Comparing 7D to Digital Rebel (Images Included)

Hi:

I have had my 7D for about a week and have only taken a few images. I may be in the minority but so far I have been less than impressed with the output.

I initially was using Bibble Pro (default settings) but the color looked horrible. Then I went to DPP and the color was much better.

Let me start by saying that the camera is setup with the default settings. I have made no change to any parameter other than AI-SERVO.

I also would like to say that with my two other digital cameras, an EOS-300D and 1D, I have always been extremely happy with the output. With that, I need for all of you to help me figure out what I am seeing.

The two images below are from my 6-year-old EOS-300D and new 7D. They both were processed in DPP with the default settings using a tripod and the timer setting. The focus point was the tip of the doll's nose. The lens used is a Canon 300f4 IS which has always produced stellar images. Because the indoor lighting was very poor, the shutter speed is 1/2 second at f8. One-shot mode was used, as was autofocus. The only image change was to re-size the 7D to the size of the 300D.

I have also taken some shots with a Canon 17-40 and those too seem to lack detail and sharpness. I took some images yesterday in good light and to my eye the 7D shots also seem quite noisy even at ISO 200.

My only thought is maybe the 7D has a back or front focus problem with the lenses I am using.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

alan