Canon 40D to 7D

[andyred]

Hi

I'm after some hands on reviews. I'm aware of the technological differences between the 2 bodies, but was wondering, those who have actually done this upgrade, what real life differences have you noticed.

Any help / info much appreciated, hope it makes sense what I'm looking for

Thanks

 

[seriousrikk]

I went 40D > 50D > 7D

I can comment on a few things here. My main reason for upgrade was twofold. I wanted better autofocus - and the 7D autofocus is much better than the 40D/50D setup.

I also wanted a more robus body - again the 7D has it here as it is built with more capable environmental sealing than the XXD line.

That's about it really - but remember I only upgraded because I knew I needed features the 7D offered. I also knew I would sacrifice a bit of low ISO noise - the 40D definitely has a cleaner image below ISO 400.

 

[L55GDS]

I'm running a 40D and 7D at the moment, I have a 70-200 f4 IS on the 40D and the 17-55 2.8 IS on the 7D and that gets swapped out for the 100-400 when shooting birds.

I've only been using the 7D for a short time, first thing I noticed was how quick the autofocus was in low light conditions. The main reason for getting the 7D was the AF system and have 19 point focus and the expansion points for the AL-Servo tracking. The upgraded focus system and the 8fps were all I needed to be sold on this camera.

The bonus points are having the micro adjustment for lens corrections (non of mine needed correcting thankfully). The build and feel of the camera is very nice. The view finder is far bigger and clearer than the 40D. I've had a little play with the HD video, that will be a fun addition although probably wont get used that much.

As for picture quality, my first few shots of the kids look great. I used the off camera flash control for the Speedlite 430 exII and that is fantastic. I think the images do show a little more noise than the 40D when opening the RAW files and zooming in but after processing and viewing at the print size they are very clear. I think the concentration of pixels on the small sensor is more sensative to camera shake and exposure. Get the shutter speed up a little higher than the 40D, expose to the right and don't forget some good glass in front and the images will be great. The images especially RAW files will benefit from some post process sharpening but having said that they are supper sharp when used with good glass like 70-200 f4 IS.

I will keep my 40D until they sort out a similar 7D focus system for the 5D MkIII, until that time I will not be upgrading to full frame.

 

[HoppyUK]

Hi

I'm after some hands on reviews. I'm aware of the technological differences between the 2 bodies, but was wondering, those who have actually done this upgrade, what real life differences have you noticed.

Any help / info much appreciated, hope it makes sense what I'm looking for

Thanks

If you know technological differences, then it's just down to image quality. I tried a 7D directly against my old 40D and the difference wasn't great. Better, yes a little if you looked hard, but nowhere near 80% if you are expecting something substantial like that from the increased pixel count. It doesn't work like that and the 40D is a damn good camera, bit of a high point in Canon DSLRs. Brilliant value.

Then I tried a 5D2, which turned out to be quite a costly experiment. Miles better IQ. Just effortlessly superb And I just know that the 5D3 will be even better, plus all the techno brilliance of the 7D rolled into one. I'm saving already...

 

[EOS_JD]

If you know technological differences, then it's just down to image quality. I tried a 7D directly against my old 40D and the difference wasn't great. Better, yes a little if you looked hard, but nowhere near 80% if you are expecting something substantial like that from the increased pixel count. It doesn't work like that and the 40D is a damn good camera, bit of a high point in Canon DSLRs. Brilliant value.

Then I tried a 5D2, which turned out to be quite a costly experiment. Miles better IQ. Just effortlessly superb And I just know that the 5D3 will be even better, plus all the techno brilliance of the 7D rolled into one. I'm saving already...

+1

I didn't expect the 5D2 to be that much better than the 40D - my current backup - and a cracking camera. But it will be sold as soon as the 5D3 is out

 

[HoppyUK]

+1

I didn't expect the 5D2 to be that much better than the 40D - my current backup - and a cracking camera. But it will be sold as soon as the 5D3 is out

LOL Jim 5D2 has another little trick too, and that is if you crop it to 1.6x format, it's pretty much an 8mp 40D!

I did some quick tests before I sold the 40D and when the 5D2 is cropped in this way, ie 8mp vs 10mp, I couldn't tell the two apart. And sharpness aside, the ability of the 5D2 to shoot at ridiculously high ISO is a massive bonus in some situations. Considering the cost of a 7D against the 5D2, you really have to want the 7D's feature set. 60D looks quite attractive at only two thirds of the 7D's price for the same sensor, and has some cool new features too.

 

[zooxanthellae]

Exactly what I found, the 7d has a grain to low iso shots. This could be due to pixel density but you will notice it if coming from a 40d. Its just a characteristic grain of the 7d but is only noticeable if you peep .

I went 40D > 50D > 7D

I can comment on a few things here. My main reason for upgrade was twofold. I wanted better autofocus - and the 7D autofocus is much better than the 40D/50D setup.

I also wanted a more robus body - again the 7D has it here as it is built with more capable environmental sealing than the XXD line.

That's about it really - but remember I only upgraded because I knew I needed features the 7D offered. I also knew I would sacrifice a bit of low ISO noise - the 40D definitely has a cleaner image below ISO 400.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Exactly what I found, the 7d has a grain to low iso shots. This could be due to pixel density but you will notice it if coming from a 40d. Its just a characteristic grain of the 7d but is only noticeable if you peep

Was hoping that the 60D was going to have less mp to alleviate this type of problem, not surprised Nikon held at 12mp for so long

With current technology I think that 18mp is just too much for a crop sensor and 10-12 gives a cleaner image especially for clearer detail with a background like trees.

