Product Description

With a host of features designed to enhance every facet of the photographic process, from still images to video, the EOS 7D represents a whole new class of camera.Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an 18.0 megapixels APS-C size CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 4 image processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps. The EOS 7D has a cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo AF subject tracking and user-selectable AF area selection modes for sharp focus no matter the situation. The EOS 7D's Intelligent Viewfinder provides 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes as well as a spot metering circle and on demand grid lines. iFCL metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and color information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting. The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p, 24p and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. The EOS 7D features a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and weather-resistant and shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #168 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Canon
• Model: EOS 7D Body Only
• Dimensions: 2.90" h x 4.40" w x 5.80" l, 1.81 pounds
• Display size: 3

Features

• 18.0-megapixel CMOS Sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors for high image quality and speed
• Body only; lenses sold separately
• Advanced HD movie mode with manual exposure control and selectable frame rates
• Intelligent Viewfinder with 100 percent field of view; 19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors
• Capture images to CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards (not included)

From the Manufacturer

With a host of brand new features designed to enhance every facet of the photographic process, from still images to video, the new EOS 7D represents a whole new class of camera. Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18.0-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 image processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps. The EOS 7D has a new all cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo AF subject tracking and user-selectable AF area selection modes for sharp focus no matter the situation. The EOS 7D's Intelligent Viewfinder, an entirely newly designed technology, provides 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes as well as a spot metering circle and on demand grid lines.

New iFCL Metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and color information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting. The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. The EOS 7D features a magnesium alloy body that is dust and weather resistant and shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles. Compatible with over 60 EF and EF-S lenses as well as with EOS System accessories, the creative opportunities--not just with stills but also with video--are beyond amazement.

Enjoy amazing low-light capability

Canon EOS 7D Highlights

18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 image processors
The EOS 7D features a Canon-designed 18.0-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor that captures such a high level of resolution it's easy to crop images for enlargement without concern of losing detail. A major factor in reducing noise, the CMOS sensor assures that images shot at highest sensitivity will be remarkably smooth. Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors ensure that images are captured, processed and saved with remarkable speed. The EOS 7D's ability to capture and process data of images shot at 18.0 Megapixels at 8 fps, as well as Face Detection Live Mode, Full HD video recording, Auto Lighting Optimizer and Lens Peripheral optimization are all possible thanks to the Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors.

ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800) for shooting from bright to dim light
With a broad range of ISO settings, the EOS 7D enables shooting from dawn through dusk and ensures capture of the finest detail. With enhanced, low-noise high-sensitivity optimization, shooting in situations previously possible only with flash becomes as simple as point and shoot.

8.0fps continuous shooting up to 126 Large/JPEGs with UDMA CF card and 15 RAW
Capable of shooting up to 126 Large/JPEGs with a UDMA CF card and 15 RAW at 8 fps, the EOS 7D is a perfect camera for action. Canon's remarkable shutter, combined with speedy, sophisticated electronics, ensures instant response and performance. A rapidly-occurring scene can be captured moment by moment, second by second, so that even the briefest of opportunities are captured in perfect clarity.

Capture action as it happens

Advanced movie mode with manual exposure control and selectable frame rates
Boasting the most advanced EOS movie capturing features to date, the EOS 7D does not just shoot video clips, it offers the enhanced image quality, smooth frame rates and adaptive exposure compensation necessary in a professional movie-making tool. By shooting video with a large sensor camera, it's simple to take advantage of the image characteristics intrinsic to SLR photography and not necessarily to video cameras. In addition to a number of different recording size and frame rate modes, the EOS 7D enables easy manual control of exposure, focus and Live View features and even allows for in-camera editing. The large CMOS sensor and compatibility with over 60 lenses provide a wealth of depth-of-field options. And it's all as easy as the press of a button--the EOS 7D has a dedicated Live View/Movie Recording lever with a start/stop button that gets the shooting started fast.

Three recording sizes for video Full HD Video is captured at 1920 x 1080 resolution at 30p (29.97), 24p (23.976) or 25p frames per second, for up to 4GB per clip. Movies are saved as .MOV files and can be viewed in Full HD with HDMI output. Other recording sizes include HD at 1280 x 720 (50p / 60p (59.94) fps) or SD/VGA at 640 x 480 (50p / 60p (59.94) fps).

Intelligent Viewfinder with 100% field of view and wide viewing angle
The EOS 7D features a phenomenal redesigned viewfinder that not only offers 100 percent coverage, 1x magnification, a 29.4-degree angle of view and user-controlled dioptric adjustment, it also features a newly-designed transparent LCD display which enables a number of viewfinder displays to be overlaid at the touch of a button. Whereas with other cameras the representation of AF points and metering areas are static, with the EOS 7D, they can be displayed, adjusted and hidden, in camera, with ease. This means less distraction and more clarity to view the image in its entirety. Display options include: grid, spot metering, AF points display, hide all, zone AF, spot (single-point) AF, AF point expansion and Dual Axis Electronic Level display.

