Canon EOS 7D Owners Thread

Does anyone use their 7D with a 17-55mm lens as a standard walk around set up please? And if so how does it compare against a 24-105? I recently sold my 24-105 with the intention of purchasing the 24-70, then it went out of stock everywhere and was replaced by the twice as expensive mk2!! Story of my life !
 
sgott said:
Does anyone use their 7D with a 17-55mm lens as a standard walk around set up please? And if so how does it compare against a 24-105? I recently sold my 24-105 with the intention of purchasing the 24-70, then it went out of stock everywhere and was replaced by the twice as expensive mk2!! Story of my life !
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I've used both and at the end of it all I've gone with the 24-105mm. Overall they're fairly neck and neck in terms of sharpness. The 17-55 obviously has the advantage in low light with the f/2.8 (and IS) but it comes down to what you prefer in the focal range. Personally, I didn't often find myself using the wide end of the 17-55 but yearned for more range on the long end. Aside from that, the other noticeable thing that sets them apart is the build quality. The 17-55 isn't built like your bog-standard EF-S lens but it's not quite up to L lens spec.
 
Currently loving my 24-105 mm f4 L IS lens as a walkabout at th moment
 
I visited that eoscount.com this morning, it's very clever! I knew I had a count of approximately 11,000, but apparently it's actually 11,789! Although I think the last 800 have all been my vain attempt at mastering my reshoot for my 52 project :bonk: My rather neglected and much older 450D only had a mere 9459!
 
Is there any way to fiddle with the LCD panel contrast? I find if I look directly down on the panel the information is slightly faded. If I pear a bit further it disappears completely. Is that normal?
 
The goblin said:
Yes you can adjust the brightness, it's in the menu.

I don't have any issues with mine, but it's a struggle to see outside sometimes.
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Apologies, I mean the panel on the top of the camera. The info panel.
 
I'm just confused. What's the viewing angle of the top LCD panel? It's clear as day from certain angles, slighty faded when I look straight down upon it and ever more so as I tilt the camera more towards me (with the lens pointing vertically upwards)
 
All lcd displays have an optimal viewing angle, but the top screen on my 7D is clear from any resonable point of view. Is your battery charged ok?
 
Yellowbelly said:
All lcd displays have an optimal viewing angle, but the top screen on my 7D is clear from any resonable point of view. Is your battery charged ok?
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Would you say the optimal viewing angle is around 45 degrees with the camera held in front of you?
 
Well I wouldn't be so precise. Suffice to say that I have never experienced an issue reading the screen whilst using the camera, even wearing varifocal specs.
 
You shouldn't be experiencing this problem. LCD screens do have a finite life though, and prolonged exposure to bright daylight can cause them to fade. Having said that my cameras are out in broad daylight more than most and I've not had the problem yet with any of them.

It sounds like it could be a faulty LCD panel or a bad connection - I'd certainly get it looked at, particularly if the camera is still under warranty.
 
Just got back from jessops, I was wanting to try the 60d with the 50 f1.8 but it wasnt in stock so i tried the 7d.... lets just say im getting that now :love:
 
CT said:
You shouldn't be experiencing this problem. LCD screens do have a finite life though, and prolonged exposure to bright daylight can cause them to fade. Having said that my cameras are out in broad daylight more than most and I've not had the problem yet with any of them.

It sounds like it could be a faulty LCD panel or a bad connection - I'd certainly get it looked at, particularly if the camera is still under warranty.
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I think I'm just imagining it. The camera is brand new. I have a tendency to try and find faults with new expensive gear to justify returning it for a replacement. The LCD is crisp and clear. It just fades slightly under certain viewing angles, mostly when the panel backlight is used.
 
Just to reaffirm, incase I'm confusing anyone else, I am referring to the LCD info display panel on the top-right of the camera body.
 
Ah I now see what you mean. Yes the panel does kind of fade a bit when viewed from the front above the camera. That is perfectly normal and is a function of the light through the crystal. You wouldn't normally view from that angle anyway.
 
Yellowbelly said:
Ah I now see what you mean. Yes the panel does kind of fade a bit when viewed from the front above the camera. That is perfectly normal and is a function of the light through the crystal. You wouldn't normally view from that angle anyway.
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See what I mean when I say that I like to pick fault with things? Inherited that defect from my mother :cuckoo: :p
 
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goint to take my 7D to the camera shop to be sent off and calibrated
hope it doesnt take long
 
brad131987 said:
goint to take my 7D to the camera shop to be sent off and calibrated
hope it doesnt take long
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let us know how you get on and whether it fixes your issues
I have a 7d and a 600d and my keep rate on the 7d is poor compared to the same lenses on my 600d
 
i hope it will be 99.9% after but not looking hopefull after reading loads of stuff about it not being fixed or waiting months for the stuff to be returned

will post on here though my findings
 
I did some test shots on a tripod with the 600d and 7d using my nifty 50 my efs 17-55 f2.8
and my ef70-200 L f2.8 IS mk1
the shots were similar
off the tripod and taking bird shots etc the 600d was far better
the 7d only had a few keepers no matter what I did
calibrating the lens to the 7d didn't seem to help alot
It just has focusing issues imo
waiting for the latest firmware upgrade in august if that doesn't solve it I shall put it on ebay and buy either a 650d or a 5d mk3
 
