What is your experience with the Canon 7D?

[Marc_Schoenholz]

My experience, after working with the camera, having Canon do some work on it, and improving my skill with the AF system has bveen very positive. I find the camera to be a big step up from the 40D - AF, ISO, IQ, etc.

The AF required time and effort to effectively use for birds in flight. The 40D is more foregiving and easier to use, but yields more OOF images. I had Canon calibrate and optimize my 500, 1.4 extender and the 7D.

The adjustments made a big difference. My 500 and extender required adjustment and replacement parts.

I really like the AF system, the opition to shoot with higher ISO's, and IQ. Following initial disappointment, I am now very satisfied and confident with my purchase.

Marc

[Noel_Carboni]

I spent ALL that time convincing myself that my 40D is all the camera I need, and now you guys come along...

Sigh.

-Noel

[Jerry Skrocki]

I repeated my 7D test using ISO 6400 this evening.

[Dennis_Vied]

Very respectable results.

While I admire the efforts of others to make videos with the new DSLRs, I'm reallly a still photographer, and I'd really like to see a follow-on to the 1Ds just for still photography, taking the best advantage of the sensor improvements for still photography, without the overhead required for the movie capability. I wonder if that's doable, at a reduced cost. It may be that it's a wash whether it has video capability or not, given the manufacturing realities today.

I'd love to have a 1Ds optimized for still work, at a price somewhat less than $8,000. I'm probably not alone in that wish.

[Noel_Carboni]

Dennis, is there evidence that adding movie capability has hampered still photography prowess?

It's been my feeling that the advancements in technology (basically, faster and faster chips) finally led to the point where retrieving the image data from the sensor and turning it into data worth saving now takes less than 1/30 second, so why not offer movie capability.

I can't say (and I don't own a model that can take a video myself) that I'm hearing people say that there have been compromises away from still photography... Are you hearing differently?

-Noel

[Jerry Skrocki]

Do we really need a combo device? I have never been a fan of combo scan-fax-print devices because the quality of the individual components is usually lacking in one way or another.

The ability to capture the occasional video is nice to have but IMHO is not a feature most professionals would use. The SLR format is not conducive to video. In order to shoot a quality video segment you have to purchase an external microphone or recording device because the internal microphone picks up all of the camera noise. Then you have to purchase a steady cam shoulder device with an integrated lens attachment to allow for smooth focusing and panning. Lastly you need an additional external LCD monitor or an LCD screen shield to block reflections because the shoulder mount often places the camera away from your face.

The additional investment to shoot quality video can easily double the price of a camera like the 7D.

[Noel_Carboni]

Hm, you make the assumption that adding that feature compromises something else, and given all our knowledge of past history I suppose that's almost a given, even though we don't what that might be...

I do know I would not use the video capability. I have no talent whatsoever in taking moving images. That has been clear when I have occasionally dabbled with camcorders and palmcorders in my personal life.

Apparently, however, being able to capture HD video is a tick mark on a feature sheet that has to be there for the camera company to be able to sell a model in this competitive environment.

We old timers may well be out of luck wanting something that does just one thing very, very well.

-Noel