Canon EOS 7D

Introduction

I decided to get the Canon EOS 7D due to the great reviews it has enjoyed, and because I already have a selection of Canon lenses. My Canon EOS 10D has served me extremely well since I purchased it in 2003, and this meant that my new 7D had a large reputation to match up to and equally large shoes to fill.

The Kit

I purchased the camera with the 18-135mm USM lens and a battery. You have to purchase the CompactFlash (CF) card separately.

The CF card is an important purchase. With the High Definition video feature on the camera this means that the CF has to be sizeable and quick.

After digging around on the net you also quickly realise that the CFs in the USA are considerably cheaper than they are here in South Africa. I purchased a 16 gig SanDisk Extreme CF card with a transfer rate of 60 megabytes per second which set me back R1,700.

My other lens is a 100-400mm IS lens and I have the 550EX Speedlite flash and both work beautifully with the camera.

I tried to purchase a spare battery over Christmas and could not locate a store in Johannesburg nor Pietermaritzburg that had one in stock. This should however change in the next month or two.

Taking Pictures

The camera takes great images and I am thrilled with the clarity and colour mainly. The 10D was pretty old so my expectations were fairly high. Needless to say the camera is very good.

What I like:

• The buttons will be very familiar to any photographer who has previously owned a Canon EOS.
• The focusing is very quick and somewhere on the net I read that it feels like a Nikon in this regard. The large elliptical focus point has a nice feel to it and instantaneous.
• The built in flash is very good and on fully automatic the exposure within a reasonable distance is spot on. My older camera tended to overexpose a little with flash.
• The 8 frames per second defies belief. I used it to good effect on the driving range and have some excellent sequential images of my 5 year old son driving a golf ball. I also took a sequence of images in the Kruger of an elephant tearing leaves from a tree.
• The images are crisp and the colour is vibrant.
• The viewfinder is the same size as the image. This eliminates some of the guessing of determining where the edge of your actual picture might be when looking through the viewfinder.
• The build quality feels solid and robust.
• The screen at the back of the camera is large and clear. Great for showing others your video clips and pictures.
• The battery does seem to last for a whole day.

 
What I don't like:

• There is no protective cover for the screen at the back of the camera so a cleaning cloth is a must for the bag.

Image Detail

The detail that the Canon 7D captures is extraordinary, as can be seen in a full resolution image. Click on the thumbnail image below to view the full size original image. Be warned - the hi res image is about 10MB.

View hi res image (Approx 10MB)

Taking Videos

This concept presented a small but steep learning curve for the whole family. Firstly I had to read some of the manual to get to grips with "how to take videos". There is one button and once you know this you can take movies. Not only can you take great video clips, but you can do so with all your lenses. My 100-400mm lens worked very well in the Kruger Park over December and I was able to get workable footage of lions mating some distance away.

With slower CF cards the transfer rate is insufficient at times and the playback on my computer was initially erratic. This has corrected itself with the faster CF card.

There is the other problem of having to find a seriously large CF card for your new toy. My old 4 gig CF card was full after some videoing and a couple of pictures. Best you work the 16 gig into your budget.

My only dislikes are:

• The screen at the back of the camera cannot tilt like a traditional video camera. Because you use the screen for videoing whenever you change your shooting angle (like low angle) you need to bend your body to be able to see what you are shooting in the screen.
• There is a lag when taking pictures whilst in video mode. In other words you can take pictures whilst the camera is in video mode but there is a small delay between pushing the button and the image being taken.

Finally the image quality at full HD is superb and I would recommend that instead of upgrading your video equipment or purchasing a new camera that you consider this Canon EOS 7D.

Conclusion

The 7D is very capable.

Shooting still images and video with one switch means that parents and nature lovers alike can capture the moment as it unfolds in front of you both in the video and still formats.

It makes sharing these moments with others quite special!

Specs & Prices