Canon EOS 7D 18.0 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Body Only)

This camera is a small step down from a professional model, with the primary differences being the APS-C size sensor as opposed to a full 35mm sensor and, of course, the corresponding price. Many good reviews are available on the net which detail the technical aspects of the unit and compare different brands and models. My discussion will attempt to relate this camera to use by the everyday user. It is HUGE compared to today’s Point and Shoot cameras. It weighs a little over three pounds with an EF-S 18-135 IS lens. This doesn’t sound like a lot but it grows noticeably when it’s hanging around your neck. The design employs many of the features of longstanding professional models which tends to indicate the model is not just a short-term technological step as was suggested by the earlier xxD series. Many of its features and functions can be enhanced with simple firmware updates. The learning curve is quite steep, as you might expect for any complex and fully customizable professional device. This is a camera for someone interested in experimenting with professional level photography. Some of the reviews identify the target market as “enthusiast”. I believe you need to be a little more than just a photography enthusiast to be comfortable with the burdens and benefits of this camera. If you fit the box made for this kind of person, then this is the camera you’ve been waiting for.

My recommendation would be to use this camera body and the best glass you can afford for the particular photographic direction you’re going. On this camera body the lens is the weakest link. A kit package is a good buy if you get a high quality lens in the package. Lens reviews are abundant on the net and should be consulted to aid in the selection of a lens for your purpose. Many of the package parts are only consumer quality but will serve the purpose of a leisurely serious photographer during the growth period and are far less expensive than professional level accessories. Nowhere else is there more truth to the saying that “you get what you pay for”. If you find a price which seems a bargain for the item, you should be very sure of what you're getting because non-USA versions may come without some of the features and benefits of USA versions, i.e., warranty coverage and accessories.

When you reach this level of quality in your hardware, you encounter few who will detect the difference between pictures made with your $500 lens and your $10,000 lens, should you happen to have one of those. If you do, you may not be a mere enthusiast.

Having shot professionally with a pair of 7Ds for a year now, I rate it as quite a fine camera.

However, I think some buyers might find it frustrating and difficult to learn to use. This camera is loaded with bells and whistles, many of which a lot of shooters will never use. If not a fairly experienced shooter, a buyer may enjoy 50D or 60D, putting the savings toward more or better lenses.

I use 7Ds as still cameras, have never even tried out video. Pls look elsewhere for review of video-related features.

7D is fast handling, designed with sports/action/news photography in mind. This is not limited to the high frame rate (up to 8fps, but be aware the camera will slow down in low light, difficult metering situations or with some of the functions enabled). There is high level access to many functions, through a large array of buttons all over the camera. Learning to use those without taking the camera away from your eye is one of the tricks to using 7D well.

The various AF modes of 7D have probably gotten the most press. They are interesting, but be realistic about your expectations. Any time you hand over control to any camera's automation, you cannot expect it to make the same choice you would have made, had you kept control. I've scaled back to previous method of focusing my Canon cameras over the years (mostly 5DII, 50D, 30D, 10D, EOS-3, Elan 7). This is using the center AF point, manually selected, and simply keeping the point where I want the camera to focus. It gives me very high reliabilty and the 7D keeps up with moving targets well. There are times and places to use the other focus modes: Expansion Points, Zone Focus, Spot Focus (which I think would be better called High Precision Focus) and even, on rare occasion, All Points. Having tried out the new modes that this camera introduces and seen a big drop in my percentage of keepers, I recommend not putting all your faith in the automated modes. One AF feature that's very cool & usable is the ability to select a different single AF point in horizontal vs vertical orientations. Nice!

7D also features a discrete AF processor, same as the 1D series cameras. That helps AF speed and accuracy. Use the camera's Micro Adjust feature to fine tune with your lenses to consistently get the most accurate focus possible.

7D has dual Digic 4 image processors, so there's little delay in storing images.

IMO, the 100% viewfinder is one of the best put on a crop sensor camera to date. I wear eyeglasses and have no problem seeing the LED info display while shooting. Folks not accustomed to a 100% viewfinder (I hadn't used one in years) be aware that there is no "fudge factor". Frame your subjects carefully. Most cameras have less than 100% VF and you can get away with being a little sloppy. Not so with 7D!

