Canon EOS 7D: Unboxing

One thing that has been bugging me is my camera body, Canon EOS 450D aka Digital Rebel XSi. A while back ago I managed to sort of break my Canon XSi when a small mishap occurred, the camera fell over (while on a tripod) and jammed the EF 50mm f1.8 I had on it. Ever since then, one of the connectivity pins inside the camera (mainly the one that talks to the lenses) can be hit or miss resulting in a Communication Error message after depressing the shutter button. This requires me to take the lens off, and try to move the pin out with my fingernail. If the pin is too far in, then I have to take a pin or a needle to try and wiggle the pin back out.

I’ve been looking at upgrading my camera body for a while, but the means were not available. Until now.

The decision between two Canon bodies had me in a pickle; the Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Both excellent cameras, both have their pros and cons, but really only one would be more helpful to me. Granted the 5DMkII is also about $1000 more expensive than the 7D, but in the end I wanted the Canon 7D.

There is the Canon 7D in all it’s brand new glory. Right away from pulling the camera body out I noticed one big difference over the Canon XSi, the weight. The Canon 7D is significantly heavier but I would assume that is because the camera body is made of a magnesium alloy. It feels well constructed, sturdy and fits nicely in my hand. The Canon XSi has always been a tad small for my hands.

Some of the features of the Canon 7D that I tend to favour are the following:

• Dual DiGiC 4 Processors
• Up To 8 fps (frames per second shooting) (in RAW)
• ISO up to 6400 (higher if you enable a particular mode)
• Environmentally Sealed body
• Top LCD panel
• Integrated Speedlite Transmitter
• 1080p HD Video with Manual Control capability – I’ll have to try this out eventually

The other main reason why I went with the 7D is not only does it have a pretty fast continuous mode, but with the 1.6x crop factor it still allows me that little extra reach with my lenses. From reviews and people’s comments I have heard the 7D does a pretty good job with sports photography, something I love doing more than birding.

Physical Compairson between Canon XSi and the 7D

As I mentioned above, the 7D is significantly larger than the XSi (450D). It’s comparable to that of the Canon 50D or Canon 5dMkII bodies.

As you can see from the above photos, there is a significant size difference. This will make using my EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens easier and less awkward than with the Canon XSi. In fact, one reason I bought the XSi’s body grip was it was easier to hold on to the camera with.

Over the next little bit I will have to familiarize myself with the Canon EOS 7D. The button layout is different than the XSi but in the end I am sure it will be that much better with more information available at my finger tips too.

I am hoping that tomorrow is a somewhat decent day. The weather calls for a partly cloudy morning with some rain in the afternoon. Hopefully I can get out in the morning to take the camera for a little spin.