DSLR Canon 7D Review

When I first really got into photography I bought a Canon t3i. It’s a lower end DSLR camera but for what I wanted to do, it was more than enough to get the job done. That camera lasted me almost two years before I was in need of an upgrade. The camera worked perfectly fine, just the quality and settings of the model were limiting me. So, I did my research and ended up with the Canon 7D. My thoughts on this model?

Build:

As soon as I laid my hands on the Canon 7D I could immediately feel that it was built tough. Made from magnesium alloy, I could tell that if I dropped it, it wouldn’t shatter into a thousand pieces. I’m sure it wouldn’t do it any good either, but at least it would hold its own.

Image Quality:

There’s definitely a nice boost in image quality going from the t3i to the 7D but in upgrading I realized that most of the difference in image quality comes from the lens and not the camera body. One thing that I don’t like too much is the amount of noise you get when taking pictures. Even at ISO 100 on a bright and sunshiny day, there is noise present. I did some research on the matter and it seems to be common with the 7D.

Shutter Speed:

This is probably one of the best functions of the 7D. This thing is fast. In picture mode you get 8 frames per second. In video mode, at full res, you get 30 frames per second but if you record at 720p it jumps up to 60.

Durability:

I’ve only had the camera for about 6 months so I can’t really put too much input into this. I feel like it will hold up through our travels but I still need more time to comment on this aspect. I’ve also seen some crazy tests on Youtube where they burn the camera, freeze it and drop it down a flight of concrete stairs, multiple times, and it still works. Don’t believe me? Check out the video here:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCT-YMgjm9k&feature=youtu.be&w=900]

Extreme Weather Performance:

In the Dominican Republic the climate is very humid, which in turn relates to mold friendly. I haven’t had any problems with mold because I take care of my gear and use it almost everyday but certain temperatures did mess with my camera. While we were climbing Pico Duarte it ended up pouring rain on us for a few hours, causing the temperature to drop close to freezing. When we got to the resting point, we quickly dried and then I pulled out my camera. It turned on for a bit, took some pictures, loading very slowly, and then boom, turned off. It didn’t turn on for the rest of the night. I thought the camera was done but the next morning everything worked perfectly. I’m not sure if the camera may have gotten wet, or if it was just too cold for it to function properly but when we get to colder climates I’ll let you know which one it was.