Canon 7D

JustineLouise

JustineLouise

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Justine
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Hello

I am looking to upgrade to the 7D from the 30D and just use my 30D as a back up and more of a day to day use camera, but just wondered if there were many 7D users on here and if there are any cons that maybe out weigh the pros or if it is just an all good in general.

Thanks,

Justine:)
 
There are quite a few and the large majority are more than happy with their 7D. I'll be upgrading in time to the same body, I want to get my glass sorted first :D
 
If a x1.6 crop camera is what you need, the 7D is probably the best of the bunch at the moment. If you're more into portraits or landscapes rather than action or wildlife, and you have the lenses, the 5D Mk 2 may be worth thinking about.
 
andrewc said:
If a x1.6 crop camera is what you need, the 7D is probably the best of the bunch at the moment. If you're more into portraits or landscapes rather than action or wildlife, and you have the lenses, the 5D Mk 2 may be worth thinking about.
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Well I was looking at the 5D MK2, and believe me I would love that camera, but my budget is more suited for the 7D, especially as I am buying a Canon 7-200mm lens aswell at the moment. I mainly shoot music and portraiture for work, but on a hobby side enjoy wildlife and landscapes etc.
 
If you do wildlife that moves, the AF system on the 7D is amazing. It's great for sports too. Downsides? All I can think of is the hideously expensive battery - they cost about £60 each, making for expensive spares. The battery for the 7D is chipped, which means that if you use a third party battery, the camera won't tell you how much charge is left. Obviously, this is bad in a situation where having your camera online is important, so most people tend to have a third party battery as an emergency backup so that if their main official one fails for any reason they can pop that one in.

That said, the battery lasts for ages. I did a shoot at an event from about 10am through to midnight - obviously not shooting all the time, but I was mighty impressed that it lasted on a single charge. Also, I believe that 5DmkII uses the same battery anyway, so the 5DmkII doesn't have an edge over the 7D on that front.
 
I upgraded from the 30 to the 7, and use it for events, sports and portrait, as well as the occasional landscape. It's a great all round camera, and if you are ever going to use both bodies at once with different lens having the same size sensor makes it easier to work out which one to use, and what lens to put on each.
 
RicherSea said:
I upgraded from the 30 to the 7, and use it for events, sports and portrait, as well as the occasional landscape. It's a great all round camera, and if you are ever going to use both bodies at once with different lens having the same size sensor makes it easier to work out which one to use, and what lens to put on each.
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Thats good to know. Do you ever shoot with it in low light conditions? as I shoot alot of concerts, and although my 30D still produces good quality images, I do find that even shooting on 800 iso the images still appear quite grainy even though its not overly high, as I know most shoot on 1600 sometimes in low light, but I've not dared even attempting that.
 
I have to admit that the battery on my 7d is superb. I have done a 10 hour wedding on a single charge and about 9% left. I also have an official spare, I just think the batteries are superb on the 7d.

As for the camera, its complex but I love it. Best crop out there I thin, but I've not tried them all.
 
I'd back up what everyone has said about the battery, it seems to last for ever. I also find the high ISO performance of the camera to be very good, in general I have not been able to fault it yet. However I would have to say if Portraits and landscapes are your preffered subjects then the 5DII is the better camera for this type of photogaphy. However if you want a good all round camera with a second to none focussing system, then the 7D won't disappoint.
 
lareneg said:
If you do wildlife that moves, the AF system on the 7D is amazing. It's great for sports too. Downsides? All I can think of is the hideously expensive battery - they cost about £60 each, making for expensive spares. The battery for the 7D is chipped, which means that if you use a third party battery, the camera won't tell you how much charge is left. Obviously, this is bad in a situation where having your camera online is important, so most people tend to have a third party battery as an emergency backup so that if their main official one fails for any reason they can pop that one in.

