Canon EOS 7D

If the image quality is good, this sounds like quite a crop-sensor body. The feature set is impressive, and addresses some of Canon's shortcomings in comparison to Nikon -- specifically the auto focus system.

Agressive price for the feature set, I like it! But... You still can't rave about the AF from what I see.

Since there's no mention of (nor allusion to) improved audio handling at all in the PR, I doubt there's any.

_Man_

Canon EOS 7D is a high-end DSLR camera features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, Canon's X0D series was, for many years, essentially the default choice for keen enthusiasts, professionals and aspiring-professionals.

Yep, until the D300 came out and we all switched back to Nikon =)

Nope, my Canon 40D still takes fine photos. The limitation, at least in my case , is the person holding the equipment, not the equipment itself.

Pssst, I'm kidding Scott! (mostly). Love my d300 but I use both brands

I knew you were kidding, Sam. I just had to return the shot.

Have to admit I'm more than a little tempted to upgrade to this from my XSi...

The EOS 7D is a very interesting camera body. Anyone in the market for a 50D should seriously consider spending a couple hundred more for the 7D.

The 7D does have a couple of things that should have been incorporated into the EOS 5D Mark II: more auto-focus sensor points and an actual movie record button/switch.

For the time being, the 7D also boasts exclusive 1080p/24 and 1080p/25 frame rate capabilities. The 5D Mark II only shoots HD in 1080p/30, but Canon is currently working on a firmware update to add 1080p/24 and 1080p/25 modes. That firmware update should be available early 2010. Originally Canon wasn't planning on such an update but reconsidered after hearing a lot of complaints from 5D Mark II owners. It's possible they might have become worried they would lose significant 5D Mark II sales to the $1000 less expensive 7D.

I own a 5D Mark II and some L-series glass. The big strength of the 5D Mark II is its big 24mm X 36mm "full frame" sensor. The 21 million pixels on its sensor are significantly larger than the pixels on the 10Mp Digital Rebel XTi (my old and now sold DSLR). They're about 150% larger than the sensor pixels found on the 7D. That makes a difference in image quality, such as improved color and contrast as well as getting more flattering images from your lenses. For example, my old XTi had a tough time getting tack sharp images from my 24-70 f/2.8L zoom lens. This wide angle zoom works far better on my 5D Mark II -and I can see the full wide angle view at 24mm.

The choice between spending $1700 or $2700 on the 7D or 5D Mark II should largely be decided on whether you want to move up to a full frame sensor body or if you need to stay with a APS-C or APS-H "crop body" system. If you have a significant investment in EF-S series lenses then the 7D is the best choice. Those lenses will not work with a full frame body like the 5D Mark II.

Engadget has a good run down on the video capabilities, pros and cons.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/canon-eos-7d-impressions-for-filmmaker-wannabes/#continued

As a "two brand" shooter I am pleased to see Canon improving this stuff with every new release, but I reaallllly hope it kicks Nikon in the ass into getting this stuff right sooner than later.  My best glass are Nikkors and I intend to hold off on Full Frame Nikon until it's right.  The D4 rumors sound great, and if I have to spend $5k to get it right the first time around I'll do it, but until then I'm happy for Canon to lead the way.
http://nikonrumors.com/2009/11/14/rumor-nikon-d4-in-primary-field-trial.aspx

Laforet is now on twitter.  He just linked this 7d video:
http://j.mp/4HIT8M

http://twitter.com/vincentlaforet

Wired on DSLR video:
http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2009/11/video-dslr

damn maybe I should have not picked up the xsi!

Anyone know why Canon saddled the 7D with a Compact Flash memory card slot instead of a SDHC card slot?

 

I think I want to upgrade from my XSi, and it's always going to be a toss-up between the 5DMKII or the 7D, though both have a CF card slot, the allure of FF's IQ is almost winning me over after plowing through some 5D photos.  The 8fps isn't something I'd lose sleep over since I don't even exploit the slower fps on my XSi, so I'd be okay with the 3.8fps of a 5D.  Of course, there is the $1000 different in price between the 2 choices, which pulls me back towards the 7D.  Ack!

 

I suspect some of it's a legacy thing. CF has been used on the Canon DSLRs since the original Digital Rebel, which means longtime users are used to it and have likely amassed a supply of cards over the years. Making the switch would probably irritate them - I know I would be annoyed if I were looking to upgrade and needed to factor in a change in media. Someone can probably speak on the finer points of performance, but it seems too that CF is almost exclusively marketed as a professional media format whereas SD is consumer grade. But of course we all know what such labels can mean, especially when it comes to supposed "contractor grade" tools and materials in hardware stores...

The CF cards will probably take more abuse than the SDHC cards.  So, yeah, I'm miffed about having to buy new CF cards when I make to jump to either the 5DMKII or 7D.   Someone on Flickr noted that Best Buy doesn't even stock much in terms of CF cards anymore (but I at least have 2 local options for CF cards, and there's always online sources).

