Technically - what's the difference? T2i vs 7D

[Herm99]

Obviously the 7D is a better camera, I'm aware of that, I'm wondering why is it such a better camera? I looked at the specs and these 2 cameras use the exact same image sensor and same digic-4 processor. Does the pentaprism to pentamirror make much of a difference? What physically makes the 7D so much better?

 

[Overread19 7]

There are a few points to consider, including:

Build quality = the 7D is tougher and better built plus it comes with increased weather sealing. These are big step ups from the rebel series and make the camera far more reliable in more adverse weather conditions.

Size - the 7D is physically bigger than the rebel camera body.

Burst rate - the FPS and buffer size in RAW and JPEG for the 7D are greater than that of the rebel series camera body. Note a new firmwire update is also coming out soon (I think August ) which is increasing the RAW buffer for the 7D.

The 7D has a far far more sophisticated and customisable AF system. This (along with the improved build quality) is a big reason why people choose this over lower level bodies. The AF is far faster and also has far more accurate AF points on its screen to choose from. The ability to also tweak parts of the AF system and its responses also greatly increases its versatility in a variety of situations.


The 7D also sports a rear wheel for settings control, meaning that in modes like manual the shutter is done on the shutter button wheel whilst the aperture is set with the back wheel, making it potentially faster to change settings.


The 7D is the superior body, but if you're not shooting sports/wildlife/action then a lot of its bonus features are not really things that you will likely make extensive use of. In addition when it comes to DSLRs I'd always advocate putting more money early on, into good quality high end lenses instead of bodies. The lenses not only have a much greater effect on image quality than the sensor, but also directly enable you to shoot different types of shot in different conditions.

Also remember that you can pick up good quality used/refurbished 50D and 40D camera bodies; letting you have access to the mid-range build qualities of the midrange series (the 7D is a bit above them, but still very similar) without paying the higher price of newer units (mostly all you'd miss out on is video mode). Also remember that the 60D is not an upgrade of the 50D, its a step down from it and lacks some of the pro build quality features (including the duel wheel control setup). The 50D line was split with the release of the 60D and 7D into the lower tier 60D and the higher tier 7D.

 

[Robin Usagani]

if you shoot with the same lens and you assume you nail the focus, you probably produce the same quality photos. 7D can shoot more frames per second too.

 

[Herm99]

Interesting points guys, thanks. So essentially the biggest factor is the AF system on the 7D is much better? So, Schwetty you literally stole the words from my mouth. Assuming you nail the focus with t2i, you would get literally the same image quality? Assuming same lens, settings, etc. Is that a pretty safe assumption then?

 

[Robin Usagani]

Interesting points guys, thanks. So essentially the biggest factor is the AF system on the 7D is much better? So, Schwetty you literally stole the words from my mouth. Assuming you nail the focus with t2i, you would get literally the same image quality? Assuming same lens, settings, etc. Is that a pretty safe assumption then?

Yes, but then again 7D controls are much better. It is much easier to use a 7D in a manual mode and to select focus points manually.

 

[KmH]

Did you notice that the 7D has 2 - Digic 4 Image Processors, and some other upgrades like a pentaprism viewfinder, 19 - all cross-type focus points, 1/8000 shutter, 8 fps, and the list goes on.

 

[JohnTrav]

You can also keep in mind the new firmware update they are suppose to release in August. You can check it out on YouTube and see the features it's bringing to the 7D

Sorry I can't provide a link.

 

[Herm99]

Did you notice that the 7D has 2 - Digic 4 Image Processors, and some other upgrades like a pentaprism viewfinder, 19 - all cross-type focus points, 1/8000 shutter, 8 fps, and the list goes on.

I did mention the pentaprism, I did not know about 2 processors though. So where does the 60D fit into this? I believe it also uses the same sensor and processor. Does the 60D use the same AF system as the 7D?

 

[Overread19 7]

No - the 60D is more akin to a slightly higher spec rebel than it is to a lower spec 7D. It lacks the rear wheel control, lacks the AF system and lacks the same build quality and size. It's a step up from the rebel, but not as big a jump as for the 7D.
Also note that the 60D is not an upgrade of the 50D. Despite the names the 50D upgrade line was split into a lower priced and lower spec 60D and a higher priced and higher spec 7D. This allowed for the 7D to have much more than the 50D line had in the past, whilst also balancing the price range so that there was something on the market (the 60D) that sat in the price point between rebel and 7D.

 

[Robin Usagani]

Wait.... I thought th XXD series have thumb wheel??

 

[macpro88]

Wait.... I thought th XXD series have thumb wheel??

This is true, the 60D does have the rear wheel, whether or not it performs the same with the same functions as the 7D and higher is beyond me, I can't imagine it wouldn't though.

The wheel is a big plus, upgraded from a T1i to 7D, and the wheel, among other features, was a big plus.

 

[Overread19 7]

Oh sorry I thought the thumb wheel had been dropped from the 60D.

 

[macpro88]

Oh sorry I thought the thumb wheel had been dropped from the 60D.

Based on the images from Canon's website its still there, then again I'm in the US, not sure how different the model would be in the UK. It does appear to by smaller on the 60D, probably due to the fact the 60D has a physical smaller form factor than 7D.

 

[Overread19 7]

There is no difference between Canon camera bodies in different counties. The names of the rebel series do change around some, but the cameras themselves are identical and all made in the same factory. A 60D from Japan is identical to one from the USA as to one from the UK - though I'd expect the Japan one to come with its language set to Japanese by default not english.

 

[macpro88]

There is no difference between Canon camera bodies in different counties. The names of the rebel series do change around some, but the cameras themselves are identical and all made in the same factory. A 60D from Japan is identical to one from the USA as to one from the UK - though I'd expect the Japan one to come with its language set to Japanese by default not english.

Gotcha, same camera, different name from outside US, different default language. Ya know, for the longest time the two different names for the same camera confused me lol