Canon EOS 7D review

Can Canon’s latest innovation win over the advanced DSLR upgraders?

In a bid to attract DSLR upgraders away from rival manufacturer Nikon, Canon’s response to the highly-specified D300S comes in the form of the equally feature-packed EOS 7D.

Sporting an 18-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, the 7D has a rugged magnesium-alloy body that’s similar in design to the older 50D, but weighs in at 10g more than the larger, full-frame 5D Mark II.

On the top panel the chunky Mode dial is stocked with the usual array of manual modes (P, S, A, M), as well as a B (Bulb) mode, Auto, Custom Auto and three user-definable modes, which can be modified to suit your own needs. As this camera is pitched at advanced DSLR users, you won’t find a single scene mode – just plenty of customisable features.

A top panel LCD keeps you informed of your current settings, although these can be duplicated in a larger format on the rear LCD if preferred, using the Info button on the back of the camera. Back on top sit the usual array of dual-function circular buttons, providing quick access to metering, white balance, AF, Drive mode, ISO and flash compensation options. Press the button pertaining to the setting you want and then rotate the front Cmd dial that falls under your index finger, or access the secondary setting using the large, quick Ctrl dial on the rear.

The programmable nature of some of the controls on the 7D has the potential to cause some confusion. No fewer than ten controls can be set by the user to perform one of a few functions. Take the new M-Fn button on top of the camera, for example – this can be programmed to perform one of four functions. The AF-ON button can also be programmed to initiate metering and AF, to lock the focus or exposure or to stop AF. It can be disabled completely too, though this seems a little pointless. The remaining eight controls can be switched around in the same way, meaning that nothing on the camera’s body does what its label suggests it should. While it’s useful to be able to program one or two controls in this way for quick access to key functions, we found this approach to be ‘overkill’.

The 7D’s Live View feature offers several AF options, including a largely accurate Face Detection mode. With Quick AF in operation, the screen blacks out for a second while the mirror’s flipped out of the way and the shot is recorded. Live AF attempts to emulate the full-time Live View afforded by compact point-and-shoot cameras, but delivers a sluggish performance, often taking several seconds to find a positive lock. A useful feature in this mode is the camera’s electronic level, which appears as a graphical display on the camera’s rear LCD, helping you keep your horizons straight and replacing the need for an external bubble level.

The 7D’s HD (1080p) video mode is easily accessible, with the camera’s Live View button on the back of the camera doubling as a Movie Recording button. Encircled by a small switch, you simply flick it round to point to either the Live View or the Movie icon and press the Start/Stop button in the centre to activate your chosen mode. The resulting movie footage is smooth and detailed, and should certainly satisfy the requirements of most budding film producers. The sound recorded by the 7D is on a par with that of competitors – mono as standard – although you can attach an external mic for stereo recording.

You can autofocus while recording, but we found the system to be pretty slow, often hunting for a while before acquiring a lock. It’s far easier to focus manually, which results in much smoother footage, but the problem you encounter here is caused by the size and weight of the 7D – although you instinctively want to hold the camera away from you to view the screen while recording, it’s tricky to do so and still be able to access and adjust the lens for zooming/focusing. Mounting the 7D on a tripod solves this issue, and makes it a lot easier to work with. The camera also integrates an HDMI port for quick coupling to an HDTV and high-definition playback, although you’ll need to buy the HDMI cable separately.

The 7D incorporates the same dust removal system found on the 50D and 5D Mark II, which physically shakes the sensor on powering the camera on and off to help dislodge debris from the sensor. Although this may

reduce the frequency with which you need to clean your sensor manually, it’s not foolproof. Thankfully, the camera also integrates Canon’s tried-and-tested dust delete data function, which plots the areas in which dust spots are identified. With the aid of the supplied digital photo professional software, you can automatically get rid of these troublesome spots when at the post-processing stage.

One particularly interesting and handy feature is the 7D’s AF Microadjustment facility, borrowed from its big brother, the 1D Mark III. This lets you test the accuracy of your lens’s focusing, setting a target and making tiny adjustments, allowing you to calibrate and store data for up to twenty optics without having to send your kit off for fine-tuning.

Peripheral illumination correction is another feature of note, which uses a bank of data stored regarding various lenses to correct vignetting where necessary. Additional functionality is offered via the 7D’s wireless flash compatibility. The built-in pop-up unit can act as a commander for one or more speedlights, enhancing the user’s creative possibilities.

JPEGs straight out of the camera during our tests were found to be pretty soft, although sharpening post-shoot remedied this. You can apply additional sharpening in-camera as you shoot, but we were reluctant to do so, erring on the side of caution. The dynamic range captured in RAW files is superb, but JPEGs proved to be somewhat disappointing in high-contrast scenes, with a loss of definition in overcast skies. Turning on Highlight Tone Priority helped to remedy this, in conjunction with the 7D’s auto lighting optimizer which basically edits your images in-camera, lifting the shadows and adjusting the contrast in scenes with a lot of tonal variation. There are three ‘strengths’ to choose from, each of which produces a varyingly noticeable effect on your shots. Turning this feature on can increase the amount of noise in your images, so proceed with caution. It’s also advisable to shoot RAW files simultaneously, should you decide you don’t like the effect applied to your JPEGs later.

Straight out of the camera with JPEG parameters at their default settings we found images to lack contrast, but again, this is something that’s easily tweaked using the 7D’s Picture Styles facility. Here – as existing Canon users will already know – you can select from a range of preset image styles, comprising Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful and Monochrome, each of which can be fine-tuned to suit. A quick contrast boost and we were capturing punchier images right away, saving time post-shoot.

RAW files are best if you want to maximise this camera’s capabilities. Its 18MP sensor resolves an impressive level of detail, which its soft JPEGs do not do full justice to. Colour accuracy is also pretty good, with neutral skin tones and pleasingly punchy hues throughout the spectrum.

Noise is very well controlled, with perfectly usable images being captured up to ISO 1600. ISO 3200 is still good, although you get noticeable colour distortion and loss of sharpness above this point, and results can’t quite match up to the performance generated by EOS models further up the DSLR hierarchy, or indeed its main rival’s. At top whack, the 7D’s H sensitivity setting (equivalent to ISO 12800) displays heavily distorted colours and significant loss of detail, however in some situations you can still generate a usable shot, particularly if you convert to black and white. We wouldn’t recommend using this setting as a matter of course, but it’s there if you really need it.

The maximum time you can open the 7D’s shutter for as standard is 30 seconds, however there’s a Bulb setting with its own place on the camera’s Mode dial for longer exposures. Well-controlled noise and pleasing colour reproduction are particularly good for capturing night-time scenes, resulting in detailed and colourful shots.

Not wanting to leave out action enthusiasts, Canon has produced a camera that can churn out 18MP shots at a speedy 8fps, thanks to its dual DIGIC 4 processors. Couple that with improved 19-point AF and 63-zone metering systems, and you have a highly reactive camera that responds brilliantly under pressure.