Canon 7D Comparison Review

The Canon EOS 7D is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in September 2009 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 17.9 megapixel.

Is the Canon 7D a good camera? The 7D has a Camera Elo of 1600. This rating puts the 7D below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the 7D also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Canon 7D is more than 15 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2009.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Canon 7D vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Canon 7D alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 7D	148 mm	111 mm	74 mm	860 g	800	Y	Sep 2009	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
2.		Canon 5D Mark II	152 mm	114 mm	75 mm	850 g	850	Y	Sep 2008	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 7D II	149 mm	112 mm	78 mm	910 g	670	Y	Sep 2014	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
4.		Canon 20D	144 mm	106 mm	72 mm	770 g	700	n	Aug 2004	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 30D	144 mm	106 mm	74 mm	785 g	750	n	Feb 2006	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
6.		Canon 50D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	800	Y	Aug 2008	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Canon 60D	145 mm	106 mm	79 mm	755 g	1100	Y	Aug 2010	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
8.		Canon 70D	139 mm	104 mm	79 mm	755 g	920	Y	Jul 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
9.		Canon T1i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	520 g	400	n	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
10.		Canon T2i	129 mm	98 mm	62 mm	530 g	440	n	Feb 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
11.		Nikon D7000	132 mm	105 mm	77 mm	780 g	1050	Y	Sep 2010	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Canon 7D was launched in the US market at a price of $1,699. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check 7D offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Canon 7D features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Canon 7D among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of alternatives.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Canon 7D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.0	11.7	854	66
2.		Canon 5D Mark II	Full Frame	21.0	5616	3744	1080/30p	23.7	11.9	1815	79
3.		Canon 7D II	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	22.4	11.8	1082	70
4.		Canon 20D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.9	11.0	721	62
5.		Canon 30D	APS-C	8.2	3504	2336	none	21.5	10.8	736	59
6.		Canon 50D	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	none	21.8	11.4	696	63
7.		Canon 60D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.2	11.5	813	66
8.		Canon 70D	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	22.5	11.6	926	68
9.		Canon T1i	APS-C	15.1	4752	3168	1080/20p	21.7	11.5	663	63
10.		Canon T2i	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	22.1	11.5	784	66
11.		Nikon D7000	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/24p	23.5	13.9	1167	80

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The 7D indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the 7D can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the 7D has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.63x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 7D in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Canon 7D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon 5D Mark II	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	3.9/s	n	n
3.		Canon 7D II	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/8000s	10.0/s	Y	n
4.		Canon 20D	optical	Y	1.8 / 118	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
5.		Canon 30D	optical	Y	2.5 / 230	fixed	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	Y	n
6.		Canon 50D	optical	Y	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.3/s	Y	n
7.		Canon 60D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	n	1/8000s	5.3/s	Y	n
8.		Canon 70D	optical	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	n
9.		Canon T1i	optical	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.4/s	Y	n
10.		Canon T2i	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.7/s	Y	n
11.		Nikon D7000	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the 7D is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 7D and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Canon 7D	Y	mono / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 5D Mark II	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon 7D II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
4.		Canon 20D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	1.1	-	-	-
5.		Canon 30D	Y	- / -	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Canon 50D	Y	- / -	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Canon 60D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Canon 70D	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Canon T1i	Y	mono / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Canon T2i	Y	stereo / -	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Nikon D7000	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

It is notable that the 7D has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the 7D can be found in the free online Canon 7D Manual or on the Canon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the 7D handle or perform in practice. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Canon 7D	5/5	+ +	..	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2009	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
2.		Canon 5D Mark II	4/5	91/100	..	79/100	4/5	..	Sep 2008	US$ 3 499	ebay.com
3.		Canon 7D II	4.5/5	+	3.5/5	84/100	4/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
4.		Canon 20D	..	..	..	+ +	..	..	Aug 2004	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
5.		Canon 30D	..	+ +	..	+ +	o	..	Feb 2006	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
6.		Canon 50D	..	+ +	..	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
7.		Canon 60D	5/5	+	..	79/100	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2010	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
8.		Canon 70D	5/5	+ +	..	83/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jul 2013	US$ 1 199	ebay.com
9.		Canon T1i	..	+ +	..	74/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Mar 2009	US$ 799	ebay.com
10.		Canon T2i	..	+ +	..	77/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2010	US$ 699	ebay.com
11.		Nikon D7000	4/5	..	..	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	US$ 1 499	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, kindly note that some of the listed sites have over time developped their review approaches and their reporting style.

Check 7D offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

~

Did you notice an error on this page? If so, please get in touch, so that we can correct the information.

You are here:  Home  »  CAM-parator  »  Canon 7D Review