Product summary
- Model name: Canon EOS 7D
- Release date: September 1, 2009
- Purchase options: Amazon | B&H | Adorama
Key Features
- 18.0 Megapixel CMOS Sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors .
- ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800).
- 8.0 fps continuous shooting up to 126 Large/JPEGs with UDMA CF card and 15 RAW.
- Advanced movie mode with manual exposure control and selectable frame rates: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD): 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p, 1280 x 720 (HD): 60p (59.94) / 50p, 640 x 480 (SD): 60p (59.94) / 50p.
- Intelligent Viewfinder with 100% field of view, wide viewing angle of 29.4°, high magnification of 1.0, intelligent viewfinder with glass pentaprism and superimposed LCD display in viewfinder supports various shooting styles.
- New 19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-typesensors in center at f/2.8 and f/5.6 and AF area selection modes to match various shooting situations.
- iFCL Metering with 63 zone dual-layer metering sensor that utilizes AF and color information for optimizing exposure and image quality.
- Magnesium body with shutter durability up to 150,000 cycles and exclusive dust and weather resistance.
Features
The EOS 7D Features Fast 8 FPS Continuous Shooting, Class-Leading 18-Megapixel Resolution and Full HD Video Recording with Variable Frame Rates and Manual Exposure Control. Although Canon has tagged the 60D as the spiritual successor of the famed 50D, the 7D is more of a biological descendant of the plasticky and tag touchy crop body. what we have in he 7D is a phenomenal camera, well-built, weather sealed, supremely high performance with great auto-focus, more AF points that some of the higher full frame bodies; albeit in a crop body.
The build quality
The 7D has been built to withstand not only the vagaries of nature but also the hands of a clumsy photographer (no disrespect). It is probably good enough for a few knocks and bumps but that should not inspire you to drive your SUV over it. It is well built with a magnesium alloy body and feels strong and secure in the hands. The best thing is it is weather sealed so you don’t need a rain check each time you wish to sling the camera around your neck.
AF points and AF system
The 7D locks focus faster than even the professional 5D Mark II. With 19 AF points you can be absolutely sure about the precise focusing that it can deliver, and it does most of the times. The camera is compatible with both the standard lenses and the USM lenses that Canon has offering near silent focusing with the later. Night time performance in extremely low light conditions is also acceptable and while there is no comparison between some of the full frame EOS models this is perfect for most shooting needs.
Viewfinder
100% field of view is what you can expect with the optical view finder of the 7D. The view finder is very beautiful bright and takes the full advantage of the pentaprism type that gives it an advantage over many other APS-C crop bodies in the market.
Sensor & megapixels
The 7D is built around an 18 megapixels APS-C sized CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 image processing system.
Image quality
Over all image quality is extremely great. The 7D boasts an impressive continuous drive mode of 8 fps. If you’re a sports photographer, you could take advantage of the 7D’s impressive 320 image continuous JPEG burst rate and the 24 images continuous RAW burst rates. Low light performance is also respectable especially if you compare some of the other comparable crop bodes such as the Nikon D300S or even the Pentax K-7. however if you compare the performance with some of the other full frame cameras in the EOS range such as the 5D Mark II or the latest 5D Mark III performance will be slightly off.
Pop-up flash
The 7D comes with a pop-up flash something that even the EOS 5D Mark II does not have. While this is not a caparison between the two cameras and they are designed for two different segments of users, the pop-up flash does add a bit of flexibility in the hands of a serious photographer.
Canon EOS 7D firmware v2 added new features
- Improved maximum burst for RAW images (up to 25)
- In-camera RAW image editing
- In-camera Image Rating
- In-camera JPEG resizing
- Maximum Auto ISO setting (ISO 400-6400)
- Manual audio level adjustment in movie recording
- GPS compatibility
- File name customisation
- Time zone settings
- Faster scrolling of magnified images
- Quick control screen during playback
- New firmware available for download here
Recommendations
The 7D is a strongly built and value for money camera. It has an impressive performance across most lighting conditions and is respectable even at ISO 12800. Additionally the buttons and features should appeal to a pro shooter who is comfortable with buttons and hates GUI. Overall this is a great camera to buy and should be one of the top two-three APS-C bodies currently available.
