Picked up 7D yesterday & just barely had time to charge the battery before using it for its first shoot -- a night time (American) junior high school football game at one of the poorest lit stadiums I cover (4 poles, 6 old and dim lights per pole, some burned out). I am very very pleased with the results.
(Background, so everyone knows what I'm comparing against. Been shooting with 1D series since 2002, as that's the only cameras to date that was able to reliably Auto Focus in most of the venues I shoot, those being night and/or indoor school sports)
RE: Auto focus, the 7D did every bit as well as my 1D Mark II. I used both 2.8L and 4.0L glass and AF worked great with both. I really liked the new display that actively shows which AF points locked on in AI mode.
RE: ISO, 6400 on it rocks! For the first time ever I took usable shots in that venue without a flash. 12500 on the other hand is marginal, but that's to be expected since it's really not "12500" but is a pushed 6400 (that's why it's called "H" instead of "12500")
RE: Operation, again very nice. I personally prefer the smaller and lighter profile vs. the 1D series. It's also quieter and was very responsive to the touch. I've never seen a spec on the shutter lag, but it felt very much on par with my 1D's. Again this isn't a surprise as it uses the same type of rotary shutter mechanics as the 1D series.
RE: Pop-Up Flash, can't say -- I never popped it up and probably never will
First impression bottom line -- an absolutely great camera and a huge value for the money, as you can buy two of these for less than the price of a single 1D. I'm sure there will be some bad copies and some early issues but those will all get worked out. In the mean time, I'll soon be putting a 1D2 on eBay.
(Background, so everyone knows what I'm comparing against. Been shooting with 1D series since 2002, as that's the only cameras to date that was able to reliably Auto Focus in most of the venues I shoot, those being night and/or indoor school sports)
RE: Auto focus, the 7D did every bit as well as my 1D Mark II. I used both 2.8L and 4.0L glass and AF worked great with both. I really liked the new display that actively shows which AF points locked on in AI mode.
RE: ISO, 6400 on it rocks! For the first time ever I took usable shots in that venue without a flash. 12500 on the other hand is marginal, but that's to be expected since it's really not "12500" but is a pushed 6400 (that's why it's called "H" instead of "12500")
RE: Operation, again very nice. I personally prefer the smaller and lighter profile vs. the 1D series. It's also quieter and was very responsive to the touch. I've never seen a spec on the shutter lag, but it felt very much on par with my 1D's. Again this isn't a surprise as it uses the same type of rotary shutter mechanics as the 1D series.
RE: Pop-Up Flash, can't say -- I never popped it up and probably never will
First impression bottom line -- an absolutely great camera and a huge value for the money, as you can buy two of these for less than the price of a single 1D. I'm sure there will be some bad copies and some early issues but those will all get worked out. In the mean time, I'll soon be putting a 1D2 on eBay.
