Digital SLR Camera Canon 7D: reviews, specs, instruction manual

The mirror camera Canon EOS 7D, which appeared in September 2009, did not become a full-frame model that would fill the gap between the 5D Mark II and 1D Mark III, as it might seem from the manufacturer's press release, but is the 18-megapixel APS-C- Camera. Nevertheless, many of the functions expected by users were implemented: wireless flash, 19-point autofocus, a new iFCL metering system that uses information about the distance, color and brightness of the object. Key Features of Canon EOS 7D:

• Image sensor resolution of 18 megapixels;
• Screen sight on 3 "920 000-dot display;
• Full HD video recording at 30 fps;
• Wireless flash control.

Canon 7D: model description

This digital single-lens reflex camera was at the top of the line of APS-C-models Canon, formerly occupied by EOS 50D. Although the resolution of 18 million pixels is impressive, it also warns that the size of the CMOS sensor, equal to 22.3 × 14.9 mm, may not be sufficient, making the pictures, as a rule, very noisy. This problem haunted the EOS 50D, but the manufacturer found a solution in the new sensor. Canon reduced the area of the circuits in it to increase the size of the photodiodes and to provide high sensitivity and dynamic range.

In addition, the manufacturer used a new design of photocells, which allowed to convert more light into an electric charge and increased the signal-to-noise ratio. Like the EOS 50D, the 7D is equipped with no-gap micro-lenses, but the distance between them and the crystal has been reduced so that the last one gets more photons.

Despite the large number of pixels, thanks to two Digic 4 processors and eight-channel reading, the manufacturer managed to achieve a maximum continuous shooting rate of 8 fps. And this is without the need for an additional battery pack for the Canon 7D. It is noteworthy that the speed of the camera at 1 fps is faster than the maximum speed that the Nikon D300 can achieve .

It is worth noting that the review of Canon 7D for the first time in EOS models reached 100% with a 1-fold increase (with a 50-mm lens, focused at infinity). Therefore, the preview of the frame looks very similar to the final image.

The viewfinder complements the LCD display with the ability to screen sight. Even when mesh is displayed, it is very difficult to get a straight horizon (especially when using a wide-angle lens that creates an echo- type distortion), so the built-in electronic levels are becoming more common. Canon 7D became the first DSLR camera manufacturer with this feature. The electronic level can be displayed either on the LCD screen or in the viewfinder. When user function IV is called using the new multi-function button next to the shutter button for EOS cameras, the AF points indicate whether the camera is in the horizontal position or not. Unfortunately, the level disappears from the viewfinder after the shooting begins or the focus system is activated, so when you take it manually you can not use it "live".

The camera was first integrated with the Speedlite transmitter, which can control 3 groups of EX-series flash units. When working as a master flash, the camera produces a pre-highlight, even if it is not needed during the exposure.

With a sufficiently high detail, the advantage of coverage provided by a 1.6x zoom ratio combined with an impressive burst speed, a new AF system and a wide range of functions, the Canon EOS 7D is very attractive for budget sports photography or photo hunting, which typically requires APS-H Or full-frame camera.

Design performance

Regarding size and weight, the Canon 7D reviews are positioned between the 50D and the full-frame 5D Mark II. Like them, the model is made of magnesium alloy and is protected from water penetration. Canon declares that the waterproofness of the camera places it in the same category as the professional EOS-1n camera.

Although the weight of one case, equal to 820 g, makes the model quite heavy, its shape and rubber coating of the handle ensure comfortable and safe operation. Although after the shooting of the football match the hand still begins to feel the tension, despite the use of a relatively small and light for the Canon 7D lens EF 70-300 mm f / 4.5-5.6 DO IS USM.

The controls of the EOS 7D are more reminiscent of the 5D Mark II than the 50D, but there are some significant differences. For example, the Live View button located on the left side of the rear panel of the 5D Mark II above the screen is shifted to the right of the viewfinder 7D and is now surrounded by a switch that translates into screen and video modes. This is a reasonable move, since now the control is within the reach of the thumb of the right hand.

