Wildlife Photography across the Water: Canon 7D-My take

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Canon 7D-My take

Well the forums have gone mad-more so than normal with the announcement of a new camera body-even the Canon boys seem up in arms at the specs-18 mp in a crop sensor, This does seems excessive after the 50D which although an outstanding camera at low ISO-up to 400 but horribly noisy after that, My guess is that Canon have aimed this body as a back up for the Pro and not a new 60D for the mass market,Canon seem to get their panties in a twist sometimes and although they say they listen to photographer's i feel that their marketing men still have the last say, They know a thing or 2 about sensors and pixels-the new 5D2 shows that but they don't seem to be looking at the bigger picture,Nikon seems to have one over on them here, When the D3 was announced it had less pixels than the D2X it replaced but on a bigger sensor-it took a while for people to understand what Nikon where up to until the first real tests took place and then BOOM,I think Canon could have taken a lead here by using 12-14 MP with the latest sensor technology and announced a crop sensored body with the ISO capabilities of the Nikon D3, Now i know high ISO isn't everything-what did we do in the old days of film/slide when we somehow managed with ISO 50 and 100 as standard and dare not use ISO 400 as the grain was like pebbles, If you shoot at ISO 200-400 then i would think the 7D is going to be right up your street, I would use it as a backup as that's exactly what i do with my D300, I don't shoot that over ISO 400 and as soon as the sun comes up the D3 comes off and the extra length (crop) of the D300 takes over, But i am a nature photographer and we will have to wait until the camera is in capable hands before we can see if the 7D is going to be in any nature photographers bag, There are some nice features on the 7D which as always will filter down to the cheaper cameras-obviously video but even that's changeable,the built in level as per the Nikon D3 will be a welcome addition for Canon togs, I love the new live view button-good move there as a quick push will bring the live histogram into play so you can check your exposure before taking a shot,A nice big viewfinder as per Nikon's D300 and the built in flash with transmitter as per D300 (I bet there are a few Nikon's in pieces in Canons HQ) and decent weather proofing show that this is a camera for the experienced tog , One problem for me is the single card slot-2 would be nice especially on high MP cameras even the new D300S has 2, I was surprised the 5D2 has only 1, I guess most people will wait until the new AF system is tested before rushing out with their credit cards after the 1D3 debacle,I am surprised abit with the battery grip, I would have liked to see it take a 1D3 battery as opposed to 2 smaller ones, As i say this looks a good back up body to a pro body and a pro battery makes sense-1 charger when you go away and the same spares if needed-even Nikon do this with the D3/D300/D700, It looks quite a complex camera-more so than the 1D3 and high customisable, Since my move to Nikon Canon togs have said that they didn't like the ergonomics of the Nikon system and that there are way too many buttons-well have a look at the 7D-12 buttons on the back compared to 8 on the D300 and 11 on the D3-maybe Canon wanted to win that battle as well, Screens have come along way since the early Dslrs and the 7D outdoes the recent 5D2 which shows as soon as you buy something its out of date but its all good news for the rest of us-screen res is very important and knowing that something is sharp and not hoping its sharp is great,But at the end of the day the proof of the pudding will be in the IQ and i guess we are all looking forward to seeing if both IQ and AF work as well as Canon hope although with so many Nikon features maybe it should be called a Nikcan!!
One things for sure as soon as the dust settles then people will start talking about the 3D/8D or whatever
Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.