The EOS 7D even features a brilliant new Dual Axis Electronic Level and tilt display that aids in achieving perfectly level shots, displaying both roll and pitch in 1-degree increments, either in the viewfinder or on the LCD

New 19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors
Canon packed its most advanced technologies into the EOS 7D's AF system. With 19 high precision, cross-type AF sensors, any of which can be selected automatically or manually, the EOS 7D is equipped to handle even the trickiest of focus situations with ease. The high-speed microcomputers in the EOS 7D use advanced algorithms that help ensure the fastest, most accurate AF performance under the widest variety of conditions. In addition, Canon's Light Source detection AF automatically compensates the focus by taking into account artificial lighting sources and making appropriate adjustments and the EOS 7D's new Intelligent Macro focusing tracks the object or the cameras movement when shooting close-up, to ensure focus is never lost. AF modes can be customized to suit the situation, ensuring reliable focus, every time.

iFCL Metering with 63 zone dual-layer metering sensor
The EOS 7D features a new, 63 zone dual-layer sensor designed to complement the 19-point AF system. By taking into account the color and luminosity surrounding chosen AF points, this new system delivers an entirely new level of accuracy for better results even in difficult lighting situations. Since the metering sensor has a color measurement function, exposure errors and focus errors caused by different light sources are minimized; the EOS 7D gives stable exposure from shot to shot in situations where light changes, such as in a theater or concert hall. This makes the EOS 7D ideal for scenes with extreme difference in brightness such as brightly lit scenes or backlit scenes; the camera balances exposure of the main subject at the background, and exposures are not overly influenced by bright areas in the shot.

Magnesium body with shutter durability up to 150,000 cycles
The EOS 7D is constructed of the highest quality materials, to exacting standards to ensure unfettered performance at all times. For example, the shutter can shoot at speeds up to 1/8000 sec for 150,000 cycles; the chassis is built of lightweight and rigid magnesium, and the camera's seals are built to resist water and dust. This combination makes the EOS 7D will be ready for anything.

Included Software

Canon EOS Digital Solution Disk (Version 21.0)
The EOS 7D comes bundled with a Canon EOS Digital Solution Disk, which features powerful software programs designed to extend the EOS experience to the computer. These include Canon's EOS Utility (Version 2.7.0), Digital Photo Professional (Version 3.7.0), ZoomBrowser EX for Windows (Version 6.4.1), ImageBrowser for Macintosh OS X (Version 6.4.1), the Picture Style Editor (Version 1.6.0), PhotoStitch (Windows Version 3.1.22/Mac Version 3.2.2), WFT Utility (Version 3.4). Each application is designed to perfect the captured images and streamline the digital workflow.

Compatible Operating Systems:
Windows: Windows XP SP2 or SP3 / Windows Vista (all version except the Starter Edition)
Macintosh: OS X 10.4 to 10.5

EOS Utility (Version 2.7.0) for Macintosh or Windows
Handles the connection between the camera and computer, whenever they're connected via USB. It allows remote controlled shooting from the computer, handles downloading of images from the camera to the computer, and allows seamless linking to either Canon's ZoomBrowser EX/ImageBrowser or Digital Photo Professional software once images have been copied to the hard drive. Furthermore, it's used to upload settings back into a USB-connected camera.

Digital Photo Professional (Version 3.7.0) An image processing program that enables high-speed RAW image processing, high-speed previewing for real-time image adjustment and support for sRGB, Adobe RGB and Wide Gamut RGB color spaces. Because it's CMS (Color Management System) compatible, Digital Photo Professional allows for easy image layout and printing in Adobe RGB in conjunction with Easy-PhotoPrint and PictBridge printers. It also features the Dust Delete Data Detection tool for cleaner images.

Picture Style Editor (Version 1.6.0)
Canon's Picture Style Editor enables you to create custom Picture Style profiles that can be used to customize the appearance of JPEG and RAW images captured with EOS Digital SLR cameras. Picture Style files created with Picture Style Editor can be loaded into the EOS cameras that support Picture Style and may also be used when processing RAW images in Canon software applications Digital Photo Professional, ZoomBrowser EX (for Windows) and ImageBrowser (for Mac).

ZoomBrowser EX (Version 6.4.1) for Windows and ImageBrowser (Version 6.4.1) for Mac OS X Easy, user-friendly options for viewing and editing of JPEG and even RAW image files. Both allow viewing of numerous types of images including finished TIFF and BMP files. Both also have a variety of search options for finding images, allow re-naming of single images or batches of files, and offer a variety of options for printing without using a separate image-editing program.

