Other than it is still missing the attractiveness filter setting for self portraits that I have begged Canon for years.......
What say you 7d owners - useful?
Is a this "nex gen" worthy event?
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Other than it is still missing the attractiveness filter setting for self portraits that I have begged Canon for years.......
What say you 7d owners - useful?
Is a this "nex gen" worthy event?
I'm excited. The in camera image rating function alone is worthwhile to me. I'm also curious to test out the in camera raw editing and the ability to save as a new JPEG. All that being said, I might wait until other users give it a whirl and comment that everything is okay before installing.
Looks like a worthy upgrade to me for a few reasons:Quote:
Originally Posted by Busted Knuckles
1. The increased burst rate certainly helps. When shooting sports, nothing is more irritating than running out of buffer space at that critical moment. So even just a few frames improvement would be worth the upgrade.
2. Having the custom picture settings applied to the RAW file is something that us non-DPP users might appreciate and find worthy of the upgrade. Since we have never had this option before. I am not sure if I will use it or not, but it is certainly worth exploring.
3. Being able to Limit the Auto ISO is another big advantage. I like useing auto ISO, especially when specific aperature and shutter speeds are critical, but I never liked being unable to limit how far auto-iso will go. If I can set it to stay between 100-800, then I would be a happy camper.
4. The one thing I am dissapointed in is that they did not increase the number of frames that can be used when bracketing shots, such as in HDR. I would love to have more than three fames available for this, but I think they intentionally reserve this option for the pro bodies.
All in all, I am excited about this firmware release and will be downloading it as soon as it is available.
Good topic Knuckles, I am curious what others have to say.
Bob
I think it's brilliant. I don't use my 7D as much now that I picked up a 5D Mark II, but having some of these features may mean I reach for it more often. But here's my question:
Why, Canon, why did you announce a firmware upgrade only to delay its actual release for over than a month? That seams so silly to me.
That one didn't make any sense to me either---Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean Setters
A bit of control on the auto-ISO looks like a nice improvement. So far, I always avoided using auto-ISO because I wasn't able to limit the max and honestly ISO 6400 on the 7D is quite grainy. It seems it's going to be pretty basic though; not as nice as on the 5D III.
S.
Didn't realize that. Canon's PR stinks, and their ability to deliver on time stinks. I guess they know that their DSLR community falls into 2 camps: the casual shooter who pays little to no attention to forums, announcements, etc, and for whom this kind of announcement/delay is meaningless, and who might not ever upgrade their firmware anyway; and the power user, who's in deep enough with Canon equipment that all but the Daniel Brownings of us have little appetite to sell everything and start over with another brand if we are dissatisfied with the customer experience. Oh well. I'll wait patiently!Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
Next Gen, def not, but they look useful and helpful to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Busted Knuckles
This is the big one, for me. My S95 and S100 can do it, why not the 7D...Quote:
Originally Posted by bob williams
FWIW, Auto ISO on the 7D (current firmware) runs from 100-3200, you only get ISO 6400 if you set it there youself. But I'd often prefer to limit it to 1600 or even 800.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steph
I am happy about the ability to set the maximum on auto-iso. That should be a feature on every camera.
I am not sure about the new buffer capacity, I was already getting ~22-23 RAW shots before the buffer filled up and they are claiming that with the new algorithms, I may get 25. :confused: I think it is an increase over what the 7D was rated, but it will be interesting to see what pans out in actual use. But, the only time I've filled the buffer where in tests we did here earlier this year. So, that is a non-issue for me.
Added video features may be nice, I've been thinking I should shoot more video. And I'll have to wait to see on the in camera editing features. I can see those being handy once in a long while. Say, when visiting family and if they want a shot that I took in RAW I could convert in camera to a jpeg and down load it for them.
I would like in camera HDR, but I don't see that listed.
So, not "next generation" but it is very nice that canon is flowing down some features to the 7D. It does make me think that we should not expect a 7DII for awhile.
Next generation features, to me, would be improved high ISO performance, increased DR, slightly sharper images, a few more MP, etc.
But, overall, thanks Canon.
I'm looking forward to the updated firmware, for me I'm looking for the ability to rate photos; faster burst rate, quicker zooming, panning, the time zone setting is handy as lower end cameras had this option. The video updates sound fine, but I don't use that function enough to get too excited about it- I suppose when I'm recording a waterfall I can turn the audio down a bit.
I too am wondering why they are waiting on releasing it. I'm sure this is to hold people who want to upgrade to the next 7D as I'm sure there's a delay in the mkII.
Max ISO finally! That alone is HUGE for me. I shoot a lot of concerts, and the auto ISO constantly varies between 400 and 3200. Never been able to find the "right" manual ISO setting, since lighting conditions change so quickly and so drastically, so always had to use auto. Some shots at 3200 are useable, but being able to cap it at 1600 or so will be a huge, huge help.