That said, the battery lasts for ages. I did a shoot at an event from about 10am through to midnight - obviously not shooting all the time, but I was mighty impressed that it lasted on a single charge. Also, I believe that 5DmkII uses the same battery anyway, so the 5DmkII doesn't have an edge over the 7D on that front.
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It's a fantastic camera i have just ordered a 2nd 7D. I have the 5D mk2 as well before some one says why did'nt you buy a 5D mk2 to go with the 7d i do a lot of bird photography that's why i like the 1.6 crop.
If you want batteries try these guys i have just ordered 3 and they are chipped same power as original
https://www.bestbatt.com/shoppingcart.asp?Check=True
They supply 2 different ones you need the more expensive on page 4 £24.27
Regards
Richard
 
I upgraded from a 50D to a 7D, and I love it, its used mainly for wildlife (birding) and cant fault it. I am certainly not going to part with it any time soon.
With the regard to the battery, the original is outstanding in performance, but I bought a second one here for £20.00 as a backup just in case. Its chiped like the one Richard mentioned and seems to have the same qualities as the original.
 
I was under the impression that the high ISO performance was unimpressive on the 7D - too many pixels for the size of the sensor?
 
Think you mean the opposite, the pictures i've seen using high iso have been impressive.
There is some talk of low iso performance, but so far i've yet to see it on my 7D.
 
I am actually on my second 7D - The first was replaced by Canon after I complained of excessive noise at 400 ISO. They said that it was a software issue and sent me out another. I have to say, I haven't tested this one under the same circumstances, and since bought a 5DII that will plug the landscape type gap. Is the second better than the first? I don't know and will probably not even bother to try to compare.

Have I been impressed with the focus on the 7D? Definately :thumbs:
 
Thank you for these responses. That is quite worrying about the iso performance, even though I shoot in low light conditions so have a relatively higher iso to accommodate that, it's quite worrying that it struggles on a low iso. IS this something quite common in this particular camera or is it only happened to a few that are maybe just from a bad batch do you think?
 
JustineLouise said:
Thank you for these responses. That is quite worrying about the iso performance, even though I shoot in low light conditions so have a relatively higher iso to accommodate that, it's quite worrying that it struggles on a low iso. IS this something quite common in this particular camera or is it only happened to a few that are maybe just from a bad batch do you think?
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nobody knows the percentage - because you usually only get people coming on forums and complaining - there may be thousands more with an issue or maybe not.

i'd say there is a definite issue with low iso (100-400) performance on some 7D's which may be down to calibration in the factory or a faulty batch.

some think it is due to the large number of megapixels on a crop sensor - as people also complained about the 50d noise compared to the 40d.

my 7d is definitely noisier at 100-400 than my 40d was and my gf1 even.

but realistically, it is only apparent if you pixel peep at 100% on your pc screen - print off a few pictures, or view them on a digital frame or flickr etc and you'll never ever notice it.

the other improvements that the 7d brings to the table such as; the improved autofocus system, faster fps, faster processor, speedlite transmitter - and full HD video (not something I have bothered with mind you) more than make up for any reported noise issues IMHO.

which is why i decided not to part with mine :thumbs:
 
I can't comment on other peoples 7d's but mine is great through the iso range. I make 50% of my living from photography and i had 1 of the first in the country. Recently i printed sme images at A3+ from both the 7D and from my 5D mk2 and asked some of my learned collegues which was from which camera no one got it right there was 6 people trying this test and they all wrote there answers down.
Im so impressed with it i have ordered a second 7d for my bird photography
here are a few images
1

2

3

4

5

6

Shot at iso 400 i have found 100 & 200 even better

My friend who has a Nikon D300 says when we compared images from both cameras mine was better i admit there was'nt much in it. Hope this helps
Regards
Richard
 
lost said:
I can't comment on other peoples 7d's but mine is great through the iso range. I make 50% of my living from photography and i had 1 of the first in the country. Recently i printed sme images at A3+ from both the 7D and from my 5D mk2 and asked some of my learned collegues which was from which camera no one got it right there was 6 people trying this test and they all wrote there answers down.
Im so impressed with it i have ordered a second 7d for my bird photography
here are a few images
1