Customer Reviews

Canon EOS 7D
Well after much deliberation between this and a 5d Mark II i decided to opt for the 7D and spend the extra I save on some nice wide angle lenses. First of all for anyone who is expecting a 1.6 crop camera's image quality to be better than the 5d mark ii you can forget it. The 5D mark ii is a full frame sensor camera and the 7D is a crop, different cameras for different purposes. I know three people who own a 5d mark II, wedding photographer, cinematographer and a landscape photographer. As you can tell, they all need wide angle and good low light performance. The 5D Mark II/other full frame cameras are targeted towards users with wide angle needs. So if you find yourself in a crowded room with little light during a wedding the EOS 7D may not be for you, less you put on a 10-22mm EFS lens which is the widest lens for a APS-C camera.

Image Quality from this camera is amazing, I'll put up some pictures once it stops raining where I live. Detail is very good, and the 28-135 lens accommodates this cameras ability very nicely, however, starting off at 28mm will probably be too long for most people in everyday situations such as those for street photographers. Picking up a 17-55 2.8 lens will probably be highly recommended by many.

Build Quality is superb. This "tank" of a camera is no light weight and one of the first things you notice when you pick up the camera is the hefty feel you get. Very ergonomic grip and a robust feel all around. Don't expect to have it hanging around your next too long though. Weather seals are improved and you can notice that the area above the viewfinder is much larger thanks to a 100% coverage pentaprism.

Autofocusing, now I've read some issues about the 7D's new focusing system such as softness from auto zone focusing and I am also getting some mixed results with that as well, some images ranging from very soft to some being as sharp as single AF select. I will update later as I take it out for more situations. However, with that being said, the camera's autofocusing with the 28-135mm lens is very quiet, very fast and accurate for the most part especially with using the cameras single AF select mode.

Battery Life: still on the first charge off the box, taken about 500 test shots and a few seconds of 720p recording, battery life is about halfway.

ISO performance. Now here is where many have a bone to pick. I am not afraid to use high ISO as my prints rarely go beyond 11x14. More than often I found myself using nothing higher than ISO 1600 on my girlfriend's 500D/T1i. With the 7D I feel very comfortable using 3200 with about ISO 4000 being my cut off point, that's where the trade offs between detail and noise will become apparent and start to bother me.

Overall this camera is a very impressive and I'd give it a rating of about 90/100. It has alot to offer being a HD video DSLR. It'll provide many rebel users enough room to learn and grow. However, I cant stress enough that if you find yourself needing wide angle capabilities and low light performance, saving up for a full frame, it will definitely be worth the wait in the long run. In fact a few 5D Mark I cameras are available for cheaper than the 7D. Without a doubt this is one of the top crop cameras of the market right now. You won't regret buying this camera.

*Update* First of all, I've been using the wireless flash with a 430ex II for some portrait photography, it works fine and comes in very handy. Secondly, I've finally had a chance to customize all the settings of my camera, READ THE MANUAL! It's about 250 pages but you'll need to in order to make the most of your camera. Most of it is the usual, but because this camera offers so many different options, reading the latter pages is a must.
Firmware release 1.0.9 is out so dont forget to update if you still have 1.0.7.
For those of you still wondering if the 7D is worth the upgrade or worth buying over a full frame, keep in mind that Canon just release rebates for some EF and EF-S lenses including the 10-22 and 17-55 2.8; as well as some very popular L lenses. So for those of you debating between a 7D and Mark II, getting a kit and using the money saved for a wide angle will pretty much cover all the focal lengths you will really need.

Does the 7D beat full frame cameras?
No, but it's so good that one starts to contemplate this question, which was never the case before the 7D was introduced. Both systems, crop and full frame, have their pros and cons and place in photography. But before I get into that let me say I have not been as excited about a camera since the introduction of the 5D MK I four years ago. That's because the 7D raises the crop camera bar to the point where crop users will not feel at a disadvantage to full frame camera users, especially if coupled with awesome ef-s lenses such as the 17-55 f2.8.

How so? The 7D sets a new standard in four major ways.

1. It produces whopping 18MP pictures, which are just 3MP shy of the current top of the line full frame Canon cameras. Just few years ago most pros were producing stellar results using the 1Ds MKII 16MP camera. Now you have more MPs in a crop sensor, that's a major achievement. This achievement translates into bigger prints and, perhaps more importantly, cropping power. Out shooting wildlife with a 300mm instead of 400mm? You can crop the 7D files down to 50% of their original file size and still obtain sharp pictures. It's just not that easy with the 1D MK III 10MP files.

2. Many worried that extra MPs in small crop sensors would translate into nosier pictures, but the amazing thing is that this camera produces images with what seems to be less noise than the 1Ds MKII. The noise level is very good. At ISO 1600 I still prefer pictures coming from my 5D MKII, but below ISO1600 they are very close. Frankly, I can go with either camera because most of my professionally shot portraits and product pictures are shot at ISO100. At ISO100 both produce very clean files and are practically indistinguishable.