Sample Images by EOS 7D on Flickr
EOS 7D Specs
| Type | Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera |
| Recording Media | CF Card Type I and II, UDMA-compliant CF cards, via external media (USB v.2.0 hard drive, via optional Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E5) |
| Image Sensor Size | 22.3 x 14.9 mm (APS-C size) |
| Compatible Lenses | Canon EF lenses (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx.1.6x the lens focal length) |
| Lens Mount | Canon EF mount |
| Image Sensor Type | High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor |
| Pixels | Effective pixels: Approx. 18.0 megapixels |
| Total Pixels | Total pixels: Approx. 19.0 megapixels |
| Aspect Ratio | 3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical) |
| Color Filter System | RGB primary color filters |
| Low-pass Filter | Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor |
| Dust Deletion feature | (1) Automatic sensor cleaning (2) Manual cleaning of sensor (3) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image |
| Recording Format | Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 and Exif 2.21 |
| Image Type | Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), sRAW, mRAW, RAW+JPEG Video: MOV (Image data: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM) |
| RAW + JPEG Simultaneous Recording | Provided (RAW/sRAW/mRAW+JPEG also possible); One-touch RAW+JPEG |
| Size | (1) Large: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5,184 x 3,456) (2) Medium: Approx. 8.00 Megapixels (3,456 x 2,304) (3) Small: Approx. 4.50 Megapixels (2,592 x 1,728) (4) RAW: Approx. 17.90 Megapixels (5,184 x 3,456) (5) M-RAW: Approx. 10.10 Megapixels (3,888 x 2,592) (6) S-RAW: Approx. 4.50 Megapixels (2,592 x 1,728) Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc. |
| File Numbering | Consecutive numbering, auto reset, manual reset Possible to create new folders and select folders in the CF card |
| Color Space | sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Picture Style | Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Def. 1-3 |
| Recording Functions | Images record directly to the CF card. With the WFT-E5A attached, image recording to the CF card and to the USB external media connected to the WFT-E5A will be possible as follows (1) Standard (2) Automatic switching of recording media(3) Separate recording (4) Recording of identical images (5) Backup to external recording media |
| Backup Recording | Enabled with WFT-E5A attached |
| Image Processing Type | White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, Color Temperature setting |
| Auto White Balance | Auto white balance with the image sensor |
| Color Temperature Compensation | White balance correction: ±9 stops in 5 step increments White balance bracketing: ±3 stops in full-stop increments Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible |
| Color Temperature Info Transmission | Provided |
| Viewfinder Type | Eye-level pentaprism |
| Viewfinder Coverage | Vertical/Horizontal approx. 100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification | Approx. 1.0x (-1m-1 with 50mm lens at infinity) |
| Viewfinder Eyepoint | Approx. 22mm (from eyepiece lens center) |
| Built-in Dioptric Adjustment | -3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter) |
| Focusing Screen | Fixed |
| Viewfinder Mirror | Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60) |
| Viewfinder Information | AF information (AF points, focus confirmation light), Exposure information (Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed, AE lock, exposure level, spot metering circle, exposure warning), Flash information (Flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock, red-eye reduction light), Image information (Highlight tone priority, Monochrome shooting, maximum burst, white balance correction, CF card information), Composition information (Grid, electronic level), Battery Check |
| Depth-of-Field Preview | Enabled with depth-of-field preview button |
| Autofocus Type | TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor |
| AF Points | 19-point all cross-type AF (f/2.8 at center: Dual Cross Sensor) |
| Metering Range | EV -0.5-18 (at 73°F/23°C, ISO 100) |
| Focusing Modes | Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual focusing (MF) |
| AF Point Selection | (1) Manual selection: Single point AF (2) Manual selection: Spot AF (3) Manual selection: AF point expansion (4) Manual selection: Zone AF (5) Automatic selection: 19 point AF |
| Selected AF Point Display | Indicated by transmissive LCD display in the viewfinder and on the LCD panel |
| AF-assist Beam | When an external EOS-dedicated Speedlite is attached to the camera, the AF-assist beam from the Speedlite will be emitted when necessary |
| Metering Modes | 63-zone SPC TTL metering with selectable modes Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point) Partial metering (approx. 9.4% of viewfinder at center) Spot metering (approx. 2.3% of viewfinder at center) Center-weighted average metering |
