EOS 7D Reviews

EOS 7D Customer Reviews

Should I upgrade? Um YES!, October 22, 2009
By  J. Rhode

I upgraded from the Rebel XSi and boy what an upgrade it was! I'm mainly a hobbyist photographer even though my friends all say I should quit my day job (they just suck up because I will shoot their events for free!). I upgraded from the XSi because I kept finding myself arguing with the XSi over it's light metering, focus points and choice of shutter speeds in Aperture Priority mode. I can say without a doubt that the 7D out performs the XSi in every way (and it should since it's a semi pro camera while the XSi is a consumer camera!).

When I bought the 7D I slapped the 28-135 lens on it (already had it for the XSi) and started shooting, quickly noticing it's much improved light meter. It blew me away at how perfectly it would calibrate the white balance for every picture and what it was metering the light from. I was blown away just by that! After about a week of usage I decided to upgrade to an L lens for both the moisture/dust protection all around and also it give this camera a "proper" lens. It was worth every penny!

Matched with an L lens, this camera far exceeds what I was expecting out of it. I took it to a friends 1st birthday party and shoot the 1 year old using the L lens (17-40 UWA) on full manual at 100ISO, 50 shutter, aperture 4.0 with the 430EX flash and my god, the pictures are gorgeous! The camera's ability to track faces is spot on, the kid's eyes are sharp, crisp, colorful and full of life. They just make your heart melt! I'm sure it helps that this camera has special settings this lens in it's memory and it shows.

I have not played around with the video much, not my cup of tea. However my brother-in-law, who is a video editor, says the ability to capture video at such a short focal length requires thousands upon thousands of dollars in the video world and says that the 7D (and the 5Dmii for that matter) can do what a 10k camera can for a fraction of the price.

Another feature which was a welcome upgrade was the weather sealing. Not that I plan to go into the trenches with my camera but going out to a dusty, muddy farm and taking fall pictures is less worrisome now since I don't have to bother trying to keep my camera away from all the floating dust.

This is a phenomenal camera and I highly recommend it to anyone who is into photography as a hobby or a casual professional. I'm sure a "real" pro who lives their life on photography would welcome a full frame body more than the 1.6 crop but for me, I don't care, this camera does everything I want and more! It's a perfect addition to my ever growing camera bag and has become my one and only camera for which to shoot with. My poor XSi has been booted from my day bag and sits idle on my shelf collecting dust with it's non-dust protected body. I wonder if I should sell it before it's too late!

Should I Buy This Camera?, October 15, 2009
By  Gatorowl

I think this question is one that most of us ask ourselves when considering a purchase of this magnitude. The question is not an easy one, and I'm not sure I made the correct decision in purchasing this marvelous piece of technology. Let me put it in perspective; I am a prosumer camera user. I love photography and take a variety of photographs including family pictures, sports photography (see photos at smugmug for gatorowl), and casual street photography. I have owned lots of cameras including film, digital P&S and DSLRs. The 7D is my sixth DSLR (including a DReb XSI that I sold after two weeks). Before the 7D, my main camera was a 40D, which I found to be satisfactory especially the image quality (IQ). The negatives of the 40D are lack of weather sealing, 6.5 frames per second (fps) repeat rate, 1600 ISO max (can be pushed higher) and some focusing issues especially in sports photography. Of course, when comparing with the the DReb series, these "negatives" immediately become positives. The 40D has better construction, much faster repeat rate, and much better focussing (the T1i has, arguably better high ISO capabilities). The 40D compares well with the Nikon D90. Both cameras are very close. The D90 has video, better high ISO performance, and is a little more compact. However, it is a little slower in repeat rate, and I found selecting D90 focus points a bit on the clumsy side. Anyway, because of lens choices, I decided to go Canon. The 50D held no allure mainly because it was an incremental improvement. So, I thought my kit was set for at least a couple of years.

Notice that in the above discussion, I never talk about IQ. Of all the 10MP or better DSLRs that I have used, there is no noticeable difference in IQ. However, after the 7D announcement and some of the preliminary reviews, I was convinced that the 7D was a quantum improvement over the 40D in every respect. I panicked, sold my 40D and bought a 7D.

So, what did I find? The 7D is a great camera and is a clear improvement over the 40D. In some respects, it is substantially better than a 40D, but IQ isn't one of those major improvements. If you look at your files at 100%-300%, you will see more detail in a 7D shot. I have a standard photo that I take in my office when I get a new lens. I had to blow the photos up to 300% before I could detect differences. There was more texture detail in the 7D and the contrast and saturation were better. However, to be honest, it's not clear how much of this difference is attributable to the camera or the lenses (I shot the 40D with a Sigma 70-300mm and the 7D with a Canon 70-300mm IS lens). Frankly, I'm not surprised. DSLRs are so good right now, differences in IQ at low ISO are marginal. However, I do feel confident that I can shoot at 1600 ISO or 2000 ISO with the 7D without a substantial reduction in quality. While I can control noise at 3200 ISO, color saturation and contrast decline more than I like. With the 40D 800 ISO was as far as I wanted to go, but I would push it to 1000 when desperate. The 7D provides is a major ISO gain.

I really love the 7D focus system. I don't know if it is as good as the Canon 1D series, but it is so, so much better than the 40D. By focusing on the exact point in a field, I feel like my creative options are substantially expanded. I was frequently frustrated by having the wrong part of my picture in focus. This need never happen with the 7D.