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Rebel t3i said:
I did some test shots on a tripod with the 600d and 7d using my nifty 50 my efs 17-55 f2.8
and my ef70-200 f2.8 IS mk1
the shots were similar
off the tripod and taking bird shots etc the 600d was far better
the 7d only had a few keepers no matter what I did
calibrating the lens to the 7d didn't seem to help alot
It just has focusing issues imo
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If the shots were similar when on the tripod, how can off the tripod make the 7d worse other than settings and/or unsteady hands ?? :thinking:
 
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Dark Knight said:
If the shots were similar when on the tripod, how can off the tripod make the 7d worse other than settings and/or unsteady hands ?? :thinking:
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should have said that the on tripod shots where of a static fixed item namely one of my cars
off tripod shots were of birds in the trees whilst walking around in my grounds
it's very hard to put my finger on what is wrong with it all I can say is the 600d takes alot more keepers that the 7d
the 7d seems to focus on the wrong point more often than not
looks fine through the viewfinder when taking the shot though
maybe it's just me but I find the 7d alot of faffing and hard work just to tale a simple off the cuff shot that will more than likely be out of focus where as my 600d is fine and I have no complaints
 
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Perhaps you bought a camera that is more complicate than you need? The 5d3 has a similar (and improved) af system with as many, if not more options than the 7d.
 
Rebel t3i said:
should have said that the on tripod shots where of a static fixed item namely one of my cars
off tripod shots were of birds in the trees whilst walking around in my grounds
it's very hard to put my finger on what is wrong with it all I can say is the 600d takes alot more keepers that the 7d
the 7d seems to focus on the wrong point more often than not
looks fine through the viewfinder when taking the shot though
maybe it's just me but I find the 7d alot of faffing and hard work just to tale a simple off the cuff shot that will more than likely be out of focus where as my 600d is fine and I have no complaints
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That makes more sense :)

Even though at the same time it doesn't... I struggle with moving objects, but am getting better with my settings, I know my problem is user error :D
 
menthel said:
Perhaps you bought a camera that is more complicate than you need? The 5d3 has a similar (and improved) af system with as many, if not more options than the 7d.
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may be so
the problem appears to be trying to synchronise what you want to focus on with what the camera decides to focus on
I bought it for it's focusing abilities and so far the only focusing abilities mine seems to have are out of focus abilities lol
I have surfed the net on many occasion looking for a cure and it seems a very common complaint with the 7d
it will be interesting to see if the new firm ware upgrade out soon does anything to solve the issues some of us 7d owners seem to be plagued with
 
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Rebel t3i said:
may be so
the problem appears to be trying to synchronise what you want to focus on with what the camera decides to focus on
I bought it for it's focusing abilities and so far the only focusing abilities mine seems to have are out of focus abilities lol
I have surfed the net on many occasion looking for a cure and it seems a very common complaint with the 7d
it will be interesting to see if the new firm ware upgrade out soon does anything to solve the issues some of us 7d owners seem to be plagued with
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I sat down with mine for some time before I got to grips with the focussing capabilities. I am still fine tuning now- for example I went through a number of different settings before finding the one that worked for puffins in flight for me. It is a complicated camera to master and unlike the 60d etc is more likely to give bad results when used without proper setup and technique. It is worth watching the canon videos on their site about the 7d and it's focussing. Take some time and find out about it rather than believing the whiners on Internet forums and wanting to ditch the camera.

That is unless you are a gear whore rather than a photographer! ;)
 
one would have thought that a camera that has such an advanced focusing system would have been easier to get keepers than it's cheaper cousins
I only surfed the net after experiencing difficulties looking for tips with technique and settings
the only issue I am having is with focus
now I may not be a camera guru but it says auto focus not auto out of focus roflol
which is what I seem to be experiencing with the 7d but not the 600d
 
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Tony, how many active focus points do you have in play? It sounds like you might be letting the camera choose the AF point instead of you making that decision. The camera has certain rules it follows for making these decisions, but they may differ from what you are expecting it to do. Try using a single AF point, or even spot AF. That should let you snipe your target instead of having the camera pick some alternative subject through no fault of its own. The more complex the environment, and shooting birds in trees can prove demanding, the more important it is to narrow down the focusing scope, so the fewer points in use the better for such situations. For birds against clear skies that's another story, but for birds in trees, with possible backlighting from the sky, you need to set the camera up for success, not failure.

Also be aware that the behaviour changes depending on which AF pattern you choose and whether you are in One Shot or AI Servo mode. If you're using AI Focus then that could be a source of major problems. It's a pity Canon ever included it on any of their cameras. The professional bodies don't have that option at all.

I've got a whole bunch of birds in bushes examples from my 7D in this thread - http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=409438&page=2. They're not necessarily pretty, because they were shot purely as examples to challenge the AF performance. The camera can certainly deliver the required results, but it has to be set up right and used correctly. With so many options available the scope for setting it up poorly is potentially significant.
 
cheers for that Tim I am sure I have tried single and spot but will give it another go to and re analyse some fresh shots
not used the camera for a couple of weeks been busy sanding floors plastering and making holes in walls for windows 20 feet up on a wobbly scaffold tower the joys of DIY
If I recall correctly what i found was that the camera was front focusing on some shots and back focusing on others it just didn't seem to be focusing on what me or the camera were focused on if that makes sense
 
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I had my 7D about 9 months before I found a thread about focus issues, I made the fundamental error of not using individual focus points! This camera really does punish you if you get it wrong!
I've also discovered the tracking speed is an issue, I've slowed mine down because the 70-200 f2.8 IS (MK 2) is stupidly fast and the focus point was changing and ruining most shots!

It's definitely a steeper learning curve with more expensive gear!
 
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