Is the 7D a replacement for the 50D?

[Robster]

Very good point Pharod, I am also very keen to see the new 15mm-85mm lens test, i use the 17-85 which gets a right slating from most of the photographic press but for what I do its fine, as mush as I would like full frame the cost is huge and would I really benifit from it?

[Manxman]

Originally Posted by Pharod

Im upgrading from the 400d which was a decent camera when it came out...After about 25000 exposures in all weather conditions and temperatures, the 400d is still working as on it's first day. But i envy the video and af functions newer cameras have...so im ashamed to tell, but YES! i have preordered a 7D for 1200.- Euros (Body) without VAT (i have my own shop, so i buy at the distributor...). Estimated shipping date is the 24th of sept.

All the whining about "ahh it is no full frame, useless, too expensive for a crop camera... too much pixels for that small sensor" i can hold against: the 7d's sensor is completely new designed. With it's mulitlayer-layout the imagequality is way above any other conventional sensor with such a high mp rate. I think, fullframe had it's time but the days of high quality crop and thour-third sensors are coming!

Perhaps we should start a new thread on this but it does seem that manufacturers are lining up to produce smaller cameras with interchangeable lenses. I must say I do get tired (I am quite old!) sometimes lugging my 40D and lenses around. Some of the Panasonics are starting to look very attractive to me! And reviews in AP and other magazines seem to suggest most of us won't notice the difference (if any) in quality from smaller sensors.( I'm talking about Micro Four Thirds and APS-C not real compacts).

[Simonsphotography]

Agreed lifecapture, just waiting for it to "hit" the streets now as I hope it will sit along my 5D as a wildlife / sports body, just need to see the new AF in action for a while before splashing out!

[flake]

Remarkable what a parochial lot we are in the UK, when we complain about a camera body and it's light performance we always seem to forget that there's a whole world out there where a camera is supposed to perform well. It's true that the UK is a particularly dull and dank place, Manchester is the wettest city in Europe and frequently under a blanket of cloud, but most places in the world have much better light levels and high Iso performance just isn't an issue.

As for full frame having had it's time I think you're wrong! At the moment we're stuck with that as lenses can't strectch to anything bigger, but just look at the Leica S2. As yields increase and it becomes possible to produce FF sensors more cheaply then you'll perhaps see more affordable camera bodies.

FF has it's advantages over crop frame - and it's disadvantages, it's up to the photographer to make a choice as to what is best for them, but I certainly think your 'reports of the death of FF are greatly exagerated'

[Manxman]

Originally Posted by flake

Remarkable what a parochial lot we are in the UK, when we complain about a camera body and it's light performance we always seem to forget that there's a whole world out there where a camera is supposed to perform well. It's true that the UK is a particularly dull and dank place, Manchester is the wettest city in Europe and frequently under a blanket of cloud, but most places in the world have much better light levels and high Iso performance just isn't an issue.

As for full frame having had it's time I think you're wrong! At the moment we're stuck with that as lenses can't strectch to anything bigger, but just look at the Leica S2. As yields increase and it becomes possible to produce FF sensors more cheaply then you'll perhaps see more affordable camera bodies.

FF has it's advantages over crop frame - and it's disadvantages, it's up to the photographer to make a choice as to what is best for them, but I certainly think your 'reports of the death of FF are greatly exagerated'

Manchester and the rain - I remember it well.

I, for one, wasn't suggesting for one moment that full frame has had its day (I'd love the new Leica M9) but I do hear the marching feet of more compact camera owners. From reviews of the latest Olympus and Panasonic equipment it seems that the technology is getting better for smaller sensors. And Sony is apparently ready to launch something similar.... I think we're going to see an even more more varied marketplace.

[NigelWhiteley]

I don't know about replacement for the 50D but it sure does make an excelent replacement for my 30D, received my 7D yesturday (28/09/2009) and already I'm very impressed, good build quality well balanced with the 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS. Carn't fault this attempt from Canon so far 5*.

