Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-inch LCD (Body Only)

Pros:

 

Cons:

 

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 p

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

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.

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

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

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

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 p

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

The Canon EOS 7D is Canon's new semi-pro / enthusiast digital SLR and competes primarily with Nikon's recently updated D300s. It's a terrific SLR that shines in photo quality, control placement, speed, and viewfinder size and coverage.

First, let me tell you a little about myself so you can gauge what my expectations for the camera are. I'm strictly a hobbyist photographer and use my camera a couple of times a month at museums, outdoor parks, and vacations. Besides photos of my dog, my photography consists primarily of static subjects. This is my second SLR.

Enough of me, onto the camera. The 7D is a fairly bulky SLR and dwarfs "entry level" models such as the Olympus E-510 (see my photos), though it's no bigger than Nikon's D300s. With that said, it's not uncomfortably large and is easy enough to carry around all day. Build quality is terrific and the camera has a solid, luxury feel to it. The 7D fits very well into my average sized hands and, with the kit 28-135 lens, is nicely balanced. All the buttons are easy to reach and, if you've used a Canon camera before, easy to figure out. The magnesium body is sealed against moisture and dust. The shutter button is well placed and has a nicely defined halfway point. A control dial is on the back of the camera and behind the shutter button too. There is also a joystick-like toggle on the back of the camera as well.

A large (3") and high-resolution (920,000 pixel) screen is on the camera back with a secondary status LCD display on the top (with backlight). The screen is a pleasure to use when reviewing images for focus, and when manually focusing in magnified live view mode. Compared to the 3-inch 420,000-pixel screen on my Panasonic LX3 it's a definite upgrade, and makes a noticeable difference.

The viewfinder is huge and bright and has 100% coverage. Coming from the Olympus, which has a very cramped and tunnel-like viewfinder, it was a revelation, and was one of the reasons I decided to step up to the 7D. Also, by using a transmissive LCD on the viewfinder the only markings you see until you confirm focus are for the selected focus method (for instance, a single box when using one focus point, or brackets when using the auto select autofocus method). Moreover, a composition grid can be imposed on the viewfinder. The information display on the bottom of the viewfinder is large and bright and contains lots of shooting and camera information.

The camera is very responsive and turns on almost instantly. The sensor cleaning occurs when you turn the camera on or off but can be interrupted during power up. Focus speeds with the kit lens are very speedy, even in dim light (two 40 watt lamps and a television as the only light sources in a 17' x 11' room). The 19-point all cross type autofocus is uncanny at picking the correct subject. If it doesn't get it right the first time it will the second. I usually set all my cameras to center point autofocus, but the 7D does a great job picking out the subject, so I leave it on fully automatic mode. Live view focusing is not a quick, especially in low light, and I only use live view when I need to shoot at a weird angle and I can't shoot looking through the viewfinder. Live view can be used with a mirror flip or contrast detection. The contrast detection mode is fairly pokey, while the mirror flip mode is quicker, but introduces a brief break in the view. Continuous shooting is available in both a high and a low setting. High is 8 FPS, while the low speed is 3 FPS. The shutter sound is nicely subdued and not nearly as noisy as the Olympus' is.

Photo quality is terrific. There are various Picture Styles you can choose to alter the contrast, sharpness, color tone, and saturation of the photos. At any rate, 99% of the time, colors are natural, exposure is accurate, and dynamic range is great. At this level of camera, that's expected though.

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By any measure, the new Canon EOS 7D is a worthy successor to the EOS line of APS-C sensor DSLRs. I believe it finally levels the playing field for many Canon shooters envious of Nikon DXXX shooters.

I am an advanced amateur photographer who has owned the 20D for the last 5 years and will use it as a backup body now. With each Canon announcement of a successor to the XXD line of DSLRs, I was tempted to upgrade but resisted each time up until now. This was partly due to budgetary constraints, but I felt mostly that each new model was only an evolutionary modification rather than a revolutionary one. If there's one thing to keep in mind in this fast-moving world of DSLR photography, then it is that DSLR bodies come and go (and depreciate quickly in value, like most electronic goods) but excellent glass will nearly always be sound investments (high-quality lenses maintained in good condition may appreciate in value).

The 7D appears to be a game-changer for many Canon photo enthusiasts like myself who prefer or can only afford to shoot with an APS-C sensor body. Nikon shooters have had an excellent choice of a crop sensor body in the D100/D200/D300 (now D300s), but for Canon shooters, the top-of-the-line equivalent was trailing in the feature set department. Now most of the features that were absent in the Canon XXD body as compared with their main rival are present in the 7D.