3. Focus is the one area that was lacking on the previous 1.6 crop Canon cameras and this camera changes that. It's not a 1D in focus speed and accuracy, but it's the next best thing compared to them. It's faster than the Canon 5D MKII, which is known to be slightly faster or around the focus performance range of the 50D and 40D.

4. The drive chain is fast, so fast it's beyond anything I needed in my professional work in portrait, commercial, and product photography. Going through pictures taken at 8fps produces very little difference from frame to frame. One probably has to shoot a very fast moving subject/object to see the advantage of such fast drive system.

There are obviously many other things that I have not covered in this review. But based on the above, all I can say is that this camera has really raised the bar for all cameras and made it much more affordable to obtain a professional level camera for all types of photography. If you were considering buying the 5D MKII as an upgrade give this camera a test because it might be all you need.


As for the advantages of crop cameras I always find it odd that casual users who shoot many things but focus on landscape think they need a full frame to realize their potential. Crop cameras such as the 7D and 50D are fine for most users and offer many advantages including:

1. greater depth of field at lower aperture for landscape photography

2. greater tilt and shift effect because of sensor size relative to effect (8mm in shift is greater in effect relative to a 22mm sensor compared to a 35mm sensor)

3. greater magnification with micro lenses and extension tubes because of smaller sensor (1:1 in full frame equals 35mm, 1:1 in crop equals 22mm)

4. smaller lighter lenses with wider aperture that achieve greater reach (such as the 17-55 2.8 vs the 24-70 2.8 similar reach but much lighter and smaller)


Traditionally the three areas full frame cameras outshine crop cameras are a bigger brighter viewfinder, shallower depth of field for portrait photography, and better ISO performance, which on the last point the 7D has proven not be an issue anymore.
And for the second point really, most beautiful low depth of field portraits are done around f2.8-2.0 in full frame (going wider will make depth of field too narrow to place two eyes in focus). Hence, if one is using a wide prime, a crop sensor will produce the same depth of field at 2.0-1.4. Considering an affordable 50mm f1.4 lens on crop has the same field of view as 85mm lens on full frame there is really no reason to discount a crop camera any more as the 7D levels the playing field.

Detailed Review of the Canon 7D - I love * 7 this Camera !!!!!!!!!!!
SECTION 1: WHO IS THIS REVIEW FOR
This review is ten (10) pages long because it was written for people who are not proficient with the terms and concepts used in the DSLR world. If you are a proficient DSLR user then I would recommend that you check one of the much shorter reviews here.


SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION
Last year when I reviewed the Canon 50D I pointed out that while it was a fantastic camera it was very clear to me that Canon was still not trying to compete directly with the Nikon D300. The Canon 50D was lacking many of the more advanced professional features found on the Nikon D300. For some strange reason Canon's marketing department had clearly overlooked the growing market segment of semi-pros and serious enthusiasts. These people are not full-time photographers but have the same kind of needs when it comes to image quality, performance and build quality. All of this must be offered at a reasonable price since they are not full-time photographers. Nikon users had this in the Nikon D300. Now finally, in the Canon EOS 7D, Canon semi-pros and serious enthusiasts can have a true professional grade camera at an affordable price.

The first clue that this camera is out of the league of the 50D is the name change. This is no longer a XOD camera. It is not a 60D. It is now a XD camera which sits between the 50D and the 5D Mark 2.

I took the Canon 50D, Canon 7D and the Nikon D300 out for testing at the Miami Seaquarium and Parrot Jungle Island over the weekend. This year I have decided to break out the new features into the following areas: Ergonomics and Handling, Build Quality, Features, Performance (Speed) and Image Quality (IQ).



SECTION 3: NEW/CHANGED/REMOVED FEATURES

A. ERGONOMICS AND HANDLING

----Weight and Feel
The 7D actually weighs slightly more than the 5D Mark 2 so it is a very substantial camera. I love the way it fits in my hands especially with the new BG - E7 battery grip. You need to take this into consideration. If you are someone with small hands or just don't like big heavy cameras then you might want to look at another camera. You will feel this camera around your neck if you have to do long hours of shooting especially with one of the bigger L lenses such as the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Lens.


----Clear View II LCD Screen
One of the benefits of shooting with a digital SLR is that you can review your shots right away. However, when you have paying clients you want to spend as little time as possible doing this. Starting with the 40D, Canon has been making steady improvements to the LCD screen to make it easier to read especially in bright sunlight. For the 7D Canon did two things:

1. They removed the air gap between the LCD screen and the cover glass. That space has now been filled with a special optical elastic material that has the same high refractive index as the glass itself.

2. The cover glass itself is now reinforced which makes it even better than the acrylic material used on the 50D and Mark II.

These two changes reduce glare and add contrast which makes viewing the LCD in bright sunlight a lot easier than on the Canon 50D or Nikon D300. The 50D LCD screen also tends to give images a blue cast, especially when working outside. The 7D no longer has this problem.