Nigel

[flake]

Mini Review from a 1D MkIII user on Canon rumours

Image Quality
This can be beaten to death by everyone and anyone. I am the wrong person to ask about this. I add noise to images sometimes. I’ll run around a wedding at ISO 3200 when I could be at 400. I love my 10mp cameras and have gotten 4′ x 6′ prints that look great. That’s right… 4 feet by 6 feet!

I respect that people want low noise, high ISO images. I’m just not that guy.

I will say that this camera is a lot noisier at ISO 400 than the 1D Mark III. It’s not even close. I didn’t see any difference between the 7D and 50D as far as noise goes in print. The “noise pattern” was a little more appealing in the 7D. However, if you’re looking for a clean high ISO performing camera, get a 5D Mark II or wait a while for new EOS-1’s.

A personal opinion on image noise. Don’t judge image quality based on what you see on your monitor. Head to a good print shop and get some nice 8×12 RA4 prints and judge those. Everything looks better on paper.

Color accuracy and all that looked just fine. Auto white balance is still pretty crappy, so I recommend a white balance cap or pay attention to it in post.

Likes:


» Image quality is very good. Images are full of detail.
» The viewfinder. It’s big and bright.
» 8fps is never a bad thing to have.
» Flash master finally built in.
» 19 AF Points. This to me is the perfect amount. Having 40+ selectable AF points is crazy!
» 30p and 24p at 1080p
» Video quality is amazing, wish I knew what I was doing with it.
» The Liveview and VF leveling tool is a nice touch.
» Compact Flash. No SD slot is fine by me, I never want CF to die.
» Lots of button mapping options, more than any other EOS.
» Menu System. They are easy to navigate. I especially like Custom Function IV Menu 1. The graphical display of what button you’re mapping is great.
» The toggle switch for movies and stills is the best yet for EOS.
» “Q” Button, accessing & navigating the Quick Control screen is a breeze.
» No “Scene Modes”. I like that folks will have to be forced to learn a little bit about photography. Auto & Creative still there, but we’re progressing!
» The on/off switch is idiot proof now.
Dislikes:

» In high speed drive mode (8fps), you may not actually get 8fps in certain situations. See page 93 of the manual (Canada/USA). Drive speed is also affected in full M mode. According to Canon, this is because of the new metering system in the camera. It’s far more accurate at the expense of some FPS.
» AWB still stinks. I don’t think that will ever change.
» Liveview AF still hasn’t improved in speed.
» 18mp – Not because of noise and all that (and it definitely contributes to noise). I’m just happy with the 10mp filesize. An optimized 10-12mp sensor would have been grand. I hate to beat a dead horse.
» ISO performance hasn’t improved enough over the 50D to be a reason to upgrade. I didn’t notice any difference in prints.
» Chipped battery. I don’t like paying more for batteries that give no real advantage in performance.
» No ergonomic improvement to the battery grip, how about another joystick?
» No affordable GPS addon yet.
In closing
This is a camera Canon should have made a few years ago. A pro feature set without the bulk or price tag. No, it won’t have the image quality of an EOS-1 or 5D/5D2, but it will give serious amateurs a lot more to work with.

At its price point, I don’t see how you can ask for anything more. If you’re coming from a Rebel or xxD camera, you’re going to love this camera.

Canon Rumors Rating: 8/10

[minky_monkey]

Well I love it! I`ve moved up from a 40D. Not had a chance to use it in anger yet, but the viewfinder and screen are stunning.

I will admit, it`s taken me a while to get used to the focus system and TBH, I`m not there yet! Especially once I get out into the field so to speak.

I really like the fact you can fine tune the options in terms of the operation of the camera, it may be something you could do with high end canons already - I wouldn`t know!

Obviously as the camera`s price comes down, it`ll look even better. I was very fortunate to pick it up for £1399 from a uk supplier, which was why I bit the bullet this early as opposed to waiting for the price to drop.

[flake]

I do have to ask the question why when you could have bought a 5D MkII for £1850 ?

[ether]

Originally Posted by flake

I do have to ask the question why when you could have bought a 5D MkII for £1850 ?

problem there is none of the EF-S lenses will fit it as i found when I bought my 5D mk2