Earlier I posted some pre-announcement thoughts about the Canon EOS 7D – including my uninformed speculation about a move to full frame sensors which, I now have to admit, didn’t amount to much… ;-)

The new 7D seems to me to be the logical replacement for or repositioning of the X0D series bodies, Canon’s best-equipped 1.6x cropped sensor bodies. My feeling is that this camera is the camera that would have followed next in the XOD series – e.g. – it could have been a 60D – but that Canon has several reasons for now identifying it as a 7D instead. These might include:

• Changing the name of the body away from X0D enhances the perception that this is a new model rather than another update regardless of what an objective consideration might show.
• The camera does seem to make use of some newer technologies – the AF system and metering system are two examples – and these give Canon a reason to take advantage of renaming the cameras.
• The non-inflation-adjusted price of cameras in the X0D category has changed little over the past few years, and arguably has declined against inflation. It is easier for Canon to adjust the list price upwards on a “new model” – the list price for the body will be $1700 – than it would be to do so on what might otherwise look like an incremental update to the 50D.
• The renaming seems in line with the introduction of the latest “digital rebel” without the “Rebel” name or the previous XX0D product designation – it instead is known at the T1i.

This camera does appear to include some real improvements and very useful features, depending upon what sort of photography you do and what your specific needs might be. For those doing sports and similar work the ability to shoot at 8 fps (about 1/3 faster than before) will be appealing and permit frame rates very close to those of the high-end sports DSLRs like the 1DsIII. It appears that the 7D gets the most advanced video system that Canon has yet added to a DSLR. The AF system looks like it could be much more capable than that of the previous models, though we’ll have to see how it works in the field. It adds some other desirable features such as 100% viewfinder coverage and an interesting electronic leveling viewfinder display. It reportedly also improves and extends high ISO performance. (The increase of pixel count from 15MP to 18MP, as long is it has been accomplished while at least maintaining the IQ of the previous model, is no liability – but it isn’t likely to make any significant improvement in image quality. As such, this is probably just about the least significant “improvement” in this camera.)

It occurs to me that a 5D2 and a 7D might be a great pairing for quite a few photographers – including some who might otherwise be drawn to the 1DIII. The 7D will provide some real advantages for certain kinds of sports and related shooting, and a photographer having both bodies could cover a very wide range of subjects and situations.

Postscript: What about my notions of a sub-$2000 full frame body? I still think it is going to happen, and I still think it won’t be that long – though it sure won’t be in this product release cycle. While Canon may have decided to retain the cropped sensor in the 7D and instead offer other significant feature updates – and while I think that many, many photographers don’t really need full frame – Canon is no longer the only company that can produce and sell full-frame cameras. Witness Sony’s recent announcement that the full-frame A850 will retail for only $300 more than the 7D. There are trade-offs. Such a camera will not have the high frame rate of the 7D for sure. But there are still plenty of photographers for whom the image quality differences from full frame seem more important.

(If you are going to buy a 7D, please consider buying it from B&H Photo via this link – the cost to you will be the same, but purchases from B&H through links at this site help support the blog. Thanks!)