The Canon EOS 7D is compared to its predecessor, the K-7, below. All images below are 100% unmodified crops from their respective cameras. Both cameras were set on aperture-priority mode with fixed ISO. Picture style is standard on the 7D and bright on the K-7. Noise reduction is off on both cameras. Remaining settings were left on automatic. The Canon was fitted with a EF 50mm F1.4 USM lens and the Pentax with a DA* 55mm F1.4.

Night shots are always the most difficult for any digital camera as noise is much more noticeable in dark areas and shadows. Since such scenes consist mostly of dark areas, they represent the worst cases of image noise. The 7D here shows an excellent performance in terms of image noise, keeping at least 1 stop ahead of the Pentax K-7.

Image quality degrades a little by ISO 1600 which is very good for a cropped-sensor DSLR. ISO 3200 limits print sizes somewhat but even ISO 6400 and 12800 are usable for small prints. Details are well kept as ISO increases with fine details still being mostly there at ISO 6400. Compared to the K-7, it seems that Canon's 7D still applies noise-reduction at high ISO settings. This shows up as increased softness for the highest ISO sensitivities.