Going to stick with my 40D's until something comes along that I feel is a big enough improvement worth spending out on (would like the 7D AF capability though I must admit)

 

[seriousrikk]

Exactly what I found, the 7d has a grain to low iso shots. This could be due to pixel density but you will notice it if coming from a 40d. Its just a characteristic grain of the 7d but is only noticeable if you peep .

Although, interestingly, the noise is much more like film grain than digital noise - more so as I move up the ISO scale.

We all love a smooth image - but I do really think the noise is better handled than my previous cameras. Not sure what they have done but it just looks nicer

That could just be me though.

 

[Roy C]

I went from the 40D to the 7D, not sure about other types of photography but is well worth it for bird photography IMO. I still have the 40D but it is much relegated to a second/back-up body these days. By my reckoning the 7D is about a stop better than the 40D when it comes to med/high ISO noise - the 7D ISO 800 being about equal to the 40D ISO 400. Couple this with the better AF sytem, higher burst rate, MA adjustment and more cropability.and it is a very worthwhile upgrade in my books.

One thing to bear in mind is with almost twice as many pixels as the 40D on the same size sensor pixel bleed is more likely if you do not have sufficient support or shutter speed, especially if the target is small in the frame.

Also very important with regards to getting good high ISO noise performance is that you get the exposure right, if you underexpose and push it in processing then noise levels,especially in shadowed areas, will be noisy(more so than the 40D IMO). Get it right (or even slightly overexposed) and ISO 800 shots are as clean as a whistle and will require little or no noise reduction.Even ISO 1600 can be more that acceptable.

With the 7D and you can afford to crop almost 50% and still be left with the about same number of pixels as the 40D - this is almost akin to more 'reach'
Just my 2p's worth.

 

[andyred]

I went 40D > 50D > 7D

I can comment on a few things here. My main reason for upgrade was twofold. I wanted better autofocus - and the 7D autofocus is much better than the 40D/50D setup.

I'm running a 40D and 7D at the moment, I have a 70-200 f4 IS on the 40D and the 17-55 2.8 IS on the 7D and that gets swapped out for the 100-400 when shooting birds.

Thanks for the great replys, just what I was looking for.

 

[andyred]

If you know technological differences, then it's just down to image quality. I tried a 7D directly against my old 40D and the difference wasn't great. Better, yes a little if you looked hard, but nowhere near 80% if you are expecting something substantial like that from the increased pixel count. It doesn't work like that and the 40D is a damn good camera, bit of a high point in Canon DSLRs. Brilliant value.

Then I tried a 5D2, which turned out to be quite a costly experiment. Miles better IQ. Just effortlessly superb And I just know that the 5D3 will be even better, plus all the techno brilliance of the 7D rolled into one. I'm saving already...

Cheers Richard, just what I was looking for, I had wondered about a 5D mkII, but wasn't sure how it would rate for motorsport with the current fps.

The 5D mkIII sounds like it might be an interesting beast, but I suspect it will have the price tag to match

 

[andyred]

I went from the 40D to the 7D, not sure about other types of photography but is well worth it for bird photography IMO. I still have the 40D but it is much relegated to a second/back-up body these days. By my reckoning the 7D is about a stop better than the 40D when it comes to med/high ISO noise - the 7D ISO 800 being about equal to the 40D ISO 400. Couple this with the better AF sytem, higher burst rate, MA adjustment and more cropability.and it is a very worthwhile upgrade in my books.

One thing to bear in mind is with almost twice as many pixels as the 40D on the same size sensor pixel bleed is more likely if you do not have sufficient support or shutter speed, especially if the target is small in the frame.

Also very important with regards to getting good high ISO noise performance is that you get the exposure right, if you underexpose and push it in processing then noise levels,especially in shadowed areas, will be noisy(more so than the 40D IMO). Get it right (or even slightly overexposed) and ISO 800 shots are as clean as a whistle and will require little or no noise reduction.Even ISO 1600 can be more that acceptable.

With the 7D and you can afford to crop almost 50% and still be left with the about same number of pixels as the 40D - this is almost akin to more 'reach'
Just my 2p's worth.

Thats great thanks Roy.

Not done Bird Watching (unless you count the very fast RAF ones ), main area at the moment is motorsport, which I can see the benefit of the new AF system.

 

[bl0at3r]

Hmm, the 7D & Low ISO noise

I had one of the 1st UK models and it definitely had noticeable noise at ISO100-400. This was not even peeping, it was visible at normal size and compared to the 40D I upgraded from. Interestingly high ISO was superb.

I hoped a firmware would resolve, so I kept it for almost a year - during that time there were 2 updates but the noise remained.

Others on here also complained, but there was a similar number of people that were not experiencing the issue.

So I sold my 7D, went the Lumix route for a few months, but I have now got another 7D - bought a new UK model at the beginning of December.

I am not experiencing the same level of low ISO noise with this body, so don't be put off by it - I love my 7D and all the advantages over the 40/50D

ISO 500

ISO 100

ISO 800

 

[Scarecrow]

Cheers Richard, just what I was looking for, I had wondered about a 5D mkII, but wasn't sure how it would rate for motorsport with the current fps.

Not much wrong with the 5DII when used for motorsport. Obviously doesn't have the frame rate of some other bodies, but I've never found that to be a problem.

 

[andyred]

Thanks guys

Have heard some mixed reviews re 7D noise - glad your happy with your new one now Alan.

Thanks Derek, don't really use the fast fps from my 40D at present - but it is nice to have should you be in the the right place at the right time for that little "off " that can occur in motorracing.

mmmm, more to think about