So i’ve had the Canon R7 just about a year now, and I figured i’d put some words down and try and string them together well enough that it makes a modicom of sense to anyone considering purchasing one of these cameras. In no way am I sponsored by Canon … ha! but my thoughts and findings in a first hand account may help some of you out.
Previous to owning the R7 I used a second hand Canon 80d and loved it. Its a chonk of a DSLR and combined then with a Sigma 150-600 contemporary lens, I was happy with results but felt I needed something more.
When Canon announced the release of the R7 and I saw the specs expected with it, I was immediately intrigued.
The thought to go mirrorless had been in the back of my tiny little mind, the compactness of mirrorless cameras and seeming notable increase in quality was the driving force behind it. The R7 from its release announcement really got me thinking this was the moment.
Im not going to wax on about the differences between mirrorless and DSLR there are many guides on the web such as: https://www.techradar.com/news/mirrorless-vs-dslr-cameras nor am I going to compare specs and details, this is literally what i’ve found in the last year of using it.
Primarily and rather obviously maybe, I use my camera for aviation photography. So many of the functions of the R7 appealed to what I was intending to use it for. Subject tracking, quick auto focus, IBIS ( inbuilt, Image, Stabilisation) the main protagonists.
The R7 is very compact in relation to the 80d, also much lighter. One of the first things I noticed was when holding it my little finger seemed to be lost and not have a place to settle while gripping the camera. Just one of those things to get used to really BUT by the power of social media I stumbled across a page on Instagram, Custom Battery Grips. Here they 3d print an array of you guessed it, custom grips to add to cameras, not solely Canon. The grip is sturdy in design, features a handy opening to facilitate battery changing without having to remove it, and finally gave poor little pinky somewhere to settle when holding the camera…. hurrah.
The shooting modes and frame rate detailed on the R7 also had me a little giddy. H+ ( offering 15fps mechanical and an eye watering for me 30 fps on electronic shutter) I literally couldn’t wait to test this out and marvel at my new found power…. but all is not what it seems here.
Yes the high speed frame rates are great but there are drawbacks. The speed at which the shutter moves at 15fps, seems to really judder the the camera, also the keeper rate is disappointingly low, so switching to electronic where there is no shutter movement would solve this, yes… but no
The electronic shutter suffers with rolling shutter, so any buildings, trees, pylons get warped, much of the time i’ve found them to be leaning even rotor blades seem to end up looking like sickles. Not ideal.
Canon also revealed a few months ago that the r7 struggles with auto focusing using the high speed modes, something hopefully they can solve in the future but dropping down to H at around 7fps, I am seeing a greater increase in sharper shots
Don’t let this put you off or seem that I am being negative about the r7, Its a fantastic camera and each time I use it, I seem to be learning more about it by doing, not just by reading.
The electronic viewfinder initially was an oddity to get used to, having had the ability to look through the viewfinder when I wanted, now the camera needs to be on so the viewfinder ( basically a small monitor) can function. However inside the viewfinder there is so much info I can check and look at whilst simultaneously taking a picture. Histogram and all the info for the settings can all be clearly displayed.
The button layout on the rear of the camera, did take a little getting used to as the rear dial on the 80d was in a completely different part of the camera that it is on the r7, however anyone that has switched from iPhone to Samsung or xbox to playstation will know that in time the muscle memory in your fingers gets used to the new layout and away you go.
The little joystick inside top dial whilst fiddly at first trying to convince my thumb it was needed to navigate with this little nub, now feels totally natural that I can move the focus area around, navigate through menus and cycle through shots etc.
The canon R7 was released as a “professional APSC, mirrorless camera” but I feel its actually such an all rounder it should appeal to all levels of the photography hobby not just Pros, keen hobbyists like myself can adapt to it.
The LPE-6nh battery commonly used in Canon cameras is used in this model, and generally I manage get around 800+ shots before I choose to switch out for a fresh battery, throughout the RIAT airshow week I would probably switch out 2 or 3 batteries, but that’s with being heavy on the shutter.
I make no claim to be a videographer at all…. I have used the video option a few times and it will be something I aim to explore as I continue to use the R7, so far so good.
In summary, the R7 is a great camera, compact and lightweight until you add a lumbering chunk of glass on the front.. the results whilst not totally down to the camera good or bad ultimately depend on the cabbage holding it, and understanding what you ( I ) am asking the camera to do. Don’t expect to just buy one of these and see a huge leap in quality, a good grasp on the basics is certainly worth learning before handing over the considerable price tag amount. Would I buy the r7 again? Yes, for the price and what it offers I do feel this is a fantastic camera.
Hope that’s made a little sense, I will likely add or edit this as I go on and keep using the camera.