 

Cam, how high of ISO can you shoot before you find that the noise becomes an issue for you?

I shot at 3200 for a concert and was pleasantly surprised and would have no reservations doing it again if needed. I admit I haven't explored any of the de-noising features of Lightroom and just  go with the default RAW settings for the camera. For the next concert I will probably give 6400 a try for comparison.

 

One thing to be aware of is that the 7D appears to need more image sharpening. With the 40D I just went with Lightroom's default 25 setting, but now I go to 50 with the 7D.

 

Here's a shot from the show that I don't think is affected by other factors like camera shake or focus errors.

 

 

I tried 12,800 at one point but I doubt I'll be using that again unless I'm really desperate.

 

Costco still carries CF, though they can be a little hard to spot amidst all the other types and it doesn't seem like they always have them in stock. But when they have their $8 or $10 off sales, I usually pick one up.

Very nice, especially at 3200.  I'm reticent to shoot above 400, much less 800 on my XSi, so I have a bit of ISO envy. 

 

From what I can tell, the CF UDMA card offers more speed/buffering than the class 6 SDHC cards, but the newer class 10 SDHC cards are closing the gap a bit.  I guess the speed helps if you are shooting RAW at its max 8fps rate.

 

As someone who recently upgraded from a 40D to a 7D, one of the features I liked on the 7D over the 60D was the use of compact flash. I already have  32GB of CF memory, so I did not have to buy any SD memory, as the 60D would have required. That brings the cost of a 60D much closer to the 7D.

 

I think Canon positioned the 7D as an upgrade for xxD owners, while the 60D is positioned as the upgrade path for Rebel owners -- hence the different memory types. You may want to look at the 60D, as it is about $400 less expensive than the 7D. However, it does not have the advanced auto focus system of the 7D.

The other interesting thing about the 60D is that it's rated at 5.3fps, so perhaps the SDHC/CF-UDMA writing speed difference might be there.

 

I will say, I sure do miss my flip-out LCD screen from my Canon S1/S2/S5 days, and there were plenty of times where I tried taking photos with my dSLR over my head and pointing a bit downward to get a higher angle, but it was hit-or-miss, with a flip-out LCD screen, not as much.

 

I could probably live with the 9-point AF, though I really want to find out the usable ISO limit before noise on a crop 18MP sensor becomes a nuisance and detracts from IQ.

Based on this page, 6400 seems to be the upper limit.

 

There's the marketing limit, then there's the real world limit.  I'd probably be happy with usable IQ from ISO = 1600, maybe 3200 if it's really dark.

 

I shall await the reviews on the 60D as well.  At least I don't have to buy anything for about 6-7 months before a serious shooting opportunity will come again.

Here are a few photos from last night's Plymouth Whalers Ontario Hockey League game, to give you an idea of the high ISO and auto focus performance of the 7D. All shots were in manual mode, f/3.2, 1/1000 sec, ISO 3200, AI Servo, center point expanded AF mode.  Photo #1 & #3 were cropped -- I was using my 85mm f/1.8 lens. Next game, I may try using my 70-200 f/4 L IS and cranking the ISO to 6400. You can see more shots at http://smerryfield.smugmug.com/Events/Plymouth-Whalers-10022010/14022110_HQwrF#1031801037_Gj3jC

 

 

1.

 

 

2. Patrick Neal -- younger brother of current Dallas Star and former Plymouth Whaler James Neal, scores a goal:

 

 

 

3.

Thanks for posting the photos.  While it's a tad grainy (mainly background details), it's definitely usable when you want to freeze the action (pardon the pun) with the flying puck on ice at 1/1000 sec.  That's just nuts to be able to shoot confidently at 3200 ISO, though.

Patrick, I did not use any noise reduction when processing those photos. I simply adjusted the highlights, added a little contrast and sharpened when converting from raw to jpeg with Canon's DPP software. When I have some time, I may download the trial version of Lightroom 3 to see how that works. It's supposed to have some very good noise reduction algorithms. The grain on the backgrounds could probably be reduced with a little NR.

Oh, that's okay, I'd rather see the non-NR'd output for photos shot at such high ISO.  Sometimes NR makes things look like freshly painted cars in terms of contours of objects.

 

I want to hurl when I see photos I shoot at ISO 800 in low light with my XSi.

Patrick, I used to be an NR-hater as well (especially with our experience with DVNR for DVD/BDs). But Lightroom 3 has some amazing NR algorithm that is way ahead of even Lr2. I don't own DeNoise but I know a lot of people also swear by that NR algorithm as well.

 

I now have zero fear shooting at ISO 1600 and 3200, though obviously I still strive to keep ISO as low as possible.

 

BTW, I realized I posted earlier how tempted I was by the 7D...and I finally pulled the trigger this summer as well. Will try to post some samples in the future.