Sony’s new Alpha DSLRs are very nice, particularly if you’re a megapixel hunter, but it’s the Canon EOS range that gets me excited.
Today, Canon has introduced the EOS 7D, offering a huge range of features that should keep enthusiastic amateurs and professionals satisfied.
First up, because they’re mentioned so much, the megapixel count is no pushover at all — 18 megapixels crammed into the APS-C CMOS sensor in fact — and yet the mechanics and processing speed are fast enough to capture up to eight frames per second in burst shooting mode.
Canon claims to have gone back to the drawing board with the 7D, listening to the needs of photographers and building them in to the new design.
There’s a 19-point cross-type autofocus sensor, with various manual and automatic settings including Zone and Spot Autofocus. It’s even possible to set up different AF points for landscape and portrait orientation of the camera.
A new Focus Colour Luminance metering system intelligently measures these three attributes across 63 zones, leading to a more accurate and consistent exposure.
The viewfinder not only offers 100% frame coverage, but also 1x magnification, meaning that what you see should be exactly what you get.
Various information can be overlaid on the viewfinder, including an innovative level meter that shows the tilt of the camera — great for horizons.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creative features. It’ll be available from October with a RRP of £1699.99 / €1999.99 (UK/Europe).