Notable features:
- 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
- Dual DIGIC 4 processors (a first for a prosumer Canon DSLR)
- Maximum 8 fps frame rate
- Maximum ISO 12,800
- VF with 100% coverage and 1.0x magnification (a first for a Canon DSLR)
- 19-pt AF (all cross-type with f/5.6 or faster lenses)
- 63-zone metering system (measures focus, color, and luminance)
- On-demand grid lines in VF (a first for any Canon DSLR)
- Built-in electronic leveler in 2 planes (a first for any Canon DSLR)
- Built-in wireless flash trigger (a first for any Canon DSLR)
- HD video in 1080p (30/25/24 fps) and 720p (60/50 fps)

I have had the camera for over a week now. My initial impressions are mostly positive thus far. Additional thoughts in the form of updates will be forthcoming once I get an opportunity to capture more images under various conditions (indoors/low light, outdoors, action, etc.) and get my act together to type it up. So far, I believe that the IQ, VF, LCD monitor, and handling are all vast improvements over the 20D. Taking photos at high ISOs and achieving low noise captures is all the rage these days. I feel that random photos I've taken at ISO settings up to 1600 are completely usuable. In the past, I felt comfortable shooting with my 20D mostly south of ISO 400/800. I shall pixel peep some more and shoot at even higher ISOs to see where the happy medium for me shooting with the 7D lies. Tolerance for noise, I feel, is very subjective.


Limitations:
There is a steep learning curve with this camera. The 7D is packed with new features that I have yet to maximize to my advantage. Coming from a 20D rather than a more recent line of XXD body makes things even more challenging. A careful read of the user's manual is critical.

If ultimately low noise captures at high ISOs is most important to you, then a FF sensor body is the way to go rather than an APS-C sensor body. A larger pixel pitch that captures more light (at the expense of lower resolution) will help maintain low noise levels at very high ISOs. This is a key reason why the small-body FFs, such as the Nikon D700, Canon 5D/5DMkII, and Sony A900/A850, are so revered. Any of those cameras will likely outperform the 7D at high ISOs in terms of low noise captures. Moreover, they provide less DoF than APS-Cs at equivalent fields of view. However, the obvious downsides are their cost and need for big, heavy, and expensive glass.

The 7

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Cons:

 

It depends! If you are looking for a comparison between the 5D and the 7D, or if I would have a recommendation of one over the other, this is not for you. This is written from the perspective of someone who upgraded from the xxD series to the 7D. Before I go into a detailed review about the 7D and whether you should upgrade or not, a little background about me to help you guys compare it to your situation. I'm an amateur photographer who does the occasional paid gig, more because I enjoy it rather than for the money. I have been taking pictures for 4 years now, went through 35mm learning curve and then switched to 20D in Mar 06. I have shot with the 40D, but never owned the 30/40/50D. Current lenses include 17-40mm f/4L, 24-70mm f/2.8L, Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, 70-200mm f/4L IS, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 135mm f/2L & 100mm f/2.8macro. I still have my 35mm EOS 3 which I love and use rarely.

Am I happy I upgraded from the 20D?

You bet! I believe that one should invest in lenses first and keep the camera for the last (unless of course, if you are a pro). It has been a real upgrade from the 20D. The 7D feels like a slightly bigger and definitely heavier camera than the 20D and I am still getting used to carrying it (this is a review after 24 hrs of the purchase). When I put the 24-70 2.8L on to it, it balanced just beautifully, yes, both are heavy, but they just beautifully balance each other. I could carry the 20D with battery grip in one hand. However, the 7D+24-70L is definitely a two handed camera, even without the battery grip. If you are a petite lady or a guy with small hands reading this, you could get some practice lifting 5lbs dumb bells. No, I am not joking...add the 580EX on top of this, and you will know that I am serious. I love the way it feels in my hand and the way the camera rests firmly on my left palm while I hold it. So much for ergonomics and body feel. The neck strap has 7D written on it, which clearly is meant for bragging rights.
The IQ is the biggest jump from the 20D (duh!) Every clickgasm results in a beautiful image, especially when you combine it with a good repertoire of lenses. Yes, I said clickgasm, because every click is just so much sweeter like a 1000 bag pipers playing in the distant, but just for 1/60th of a second. Love it.
I also love the sensor cleaning functionality, something that was missing in the 20D, which was more prevalent in the 40D & 50D. It provides confidence and reassurance that this is a good thing for the camera.
Oh and talk about the LCD. A real leap for me, may be less so from the 50D, but I love how the menu functionality is organized. The resolution of the LCD is outstanding and almost zero glare. I constantly had that problem with the 20D, but this is a huge improvement and am very happy. In the 20D, you could'nt tell if an image was OOF, but in this, it is very obvious if there is a shake or OOF. And the color and contrast visible in the LCD itself is outstanding. Think of the jump between monochrome computer monitors to the color flat screens...that is what it is for me. In addition, I also like how the Quick Setting is organized, which displays about all the image settings from exposure scale, white balance, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, metering and all the happy stuff. The menu is different from the Quick Setting, and that goes into the additional details such as FEB, AEB, ISO expansion, custom functions, Highlight Tone Priority etc. Very well done Canon, I love it so far.
The 8fps is really cool, but I used to have 5 fps in the 20D with the battery grip and used it only while shooting sports, the 8 will come in handy on the rare occasion that I use it for pro sports. And you get that without any additional battery pack, which is good.
ISO expansion and noise reduction looks very good at the first glance. The pictures from the 20D were sub par at 800 and unusable at 1600 and abov

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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!

