My 7d is sharp and focuses well. Had a 1d2n before. Didn't miss it. 7d AF is responsive and true. Happy people don't post on forums saying that they are happy with their stuff.
In my experience the 7D blows the previous xxD crap AF out of the water in demanding action. However, in less demanding work sometimes it can behave quite strangely; such as in a burst of shots acquiring focus for a few frames, then losing it for a few frames then reacquiring it. An example would be surfing. I tend to shoot shorter burst with the 7D and lift off the AF button and then reacquire focus.
As for sky noise, I always make sure to shoot +1-1.33 EV against a blue sky, +1.66-2Ev against a heavily OC sky, and even at ISO 400 my skies are very clean
Jeff wrote:
...Everyone's mileage varies, and calling people out as incompetent when they may truly have hardware issues is a bit narrow-minded.
Agreed. I've seen too many AF issues with the 7d from people who are otherwise competent to think that there isn't a problem with *some* of them. For me, the focus problems that appeared with the 7d were not present with my previous 1DmkIIn and disappeared when I acquired the 1DmkIII. Meanwhile, all lenses did and do work perfectly on my 5Dc.
I'm actually pretty impressed with the 5D MkII's center-point focusing, at least in comparison to all the horror stories I've read about outer points and about the 5D MkII's focusing being the same as the xxD Series cameras. Buying into a 4-year old 'current' body is not my style, but I needed the IQ that only the 5D MkII could (rea$onably) provide more than I needed the features of the 7D, and Canon has taken forever to get the next iteration of the 5D out.
I wanted to love the potential of the 7D's new Zone focusing system, but it seemed to be more erratic that it needs to be for professional applications. Single-point only, the 7D focused fine for me, although most of my lenses required a similar (>5) adjustment for front-focusing. As far as the image quality of the 7D goes (as previously stated), I don't miss it in the least. Overexposing isn't always an option to mitigate noisy blue skies, and using an HDR approach becomes really time-consuming unless you are sure the image is worth the effort.
For me, the 7D's IQ was the biggest disappointment, but considering its pixel density I suppose I should have expected less. I've never been completely happy with the IQ of APS-C cameras, and I guess being an early adopter of the 1Ds ruined me for all future 'backup' bodies. I'm still waiting for the perfect backup, and the 7D would have been it except for the IQ issues. IMO.
I've been using the 7d for a few years now. I did have AF issues on the first copy but there was an update by Canon early in production. About 18 months ago there was a thread where many of us had noticed a marked improvement after a certain SN range.
I really love the 7D but a lot of what I read is complete drivel. Like the thread about the 7D recently started here by a member who flatly stated he had never owned or used one. Pretty much sums that up but the thread still ran several pages.
The one thing I will say about the 7D is that it's NOT a great body for a noob. If you don't get the CFn's set correctly or use the proper metering/AF mode combo results can disappoint. However for those who understand those features or are willing to learn the 7D is incredibly versatile in it's ability to adjust to a specific shooters needs. Remarkable even when you consider as recent as yesterday you could still buy one new for $1340!
DLP wrote:
I've been using the 7d for a few years now. I did have AF issues on the first copy but there was an update by Canon early in production. About 18 months ago there was a thread where many of us had noticed a marked improvement after a certain SN range.
I haven't heard about the serial number range thing, but mine was certainly an early one.
Ferrophot wrote:
No problems with the AF with mine but AE seems to be a bit inconsistant. Take 4 shots of the same scene and one always seems 2/3 stop underexposed. The camera seems to be very sensitive to what is under the focussing point, more so than the XTi I had.
I agree, exposure is biased to whatever is under the active AF point (or points). But that's a feature, not a flaw. I prefer it that way so I don't need to fiddle with EC as much. However, if that type of metering behavior is not desired, you can change it to center weighted for a more averaged meter pattern. I believe there are a few more metering options and tweaks available beyond CW.