I could not see much difference between the three cameras while I was inside at the Miami Seaquarium. However, the 7D's LCD screen was definitely a lot easier to read when I was shooting outside.


----Raw JPEG Button
I mostly shoot JPEG because it is a lot faster and requires much less space than RAW. However, whenever I am face with a really difficult lighting or exposure scenario I always switch to RAW. The RAW files allow me to better fix many things such as the exposure and white balance in Photoshop. The problem here is that I not only have to first waste time going through the menu to set the image quality to RAW but after that I have to waste more time doing the same thing to switch back to JPEG.

I can now simply press the new Raw JPEG button to have a RAW image recorded along with my usual JPEG image. Here is the neat thing. Right after that the 7D goes back to simply recording JPEG. This feature also works if you normally shoot Raw and then want to occasionally switch to JPEG.

I found this feature really handy at a certain section of the Miami Seaquarium that had multiple colored lights. I knew that none of the preset white balance settings would work with this kind of lighting. I did not want to spend a lot of time trying to find the right color temperature so I simply used this feature to get a RAW image. Later on at home I was able to use Photoshop to get the right white balance.


----Multi-Function Button
The 7D offers two (2) main AF Selection Modes that are also found on the Canon 50D - Automatic and Manual Single Point. I normally shoot with Manual Single Point selection mode. However, there are always times when I am composing the shot with my eye to the viewfinder and realize that one of the other selection modes would be better for the shot. With the Canon 50D and the Nikon D300, I have to first remove my eye from the viewfinder and then change the selection mode. Once again, after one or a couple shots I have to repeat this exercise again. With the Canon 7D I can change the selection mode without ever removing my eye from the viewfinder. I simply press the AF Point Selector and then the Multi-Function button to change the selection mode.


This button can also be programmed via C.Fn IV - 1 to activate FEL, AE Lock, One-touch Raw + JPEG or VF Electronic Level.

----Orientation Linked AF Point
When I am photographing a model, for any given scene and position I like to do both portrait (vertical) and horizontal shots. I usually start with vertical shots and then do some horizontal ones. As I mentioned before I normally shoot with Manual Single AF selection mode. This usually means that I have the top point selected for the vertical shots. When I turn the camera to the horizontal position that same point is selected which means that the selected point is now the one furthest to the right. I now have to spend time selecting the top most point again for this orientation. And of course, I have to repeat this exercise once again when I switch back to vertical orientation.

Using C.Fn III -12 I can now tell the 7D that I want to use different AF mode/points based on the orientation. Once that is done I simply manually turn the camera to an orientation and set the AF Mode/points for that orientation. I can specify this for horizontal, vertical with the camera grip at the top and vertical with the camera grip at the bottom.

Now, when I turn my camera from the vertical to the horizontal and then back to the vertical position there is no more wasting time changing the AF selection point. This feature is not available on the Nikon D300.


----Dedicated Quick Menu Button
The Quick Menu is another area that Canon has been making steady improvements on starting with the 40D. With that camera I had to push the info button twice for the screen to appear and I still had to use the buttons on the top of the camera. The Canon 50D improved on that concept. All I have to do is push the multi-controller straight down to get into what is called the Quick Control Screen where the shooting parameters are displayed on the LCD screen. Also, I could now use the multi-controller to simply select any shooting function and use the quick-control dial to change its settings. Of course, this is a lot easier than having to make selections by pushing different buttons on the top of the camera.

The 7D has taken this concept of a quick menu to the next level by giving it its own separate dedicated button. I set the shooting parameters the same way as on the 50D but it is a lot more convenient to have a dedicated button for getting access to this menu.

The Nikon D300 does not have a similar Quick Menu concept.


----New position for the power button
The power button has been moved from the bottom of the camera. This made it very awkward to turn the camera on or off when it was sitting flat on some surface such as a table. The power switch is now located just behind the mode dial. I like this placement better than the one on the Nikon D300 where the power switch is right before the shutter button. I don't think the power switch should be that close to the shutter button as it can lead to new users accidentally pressing the power switch instead of the shutter button. This actually happened to me when I just started using that camera. Once I got use to the camera it never happened again so it is not a big deal. However, I think from a design point of view that the power switch should be no where that close to the shutter button.


B. BUILD QUALITY
The 7D is built like a tank. The body is fully weather sealed similar to the 5D Mark 2. I do a lot of work on the beaches around Miami and Fort Lauderdale here in South Florida so this feature is really important to me. For shots in or really close to the water I would always use the Nikon D300 because that camera is better sealed than the Canon 50D. It is really good to finally have a semi-pro camera with the same build quality as my L lenses.

The shutter is now rated at 150,000 exposures versus the 100,000 of the Canon 50D. This is the same as the Nikon D300.