Audio... I guess that's helpful, but any video I'd be doing that I wanted to look and sound "professional" I'd have an external audio setup anyway.
I am still waiting for the self portrait attractiveness filter..... other than 1/8000 iso 100 f22.... lens cap on - just in case.
This seems to be a good step to update/expand the 7d to some of the 60d/T3i/T4i feature sets - like setting ISO max, on camera audio, etc. Updated burst limit, etc.
If I am a stills shooter - this is getting pretty darn good for a crop sensor I would think. Not quite the uber low light/high iso of the 5dIII but plenty of other useful things.
Ah, I didn't realised that but after a quick check, indeed, it only goes to 3200 which is as you said still too high to my taste even if I don't print posters. I think the blurred background produced by my 50mm f/1.4 suffers a lot when reaching ISO 1600. At first sight, I would have thought, who cares it's blurred but it doesn't look good.Quote:
Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
Cheers,
S.
I’m very keen on the improved write speeds but you should note the fine print.
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...rmware_compare
‡‡ Figures based on updated firmware, ISO 100, Standard Picture Style and with 8GB CF memory card (normal speed). Figures in parentheses apply to 128GB UDMA 7 CF memory card (high speed). Note: UDMA 7 CF memory card read/write speeds are not fully supported with the EOS 7D Digital SLR camera, if using UDMA 7 memory cards, the read/write speeds will be equivalent to UDMA 6.
Also the GPS is something big for me, once you start Geotagging you won’t want to go back. The only problem I have with the GPS unit is its location, you cannot use an external flash. I’m looking forward to the review from Bryan.
Are you saying you can not use a flash because it is attached to the accessory shoe (I assume that is the hot shoe)? Because you can also teather it with a USB so your flash can be connected to the hot shoe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raid
For the 7D, you *must* connect the GP-E2 via USB, hot shoe connectivity is only for the 5DIII and 1D X.Quote:
Originally Posted by conropl
Canon states, "†When the EOS 7D is used with the GP-E2 the following restrictions will apply: a) geotagging function will not work for movies while recording; b) geotagging features will not work for movies when using the Map Utility; c) electronic compass information and automatic time setting is not available; d) transmission via the hot shoe is not possible."
What I don't know is if the GPS must be connected to the hot shoe to work as well. If it can be moved, even dangled from the cord, it may make it more usable.Quote:
Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
I tend to agree that it looks like the 7D II will be delayed.
Another bit of information on card speeds:
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/de...4319/kw/UDMA 7
It looks as though only the SanDisk Extreme Pro is UDMA 6 capable and they only have one UDMA 7 card that's the 128GB Extreme Pro.
So I won't be getting a maximum burst rate of 25 or even 23.:(
I see no reason it would need to be connected to the hotshoe - it's powered by an internal AA battery and draws no power from the camera via the hotshoe. I'd assume Canon provides the USB connection mainly so you can simultaneously use a mounted flash, just on a 7D that's the only option. It can be mounted on the 7D hotshoe for convenience, but it's not necessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raid
Ok - now I am confussed:confused:. This is a quote from Bryan's "Canon News, Nikon News, & What's New" write-up:Quote:
Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
That sounds like it can be connected via the accessory shoe or tethered.
"This GPS Receiver can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable."
Yes, that's true - as long as you're using it with a 5DIII or 1D X. But with a 7D, it's only via USB tether, according to the footnote from Canon (in the press release, on the product page, etc.).Quote:
Originally Posted by conropl
That quote from Bryan was in reference to the 7D firmware upgrade. Personally, I do not know, and I do not doubt your statement; but if that is true then Bryan's "What's New" on the 7D firmware update is incorrect. Perhaps he was referring to current capabilities, but that is not how it was written.Quote:
Originally Posted by neuroanatomist
Thanks for setting straight.
The reason I started this thread was to get an idea on how attractive the 7D new feature set, combined with it's existing feature set, would be if it were full frame and priced at 2k. Sort of the succussor to where the 5dII is now.
Thoughts?
Let's see, a full-framer like the 7D with the new feature set sounds (surprisingly enough) like a 5D III, and that's been proven to be an attractive camera--even at $3500.
A budget entry full-framer would likely be stripped down in its feature set--it may not be weather sealed, shoot video, bracket exposures, or have any kind of state-of-the-art AF. You sacrafice things when you're on a budget--that's kind of the point.