| Metering Range | EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100) |
| Exposure Control | Program AE (Shiftable), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Creative Auto, Full auto, Manual exposure, E-TTL II autoflash program AE |
| ISO Speed (Recommended Exposure Index) | Automatically set, ISO 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments) Basic Zone modes: ISO 100-3200 set automatically Extension settable (with C.Fn.I 3-1): ISO 12800 High Tone Priority settable: ISO 200-6400 |
| Exposure Compensation | Manual: ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB) |
| AE Lock | Auto: Applied in One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering when focus is achieved Manual: By AE lock button |
| Shutter Type | Vertical-travel, mechanical, Electronically-controlled, focal-plane shutter |
| Shutter Speeds | 1/8000 to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/250 sec. 1/8000 to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode) |
| Shutter Release | Soft-touch electromagnetic release |
| Self-timer | 10-sec. or 2-sec. delay |
| Flash Metering | E-TTL II autoflash |
| Flash Exposure Compensation | ±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments |
| FE Lock | Provided |
| Drive Modes | Single, High-speed continuous, Low-speed continuous and Self-timer (10-sec. or 2-sec. delay) |
| Continuous Shooting Speed | High-speed: Max. 8.0 shots/sec Low-speed: Max. 3.0 shots/sec |
| Maximum Burst | JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 94 (CF)/approx. 126 (UDMA CF) RAW: approx. 15/approx. 15 (UDMA CF) RAW+JPEG (Large/Fine): approx. 6 (CF/UDMA CF) Based on Canon’s testing standards with a 2GB CF card, high-speed continuous shooting, ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style |
| Focusing | Quick mode (Phase-difference detection) Live mode/Face Detection Live mode (Contrast detection) Manual focusing (5x/10x magnification possible) |
| Metering Modes | Evaluative metering with the image sensor (still photos) Center-weighted average metering (video) |
| Metering Range | EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100) |
| Grid Display | Provided (Two-type grid displays) |
| Exposure Simulation | Provided |
| Silent Shooting | Provided (Mode 1 and 2) |
| LCD Monitor Type | TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor |
| Monitor Size | 3.0″ |
| Monitor Dots | Approx. 920,000 (VGA) |
| Monitor Coverage | Approx. 100% (viewing angle: approx. 170°) |
| Brightness Adjustment | Auto, 7 levels provided |
| Interface Languages | 25 (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian,Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese) |
| Image Playback Display Format | Single image, Single image + Image-recording quality/shooting information, histogram, 4- or 9-image index, magnified view (approx. 1.5x-10x), rotated image(auto/manual), image jump (by 10/100 images, index screen, by shooting date, by folder), slide show (all images/selected by date/folder) |
| Highlight Warning | Provided (Overexposed highlights blink) |
| Image Protect | Single images can be erase-protected or not |
| Image Erase | Single image, check-marked images or all images in the CF card can be erased (except protected images) |
| Compatible Printers | PictBridge-compatible printers |
| Printable Images | JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System (DPOF printing possible) and RAW/sRAW images captured with the EOS 5D Mark II |
| Easy Print feature | Provided |
| DPOF | Version 1.1 compatible |
| Compatible Images | JPEG and RAW images Only JPEG images can be transferred as wallpaper on the personal computer screen |
| Custom Functions | Total 27 |
| Camera User Settings | Register under Mode Dial’s C1 and C3 positions |
| My Menu Registration | Provided |
| USB Terminal | For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed) |
| Video Out Terminal | (1) Video OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable (2) HDMI mini OUT terminal |
| Extension System Terminal | For connection to WFT-E5A |
| Battery | One Battery Pack LP-E6 AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E6 with Battery Grip BG-E6 attached |
| Battery Check | Auto |
| Power Saving | Provided; Power turns off after 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 or 30 min. |
| Date/Time Battery | One CR1616 lithium-ion battery |
| Start-up Time | Approx. 0.1 sec. |
| Working Temperature Range | 32-104°F/0-40°C |
| Working Humidity Range | 85% or less |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | Approx. 5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 in./148.2 x 110.7 x 73.5mm |
| Weight | Approx. 28.9 oz./820g (body only) |
| Warranty | Canon 1 year limited warranty |
Additional Images
More info
- Canon EOS 7D at the Canon Camera Museum
- Canon EOS 7D Sample Photos and Videos
- Canon EOS 7D First Look Videos @ CDLC
- Harnessing the Power of the EOS 7D’s Video System @ CDLC
- Canon EOS 7D On-Camera Tutorial Videos @ CDLC
- Canon EOS 7D Autofocus Modes
- EOS DSLR Video Recording
Purchase options
Canon EOS 7D available at Amazon | B&H | Adorama