C. FEATURES

----Exposure Value (EV) Compensation
From time to time I come across some real tricky exposure scenes where I need to use exposure compensation to tell the camera that I want it to brighten or darken the image rather than using the standard exposure. Other times I just want to be creative such as when I have a backlit subject. With the Canon 50D I could only set EV compensation up to 2 stops in either direction. There have been times where that was not enough to produce the effect I wanted so I would use the Nikon D300 in those cases because it allowed me to set EV compensation up to 5 stops in either direction. The Canon 7D now offers up to 5 stops in either direction as on the Nikon D300.

The Nikon D300 still has one small advantage over the Canon 7D though. The problem is that with the Canon 7D you can only see up to 3 stops of EV in the viewfinder. You can set up to 5 stops but the display only shows up to 3 stops. There is an indicator that you have set more than 3 stops but there is no way to tell exactly how much it is. With the Nikon D300 you can always tell exactly how many stops you have set right here in the display of the viewfinder.


----Grid and Electronic Level
The Canon 7D is now equipped with a grid that displays in the viewfinder and an electronic level that is displayed on the LCD screen in live-view and when shooting movies. For photographers like me who shoot most of the times without a tripod, this is a very welcome feature. It reduces the amount of time I have to spend later on in Photoshop straightening my photos. Without a tripod, it does not matter how hard I try there are always some photos that need straightening.

The Canon 7D has two (2) grid display options while the Nikon D300 only has one. The Nikon D300 does not have an electronic level.


----New 19 Point AF System and New Selection Modes
One of the criticisms leveled against the Canon 50D was that it only had 9 AF points whereas cheaper cameras such as the Nikon D90 had 11 AF points. The Canon 7D is equipped with 19 AF points. Like the Canon 50D all of them are cross-type which means that they are sensitive to both horizontal and vertical lines. In addition, the center point is what is described as an x-type which means that it is also sensitive to diagonal lines as well. However, it requires lenses that are f/2.8 are faster.

Even though the Canon 50D had 9 AF points versus the 51 AF points on the Nikon D300 I could never see any significant difference between them when it came to tracking moving subjects. However, there was one situation where I felt the Nikon D300 had the edge because it had more AF points. This was when it came to tracking really fast erratically moving subjects. I once did a shoot with both cameras at the dog track and I felt that the Nikon D300 did a slightly better job with those kind of really fast erratically moving subjects. I think the extra 8 AF points on the Canon 7D will put it on par with the Nikon D300 for tracking these kinds of subjects. Both cameras performed well tracking the fast moving dolphins at the Miami Seaquarium. However, those kinds of subjects do not have the kind of erratic movements like the dogs at the race track.

Canon did not simply increase the number of AF points. It also wisely added new selection modes so photographers can make the most of the AF points when composing their shots. The Canon 50D has two (2) AF selection modes - automatic and manual single point. The 7D has those two (2) plus three (3) new ones:

--Manual Select: Spot AF
The cameras AF system is generally not very good when it comes to focusing overlapping subjects such as an animal in a cage. Whenever I have been to Parrot Jungle Island to photograph the parrots there I always switch to manual focusing whenever I am photographing the ones in cages.

The new Spot AF mode is similar to the regular Manual Select: Single Point AF. However, it only uses the central part of the selected AF point for focusing. It is therefore very useful for pinpoint focusing scenarios such as an animal in a cage. I tried this method with the parrots in their cages at Parrot Jungle Island and it was very effective.

--Manual Select: AF Point Expansion
With this method, the selected and adjacent AF points are used to track a subject. This method is useful for tracking moving subjects when it is difficult to do so with just one AF point.

At Miami Seaquarium I used this method when a single dolphin was performing.

--Manual Select: Zone AF
With this AF selection method the 19 points are divided into 5 zones. The central zone contains the main 9 AF points. The other zones each contain 4 AF points. The zones are located to the left, right, top and bottom of the focusing area. You can select any one of these zones. All the points in the zone you select are use for the automatic selection of the AF point. This method achieves faster focus than Single Point AF and AF Point Expansion and can be used for tracking moving subjects. However, there is one major drawback that you have to be aware of. It tends to focus the nearest subject and so keeping track of a specific subject is more difficult than with Single Point AF or AF Point Expansion.

At Miami Seaquarium I used this method whenever a group of dolphins were performing where it was not important to keep track of a specific dolphin.




----Metering System
To improve the tracking of moving subjects even better, the 7D is equipped with a new 63 zones metering system that measures not just focus and luminance but also color across all 63 zones.

The color information from the metering system also helps to fix two other common problems that photographers face.

The first problem is related to the fact that silicon sensors are not so sensitive to red. This creates a problem when photographing red subjects such as a red rose. Even though you have the perfect exposure, you will notice that the rose ends up being overexposed. I get around this problem by using exposure compensation to underexpose the shot or simply using Photoshop to pull back the highlights. I tested this feature by photographing several red roses I brought at a local Publix Supermarket. The Canon 7D did a much better job than both the Canon 50D and the Nikon D300.

