28Jun Canon 7d Firmware v2 makes it the top of the Crop sensor lineup.
With the official announcement of the firmware update, the Canon 7d will finally move back into the top position in Canon’s crop sensor lineup. Sure there are a few new features that the 7d is missing compared to the new t4i body, like the touch screen interface, continues live view auto focus in video mode, and the flip out screen. But the 7d makes up for it with it’s rugged magnesium body, weather sealing, advanced focusing system and 8 fps burst mode. The Canon 7d also has a much more usable HDMI output then every Canon crop sensor camera except the t4i, which puts out a strangely cropped 1527 by 868.
A few months ago you could get the Canon 7d body used on ebay for as low as $900 and as low as a $1000 used on amazon putting it pretty close the price of a new 60d or t4i body. If you’ve ever had the chance to handle a 7d body and rebel body, it’s hard to ignore the difference. The 7d feels very substantial in your hand and provides easy to access buttons for all of the relevant features, while the Rebel bodies feel very plastic and require combinations of buttons and menus to access features.
The 18mp sensor on the Canon 7d has been reused in pretty much all of Canon’s crop sensor lineup, even the t4i appears to have the same image performance. So if the only thing you need is the best crop sensor in Canon’s lineup and you could care less about the build quality, I still think the Canon t2i is the best bang for the buck. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an ultra rugged body with superior auto focus and buttons for everything at a price point bellow the 5d mark II, the Canon 7d is a clear winner.
One downside to this announcement is that it will probably start to drive the used price of Canon 7d bodies back up to last years price point. So if you were considering the Canon 7d body as your next upgrade I would try to hunt one down now before the Firmware is released at the beginning of august.
June 28th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
Why would this bring up the price of the camera? Who uses DSLR audio any ways? I never used manual audio control on the 5DII or 60D that’s what the Zoom H4n is for right? The DSLR audio is a decent back-up on auto in a worst case audio failure scenario. This is just an over hyped release for an old camera to keep interest alive if you ask me. Why now? So many years later?
June 28th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
A lot of people use the audio inputs on their camera. I often send a sub mix from the h4n to the camera (via the wireless wi)and if I’m in a hurry or lazy and the audio sounds good enough I just use the audio captured from the stereo wireless link on the camera. As long as you use a pre-amp and turn the camera gain down it’s not too big of a deal.
I do agree that it’s an attempt at distracting people from the fact that Canon hasn’t made any real update to their crop sensor lineup since the 7d was released. Instead of giving us the 7d mark II with a new high sensitivity sensor, Canon is fallowing the 5d mark II marketing model. Wait a year or two, then give people the upgrades that the camera should have had when it was released, and delay the release of a replacement model for yet another year. But will it drive used prices up? I’m guessing yes, but I could be wrong.
June 28th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Deejay, can you do a post about some padded gear bags you favor? I need some good padded bags for odds and ends, mics and stuff.
June 28th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
For tripods and mic stands I use the On-stage padded shoulder bag. It’s big enough to hold a slider, 2 tripods and 3 light stands with out a problem. For loose cables, batteries, and other random gear, I use zipper bags, and keep them in a one of my ape cases. If I have to check bags for a flight, I use a few SKB flight cases with Custom cut foam padding.
If I have time before the holidays I’ll see if I can put together a quick video on it.
July 3rd, 2012 at 5:12 am
I just want to update firmware on my 7D with usb cable instead of card reader.
Is it possible because on their manual they didn’t explain this method of updating.
I tried to do it with usb cable but I had a message that I don’t have permission to upload to card. Do I have to format the card?
Thanks and hope you can help me with this 🙂
Greetings.
July 3rd, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Stick the card in your card read and copy the file to the main directory. Then select update firmware from your camera’s menu.
March 21st, 2014 at 12:14 am
Can I known? How much