A top-quality digital AF SLR camera with an 18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor, 8fps continuous shooting speed, dual DIGIC 4 image processors, Live View shooting, and Full HD movie capability

EOS 7D

In our September technical report, we survey the latest information on the new EOS 7D camera.

Photo 1: EOS 7D (pictured with the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens attached)

Development objectives As its name suggests, the EOS 7D (Photo 1) is a top-quality digital AF SLR camera designed and developed to be a class above the EOS 50D. The EOS 7D's development aims are listed below. [Best image detail and quality in its class] 18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor Dual DIGIC 4 image processors for impressive detail, stunning color and tonal reproduction Full-time ISO range of 100 to 6400 (extendable to 12,800) [Outstanding basic camera performance] 8fps continuous shooting with a maximum burst of 15 RAW frames 100% viewfinder coverage and 1.0x viewfinder magnification 19 cross-type AF points High-precision 63-zone metering sensor 150,000 cycle shutter durability [Expanded range of shooting and creative possibilities] Wireless flash master function Live View shooting Movie capability 3.0-inch Clear View LCD II monitor [Handling that suits all shooting styles] Dual-axis electronic level Button programming function Let's take a tour of the EOS 7D, concentrating on its new features. Advances in image quality, resolution, and digital functions (1)Large 18.0-megapixel CMOS sensor The EOS 7D is equipped with a large, new, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor that has an effective sensor size of 22.3 x 14.9mm and 18.00 effective megapixels. Thanks to its high-speed eight-channel read-out, the sensor can be read about 1.3 times faster than the EOS 50D despite the increased pixel data per frame. (2)Dual DIGIC 4 processors for faster image processing The EOS 7D uses two DIGIC 4 image processor chips (Photo 2) to achieve faster, feature-rich signal processing. With the chips' parallel signal processing, the camera has a maximum continuous shooting speed of about 8 fps.

Photo 2: Circuit board with two DIGIC 4 chips

(3)Full-time ISO 6400 gives more shooting opportunities We have furthered our sensor technology, accumulated over the development of the EOS 50D and the EOS 5D Mark II, for higher sensitivity, lower noise, and wider dynamic range. Although the sensor's pixel pitch is smaller to accommodate the higher pixel count, the EOS 7D still has a full-time ISO range of 100 to 6400 (which is extendable to 12,800). (4)Improved auto image processing features Auto Lighting Optimizer This function automatically corrects brightness and contrast when the camera detects that a face in a photograph has turned out dark or that the overall contrast is low. The Auto Lighting Optimizer function has been upgraded on the EOS 7D to work with manual exposures as well as auto exposures. Peripheral Illumination Correction This function automatically corrects lens vignetting in JPEG images. JPEG images are automatically corrected in-camera immediately after shooting. RAW images can be corrected later with a computer using the Digital Photo Professional's capture settings. EOS Utility is used to register and delete lens correction data. Enhanced noise reduction function The EOS 7D uses the superb noise reduction found on the EOS 50D and the EOS 5D Mark II, which includes noise reduction algorithms for long exposures and for high ISO speeds. Highlight Tone Priority mode The EOS 7D includes this popular function, which prioritizes the reproduction of tonal information in highlights. (5)Integrated sensor cleaning The EOS 7D features the proven EOS Integrated Cleaning System. (6)Appending copyright information The user can set the “Photographer” and “Copyright” parameters on the camera. These parameters are saved in the Exif data with each shot. Advances in speed, comfort, and shooting functions (1)New-developed AF sensor with 19 cross-type points The biggest advance on the EOS 7D is the newly developed 19-point AF sensor (Photo 3). All AF points are cross-type and are vertical- and horizontal-line sensitive at f/5.6, except the center AF point, which is vertical- and horizontal-line sensitive at f/2.8.

Photo 3: Newly developed AF sensor

Multiple focus modes Single-point AF (manual selection) The camera focuses on one selected AF point. (This mode is unchanged from previous models.) Zone AF (manual selection of a zone) The camera focuses by dividing the 19 AF points into five zones (Figure 1). This mode is effective with moving subjects because the camera automatically selects the AF using the all AF points in the selected zone. The camera tends to focus on the nearest subject in this mode.

Figure 1: Zone AF diagram

Auto select 19-point AF The camera focuses using all AF points. With AI Servo AF, the camera first focuses with the selected AF point. After this, the active AF point moves to track the subject (this function is not available in the fully automatic modes). Spot AF (manual selection) This mode is the same as the single-point AF mode, but has a smaller pinpoint focus. It is effective when focusing on an eye or shooting an animal in a cage. This mode requires a considerable amount of skill because of the narrow AF range. AF point expansion (manual selection) The camera focuses using the selected AF point and adjacent AF points. This mode is useful when shooting a moving subject that it difficult to track with a single AF point. (2)8.0fps continuous shooting in bursts of up to 94 frames The EOS 7D is capable of a maximum continuous shooting speed of about 8fps. The maximum burst capacity is about 94 JPEG (Large/Fine) frames. (See Table 1.) (3)Intelligent viewfinder with 100% coverage and 1.0x magnification The EOS 7D’s clear, comfortable viewfinder (Figure 2) has 100% coverage and about 1.0x magnification (compared to 95% coverage and 0.95x magnification on the 50D) with a large pentaprism on par with the EOS-1D Mark III, anti-reflection coatings, and new eyepiece lens optics (with a four-element construction). The intelligent viewfinder (Figure 3) uses a Transmissive LCD to superimpose grids, AF points, and other displays in the finder’s frame.