The second problem concerns certain light sources such as sodium lights that have very unusual light spectrum which tend to fool the AF systems of DSLRS so they end up back focusing. The Canon 7D can get around this problem since its metering system can detect these types of light sources and make the necessary compensations. I did not get a chance to test this feature but I will update this review later on with my findings.


----Built-in Flash
The built-in flash has a wider coverage. It can now cover an angle of 15mm. However, the range has decreased from 13 meters (42 feet) to 12 meters (39 feet).

It is the next feature that I am more interested in. The flash now has a built-in wireless transmitter like the one on the Nikon D300. Just like the Nikon D300, I can now control up to 3 groups of flashes right from the Canon 7D. Why is this so important? Well, you can use a number of flashes like the Canon 580EX II or the Nikon SB-900 to create some very interesting photographs. For example, on one occasion I did a photo of a friend sitting in a sofa in her living room. I first tried the shot with the Nikon SB-900 onboard the Nikon D300. She was illuminated okay but I felt that the background was too dark. I placed a Nikon SB-800 flash behind her and bounced it off the ceiling to light the background. The resulting photo looked way more natural than the one with just the onboard flash. I only needed two flashes to get this done because I could use the built-in flash of the Nikon D300 as a transmitter by quickly changing some menu settings. I placed each flash in a separate group so I could control their output separately. If the output from the remote flash behind the subject was too bright I could easily reduce its output. If I could not use the built-in flash as a wireless transmitter I would have been forced to purchase a transmitter or another flash.


----100% View Finder Coverage
I love the view finder on the Canon 7D. The pentaprism of the 7D is way bigger than the one in the Canon 50D. Not only does it deliver 100% coverage but also 1.0x magnification. This is one less thing to worry about when composing my shots. I don't have to constantly remind myself that I am only seeing 95% of the scene as when using the Canon 50D.
The Nikon D300 also provides 100% viewfinder coverage.

----Movie Mode Functionality
I am just mentioning this here but I will update my review later on as I find time to really test this out.



----Customizations
Just about every main button on the Canon 7D can be programmed via C.Fn IV. As an example, half-pressing the shutter button can be programmed to start both metering and AF or just start metering or to lock AE. This truly gives ultimate flexibility to photographers depending on their own personal preferences, the type of photography they specialize in and the specific scene that they are photographing.



D. PERFORMANCE (SPEED)
Can you say fast? This camera is built for speed. Despite having a whopping 18MP this bad boy can fire off 8 fps versus the 6.3 fps of the Canon 50D. The Nikon D300 can achieve 8 fps but you need a battery grip with special batteries to accomplish that. Without that it can only do 6fps. Even the new D300s can only do 7 fps and that is in 12-bit mode. In 14-bit mode, which is what the Canon 7D uses, the Nikon D300s can only do 2.5 fps. Of course, all of this impressive speed from the Canon 7D is due to the fact that it has dual DIGIC 4 Chips.

The Canon 7D can buffer up to 126 JPEG images if you use a UDMA card with it. This is a significant increase over the 90 that the 50D could do with a UDMA card. The Nikon D300 can buffer up to 100 JPEG images.



E. IMAGE QUALITY
18.0 MP CMOS Sensor, High ISO, Resolution and DR
One of the biggest concerns expressed about the Canon 50D was its densely packed sensor with 15.1MP. I was very surprised when the Canon 7D was announced to find out that Canon had decided to push the limit even further by packing close to another 3MP into a crop sensor. Last year they managed to keep noise under control by introducing gapless micro lenses. The gapless micro lenses are still there in the Canon 7D. However, they have also reduced the distance between the micro lenses and the photodiodes. As a result the light can be more easily focused onto the photodiodes. In theory this should result in a better signal to noise ration than on the Canon 50D.

I tested the three (3) cameras both indoor and outdoor at ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400. I tested the Canon 50D and Canon 7D also at ISO 12800. It is not available on the Nikon D300. The tests I did had High ISO Noise Reduction set to standard on all three cameras. For each ISO I loaded the three photos into Photoshop and viewed them at 100%. I am not interested in minute differences that would be revealed by 100% crops.

The Canon 7D easily beats the Canon 50D in every test. The Canon 50D definitely exhibits some amount of banding at both ISO 6400 and 12800 which are completely absent on the Canon 7D. The call between the Canon 7D and the Nikon D300 is a lot closer. At lower ISO I really cannot tell any difference between them even though the Canon 7D has close to 6MP more than the Nikon D300. At higher ISO I would probably give a slight advantage to the Nikon D300 but the difference is really marginal. This is really impressive high ISO performance for a 18MP crop sensor.

The Canon 7D provides lots of sharpness and detail. It easily out resolves both the Canon 50D and especially the Nikon D300 at lower ISO. However, at really high ISO the sharpness and detail on the Canon 7D and the Nikon D300 are really close because the Canon 7D has to apply more noise reduction which leads to some loss of detail and sharpness.

