Canon EOS 7D

Let’s get down to business right away! The Canon EOS 7D is positioned to be the best video-enabled digital SLR (or simply VDSLR) with a cropped (APS-C) image sensor. The video below is from user ChristopherKblog on YouTube and describes the new image sensor, image processors and autofocus systems of the 7D:

Here are the list of new features on the 7D:

• New Sensor: 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor
• LCD: There is a new 3-inch Clear View II LCD screen. I am so glad to see the protective cover gone because dust can get in between it and the LCD. The LCD is flush with the body: hurray! Viewing angles on the LCD is a very solid 160/160 and content can be seen in bright light. An ambient light sensor exists right next to the LCD that automatically adjusts the brightness. Cool.

• Fast Image Capture: At 8fps the 7D is fast. You can shoot in RAW or JPG. The dual DIGIC 4 processors enable this feature.
• High ISO: The ISO range on the 7D is 100 to 6400. You can also bump it up to 12,800 in special cases. I’ve seen pictures at ISO 800 and there is hardly any grain. I was a bit worried about cramming 18 megapixels into the already crowded APS-C sized CMOS image sensor–no worries now.
• Movie Capture: 1080p at 30fps in MOV H.264 format. Want a bit more frame rate? You can shoot 720p at 60fps. For film buffs there is the option of shooting video at 24fps. Below are two videos. The first one is from user jisimon on YouTube. The video seems to have a slightly slower-than-ideal frame rate but the quality looks very nice. The second one is from user TechnologyGuide and was taken at 1080p resolution. The quality is quite nice but there seems to be some blur with the folks that were crossing the street.

• Dual DIGIC 4: I guess having dual image processors is similar to going from a single-core CPU to a dual-core CPU. You get more power so image capturing speeds, image quality processing and ISO performance are not compromised. At all.
• Rugged: The body is made of magnesium alloy making the 7D very light but tough. It also effectively protects the 7D from moisture and dust.

Head on over to DPReview for sample pictures.