Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS UD Standard Zoom Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Canon 7D is an advanced Canon EOS DSLR camera designed primarily for sports and action photography. EOS 7D is a step up (not replacement) of Canon 40D and 50D. It has similar body like 40D/50D but the buttons and switches has been repositioned for better accessibility.

There are plenty of improvements from 40D/50D line, such as improved image resolution (18 mp), better noise handling and latitude, full HD video recording, 8 fps continuous shooting and improved weather sealing.

Canon 7D weights 900 g or just 90 g heavier than 50D, and has exact dimension 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 in) as 50D. It is make from magnesium alloy body which is lightweight and durable. Unlike entry level cameras, 7D is weather resistant.

Canon 7D has two main dials (one thumb dial and one round dial), an 8 ways joystick and plenty of dedicated buttons and switches. It has dedicated live view button for still or video recording. It also has Q menu, which enable you to see and change popular setting such as exposure compensation, image quality, etc.

7D also has camera mode dials which include full auto, creative auto (CA), P, Tv, Av, M, Bulb and three custom setting. There are no scene modes which are popular in entry level DSLR and compact cameras.

I find finding and changing setting in 7D is easy and fast. Maybe this is due because I used Canon 40D for about two years. If you are new to Canon advanced DSLR, it might take a while to get use to, but it will not be hard.

IMAGE QUALITY

Many cynics complain about Canon decision to increase its image resolution. Most photographers afraid that noise will be awful in images taken in high ISO setting. However,I found that this is not the case. Image quality and noise are excellent up to ISO 3200. ISO 6400 is very acceptable especially after you remove the color noise in software like Adobe Lightroom 3.

18 megapixel is great, however it has a couple consequences. First, the filesize is huge event in JPG. Average file size is around 10-15 megapixel (L quality). Second, it requires an excellent lens to take advantage of the resolution or to make it tack sharp.

18-135mm LENS

Unlike Canon full frame or APS sensor cameras, Canon 7D is compatible with any Canon EOS lens, including EF-S and EF lenses.In this review, I used Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. This lens is quite good for walk around lens due to its focal length (equivalent to 28-216mm).

It is wide enough for to capture building, and long enough for candids). Image stabilization feature is helpful up to 3-4 stops. The lens does not have USM / Ultrasonic motor, so it produces a bit of noise when focusing. However, focusing speed is very good either for still or moving subjects.

Bokeh / out of focus rendition is soft and pleasing. It is much pleasing than regular 18-55mm VR kit lens. However, it depth of field is still quite large because of the sensor size and big maximum aperture.

To get a very sharp image and get full advantage of Canon 7D18 mp sensor, better lenses are recommended, such as Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras or Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras. Canon L series lenses are also recommended.

AUTO FOCUS PERFORMANCE

Canon has improved its auto focus system from 9 points (40D/50D line) to 19 points system. With the additional all cross type AF points, auto focus is fast and accurate. New to AF system is Zone system.

Zone AF is Automatic AF point selection, but restricted to a small cluster of AF points in the viewfinder. By grouping several AF points in a cluster, it become easier and more accurate in tracking fast and unpredictable moving subjects such as sport photography. In short, AF system are much better than Canon previous DSLR cameras.

To learn more about this auto focus sytem, Canon has provide a tutorial videos and descriptions.

There are plenty to like about Canon 7D

+ Many dedicated buttons, easy and fast to change settings
+ New AF system works very well, simple and customizable
+ Noise is very well controlled up to ISO 3200, 6400 is acceptable
+ Big and bright viewfinder with 100% coverage
+ Excellent 8 fps continuous shooting
+ Sound of the shutter click is soft, and low. (not "ka-ching")
+ Auto ISO works a lot more accurate than in 40D
+ New Quick Menu make reviewing or changing setting easier
+ 5 stops exposure compensation

On the other hand, these are what I don't like about 7D

- No Auto ISO limiter like in Nikon cameras or Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)
- Auto ISO is limited only to ISO 3200
- Relatively big and heavy
- No dedicated button for exposure compensation (you need to go to Q menu to change it)
- Auto focus in live view is a joke, it takes up to 3 seconds to lock focus

COMPETITORS

Nikon D300s 12MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Nikon D300s is an arch rival of Canon 7D and the only one at this moment. It fell short in some areas such as image resolution (18 mp vs 12 mp), and video recording (full HD vs 720p). However, D300s has some unique feature such as 51 AF points and dual card slots (Compact and SD card).

CONCLUSION

I highly regard Canon EOS 7D as the almost perfect advanced camera today and it is quite hard to imagine what could still be improved in this camera. It has several downside such as Auto ISO is limited to 3200, and AF in live view is still very sluggish. Sports and action photographers will love this camera.

Subjective Rating - Relative to advanced DSLR cameras of 2010

Image Quality : 5/5
Features : 5/5
Performance : 5/5
Body and Handling : 4/5
Value for Money : 4/5

For image samples and ISO comparison, or other reviews, please visit my blog. You can find my blog address from my profile page. Thanks for reading.

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Product Description:
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 II 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 approximately 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.

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