Canon EOS 7D - Test Shots - ISO Performance

Over the next few pages we show a range of test shots. On this page the full size image at the minimum and maximum ISO settings have been reduced to let you see the full image, and a series of full resolution crops have taken from original images at a range of ISO settings to show the overall image quality. These pictures were taken indoors using reflected natural light

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This is the full frame at 100 ISO.

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The live view contrast detection AF system has missed a bit here, but the image quality is flawless.

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200 ISO...

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400 ISO...

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800 ISO. There's a hint of mid-tone noise, but only just.

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Again a light burr of noise at 1600 ISO, but this is a perfectly usable shot.

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Still no serious problems at 3200 ISO. The noise is there, but it's smooth and well controlled.

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Noise is quite visible at 6400 but it looks like film grain. Tonal gradients are still smooth there's still plenty of detail.

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Contrast is fading at 12,800 ISO, but this is far from hopeless.

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This is the full frame at 12,800 ISO.

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28 comments

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DUnit

4:48 PM on 7 November, 2009

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Isn't it a conflict of interest to have Canon basically sponsoring this review with all the massive advertising you've got going here?

Score:

monto

6:56 PM on 7 November, 2009

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That's a lot of Canon ads....

rav

7:20 PM on 7 November, 2009

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Has that share button always been on the site and I've just noticed it now? Wouldn't put it past me but then it's only showing up on this article for me.

CliffSmith

12:28 AM on 8 November, 2009

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D-Unit and monto - Obviously I'm concerned that people would think that Canon's advertising with TR might bias my opinion, but I've been writing reviews for long enough to know that the only real virtue in my opinion is my complete impartiality. Yes, my wages are paid out of advertising revenue, but I'm not involved with ad sales negotiations, and I'm proud to say that I've had companies pull adverts from magazines that I've worked on because of negative reviews that I've written about their products. I can only ask you to trust me that the EOS 7D really is as good as I've said. If it was rubbish I'd say so and damn the consequences. If you don't believe me than please read some other reviews of it. This camera is going to be getting awards from everyone.

ravmania - I only just noticed it myself, so I guess it's a new feature that our resident programming wizard has recently added.

chironnyc

4:30 AM on 8 November, 2009

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Your review is very similar in overall findings to the new review posted at dpreview.com, so the querelous comments about your ads are mistaken.

The overall quality of this camera asks the qestion of whether full frame is needed for anything other than peering at small sections of 100% crops. this camera seems to offer an ideal for almost all 35mm photographic applications--superb autofocus, metering, image quality, high ISO performance, colors, etc., etc. Even on the old cliche about DOF, i am finding that the DOF of aps-c sensors is optimal--for example, it makes it easier to get both eyes in focus on portraits but still can blur backgrounds and separate foreground from background very effectively.

So why go the the added size, weight (with lens), poorer lens performance, etc., of FF cameras?

Gav66

9:38 AM on 8 November, 2009

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Great review - not so great some of the cynicism from a few of your readers. @Monto and @D-Unit: Click on ANY review on this site and you will see the ads on the side banners matching the review - maybe, just possibly, in case you would like to purchase the item being reviewed? Gee, how odd is that?

Noodles

10:32 AM on 8 November, 2009

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Imagine the furore if this was an Apple or Xbox review, but TR thinks they can get away with this absolutely blatant sponsorship when it comes to cameras.. Hate to say it but, "Trusted Reviews"? I'll have to take that with a pinch of salt now..

Back to the camera, it very much seems to be one step forward, two steps back. The 18MP sensor demands near flawless lens quality, but Canon's mediocre at best crop lens line-up is simply dragging the cameras ability down. The new EF-S 15-85mm seems to be nearly no better then it's rubbish 17-85mm predecessor, and the EF-S 18-135mm has been found to be a complete dog, that Cliff also mentions in his review..

