The Canon EOS 7D is a new advanced cropped-sensor DSLR with a very rich feature set starting with an 18 MP sensor with ISO sensitivity range up to 12,800 and high-speed continuous drive up to 8 FPS and including many advanced features such as a 100% coverage viewfinder, a digital level, weather-sealed body and 1080p HD video recording capabilities with full manual controls.

 

This well-rounded DSLR is highly suitable for all types of photography, particularly so given the extensive lineup of Canon lenses for cropped sensor and full-frame SLRs.

 

The sturdy EOS 7D fits comfortably in hand and provides a great number of controls to avoid using the menus. A few buttons require looking away from the viewfinder for using them properly, but this is much faster than using the extensive menu system.

 

In terms of performance, the EOS 7D shows some very impressive aspects including low image noise, excellent sharpness, fast autofocus, near-instant shutter-lag and blackout times. The downside is that the 7D has trouble with exposure and color accuracy in JPEG is poor. See the review for all the details. Note that although we had a production Canon EOS 7D, the firmware has changed twice since then.

 

The competition is slim, only the Pentax K-7 and Nikon D300s offer a similar feature set. The 7D is the fastest among al these while the K-7 is the most feature-rich with built-in stabilization, automatic horizon correction, cold-resistant weather-seals and several more unique features. The D300s is in the middle in terms of speed but not quite as feature-rich as the Canon. The EOS 7D is also the only of these to shoot full 1080p HD video.

 

Read the full Canon EOS 7D review here.