True to form, yesterday’s Chinese forum leak was swiftly followed by an official announcement from Canon, just as hunger comes a few hours after eating Chinese takeaway.
The camera is of course the brand new 7D, a crop-sensor (1.6x) body set square against Nikon’s D300s, and in the Canon line the 7D sits above the to-be-continued 5D. In fact, it is so closely pitched at the D300s that we put together a comparison table:
| 7D | D300s | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor (MP) | 18 | 12.3 |
| ISO | 100-6400 | 200-3200 |
| Video | 1080p MOV, 24fps | 720p AVI, Motion jpg, 24 fps |
| Shooting speed (fps) | 8 | 8 |
| Focus | 19 points (all cross) | 51 points (15 cross) |
| Viewfinder | 100%, 1.0x | 100%, 0.94x |
| Processor | Dual DIGIC 4, 14bit A/D | EXPEED, 14bit A/D |
| Remote flash | Yes, E-TTL II | Yes, i-TTL |
| Price | $1700 | $1800 |
Other differences are the dual card slots of the D300s (one each of CF and SD) and an optional Wi-Fi adapter for the Canon which fixes to the base and also acts as a vertical grip. On its own this looks rather limited in use, especially as it won’t fit on any other camera, but in addition to slow old 802.11 a,b and g it has an Ethernet port and USB capability for hooking up to, say, a GPS unit.
This is a strong-looking camera, and we’ll have one soon to test. We don’t expect anything other than excellent: at this level, both Canon and Nikon are playing an good game, and it doesn’t look like either of them is going to slip first.
Lenses
Also from Canon today are a clutch of new lenses. The first are for the crop-sensor cameras, and, as ever, the names tell you all you need to know. The EF-S 15-85mm ƒ3.5-5.6 IS USM ($800) and the EF-S 18-135mm ƒ3.5-5.6 IS USM ($500), both have four stop image stabilization and both have small, dark maximum apertures, worsening as you zoom. This is the reason I hardly ever use zooms: for a depth-of-field limiting aperture of, say, ƒ2.8 throughout the range, you’ll pay a fortune. Sure, carrying a couple of primes with you is less convenient, but its a lot cheaper, too. Especially if you buy second-hand.
The new EF 100mm ƒ2.8L IS USM is such a lens, and is the first to feature Canon’s brand new Hybrid IS stabilization, giving four more stops on an already wide-open lens, and up to two stops when shooting in macro mode. The price is $1050.
Canon EOS 7D Preview [DP Review]
Press release [Canon]
Lens press release [Canon]
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