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I've shot film and digital EOS series cameras for quite a while. The 7D is a huge step up from my 30D. Here's what I like after a long weekend:

The 100% 1x viewfinder is a nice change, once I stopped compensating as I did with my 30D. Also, the overlay screens, like the grid, is helpful in keeping the horizons and verticals aligned without being obtrusive.

Although there's been a few rumbles about the on/off switch being moved to the top left, once you get used to it, it is easier to use - I like it. The lock for the quick control wheel is in approximately the same place.

The 3" LCD screen is big, bright and beautiful. There's a big difference, even in brightness. Less glare, too - noticeably less. The 7D has a level function which lets you judge if your camera is leaning to one side or tilting forward or back. Anyone who's peered over a bubble mounted on a hot shoe will appreciate this luxury. And the LCD is bright enough to make this feature useful in daylight.

Another nice feature is that the menu structure is changed. There are more tabs, but all the menu items available on that tab are visible at once. No more scrolling off the screen to get to "format" or other functions.

The 7D lets you shoot 3 different sized RAWs in addition to the usual slew of JPEG sizes. I like shooting the highest quality RAW + highest quality JPEG (so you get two files for each picture). These files sizes are HUGE! I found JPEGs to range from 4.73M to 11.1M and CR2 files range from 20.7M to 30.4M. My 8G Sandisk Extreme IV held 237 shots (474 files).

I could go on, but the best technical reviews of cameras that I know of is dpreview. As of now they just have a preview of the 7D, but it's worth looking at: [...] I'll post a few shots from Vermont w/ exposure info.

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The EOS 7D, Canon's latest prosumer digital SLR, is a major step forward, incorporating some features found on the 5D Mark II, as well as some that are totally new to Canon's prosumer line. With much that is new, even those familiar with Canon SLR's, should be prepared to spend some time frequently consulting the often confusing manual.

Looking to upgrade from the 40D, I passed on the 5D Mark II, because its 3.9 frames per second shooting rate is inadequate for shooting sports. With the new features and a shooting rate of 8 FPS, the 7D was my choice. These are some early impressions of the 7D.

Housing, Controls and Display:
The 7D's heavy-duty, dust and weather resistant housing, is made of lightweight magnesium, and feels rock solid. The 7D has a new arrangement of controls for users to get familiar with. The mode dial is similar to the 5D Mark II (no 'Sports', 'Portrait, 'Landscape', etc). The power switch has been relocated to behind the mode dial. The video recording button is on the back, located on the right side of the eyepiece, similar to Canon's 'S' series cameras. Shutter noise is quiet, similar to the 40D. Image quality and color rendition on the LCD display is good, and looks similar to the 40D. The display brightness can be set manually, or the camera will adjust it automatically.

Pressing the 'Q' button activates the 'Quick Control Screen', a menu where a number of settings can be conveniently adjusted. The joystick is used to toggle between functions, and settings are adjusted the normal way, using the Main and Quick Control dials. Once you get used to it, the 'Q Menu' may become your preferred method for adjusting your settings.

Autofocus:
As I find that Canon's nine point focusing pattern is often inadequate, the 7D's improved autofocusing system was of special interest. For those unfamiliar, the AF pattern is eight points in a diamond shaped layout with the ninth point in the middle of the diamond. The new 19 point adjustable autofocus system basically adds points in the interior of the diamond area. The actual area of coverage, does not appear to have increased. Being center weighted is understandable, but expansion beyond the diamond area is arguably more useful than just increasing the number of focus points within the diamond area.

The rule of thirds is a useful guide for composing an image, however attempting to implement this rule using the diamond shaped pattern is often difficult. Say you want to focus on something in the top left quadrant of the frame. One method is to lock focus on the area, reframe, and then shoot. This works if the subject is stationary, however this method becomes more problematic for moving subjects. If only there was a focus point nearby. Increasing the concentration in the central area makes some sense, but I really wish they had expanded the overall area of autofocus coverage as well.

That issue aside, performance of the new autofocus system appears to be a big improvement over the 40D and 50D. The 19 individual points, are also grouped into 5 multipoint zones, which can be selected using the Zone AF function. This feature is very useful for many applications, like sports or group shots. Shooting college basketball, focus lock using Zone AF was very good, much superior to single point focus. The high speed continuous shooting mode (8 FPS) is smooth like butter. The shutter button quite sensitive, but keeping the camera steady in burst mode takes practice.

Remote Triggering and Wireless Flash:
A very convenient feature that was a long time coming to Canon's prosumer line, is the ability to remotely trigger the 7D using Canon's RC-1 remote, or other inexpensive remotes. The 7D can also be triggered by Pocket Wizards, via the N3 terminal. The integral flash is essential, and the 7D also has the capability to wirelessly

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