I've owned a 7D since Fall 2009 and AF rarely misses. It's the most dependable focus on an EOS I've owned, and I've owned many. The main gotcha is user skill and knowledge: 7D AF has 5 modes and behaves very differently than prior prosumer EOS. It took me a month or so to figure out how the modes work and which ones I prefer for my style of shooting. At first I actually thought something was wrong with my camera because it was so different from my 5D and 50D. Incidentally, the spot focus feature is an amazing innovation, especially being able to invoke it instantly in any AF mode without dialing in another mode. I have spot AF assigned to the DOF button.
Imagemaster wrote:
I find the IQ of the 7D is great, and noise is a non-issue:
Jeff wrote:
Wow, 18MP down to 1100 pixels. ISO 800 IQ looks great, and can't see a bit of noise in the masked sky!
Yeah, there was some serious NR applied for sure. At ISO 800 the raw color noise is rather apparent. I wonder how much improvement there will be in a 7D II or something similar.
I'm reading and hearing a ton of stories about serious focus issues with the 7D
If the OP's post isn't a a classic example of trolling, then I don't know what is. Since the 7D was released over two years ago, there have been literally dozens of "7D can't focus discussions" -- on this forum and others -- and literally dozens of posts showing that the focus problems are nonsense. What's the purpose of yet another such discussion? It's been done to death, and there's no value in bringing it up yet again.
Steve, the OP, seems to be interested in getting a 7D. I don't believe that his thread is trolling.
I bought an early version of a 7D and it is my only APS-C for quite a while after a brief period of a 30D. For what it does as such, I have been very happy with its performance, AF-wise and IQ-wise. Used in combo with a 5D Mark II since both bodies use the same battery, the two cameras compliment each other nicely if I don't feel like taking the 1D IV as a fast action body in addition to the 5D Mark II.
Back to the original question, I think the AF of a properly functioning 7D is as good if not better than any of the previous EF-S Canon bodies. It is for sure more capable since the wretched diamond pattern of the older cameras is gone.
The pixel pitch of an 18MP sensor is so small that AF errors will be rather noticeable if there are any camera AF defects. Unfortunately there are bound to be plenty of misadjusted and/or defective bodies out there. Be sure to buy from a reseller with a good return policy and test, test test immediately after receipt. If the AF is good most likely it will last for years without problems.
BluesWest wrote:
If the OP's post isn't a a classic example of trolling, then I don't know what is.....
John
You can't be serious. Me? Trolling? You must be new around here. Read my profile and my other posts before spewing out such nonsense. So maybe I'm guilty of not having searched the forum for previous discussions of the focus issues, if any. Yeah, I sometimes get lazy. So what? So far, the responses have been respectful and helpful ... except yours.
- Steve
EB-1 wrote
Yeah, there was some serious NR applied for sure. At ISO 800 the raw color noise is rather apparent. I wonder how much improvement there will be in a 7D II or something similar.
EBH
I'd certainly hope Canon would make some strides in that department, and I'd love to see the CR2 file posted for the 'Flicker and the Blue Sky'...
Absolutely love my 7D. Had some focusing issues early on, came to realize that the issue was me. For fast action I like to use single point focusing using either the center point or the one above it.
Noise? I think too many people make too much of noise. ISO up to 3200 is sooo much better than anything from just 3-4 years ago. I went from the 30d and wow what a difference.
I've had my 7D for several weeks and set it up for center only/partial and have had no problems. My FT, FTB, 10D, 20D, 40D, 50D have all been used that way without any focus issues. Set this way, **I** control the camera, it does not control itself.
I bought a 7D when they first came out. I had been using a MkIIn.
The 7D went back to Canon for AF issues twice and was twice found to be "within specification". I sold the 7D.
I now am convinced that the 7D is designed to focus less well than Canon models that sell for a higher price; and that it it is designed to focus better than the Canon models that sell for a lower price tag. That is an integral part of the Canon approach to marketing and pricing.
You can find tons of users who say the 7D focuses flawlessly. Most of them had only used less expensive models prior to getting their 7D.
You can also find many posters who claim their 7D has focus issues. Most of them have used 1D series bodies prior to getting their 7D.
Bottom line: regarding the focusing ability of Canon DSLR bodies - you get what you pay for.
At ISO 800 the raw color noise is rather apparent. I wonder how much improvement there will be in a 7D II or something similar.