APS-C cameras from other manufacturers have become stagnant and exciting, but the Canon EOS R7 aims to change with more megapixels, faster continuous shooting and better autofocus.
Build quality and design
The Canon EOS R7 has a new body design that sits somewhere between the EOS R10 and Rebel T8i In complexity it is not quite 90D Replacement in this sense Since it lacks fixed buttons and no topside display, it has an attractive new dial and multi-controller joystick combo on the back.
The new dial is placed so that my thumb is aligned with the two controls that take up the same space. I’ve enjoyed using it, however, as it comes at the expense of eliminating a scrub wheel where the oddly on-off switch is located instead of having flat wheels around the four-way D-pad. If that were the case, the R7 would have three dials for the three exposure settings (shutter speed, aperture and ISO) that we got that hide the ISO behind a separate button press. This is one of the most significant pain points for me who shoot full manual.
Another problem with the new body shape is how overly compact it is, a problem I also revealed in my first impression of the R10, another APS-C camera launched today. It took a few hours of shooting before a finger of my grip hand rubbed against the lens to form a blister. I don’t have big hands, but the small height of the grip means I can’t bend my fingers very well in the compressed space.
On the right side of the body is a sliding cover with two UHS-II SD card slots, which EOS R6. Takes R7 LP-E6NH batteryWhich is available in the same type R6 and R5, And larger than those used in R10. After taking about 900 pictures in one day, about one third of the battery life was left.
I appreciate that the Four-Way D-Pad can be programmed for many custom functions. Compared to the R10, the R7 has more customization options, including the ability to instantly recall various exposures and autofocus settings at the touch of a button.
Lastly, the EOS R7’s dust and moisture resistance is comparable to that of the 90D. So not the lock down as we saw in the OM-1, but it’s better than what the R10 is doing. Another way to turn off the dust is in the sensor: This camera has a mechanical closing shutter that protects the sensor when it is turned off.
Image quality
Equipped with a new-enhanced 32.5-megapixel APS-C sensor and DIGIC X image processor, the Canon R7 features the best image quality I’ve ever seen from a crop-sensor camera. The color and presentation of the scene looks beautiful, it has plenty of headspace for dynamic range and ISO performance is not bad at all considering the size of the sensor.
Even looking at the noise level in the middle of the ISO 1,000 push, the photos hold together. From my experiments, it appears that around ISO 3,200 when the details start to wash out. Last time I had a Canon APS-C camera, the 7D Mark II, where the ISO 800 was much more advanced than it asked for. It’s still not at the same level as a new full-frame Canon camera, but then again, I just didn’t come to it with such high expectations of this small sensor.
It has in-body image stabilization that can compensate for up to seven stops of shaking when paired with a lens that has image stabilization. Many of my pictures with the camera were taken with the RF 100-500mm lens, and after figuring out the 1.6x crop factor, it has an 800mm equivalent focal length. Even then, the combination was relatively stable, even handheld for wildlife and sports.
A new strategy introduced in the EOS R7 is an auto-leveling mode that uses physical sensors. Available in both still and video, the sensor will keep itself as level as possible during shooting, although I haven’t noticed much difference in practice.
It worked, but it was barely noticeable. You know how you use the leveling guide in the camera, there are a few degrees of tilt where the display shows you are perfectly level because the gyroscope is not accurate? This is where I see it as most useful because now when the level display shows that you are level, it will be level.
The R7 can continuously shoot up to 15 frames per second with a mechanical shutter and up to 30 frames per second using an electronic shutter. According to a Canon representative, there are no errors when shooting at the highest mechanical frame rate. Other brands may slow down the viewfinder image or further compress RAW files in high-speed blasts, so this is great news on the front. Electronic shutters display the effects of rolling shutters that will make moving objects seem obscure and strange, so be careful when going into this mode.
I find that the camera is special when using an SD card with the highest write speed available to get the best experience. For example, when firing at 30 frames per second, the camera can record 61 JPEG + RAW frames. Sony Tough Card 299 MB / s with write speed, but with a Delkin card With a write speed of 250 MB / s, it can only take 55 frames. Then when it comes to clearing the buffer, it takes 8.5 seconds with the Sony Tough Card and a ridiculous 25 seconds with Delkin.
Autofocus
The autofocus functionality of the EOS R7 is inherited $ 6,000 EOS R3. The R7 will not have the same speed as it does not have a backside-illuminated stacked sensor, but it has similarities at its core. This camera recognizes the subject of people, animals (including birds) and vehicles.
The way this camera works for subject tracking is that if it is in the frame, the camera climbs on top of it and is ready to go. We no longer have to pick the right focus area and move the focus point on the subject to tell the camera what to follow: the camera knows. It’s been a complete game-changer with the R3 I’ve been using for the last six months, and it translates seamlessly to the R7.
That said, reliability is not as irony as the R3. Even when I see the subject being tracked in the viewfinder, there will still be something in the sequence of images that is out of focus. The hit rate is exceptional for the 1,500 price tag, but I can see the imperfections at this early stage.
Mirrorless APS-C completed correctly
Overall, I’m impressed with what packs the Canon EOS R7 into a very compact body. This is where a professional-skilled photographer might consider buying it for a second camera for deep crop access while holding megapixels. It has a fast mechanical frame rate for action and excellent image quality even in moderate to low light conditions. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person.
