Another 7D post

Canon 7D versus 1Ds Mark 3.

I was in a hurry so this test is by no means complete, and it is not quite apples versus apples. That said, I just shot a light in my studio with the 1Ds MkIII and with the 7D. Same lens length, effectively:

7D setup:

  • 35mm f/1.4L lens
  • 3200 ISO, f/5.6, 1/50th sec
  • AWB, standard camera NR settings

1Ds MkIII setup:

  • 24-70 f/2.8L lens set to 46mm
  • 1600 ISO, f/4, 1/50th sec
  • AWB, standard camera NR settings

In both cases I took the image into Canon DPP and did not adjustments at all. I saved as 1200 pixels long, and I saved it as an original size crop at 100% JPG quality.

Large shots, 7D first:

7D-1200

1DS3-1200

Now for the real size detail, 7D first – click on each to see them at original size:

7D-1200-Crop

1DS3-crop

The first thing you see is that the white balance is off on the 1Ds MkIII, and is much better on the 7D.

Also, the 7D looks sharper. More noise – it is 3200 ISO vs 1600 ISO on the 1Ds – but it is noticeably sharper.

The other thing to note is that on the 1Ds, I needed several shots to get the camera to focus on the “Opus” name. Several were eway off. The 7D is behving more consistently.

Note also that it is easy to be fooled: on the display, the 1D image looks soft at all times, while the 7D image looks crisp, sharp, wonderful. But that is partly due to the display.

Next week I will do some proper controlled tests. But this already shows me they are at te very least comparable.

0 thoughts on “Another 7D post

  1. you shot the 7d with one of canons sharpest lenses, in it’s sweet spot. ANd you shot the 1ds3 with one of canon’s worst L zooms, at f4 (hardly its sweet spot).

  2. A-ha. Two answers!

    a. Yes, Canon is notorious for warm WB on auto in Tungsten light. Just on eiof thos ethings.

    b. Actually I use “AWB” (Auto) all the time. Because I shoot RAW, and when you shoot RAW, all you need is a neutral grey reference anywhere in your picture, and you get perfect WB with just one click. So, inaccurate WB is just an inconvenience, nothing more.

  3. Ah yes, of course. I should have thought of that. I remember when the excellent salesman at Keeble & Schuchat, Palo Alto explained that to me when he sold me my first DSLR – an EOS-300D in 2004.

    All those WB presets, custom WB, and bracketing features on camera are thus pointless when you shoot RAW.

    Is that 100% true? Or is there some utility beyond a bit of convenience in getting the WB correct in-camera when you are shooting RAW?

  4. 100% true for WB.

    Not entirely for bracketing though – while RAW allows you to increase or decrease exposure by a stop or more without any noticeable quality loss, it is always essential to get as close as you can in camera.

  5. Yes, I understand that getting the best exposure you can in-camera is important. But my EOS-30D has a WB shift/bracket feature as well as exposure bracketing. I’ve never used WB bracketing.

    Has it been dropped from later Canons?

  6. Can a 7D really be compare to the 1DsIII? Only thing I don’t like about the 7D is that the ergonomic grip, it’s perfect for people with smaller hand. I find the 40/50D has a much better holding (without the battery grip) when use with heavier lens like 70-200mm f/2.8 IS or 24-70mm f/2.8.

    That’s just me.

  7. That’s interesting! Most people are the reverse and think it’s a great camera to hold. (Me too). So one think we can agree on is “it’s different”. Which reminds me: always, always hold a camera before buying!

Leave a Reply to Michael Willems Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *