With the announcement of the new Canon EOS 7D digital SLR, we find a new camera in the high mid-range of Canon’s DSLR lineup.   The 7D appears to target the feature/price range between the 50D and the 5D Mark II.   Its 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors support an ISO range expandable to 12800 and continuous shooting at 8 fps.   This DSLR continues the trend of including full HD video recording.

This camera will probably be a good choice for the serious photography enthusiast, and perhaps as a lower end pro camera.   Certainly, even as a “lower end” pro camera, I am probably doing a disservice to this DSLR.  It has plenty of great features that just a couple of years ago we would have begged for.  I am anxious to see field tests!

One thing I find most attractive is their beefed up new 19-point cross-type focusing.   Some of the earlier Canons frankly did not impress me with their auto focus capabilities, and if you have a great camera and great lenses but the auto focus is sometimes off, then it doesn’t matter how many megapixels you have.   For example, I have noticed a dramatic difference between the 40D and the 5D Mark II.   And now with the 7D having an even better auto-focus sensor, I am thrilled.

They also claim to have a new metering system, that will deliver more accurate and consistent exposure.   That can only lead to better photos!

Also, a new feature introduced for the first time on an EOS DSLR is a new Integrated Speedlite Transmitter.  That means you can trigger external Speedlite flashes with no additional accessories!  I shoot with off-camera Canon flashes all the time, so I think this is great!  (Although I’ve never been too keen about infrared flash triggering because of line-of-sight limitations.)

The new 7D also features a magnesium alloy body and is dust and weather resistant, and it has a shutter durability of up to 150,000 cycles.  With these features, this puts this camera closer to the pro-level 5D Mark II and above DSLR’s.

I am sure there will be lots of serious photographers, both pro and hobbyist, finding this new DSLR in their camera bags soon!

You can read about all the other great features on the Canon website:  Click Here