MP/cm² | 2.4 MP/cm² |
| Pixel Size (pitch) | 4.7 microns | 4.3 microns | 6.4 microns |
| Low resolution modes | 3456 x 2304, 2353 x 1568 | 5184 x 3456, 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 | 4080 x 2720, 2784 x 1856, 5616 x 3744, 3861 x 2574, 2784 x 1856 |
| ISO rating | 100-3200 in 1/3 stops, expandable to 6400 and 12800 | 100-6400 in full or 1/3 stops, expandable to 12800 | 100 - 6400 in full or 1/3 stops, expandable to 50, 12800 and 25600 |
| Auto Focus | TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS, 9 focus points (diamond shape, cross-type) | TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS, 19-point all cross-type AF (f/2.8 at center: Dual Cross Sensor) | TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS, 9 AF Points (1 Cross Type) + 6 AF Assist Points |
| White balance | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature | Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature |
| Shutter Speeds | 1/8000 - 30 sec | 1/8000 - 30 sec | 1/8000 - 30 sec |
| Shutter Durability | 100,000 cycles | 150,000 cycles | 150,000 cycles |
| Built-in Flash | Yes, pop-up | Yes, pop-up | No |
| Built-in wireless flash control | No | Yes, Can control up to 3 groups of 4 flashes each. | No |
| Flash Sync Speed | 1/250s | 1/250s | 1/200s |
| Flash range | 13 m (ISO 100) | 12 m (ISO 100) | |
| External flash | Yes, hot-shoe, E-TTL II | Yes, hot-shoe, E-TTL II | Yes, hot-shoe, E-TTL II & sync |
| Flash modes | Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off | Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Off | Determined by external Speedlite |
| Exposure compensation | -2 to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps | -5 to +5 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps (only 3 stops shown in viewfinder) | -2 to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps |
| Metering | 35 area Eval, Center weighted, Partial, Spot | 63 area Eval, Center weighted, Partial, Spot | 35 area eval, center weighted, partial, spot |
| Exposure Modes | Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Depth-of-field AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Programmed image control modes (portrait, landscape, close-up, sports, night portrait, flash off), Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE | Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE | Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE |
| Focal length multiplier | 1.6x | 1.6x | 1x |
| Lens mount | Canon EOS EF and EF-S | Canon EOS EF and EF-S | Canon EOS EF |
| Continuous Drive | Yes, 6.3 fps or 3 fps | Yes, 8 fps or 3fps | Yes, 3.9 fps max |
| Buffer Size | JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 60 (CF)/approx. 90 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 16 RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 11 |
JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 94 (CF)/approx. 126 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 15/approx. 15 (UDMA CF) RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 6 (CF/UDMA CF) |
JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 78 (CF)/approx. 310 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 13/approx. 14 (UDMA CF) RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 8 (CF/UDMA CF) |
| Video | None | 1920 x 1080: 30fps / 24 fps / 25fps, 1280 x 720 (HD): 60fps / 50fps, 640 x 480 (SD): 60fps/ 50fps | 1920 x1080 @ 30fps, 640 x 480 @ 30fps |
| Video Manual Exposure Control | Shutter Speed and Aperture | Shutter Speed and aperture | |
| Audio for video | Built-in Mono, stereo jack for external mic | Built-in Mono, stereo jack for external mic | |
| Remote control | N3 connector | N3 connector | N3 connector, RC-1/RC-5 IR remote |
| Self-timer | 2 or 10 sec | 2 or 10 sec | 2 or 10 sec |
| Storage types | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, | Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, |
| Uncompressed formats | RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2 | RAW, sRAW | RAW, sRAW1, sRAW2 |
| Viewfinder | Optical (Pentaprism, 95% coverage, 0.95x magnification) | Optical (Pentaprism, 100% coverage, 1x magnification) | Optical (Pentaprism, 98% coverage, 0.71x magnification) |
| Viewfinder Screen | Interchangable | Fixed | Interchangable |
| Electronic Level | No | Yes (dual axis) | No |
| LCD | 3 " | 3 " | 3 " |
| LCD Dots | 920,000 | 920,000 | 920,000 |
| Live View | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USB connection | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 |
| HDMI output | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Environmentally sealed | No | Yes | No |
| Battery | Canon BP-511A Li-Ion & Charger | Canon Li-Ion LP-E6 & CR1616 | Canon Li-Ion LP-E6 & CR1616 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) | 822 g (29 oz) | 860 g (30.3 oz) | 850 g (30 oz) |
| Dimensions | 146 x 108 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.3 x 2.9 in) | 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 in) | 152 x 114 x 75 mm (6 x 4.5 x 3 in) |
The standout features of the EOS 7D include:
- 18MP APS-C crop sensor (new design)
- Continuous shooting at up to 8 frames/sec
- Multi-axis cross-type 19-point AF grid
- 100% viewfinder with 1x magnification
- Environmental sealing
- LP-E6 battery (same as EOS 5D MkII)
- HD video at 1920 x 1080 pixels with frame rates of 24, 25 and 30 fps
- Dual Axis Electronic Level
- Integrated wireless speedlite control
- Manual control of aperture in HD movie mode.
- ISO 100-6400 plus "H" (12800)
- iFCL metering includes a 63-zone dual-layer metering sensor that reads both illumination and color
NEXT: Operating Controls