Since the signal to noise ratio is better on the Canon 7D than the Canon 50D you would expect its Dynamic Range (DR) to be better than the 50D. Based on my own tests I would say this is true. However, I would still give the Nikon D300 a slight edge over the 7D when it comes to DR.

I want to stress something here. All three (3) cameras have excellent high ISO performance, resolution and DR. When I say that one camera is slightly better it does not mean that the other camera is bad. I know fanatics on both the Canon and Nikon sides like to think that if their camera does not beat the other brand in every area it means that their camera is bad. Do not be misled by these people. No two cameras are going to score exactly the same score on every single IQ test. Just like in school, there is an acceptable range of performance that is considered excellent. I consider all three cameras to be excellent. What I find really impressive about the Canon 7D is that it is able to pull of this excellent performance with its whopping 18 MP crop sensor.



F. VALUE
I know fanatics like to focus solely on IQ when it comes to determining the overall value of a camera. However, if you check all the professional review sites you will see that IQ is just one of several areas that are used to determine the value of a camera. Why is this? The answer is really so simple it makes you wonder why the fanatics just don't get it. The answer is that there is always some amount of trade-off between performance and image quality. You will notice that cameras that are optimized for IQ like the 5D Mark 2 have comparatively low frame rates per second. The 5D Mark 2 only has 3.9 fps. The Nikon D700 has 5 fps. You should never buy these cameras if your primary use for them is to shoot sports.

The Canon 7D is a really impressive camera because it scores high in all areas even though it is a 18MP crop sensor camera: ergonomics, build quality, features, performance and IQ. It might not be the best in all of these areas but overall I think it is a slightly better camera than the Nikon D300/D300s. It provides you with unbelievable performance and still delivers excellent IQ.



SECTION 3: Is this the right camera for you?
Your buying decision should be based on your requirements, budget and personal preferences.

It is very tempting when comparing the 7D to the 50D and 40D to get carried away with the 3MP and 8MP difference respectively. However, you really need to consider the type of work that you will be doing and the maximum print size that you expect to do. Here is a summary of the maximum print sizes for different megapixels (resolution):
6 megapixels 8" * 10"
8 megapixels 11" * 14"
10 megapixels 13" * 19"

As you can see if your maximum print size is 8" * 10" then you are covered with even a 6 megapixels camera. You should really have a very good reason for needing the 18MP found on the Canon 7D.

Here is what you should do. Check off the new/changed features that you think you will need based on where you would like your photography to start and be in a couple of years. If these new/changed features are not really important to you then consider the Canon 40D or Canon 50D. The 50D has a lot more features than the 40D but you need really good optics with it because its densely packed sensor will show up the flaws in the lens. For example, photos taken with the 50D and the 28-135mm kit lens tend to be rather soft. I want to point out that the IQ that I saw with the Canon 7D is with the EF 50mm f/1.4 and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Lens. These are high quality optics. I would not pair the Canon 7D with a kit lens and expect professional results. You can start with that lens if you want and upgrade later on. However, remember that you will not be seeing the true potential of that remarkable engineering feat that the Canon 7D is.

The Canon 7D and Nikon D300s (D300 replacement) are very close in price. Both cameras are really very good so it comes down to your requirements and personal preferences here. However, I always point out that Canon lenses are always cheaper and more readily available than their Nikon counterparts.

Also, if this is your first DSLR the Canon 7D has a big advantage over the Nikon D300s. The Canon has a fully automatic shooting mode so you can start out being a complete novice and still use the 7D. I would never recommend the Nikon D300s to someone who is new to the DSLR world unless you are ready to invest a lot of time learning. That camera does not have any fully automatic shooting mode. Also, it tends to just display icons with no description because it is really aimed at experienced photographers. The Canon on the other hand always has a description of each icon it displays. For example, when setting white balance you will see an icon and a description such as shade or sunlight. You won't see anything like this on the Nikon D300s. With the Canon 7D you can start out shooting in full automatic mode then go on to the Creative Automatic (CA) mode. This allows you to set the technical stuff like depth-of-field using a graphical user interface. You can then graduate to using full manual mode later on.

If you spend $1,700 on a camera like the Canon 7D and you are new to the DSLR world you should take a photography course to make the most of your investment. You can check out my totally free course for Amazon users at tajdslrcourse.


SECTION 4: Conclusion
The Canon 7D is the camera I always knew Canon could deliver. It is finally here and I am really impressed not just by its technical engineering feats but also by the many ergonomic improvements. It shows that Canon really listened to its users this time around. I think this camera is going to do much better than the 50D. Despite all its many features, I cannot stress enough that it is still a camera that you can start out as a novice and grow with. It is true that Canon did remove the scenic shooting modes but you still have the full automatic shooting mode and creative auto mode.