Canon EOS 7D pics and specs leak out
By Paul Miller 
posted August 29th 2009 8:24PM
posted August 29th 2009 8:24PM
[Thanks, Darko]
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posted August 29th 2009 8:24PM
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A full frame sensor takes up a lot of space, but this is just the viewfinder. If it is a APS-C sensor (which it looks to be), then the viewfinder is not as large as the sensor on a full frame sensor camera. The 50D is APS-C and has nearly a 100% viewfinder (I think it is about 95%), and the comparable D300 offers a 100% viewfinder with no apparent difference in build size. The reason the D3x and 1Ds mk 3 have a much larger pentaprism area (the bump above the lens where the viewfinder is housed) is because the larger 35mm full frame sensor requires a larger viewfinder. A 100% viewfinder on a D300 and a 100% viewfinder on a D3x are a different size, but still cover 100% of the sensor coverage.
Viewfinders for APS-C cameras are much smaller than 35mm full-frame cameras like the D3x and 1Ds you mentioned. The Nikon D300s and the Pentax K-7 both offer 100% coverage viewfinders and they don't have the huge humps on top housing large pentaprisms like the Canon 1Ds mk.III or the Sony A900. Since the area that APS-C viewfinders cover is smaller, they can use a smaller pentamirror (or rarely a pentaprism) to achieve the same 100%. In actuality, they are covering only a bit over 50% of a full 35mm frame. See here for a handy comparison: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5000/page5.asp (scroll down to Viewfinder size).
To the one criticizing canon AF system. (Temple)
The importance of being crossed AF points is big and also the speed and sensitivity. Having the chance to use a D3 and a 1D mark III post AF fix I can tell you the 1D mark III AF is faster than the Nikon's counterpart. Maybe the Nikon AF locks the subject a bit more decided but the 1D III is in fact faster.
I also prefer less points and more assist points to help them tracking than many points non crossed and also less sensitive. To me 19+26 assist kick 15 crossed + 36 horizontal. But that´s just me.
What you might be talking about and you might not know is the "3D AF matrix" system Nikon is using. And that's the little difference between AF systems. But the difference is so little you can't tell unless you have both cameras together all the time and even with this you really need to be picky.
Reading the specs leaked im thinking canon is hoping you shoot jpeg instead of raw (94 jpgs vs 15 RAW in burst mode) as in jpg they will be able to automatically correct lens vignetting, digital noise, (as stated) and maybe other lens flaws, so that they can sell crappy glasses with huge range and have you happy nonetheless 'cos you wont see any chromatic aberrations, vignetting purple fringing, distortions etc etc.
Digital picture introduced a "virus" that makes you wanna have a loads of pictures of any subject from wich you can choose, instead of having few nice pictures. Ask any photographer who used to use hasselblad or medium format, who would end up with 150 negatives from one day of shooting, he now uses digital and shoots 400 pics in 2-3 hours then goes home and deletes 250...
pretty lame if you ask me, but cheaper lenses means more people can afford them=producers happier.
i'd love to see any nice bokeh portrait with those lenses/small sensors tho...
Key Facts:
It's 18MP on a cropped sensor (1.6x crop),
meaning the pixel density is like a 46MP full frame sensor.
Useful for very large prints, cropping for birders, downsizing for noise reduction.
Yet, the 50D struggled to balance noise and pixel density
with its 15MP 1.6x crop sensor. I hope Canon has
made great advances here, but it's difficult imagine.
The 50D was released less than 1 year ago.
Despite all the bells and whistles, 18MP will be this cameras biggest challenge.
AF - in the opinion of many Canon runs 2nd place to others with auto focus in tracking mode.Another new camera, another chance for improvement.
Does it AF at f/8?
So far only the 1 series can, thus this may not.
If it does it would be an advantage for birders and wildlife shooters
who would like to use a 400 f/5.6 lens with a 1.4x converter with a
high density sensor for cropping.
RAW Buffer is small at 15 images, under 2 seconds at full 8fps speed.
"Yet, the 50D struggled to balance noise and pixel density
with its 15MP 1.6x crop sensor. I hope Canon has
made great advances here, but it's difficult imagine.
The 50D was released less than 1 year ago."
To be honest, I'd say Canon hurried the 50D to the market, thus not fully developing everything (and they need a reason for people to upgrade, right?).