I'm currently considering switching from my Olympus E-3 system, and the cameras in the running are this or the D300s. I have to say it's most likely going to be the Nikon, purely for the superior quality of it's crop lenses..

amin

3:05 PM on 8 November, 2009

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I am lucky to have got my hands on one of these and was keen on reading a review by Cliff on the camera, even though I already had bought it. I bought my first DSLR based on the fantastic review here by Cliff and it served me well, but then my need to upgrade for various personal reasons led me to look for a D300 and others. So much so that I threw a few comments here on the subject but luckily just when I was getting ready to order the 5D MK2 I stumbled upon the release date of the 7D and some preliminary features that it would have. The fact that it had an AF system as good as the D300 made me stop on my tracks. The day it was released I got hold of one.

I added the stunning 70-200mm f/2.8 IS lens to the kit and had also a bigma that had purchased a couple of months back on a promotional price, so just been to Portugal a week ago and shot the RIP surf world championships with it with some stunning results. I went purposely to shoot a play for a friend of mine and flash wasn't allowed. The results I got with my 70-200mm lens left me absolutely impressed. Up until recently ISO settings was always in the back of my mind no matter what shot I took. I like photographing fluids in motion such as smoke and water droplets and some wine glass settings, and constantly many of my shots were ruined due to noise. So I had kind of learnt to have noise issues always in the back of my mind no matter what I was trying to shoot. It took a while for me to learn to let that feeling go with the 7D, but after the initial results now ISO settings are the least of my problems, well mostly of course as there are times when I want to manually control it. I have a whole set of images shot in the extremely low stage lighting with no flash to prove it, most at ISO 2500 ISO and some even at ISO 3500. But most times now my ISO setting is left to AUTO and I just try to control the aperture and the ss. This is how much change the 7D has done to my style of shooting. And this is just one aspect of it.

I have had first hand experience with the 7D now since it was launched and I must say the only thing I think that will make me rethink again about changing this, subject to funds obviously :), would be to go for the 1D MK IV :). One can always dream :)

HenkM

5:50 PM on 8 November, 2009

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I have the 7d now for a few weeks (upgrading from a 500D). I can confirm that the 7d is a great camera. This review is in my (humble) opinion not "masked".

lifethroughalens

6:35 PM on 8 November, 2009

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"So why go the the added size, weight (with lens), poorer lens performance, etc., of FF cameras?"

What?! I think you've got your wires crossed on this...either that, or you can't afford or don't want a full frame camera like the 5DMK2. If you had spent any length of time shooting with a FF camera, I can assure you that rushing back to crop body is the last thing you'll want to do with its tiny viewing frame and cramped layout.

This argument is so long in the tooth, FF vrs Crop. They are completely different cameras, designed to be used for completely different subjects, it's not better or worse, just a tool that you use depending on your photographic needs.

I personally shoot both crop & FF and will never change from this since it offers me such a huge variation in focal lengths - 5DMK2's for static / slow moving and set-ups and a 7D & 2x40D's for moving stuff and better AI focussing and to increase the *effective* length of the lens. And I have no idea where you got the (very misguided) idea that lenses perform worse on FF cameras! Quite the opposite considering that 99.9% of lenses sold were designed to operate on full frame bodies in the first place.

Also you try finding great high quality, *fast* (F2.8 and faster) EFS glass and you're stumped. There isn't any bar the 17-55 2.8 EFS.

Oh and the 7D actually weighs for than the 5DMK2!

The only value I see in crop bodies is the extra *effective* mm you get on the telephoto lenses and the fact that the sensors are cheaper to produce so offer a cheaper route into serious photography for the enthusiast photographers. Other than that FF cameras are much nicer to use and on the whole, produce vastly superior images.

If I had to grab one camera to go travelling or for a quick job - no matter what it was, I would grab the 5D2 over the 7D every (time except for motor racing) :) The 7D is a fab body, I just find that it's staying in the bag a lot more that I expected it to be when I bought it to work along side the 5D2's.

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