The 8fps repeat rate is a nice bonus. It just raises the probability that the exact frame you want will be captured.

So, the question is should you upgrade? You have to decide whether you can afford it; so my advice assume that you can afford the camera, but are looking for the camera that best matches how you shoot.

If this is your first SLR (film or digital):

I'd recommend starting with a Canon T1i or Nikon 90D. The 7D is an extremely complex camera that will take many hours to learn and dozen of hours shooting to master. Unless you have the time to invest in such a camera it will just be a source of frustration. Unlike almost every other camera I've owned, the user will obtain disappointing or bad results unless s/he truly understands this equipment. By contrast, you can take other DSLRs and just start shooting. Unlike the other cameras, the 7D has no scene modes. With other DSLRs you can take your time and gradually learn the more sophisticated capabilities. Most importantly, the quality of your pictures will be just as good.

If you are moving up from an entry level DSLR:

You need to ask yourself why you are moving up? If you are dissatisfied with the IQ, then the 7D is not your answer. Using the 7D, it will take a lot more work (initially) to become proficient. However, if you need a faster framerate, better high ISO performance (although the T1i and D90 are very good for high ISO), long for a better focussing system, or shoot in the rain or the beach, then the 7D might make sense.

If you are moving up from a mid-level XXD or Nikon D300:

As before, you're getting very little IQ improvement (wildlife photographers claim they can use the extra cropping capability, but I'm not convinced it's substantial). Buy the 7D because the features provide you with value. Also, I would seriously discourage anyone from switching from a Nikon D300 to a 7D. There has to be an absolute must-have 7D feature for you to make that leap.

As for me, I don't regret this purchase. I'll never say never, but I'm hoping that the 7D will be my last crop-sensor camera. I love the flexibility and expansion of creative options that the new features allow me. It's a wonderful camera. I'm looking forward to spending many hours becoming intimately acquainted with its capabilities.

Amateur Video Use of the Canon 7D DSLR, November 7, 2009
By  R. Lodge

My company bought the Canon EOS 7D for stills for a task requiring wireless remote control and remote imaging of the live view and capture to a laptop hard drive (worked just fine for this task) but after I played with the video and read all I could about using DSLR for video, we bought a second just for video clips of company work. Now I want my own (so that's three). I see why its selling so well. Its extraordinary quality video in low light situations, its quality file format, and its low cost for a camera with the advantage of being able to use various lenses, especially fast lenses for depth of field limiting control makes it a better choice for our work than a prosumer HD "video camera."

Video has never been so much fun. Now there is a whole lot of artistic control possible that I am interested in exploring. I suspect there will be many other amateurs who will find fun with manual video using a DSLR like the 7D. Its total manual control makes it challenging, fun, and capable of video that you can be pleased with (no matter how amateur) because you had control, you had choice and you used all your skills, no matter how slight at the time. Its very addictive and many amateurs will be carried away with artistic enthusiasm, providing you have the patience to practice.

If you are new to DSLR video as I was (still am, certainly), expect many days of practice (well, its been two weeks and there is still a lot of skill to master - especially in follow focus) to get good clips. Plan your shots and use a tripod as much as possible. Also, I think its essential to have a viewer and focusing knob such as the IDC Run & Gun. Google it. I can't imagine how anyone can get good video clips without this simple but well engineered add-on. Again, I think this device is essential to getting good clips. Again, I think this device is essential to getting good clips (get it).

My favorite switching lenses: Canon EF 50mm f/1:1.4 and Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/1:2.8. We, and I personally, do not have much use for the 18-135mm lens that came with the cameras and should have purchased just the body.

I added the BeachTek DXA-5D under the camera so I could use my two XLR shotgun mikes on a bar attached to the top shoe and I also use two Earthworks omni's there too. For less critical sound I attach the Rode stereo video mike.

MORE ADDED FOR DSLR VIDEO AMATEURS:

Because I suspect relative amateurs (like me) will be interested in this camera for its video to break into creativity not possible with fixed lens video cameras, here is some advice to avoid frustration using your fantastic video files from your new Canon 7d:

Some will be frustrated that they can not play the video clips on their PC's after transferring them to their hard drive. Some will be frustrated they can not edit the H.264 codec Quicktime .MOV file format as they come off the camera in even very expensive editing software. Download and purchase CineForm Neo Scene and convert all your clip files to .AVI. This is highly recommended by many professionals.

Want to get your Canon 7d clips easily and quickly to disk and view HD video using a DVD or a BluRay Player or hand them to others to view? I highly recommend the inexpensive Sothink HD Movie Maker software from SourceTec Software Co. Its very inexpensive and its a quick download. Just add your clips to the editor with the "Add" button and click the "Burn" button. The software doesn't do much else so there is no learning curve. You can put many HD clips onto inexpensive DVD disks. And if the video clips are precious, please burn them to 300 year archival Gold disks such as those by Kodak.

EOS 7D Customer Discussions

EOS 7D Detailed Reviews

Preview of the Canon EOS 7D at Digital Photography Review.

Full Review of the Canon EOS 7D at Digital Photography Review.

Preview of the Canon EOS 7D at photo.net.

Comparison of the Canon EOS 7D to a Rebel XSi.