The 7D metering system deserves kudos. I think it's similar to what's in recent 1D series: 63 zone & tweaked for specific colors. 7D sometimes surprise me how well they handle difficult lighting. I still use M and a separate handheld meter most of the time, for best control and accuracy. But there are times it's necessary to use one of the auto exposure modes (Av, Tv, even P occasionally), and nice to know it does a good job. The spot metering is among the finest on any EOS (only 5DII is similar, all others use spots that are about 50% larger).

I do wish the 7D had the articulated LCD and locking button on the mode dial, as are now seen on 60D.

Cheers!

I took around 20,000 photos with my last camera . Weddings , special occastions ,nature ,and even night shots of halloween set ups ( in the woods and in the open ) for the fire station I support , with very good results . But this new canon 7d allows me to take my photos to the next level . Better low light photos , using normal shutter speed or faster shutter speed to catch that moving subject without blur . Faster focusing on moving subjects. The 3" high resolution viewing screen is a must.It allows you to see if you took just a regular fair quality photo , or a high quality keeper . I added the battery grip to my camera , just for that extra comfort of not having to worry about your battery going dead when your about to take that shot of a life time , and it also helps to balance the camera out , especially when you have a large zoom lens on like I use alot . I haven't tried out the video part yet of the camera , but have read it is just as good . I almost forgot to mention , there is alot less noise in my photos at higher ISO settings ,which I use sparingly , what little noise that is there , I can remove with the progam Dfine 2.0 that installs inside of photoshop . I use PS CS5 . My old camera took 10mp photos in raw , and my new canon 7d takes 18mp , which end up ranging between 20mb and 30mb photos . There is a big difference in quality between the 10mb photos of my old camera , and the avg. 25mb photo of my new 7D canon . Well worth the more money . I choose the 7D over the 5d mark II and the pro full sensor cameras because of the price and all the things I mentioned above . PS , I would recommend using a good memory card for rapid shooting , and faster transfers from your camera card to your computer . I use Promaster Professional High Speed UDMA 4GB cards . Nothing bigger , just incase you lose or the card would go bad , so you don't lose alot of those special photos you shot . With this camera I can avg. about 120 to 150 photos on each memory card in raw format. This camera does have 3 setings for raw , but I found the photos to be of higher quality and sharpness in the highest setting of raw . The choice is yours . With the battery grip attached to the camera , the camera is about 6" by 6" , if your use to using a small camera . But I have no problem carring a camera this size , even when I have a medium size zoom lens attached like the canon 100mm-400mm L pro lens . I get so wrapped up in taking that special photo , I don't even notice the weight .. I guess it depends on how much you love taking photos . Well , I hope this helps you to decide if the canon 7D is the right camera for you . Simi Pro Photographer , Tommy

This camera is great for photography enthusiasts or professionals alike. Tons of features, easy to use, and you can feel the strength and durability of the 7d when you hold it. The picture quality is amazing, they look as though you could reach out touch whats displayed in the picture. Pair it with the Canon 580ex II speedlite flash, together they are unbeatable. The video quality is astonishing, thers nothing better but shooting and reviewing in HD. Though it doesn't taken ubelievably long video capture the videos are full on HD with a crisp clean picture. And come on, be honest! We are in it for the photography, right? You can hardly beat what this camera is capable of doing. We already had a qaulity lense from our canon before. I would recommend upgrading your lense, as the lense that comes with this camera is sub par. The 7d will still take amazing pictures with just about any lense, but a camera of this quality diserves the right accessories.It doesn't take SD cards at all, We had to get use to using the compact flash memory device. That being said we have grown to love the reliablity of this memory device. Hard to find a bad thing to say about it, We look forward to taking many amazing pictures with this quality piece of equipment.

This camera pairs well with the 24-105 f/4 L. The resulting photos are sharp and the noise that people complain about is not only minimal in low-light but can be eliminated entirely with the accompanying software. The ability to shoot 6fps is fantastic for people who want to capture kids and pets in action. The portrait capablities are exceptional and, though it is panned by some pros because of the crop sensor, it is a much better camera than the 40D and 50D that are still so popular with our local studios. It also blows away results I have seen of the portrature taken by Nikon studio cameras (sharper photos, far less yellow results, better price overall). It is also a much better camera for action than the Canon 5D Mark II. If you need a pro camera with ultimate versatility, fast response and don't have the budget for the 1DS Mark IV don't hesitate to buy the 7D.