AF is all well and good, but manual focusing is where its at. I'd love Canon to make a digital version of their old EOS-M, with full manual control, the 15-megapix sensor from the 5D and a few mechanically-focusing EF lenses, to get that old lens feel.
The thing that bothers me here is the model number. Canon always used xxD for it's ASP-C cameras... why are we switching to a single digit? Jumping from 50D over 60D to hit 70D I could understand, though it'd be odd, but going from 50D to 7D? They're mixing model number standards between the prosumer and professional lines.
On another note, I'm really interested to see the effect of dual DIGIC-IV processors. I'd want to rent one of these and run around with it for a week before buying one. I'd like to upgrade from my 40D, but my planned next step was a 5Dmk2 (or mk3, who knows when I'll get around to it). I can't wait to see the reviews from this thing being stress tested.
Canon had it so good with the 20D they should have continued to refine that after the 30D - practically noise-free 8.2 megapixels, relatively fast and still capable of better results than a G10 with all its extra pixels. I love both of my Canons, but if I want to capture anything in low light, the G10 will simply stay at home.
I doubt I'll be buying this camera because I prefer full frame.
However this camera excites me because it seems that Canon are finally getting with the program and letting out features that we really want and dare I say it features that Nikon have.
Stuff like good autofocus with cross points, electronic level, in-built flash command, dual card slots etc. etc.
The 1 series has some of these features, but has no video and a terrible monitor, so this rules it out for me.
I'm keen to find out the video specs of this camera.
Hopefully it has 25P and zebras etc. etc. etc.
the 100mm macro sounds pretty cool.
I hope Canon have some other lenses coming soon.
I'd love a 24-70mm f2.8 IS and a 35mm f1.4 MK II.
Come on Canon, it's the next logical step to release these lenses.
It's called marketing --
They leave out key features (advantages) deliberately and sell it for less than the 5D Mark II. This floods the double-digit series owners and X series owners with the "now is the time" option to upgrade. People who just got the 5D Mark II, like myself, will feel tempted at first mention of it but hesitant because we just got our camera. Canon is letting us have a bit a glory at least for another year. Then our cameras will be worth what the 7D is now -- $1699 body only when they unleash upon the world the 7D Mark II. It's smart marketing, but a real kick in the ass. Mark my words, a little over a year from now 5D Mark II owners will be doing what they can to upgrade to the 7D Mark II, the 7D owners will feel what they 5D Mark II owners felt a year ago, and the evil cycle will continue.
It's not the camera that takes the picture, it's the person behind it. Scott Kelby has a Nikon (hiss!) D300 and has taken some of the most amazing photos in the world. Odds are most of you own at least one of his books.
There are two spec items in this list that make me thing Canon is feeding us a bunch of crap to throw us off the trail of what they are really releasing: A new EOS 1D Mark IV.
The specs in question are 8fps and dual DIGIC processing chips. ONLY the 1D series has ever had dual image processors, and Canon certainly wouldn't give a second brain to a camera that is supposed to fall beneath the 5D in the product line. In addition, they also wouldn't give it 8fps -- speed like this is total overkill for a prosumer body, but is spot-on for a camera of the 1D caliber and intention.
Has is been revealed anywhere if this is going to use SD, CF, or both?
There are some things about this rumor that strike me as strange... Dual processors when the 5D Mark II has one... only the 1 series have duals. The 18 Mp on a 1.6 crop sensor is also strange. If you look at the street price of a 50d compared to intro price you'd notice a price drop of nearly $300; whereas the Nikon D90 (lower price point the the 50d) & D300 (higher price point the the 50d) both have done better at retaining their margins than the Canon. Nikon has actually increased market share with JUST 12 Mp DSLRs. I think this is because the enthusiast market largely understands that cramming more pixels on a 1.6 increases noise; therefore this perception has lessened the demand and thus the price of the 50d. I think Canon understands this too because the G11 (a pro/enthusiast compact) has decreased pixels from 14 (in the G10) to 10.
On the other hand, an 18 Mp FF, dual core sounds right for a 1 series but then 8 Fps is too slow for a topline pro sports shooter. So I really don't know if it's a 7d or a 1D Mark IV; but in either case I think Canon is selling us a load of horse puckey to hype their Sept. 1 press release.
Well... Kudos to Engadget for calling the specs before the press release! The Canon release is now official and Engadget hit the mark on every spec.