Canon Launches New Series of DSLR

2009.09.02

Today we have exciting news from Canon, the launch of the EOS 7D! This advanced DSLR sits between the 5D Mark II and the 50D, making it their most advanced cropped-sensor DSLR. With a 1.6X crop sensor having 18 megapixels, a 100% coverage viewfinder with 1X magnification, 8 FPS continuous drive, a two-axis digital level and weather-seals, the Canon EOS 7D is bound to be a very capable and versatile camera.

There are a number of Canon firsts on the 7D, other than the obvious increase in megapixels:

• 100% coverage viewfinder on a cropped-sensor camera. This now puts them on par with the Pentax K-7, Nikon D300 and Olymps E-30.
• 1X magnification viewfinder. Its big, the biggest one for such Canon cameras. Due to the slightly larger sensor of Pentax and Nikon DSLRs, it is not the biggest among all manufacturers.
• 8 FPS on a cropped-sensor at full-resolution. The fastest in its class.
• HD 1080p @ 30 FPS and HD 720p @ 60 FPS. The fastest video modes of any DSLR.
• Weather-seals on a cropped-sensor Canon body.
• Dual-axis digital level, similar to the system on the latest Olympus interchangeable-lens cameras.

It is very interesting that Canon is producing such a model because up to know we have had a staggering of models between competitors where each model finds itself between the models of its competitors. Clearly the 7D is a take on the Pentax K-7 which is the only other cropped-sensor weather-sealed DSLR with a 100% coverage viewfinder and video-recording. The main feature differences are the Canon's higher resolution, faster drive and higher frame-rate movie mode versus the Pentax's built-in stabilization, automatic horizon correction and higher-resolution video. The Pentax's weather-seals are possibly more resistant as well. On the Nikon side, the D300s is also in a similar category.

The Canon EOS 7D is scheduled to ship this month for a suggested price of $1699 USD or $2099 CDN (roughly $1900 USD as of Sept 1st), which really is not fair to Canadians! Along with this new DSLR, Canon also added 3 new lenses:

• EF-S 15-85mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM: A versatile zoom starting at an ultra-wide 24mm, in 35mm-equivalent terms. Optical stabilization is included, which Canon does not often have among its wider-angle offerings.
• EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS USM: An general-purpose lens with a broad zoom ratio, equivalent to 29-216mm in 35mm-equivalent terms. Also features optical stabilization.
• EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM: A full-frame capable long macro with bright aperture and weather-seals. This model is equipped with a new type of image stabilization system which is more effective at close-range.

• Digital Camera