2

3

4

5

6

Shot at iso 400 i have found 100 & 200 even better

My friend who has a Nikon D300 says when we compared images from both cameras mine was better i admit there was'nt much in it. Hope this helps
Regards
Richard
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Wow beautiful photos! thank you for that :)
 
JustineLouise said:
Wow beautiful photos! thank you for that :)
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I find it very difficult to get the answer i want when im waying cameras up i always feel a photograph speaks a louder than a thousand words.so i hope these images help with your choice of camera. The 7D is good but it's a camera you have to really understand to get the best out of it.
Regards
Richard
 
When I got my 7D it converted my 300 f2.8 into a Free 480mm f2.8

70-200 is now on the 1D mk3 when i need the extra reach...

Al'
 
After many years of thinking and talking about it I recently switched from film to digital. I decided to go for the most expensive Canon body I could justifiably afford, as I already had several Canon lenses. Compared to film bodies, digitals are expensive (and heavy). I read loads of reviews and tested (in shops) several cameras. I decided on the 7D mostly because of it's ergonomics (the smaller bodies were uncomfortable and fiddly), but also because of the autofocus, metering and frame rate.
It was one of those decisions where you immediately think, 'oh ****** have I just wasted a lot of money?' Then I received it. Tested it and thought 'wow, wow, wow, this camera is fantastic!'
I do not regret my choice in any way whatsoever. I would thoroughly reccomend the Canon 7D. I am told that there are better digital camera's out there but the performance difference is microscopic compared to the price difference.
 
Its a good upgrade but you have to be spot on with metering, I did consider an upgrade to the 7D but a 1D MKIII came along with 7k actuations for the same money at the time.
 
I use my 7D alongside a 1D mark IV and think it is a cracking camera. I'm just about to fly south from a week in Shetland where I've given both cameras a serious workout. The 7D holds its own against the 1D very well indeed. I'm not saying it is better, its not. But for 80% of the stuff I've done this week I wouldn't specifically pick one or other of the cameras. I've had A3 prints from the 7D accepted into exhibitions so it can't be all bad.

Paul
 
I just wish the 7D had auto ISO system that you could specify the High/Low settings...

Al'
 
grumpybadger said:
I use my 7D alongside a 1D mark IV and think it is a cracking camera. I'm just about to fly south from a week in Shetland where I've given both cameras a serious workout. The 7D holds its own against the 1D very well indeed. I'm not saying it is better, its not. But for 80% of the stuff I've done this week I wouldn't specifically pick one or other of the cameras. I've had A3 prints from the 7D accepted into exhibitions so it can't be all bad.

Paul
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I have just been in your gallery 2007 the farne islands we have possibly met before you are showing a picture of a good mate of mine with a tern on his head. His name is Ron Jones aka silverfox on the TP forum i took the same shot. Enjoy your trip to the Shetlands im hoping to go for 2 weeks next year
Regards
Richard
 
Hi Richard

It's entirely possible we've met. It's a small world. Just on way home from Shetland now but its been a cracking trip. Heartily recommend it.

Paul
 
JustineLouise said:
Thats good to know. Do you ever shoot with it in low light conditions? as I shoot alot of concerts, and although my 30D still produces good quality images, I do find that even shooting on 800 iso the images still appear quite grainy even though its not overly high, as I know most shoot on 1600 sometimes in low light, but I've not dared even attempting that.
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Yep, Use it for low light all the time. The noise is odd, unlike any other DSLR I've used. It's there at 100 right through to 1600, but doesn't seem to get much worse as you go up the ISO range. It also displays the odd noise "grid" pattern seen on the 5DII and 1DIV, but you have to really go looking for it to see it. I've sold shots at 3200, and don;t think twice about using 1600. Compared to the 30D where 800 is really the usable maximum it's a good step up. The other thing to consider is that although the per pixel noise isn't anything fantastic compared to some of the Nikon bodies, since the sensor is so dense you are actually down-sampling a lot every time you print or make a JPG, so the noise in the output image is MUCH better than you think it will be looking at the 100% RAW file.
 
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