Figure 2: Viewfinder optics

Figure 3: Viewfinder information (AF point layout)

(4)3.0-inch LCD monitor (920,000-pixel Clear View LCD II) The EOS 7D features a 3.0-inch, 920,000-pixel LCD monitor (Photo 4) with a wide viewing angle and crisp resolution. The protective cover is made from reinforced glass. A solid construction that eliminates air gaps between the protective cover and the LCD is used to reduce unwanted light reflections for better visibility.

Photo 4: Rear view of the EOS 7D showing the 3.0-inch LCD monitor

(5)Quick Control function There is a new Quick Control button added at the top left of the rear panel. Users can access the Quick Control screen anytime by pressing this button. More shooting and creative possibilities and advanced support for shooting styles (1)Dual-axis electronic level The EOS 7D comes with two accelerometers that measure the camera's roll (left-right incline) and pitch (front-back incline). By pressing the INFO Button to display the level on the LCD monitor, the user can check the roll angle from 0° to 360° and the pitch angle from ±10° in one-degree increments. The electronic level can be superimposed on Live View and movie images (Figure 4). The rough accuracy of the level is about ±1° when the camera with ±10° of the horizontal.

Figure 4: Electronic level superimposed on an image

(2)Wireless flash master function EX series Speedlites with a slave function can be controlled wirelessly using the EOS 7D's built-in flash. It is possible to control the external flash's illumination percentage and control manual firing. (3)Advanced Live View and movie shooting functions Operability The addition of the new Live View/Movie switch (Photo 5) makes both modes more straightforward to operate. The EOS 7D has been upgraded so that Live View and movie shooting are available in all shooting modes. On previous models Live View and movie shooting could be used in only certain shooting modes.

Photo 5: Live View/Movie switch

Exposure control Auto exposure control When not set to M (manual exposure), the camera will perform automatic exposure control based on the brightness of the scene. The exposure is controlled with center-weighted metering or movie Program AE metering, which use the imaging sensor as a light meter. Manual exposure control When set to M (manual exposure), the movie exposure can be controlled by setting the shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speeds between 1/4000 and 1/30 second can be used with Full HD movies. ISO speeds can be set to Auto or set manually between ISO 100 and ISO 6400. Recording size and frame rate The possible movie frame rate and recording size combinations are given in Table 1. Recording lengths and audio recording A 4 GB memory card can record about 12 minutes in either Full HD or HD quality, and about 24 minutes in SD quality. Note that the memory card must have a read/write speed of at least 8 MB/second in order to record movies. Audio can be recorded with movies either in mono with the built-in monaural microphone or in stereo using external stereo microphones (the recording level is adjusted automatically). (4)Movie playback Enjoying full HDTV playback from the camera (recommended) Users can enjoy full HDTV quality playback of their movies and still images using the camera's playback controls by connecting the camera to a Full HD TV with an HDMI cable. (The output resolution is set automatically to match the connected TV's specifications.) Movie playback using a computer It is possible to play back movies on a computer using the bundled software (ZoomBrowser EX 6.4/ImageBrowser 6.4), but because of the amount of data, a high-performance computer (a 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo CPU or better and a minimum of 2 GB RAM) is necessary for smooth playback. Advances in durability and consistency (1)Shutter drive capable of 150,000 cycles and 8fps The EOS 7D's shutter mechanism has been made faster and more consistent by improvements to the shutter drive system (Photo 6) and mirror drive system, and by optimal placement of motors for each of these systems as well as with a newly developed mirror-bounce prevention mechanism.

Photo 6: Newly developed rotary-magnet shutter unit

(2)New metering sensor and algorithm The EOS 7D features a new 63-zone metering sensor (Photo 7). The addition of color measurement functionality to the metering sensor can minimize the exposure errors or slight focusing errors caused by different light sources. The 7D also maps the AF points to the metering zones on a 1:1 basis (Figure 5). More consistent exposure control is attained by giving more weight in the exposure calculation algorithm to exposure sensor segments adjacent to AF points with the same distance readings.

Photo 7: Newly developed 63-zone metering sensor

Figure 5: AF points and metering zones

Advances in the battery pack and system accessories (1)Power system The EOS 7D uses the same system accessories (except for the battery grip) as the EOS 5D Mark II. The user can check the battery pack's model, the remaining battery level, the shutter count, and the recharge performance. The BG-E7 battery grip was developed in concert with the 7D. (2)Image transfer system The WFT-E5 wireless file transmitter was designed specifically for the 7D. It adds several new features to the previous WFT-E4 wireless file transmitter that came with the EOS 5D Mark II. This concludes our look at the EOS 7D this month. Table 1 compares the main specifications of the EOS 7D and the EOS 50D.