So you think the successor of the 7D will be like the 5D II only improved with a few of the 7D's features. So instead of a it being called a 5D III they will call it a 7D II, since after all instead of naming the successor of the 1Ds III a 1Ds IV they named it a 5D III.Quote:
Originally Posted by Busted Knuckles
I can see the desire to have a lower priced FF camera with lower specs in the market place but I won't be expecting it from the popular 7D line. Pure speculation, but it would make more sense to me to put the 7D2 back at the top of the cropped bodies (it has a single digit model number after all) and introduce a new number for a new FF body. The 1Dx and 5D3 would be more FF pro oriented, new 7D2 would cover high end crop body market, and this leaves a hole in the lineup for an inexpensive (relative of course) FF camera with some improved features over the 5D2.
As always, we'll just have to sit back to wait and see what shiny new things the marketing department thinks they can make the most profits from.
You know, I think they could lower the retail price of the 5D Mark II to $1650 and most people wanting a budget full-framer would be happy. The 5D Mark II may be long in the tooth, but I picked one up at the beginning of this year and I'm loving it. The build quality isn't as good as the 7D, but it's hard to beat the images I can create with it.
Bryan's post isn't his - it's a copy-paste of the Canon USA press release on the firmware update. Canon seem to be masters of linguistic obfuscation. Consider: "This GPS Receiver can be mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable.". It's correct, but can be interpreted as 1) <mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe> or <clipped to a belt and tethered via a USB cable>, or as 2) <mounted to the camera’s accessory shoe or clipped to a belt> and <tethered via a USB cable>. The first one is what you're thinking (and cynically, I bet that's exactly what Canon wants you to think); the second is the actual case, I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by conropl
Click on the link at the bottom of the News post, which takes you to Canon USA page on the new firmware. Click the Key Features, and in the GP-E2 section, you'll still see the footnote:
† When the EOS 7D is used with the GP-E2 the following restrictions will apply: ... d) transmission via the hot shoe is not possible.
Check the picture in that same section. It's no accident they're showing it mounted and attached via cable - would you really want to use it like that? I wouldn't, but showing it on a 7D without the cable (which is how it'll look on the 5DIII/1D X) would likely be considered deceptive advertising.
I think Neuro's spot on.
I am quite tempted on the 5dII - just haven't pulled the trigger for some reason. The only real thing that I would want is the updated autofocus features of the 7d. The AF isn't as robust as the 5dIII - that is the "down market" aspect that is "OK" with me.
I have no idea of what Canon is going to do - no insider info, etc - it just seems to me from a product line strategy that both the 5dII and the D700 are "long in the tooth" and neither Canon nor Nikon are going to trust the other not to introduce a !!! new and improved!!!! wiz bang body in the 2k neighborhood. Is the 7d w/ the its most current firmware w/ FF it or would the wizzy features of the T4i on the new crop sensor be "good enough" not having shot the 7d, I am asking the group if they think it might be.
I know I am on record of having said I thought the 1dx was not the breakthrough I was hoping for, perhaps I was hallucinating or just overtaken with the power of the current gaggle of cameras compared to when I left the photo world many years ago. (I occasionally find myself wondering why google earth isn't a live feed too :) on the getting carried away with tech hallucinations).
I will be making a move by mid August regardless and then hunkering down from the hardware chase - the T3i has served its purpose - a cost effective test of whether not I would jump back in to the image capture world.
lastly i have seen several gently used 5dII in fleabay going for really decent prices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean Setters
Anyone hear how long before this firmware is going to be available? I am patiently waiting...it is August. :rolleyes:
Middle of August, maybe? If it's like the delivery of my Nexus 7 tablet, "middle" means the 26th of the month.
Some guy on CR just claimed they "knew" it would be the 7th... With the usual CR disclaimer of it's just what one guy reckons and is probably wrong.
I'm hanging out for it too, breathe a bit more life into my digital and stop me from buying more films for a while, but I don't see it happening before the end of the Olympics, it'll just get lost in the noise...
Was just thinking about asking this same question here. August is a long month with no Formula One races and the Red Sox still stumbling. It'd be nice if something new and exciting came along. :cool:
At least we have the new 5D Mark II firmware to play with....even if it isn't published by Canon. :-)
I've never been one for PP, rather get it right in-camera.
But I was reading this this morning, so now i'm re-scanning some B+W negatives I've shot recently, and sharpening them up.
I suppose it's the best I can do until that new firmware is realeased, my 7D is obsolete without it, it's being used as a door-stop until I can get my hands on this new firmware...
The 7D is a very capable camera before the firmware update, and I still use it regularly even after picking up a 5D II; it is anything but a doorstop to me, but I appreciate the new features the firmware will bring to the camera.
So...after the firmware update, it becomes something a bit more useful, like a paperweight? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Croubie
Or a bookend. I collect obsolete things and use them as bookends. The rubber on the bottom holds pretty well.
In all seriousness, I am not totally interested in all the features. Limiting Auto ISO is one thing I am very interested in. I have wanted that for a long time. I also wanted to see what type of silent fixes they put in this firmware.