The space freed by the Live View is occupied by two other buttons. One, labeled Q, is used to quickly access the control screen. The other changes the recording format from RAW or JPEG to RAW + JPEG, and after the picture the camera returns to the original mode. This may be useful when, when shooting JPEG files, an unprocessed file is rarely needed to obtain the maximum series for additional flexibility in the processing of the frame.

Ease of use

The quick control screen displays the 16 most frequently configured parameters, including the automatic light optimizer. They can be selected with the help of a mini-joystick and any disc. The display is useful for quickly checking settings and making changes quickly, but for setting white balance, autofocus modes, etc., users still prefer to use the buttons on the top panel.

Like all Canon SLR cameras, the EOS 7D menu is divided into screens, each of which is placed on the LCD panel, which makes it easy to find functions. The video controls, for example, are located on a separate page, which allows you to quickly configure the camera for video recording.

With the addition of video technologies and additional flash options, the Canon 7D user settings screen lacked 6 functions. In the rest there's nothing to complain about.

Image Settings

In the system of white balance Canon EOS 7D, according to users, nothing has changed. It provides high performance in a wide range of lighting conditions. Pictures are not subject to excessive correction, and information about the color of light is available when shooting.

As usual, EOS 7D has a set of predefined image styles (standard, portrait, landscape, natural, accurate and monochrome) and 3 user-defined styles. You can control the sharpness, contrast, saturation and tone of color and monochrome frames. Standard mode seems a bit oversaturated, so users prefer to use natural or exact options.

Exposure Metering

Canon 7D camera is equipped with color lighting (iFCL) and 63-zone measurement. To determine the correct exposure, it uses distance data from the AF system, as well as color and brightness information. Instead of one sensor, the EOS 7D has two of them: one reacts to the red and green components, and the other - to green and blue. As a result, the metering system is less sensitive to red light.

Since the autofocus information is used, the AF point location is of great importance. For example, if it is located on the grass, the foreground is exposed well, and the overcast sky becomes overexposed. If you focus on the clouds, they become detailed, and the ground becomes underexposed. Although the estimated measurement has proved its effectiveness in a number of situations, as in many similar systems, it does not cope in overcast conditions.

Canon 7D: Manual focusing instructions

The camera received a new 19-point AF system. All its elements are cross-type and effective with lenses with a maximum aperture of f / 5.6 or higher. For additional accuracy, the second, diagonal X-shaped cross with f / 2.8 and more is located in the center. In addition, there are 2 offset horizontal lines in the middle upper, lower and central points. As usual, 3 AF modes are available: frame-by-frame (for stationary objects), AI Servo (for moving) and AI Focus, which automatically switches between one-time and long-lasting when the object starts moving or stops.

There are 3 methods of AF selection: single, zonal and automatic 19-point. The first option gives the right to decide the photographer, and the latter fully control the camera.

The second option divides 19 sensors into 5 zones, and the photographer selects the necessary group. It is used when moving objects, when automation is difficult to monitor one point and it is oriented to the nearest object. It is difficult to concentrate on a certain part of the scene - for example, the head of a specific player in a football match.

Auto-selection of 19-point settings Canon 7D reviews are suitable for objects that move chaotically, and the camera seeks to find the nearest potential target. In AI Servo, the photographer can specify the start point of the autofocus, and the camera tracks it. In these modes, the active AF elements are highlighted when the user function III-10 is turned on, so it is fairly easy to see if the camera is monitoring the correct object or not.

Using the custom function III-6, two additional AF-selection modes can be added to the list by default. This is Spot AF, which looks like a frame-by-frame, but it has less point for greater accuracy. In this case, the photographer makes the choice manually, but the EOS 7D can also use the surrounding points. According to feedback from users, it is very useful when shooting sports. Unlike the option to automatically select a 19-point AF in AI Servo mode, the surrounding points are not highlighted when they are active.

Two options in the user menu, tracking the sensitivity of AI Servo (III-1) and AI Servo AF (III-3) add additional flexibility when focusing on moving subjects. Such possibilities were previously used only in 1D Mark III and 1Ds Mark III. They determine whether the 7D should continue to focus on the subject when a closer object falls into the frame, and if not, how quickly should it respond. The purpose of their work is to help photographers to track the subject and, if necessary, ignore the sudden appearance, for example, of a column in the frame when panning. In general, the system of AF Canon 7D reviews of owners are called impressive. Since objects are easy to track in the viewfinder, the number of successful shots exceeds 90%.

