My Review of the Canon 7D

I’ve been taking pictures with DSLR cameras for almost 8 years now and for the first few years I used a Canon 350D/400D which served me very well; it was a very good camera to learn with as it was a light compact camera with relatively good ISO settings and produced the results I needed. 4 years after that, I replaced it with the Canon 7D. I was drawn to the 7D for a couple of reasons including the price, ISO and Frames per Second.

I bought my Canon 7D in the Summer of 2011, I was really pleased with the camera, I had been looking around at other cameras like the 60D or the Canon 550D but I wanted to move up the camera ladder and upgrade to a more “professional” camera.

When I first used the 7D I was really excited, I had only used the 400D before that and I was really happy to see you could customize the buttons on the camera, to suit your style of shooting/holding the camera.

I was also so excited to use the video function on the camera, shooting in 24/25 fps at1080p and at 50fps at 720p, it took a while for me to understand the video controls as they aren’t as apparent as the photography controls.

The thing I love about this camera is the menu, this is the main reason I’ve stuck with Canon Camera. The menu system is so easy to use, everything is laid out periodically and is really easy to navigate around.

In addition to the 7D I bought the battery grip too which holds two batteries which is really useful for events or just everyday shooting but it’s really a necessity for when you’re shooting video as the video function eats up a lot of battery.

The only thing I dislike about the camera is the sound of the shutter – it’s so clunky and heavy sounding

Another reason why I upgraded from the XX0D range of cameras was that they aren’t weather sealed, and as a photographer I want to be able to capture images in all weathers and all environments and I love taking pictures at the beach so that’s something important for my photography.

Firstly with regards to the viewfinder, I think all DSLR cameras should have 100% viewfinders! I really don’t see the point in having anything under than being able to see the whole frame through your viewfinder.

The 400D had a 98% viewfinder and I was always having to step back an extra step because of this, I also trained my eye to see that way and to remember that it was cropped in the viewfinder but it would be okay when I looked at them on my computer.

When I first bought the camera I was adamant that I wouldn’t be using the live view on the camera because I didn’t like the idea of using the back of the screen to shoot images – and I guess I’m still the same when it comes to live view.

Having said that – I do use it, predominantly shooting landscapes when I’ve locked off my tripod and got my composition set up then I use the live view to focus especially if its really dark.

The memory card slot is spring loaded which is also a nice touch to the camera uses Compact Flash memory cards which I love because I upgraded from the 400D which also shoots with CF cards

The in built spirit level was a wonderful surprise – it has become a useful function I also use when setting up my compositions on my tripod when I want my horizon to be straight.

And finally, the only thing about the camera, which I don’t like, is the sound of the shutter – it’s so clunky and heavy sounding!!