Seems somebody else has noticed the 7D looks softer SOOC than other cams. I recall there was a reviewer who was vilified here recently for saying the same thing. Can't find the link just now though.
Yohan Pamudji wrote:
Seems somebody else has noticed the 7D looks softer SOOC than other cams.
As the samples show this is indeed the case. I'm wondering if this is a characteristic of the sensor itself or a form of in camera NR, similar to what Nikon does. The later would make sense given the 7D's performance at high ISO's.
M Vers wrote:
As the samples show this is indeed the case. I'm wondering if this is a characteristic of the sensor itself or a form of in camera NR, similar to what Nikon does. The later would make sense given the 7D's performance at high ISO's.
According to the reviewer it may be connected to the relative strength of the anti-alias filter - though he admits that's a guess.
Would the software image out of the camera turn you off from buying it? So far I've seen far more pros than cons. May not be worth the upgrade from the 50d but well worth an upgrade from the 40d.
dolina wrote:
Would the software image out of the camera turn you off from buying it? So far I've seen far more pros than cons. May not be worth the upgrade from the 50d but well worth an upgrade from the 40d.
Perhaps not with regard to image quality, but if the other features (AF, metering, video, wireless flash) and improvements are important then it's worth a consideration.
dolina wrote:
Would the software image out of the camera turn you off from buying it? So far I've seen far more pros than cons. May not be worth the upgrade from the 50d but well worth an upgrade from the 40d.
Regardless of the sharpness issue the 7D is still the best APS-C camera Canon has released to date, as the review states. Well worth the upgrade over the 50D, IMO.
I posted this under master thread too, but I found this part of TDP review most interesting regarding what Darwin found in terms of image softness (which is my biggest concern holding me back from buying right now)...
"The Canon EOS 7D shows a slight resolution increase over the 50D, but again, appears slightly less-sharp at the "1" sharpness setting. Even though the 50D image is slightly sharper, the 7D image is still better than the 50D uprezzed to 7D dimensions. Honestly, the resolution differences are not huge and in my opinion, not a good reason alone (there are many other good reasons) to upgrade from the 50D to the 7D for most...A sharpness setting of "2" helps the 7D a lot in this example. The 5D Mark II, on the other hand, is a clear winner in this comparison."
and, when comparing sample images....
"...The sharpness setting is "1" (very low) with the exception of the "S=" examples that indicate the sharpness setting used to process them. My perception is that, at a sharpness setting of "2", the 7D image is similarly sharp as the 50D image. And at a sharpness setting of "3", the 7D image is similarly sharp as the 5D Mark II image. I'm guessing that the 7D's anti-alias filter is a little stronger relative to the individual pixels on this sensor compared to the T1i or 50D. And that the 50D and T1i's anti-alias filter are a little stronger relative to their individual pixels compared to the 5D II and some other prior DSLR models."
So he seems to be saying that if you set sharpness to 2 or 3 the problem is mostly solved?
Jim Woidat wrote:
So he seems to be saying that if you set sharpness to 2 or 3 the problem is mostly solved?
*I don't think* there is "problem" per se, just that something (AA filter, In camera processing, sensor design etc) seems to be limiting the cameras sharpness output slightly. I usually have sharpness set to 4 anyhow so the 7D's performance at a sharpness level of 1 isn't going to turn me off if I was looking to buy one.
Jim Woidat wrote:
So he seems to be saying that if you set sharpness to 2 or 3 the problem is mostly solved?
Well, there's a price to pay:
"A set of examples processed at a DPP sharpness setting of "2" shows similar sharpness to the T1i and 50D. Also noticeable is that sharpening sharpens the noise which makes it more apparent. Thus, equal sharpness results in the 7D losing some of its lead in the high ISO noise comparison. "
M Vers wrote:
Regardless of the sharpness issue the 7D is still the best APS-C camera Canon has released to date, as the review states. Well worth the upgrade over the 50D, IMO.
Totally agree with you I love this camera and it may not be the sharpest in the block but I would take it over any of the others I have owned. I am getting shots now I would have never gotten with the xxD cameraa's due to the use of very high ISO
It's interesting to see this post after I spent an hour testing my new 7D and wondering if it needed to be exchanged due to the soft images I was getting right out of the camera. They were seriously, super soft, and I was very concerned. Upon calling Canon Tech Support, they told me that "all cameras come out of the factory slightly different from one another, and "my copy" might need to have the in camera sharpness raised a notch or two. They didn't, however, tell me how that would adversely affect the Noise levels.... hmmmm.
I just sold my 40D for this camera and see a huge improvement as far as auto focus settings and capabilities, but am torn by the softness. Am I spoiled by my 5D and fast primes? This is my camera for action photography... I guess the 5D II can't do action very well, can it? What to do, what to do?
