Canon 7D – Could this be what we have been waiting for?

Drool. Canon’s official release of the 7D is upon us. This looks like it’ll be the DSLR camera that digital filmmakers on a budget are looking for, if the camera lives up to the hype.

The main point that I’ve been looking for is below.

The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection.

Also in the press release – It will shoot up to 60 progressive frames per second at 1280 x 720 resolution. Great for slow motion effects. Advanced movie mode with manual exposure control and selectable frame rates: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD): 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p, 1280 x 720 (HD): 60p (59.94) / 50p, 640 x 480 (SD): 60p (59.94) / 50p.

As readers of the blog will know, I’ve been waiting for 25p functionality and its absence in Canon’s otherwise astounding 5D mkII was the main issue with buying a camera like this.

I’m keen to see the low light performance of this camera, and to see how it compares to the 5D mkII. Now the ball is in Nikon’s court to come out with the update to the D700 before this potentially wipes the floor with them.

I’m sure someone else will get around to it before me, but I’ll put together a side by side comparison to check specs.

Read the press release below.

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=19356

A Whole New Class of EOS.

With a host of brand new features designed to enhance every facet of the photographic process, from still images to video, the new EOS 7D represents a whole new class of camera.

Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the EOS 7D features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps. The EOS 7D has a new all cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo AF subject tracking and user-selectable AF area selection modes for sharp focus no matter the situation. The EOS 7D’s Intelligent Viewfinder, an entirely newly-designed technology, provides 100% coverage and displays user-selected AF modes as well as a spot metering circle and on demand grid lines. New iFCL Metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and color information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting. The EOS 7D also captures Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p with an array of manual controls, including manual exposure during movie shooting and ISO speed selection. The EOS 7D features a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and weather-resistant and shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles. Compatible with over 60 EF and EF-S lenses as well as with EOS System accessories, the creative opportunities – not just with stills but also with video – are beyond amazement.

Update 1 –

Now the bad news –

UK Pricing is £1700  US Pricing is $1700

A real kick in the preverbal considering the 5D mkII is –

UK Pricing is £1900  US Pricing is $2900

This had better come down. We’re not idiots.

A quick currency conversion shows that $1700 = £1051.

It maybe time for that trip to the states.

Update 2 –

Comparisons

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM

This site allows you to show/download side by side comparisons. No videos, but I have looked at the still life 12800 and thought the noise on the 7D was better than the more expensive/larger sensor 5DmkII

Most of the videos that are available at the moment are rather bad, but hopefully someone will do a straight comparison when the camera is commercially available.

Canon 5D mkII Firmware released

Canon released their firmware update yesterday. Yummie. Now all I can say is come on Nikon. Nikon are looking to release the D300s soon if nikonrumors.com are right

What Hybrid DSLR camera to buy?!!

I’m looking to buy a new camera, so I thought I’d put a list together with some pros and cons. Don’t think I’ll be buying for a few months yet, still saving the pennies. A friend has just got a Canon 5D mkII. I’m desperate to get my hands on it for a try, to see if It’ll make my mind up

Over the last 6 months there’s been a stalled revolution which was the release of HD video capable DSLR stills cameras with the potential to blow away more expensive video cameras. First the Nikon D90, which despite being initially impressive, proved to be a bit of a damp squip, with a fair amount of artifacting and problems when panning the camera. This was followed by the Canon 5D mkII which was seriously impressive, full 1080p and a really crisp image with none of the problems associated with the D90.

But the Canon 5D mkII looks like it was a rushed release. Due to Nikon releasing the D90, Canon seem to have brought forward the date on the 5D mkII to steal it’s thunder. It surely did. But when I say it was a rushed release, I don’t mean that they got it all wrong, quite the opposite. The camera actually is now a serious threat to their video camera sales. Apparently they didn’t talk to the video division, just put a great video mode on a DSLR.

However, it was still seriously limited, with no real control over the settings, frame rate etc. This has had many filmmakers gnashing their teeth, seeing something so near, but so far away. My problem is that as I live in the UK, I use the PAL TV system. This operates at 25 frames per second, or 25P. The camera will only shoot in 30P which is (almost) NTSC, the US and  Japan standard.

In the meantime…

Red, famed for its Red one camera has scrapped working on its Scarlett ‘budget’ camera. This looks to be replaced by a DSLR type body. “We have changed everything about Scarlet because the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new vision. Wipe you minds of the past announced Scarlet. Forget the design and forget the price. It is all different now. We think you will be surprised.” The price on this one is probably out of my price range, expect £4000 at a guess, and also Red have previously released their cameras, then had a long wait for people to actually get their hands on one. But if you can handle the wait it will surely be revolutionary.

Panasonic releases the GH1 – Panasonic sort of gets it right. Its new camera is 4 thirds, a newish system which has a lack of lenses available, but due to the smaller size, seems to mount industry lenses easier. Many people think this is a really great camera, but I’m holding out for a while to wait and see.

Recently Canon have released info about a future firmware upgrade which will address many of the problems over the manual controls. but there is still the problem over the framerate.

Here’s the contenders. I’ve decided to put these in order of personal interest.

Nikon D300s Approx £1300 without lens- Still a rumor, but a big rumor that there will be an update to the D300. As this would be Nikon’s chance to make a serious fight with Canon for the DSLR/Filmmaker market, lets hope that they go all the way with the video instead of the specs listed here at Nikonrumors.com.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Canon 5D mkII Approx £2100 without lens - Now this just produces superb images, untouched so far by the others available at the time of writing. Checkout canonrumors.com for info on the recent firmware update or the hopeful resolution of the 24/25p problem

————————————————————————————————————————-

Panasonic GH1 – £1300 with lens - This looks very interesting – Full 1080p, interchangeable lenses. Full manual controls. Watch this space. I’m really interested to see comparison videos

————————————————————————————————————————-

I’d prefer Nikon over Canon, as they seem the better buy in the long run. Their cameras seem better, and their lens system is backwards compatible – meaning that you can keep your older lenses when you upgrade the camera.