Review of Canon Eos 7D 18 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera (sets, price, best)

[reviewer]

As an experienced amateur photographer I chose the Canon Eos 7D because of its near professional standard of build and performance. My photography consists mostly of landscape work which means my cameras have to withstand being jostled around in a camera bag and in the trunk of my car. The rugged build of this Canon is very reassuring in this respect, and, although it is heavy, you feel that if you drop it, it will come to no harm.

The Canon's 18 megapixel sensor gives all the resolution that you need to produce poster size prints or to enlarge small areas of an image without losing any detail. Another area where the Canon scores is in its ability to give exceptional quality in low light levels. This has always been an aspect where "crop" cameras such as the Eos 7D have lagged behind the full frame SLRs. Not anymore! This new camera gives low light images which are as devoid of noise as the best of them.

I am also very impressed with the "intelligent" viewfinder of this Canon. It gives a 100% view and is extremely bright and clear but what sets it apart for me is the capability of hiding all of the exposure and other details so that you can concentrate on the actual scene. And, for a landscape photographer, the EOS 7D has a feature named Dual Axis Electronic Level and tilt display that helps you to get a horizon that is level. This facility can be viewed either on the LCD or through the viewfinder.

With the 28-135mm lens attached the autofocus system is fast, smooth and very quiet. It is also very accurate. Linked to the autofocus system is the new and impressive 63 zone dual-layer metering system. This is another advanced feature that enables the photographer to concentrate on framing the scene and leaving the technicalities to the camera. In practice this new exposure system works well, especially in low light situations.

One aspect of the Canon 7d that I haven't used much is the movie making facility. The specification for making movies is very advanced and should enable the taking of professional quality videos. My initial impressions of this feature are that it is a huge advance on previous cameras at this price.

This new Canon camera is great choice for a photographer who wants a professional quality camera without the high price tag. It isn't exactly cheap, of course, but it does offer tremendous value for money.