In more complex situations, AF points (or their groups) are difficult to hold, but when this happens, the result is sharp in the vast majority of cases. Provided that the scene is devoid of a large number of potential jammers, the option of auto-selecting a 19-point AF in AI Servo mode with object tracking is excellent.

Resolution, noise and sensitivity

According to user feedback, Canon has taken important steps to combat noise throughout the range of sensitivity settings. The difference between the images of the EOS 50D and 7D is most noticeable at ISO 12800. Here the noise is about half that. Even at ISO 3200 there is a decrease in their level by about 30%. It is interesting that the noise figures for each channel are quite close, which indicates its uniform distribution. Although high-sensitivity images of the EOS 7D have a granular texture, they are much smoother than the 50D. The frames look great in monochrome mode, and in dark halftones there are no bands.

On the computer screen, high-sensitivity JPEG images are full of details, but there are some color spots. This is undesirable, but they are only visible when enlarged to A3. Images made in ISO 6400 and higher are characterized by random red pixelation. In general, the EOS 7D captures a lot of details. Even with ISO 12800, the camera provides reasonable performance.

Dynamic Range

In the default settings, Canon EOS 7D has a dynamic range of 12EV, which corresponds to the best SLR cameras of the 2009 release. The camera has 2 options for improving it: using an automatic light optimizer and a light tone priority. The first lightens the shadows and can be used in the manual exposure mode, but it can not be used simultaneously with the second one. Therefore, to preserve the details of the light areas, it is better to use the exposure controls, and then - the light optimizer to display the details of the shadows in the JPEG files. The effect can also be applied to RAW files when they are post-processed, provided by the Digital Photo Professional software.

Color spectrum

With the standard style of the image with the Adobe RGB color space, Canon 7D, according to the owners, is able to capture almost the entire gamut of ICC with very smooth red, lilac and purple tones. As usual, the coverage of the green is slightly limited, so it does not completely cover the entire Adobe RGB space.

LCD, viewfinder and video

Although the EOS 7D has a fixed screen, Canon has equipped it with a transparent LCD display that allows you to display the composite grid, electronic level, and AF points and zones. In most situations, the appearance is smooth, clear and bright, but sometimes, according to users, the panel shows a texture of fuzzy areas of light even tone. Although the viewfinder is bright enough to provide manual focus, in most situations it is better to use an enlarged image on the LCD screen. It's easier to be precise when the desired area of the scene is enlarged.

The EOS 7D display has 3 inches diagonally and a resolution of 920 thousand pixels (307 thousand pixels). To reduce reflections and glare, Canon filled the gap between the screen crystals and the new rigid glass surface with an elastic optical material, the refractive index of which is equal to the glass. This proved to be justified, since the display provides a very clear image even in bright ambient light.

Video can be recorded at a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels (Full HD) at a speed of 30, 25 or 24 fps, and 1280 x 720 or 640 x 480 at 60 or 50 fps. As in the screen-viewing mode, autofocusing is possible during video recording, but it is often better to use manual control, since the system tends to drift past the target.

In addition, if an internal monophonic microphone is used to record audio (there is a jack for an external microphone), pressing the buttons and moving the hands is best minimized. At the highest resolution and frame rate, the video is saturated with lots of details, and the movements are smooth.

Conclusion

The new autofocusing system of the EOS 7D is impressive, and its maximum use requires a good understanding of the subject from the camera's point of view, as well as knowledge of the available user functions. This brings the Canon AF to the lineup of the higher-end Nikon. The EOS 7D autofocus system combines well with a maximum continuous shooting speed of 8fps, which makes the camera an excellent choice for serious sports enthusiasts and professionals who can not afford 1D Mark IV at $ 4,499 or those who do not need a large sensor . According to user feedback, pictures in the mode of high-speed continuous shooting sometimes suffered from halos, but the manufacturer released an update of the firmware, which was supposed to eliminate this drawback.

Canon's engineers seemed to live up to their expectations, significantly improving the EOS 7D compared to the 50D. The detailing of the images has significantly increased, and the noise in the entire range of sensitivity is controlled much better, which made the camera more versatile.