Disappointed in Canon Quality

I'm relatively new to photography I just started about 8 years ago and I started with a new Rebel but in short time I realized it had a lot of short falls and due to hanging out on this forum I became more interested in the hobby. I bought a new 7D and was real disappointed in the ISO performance.
I found that wildlife was where my real interest was and long lens require higher shutter speed but since the 7D had poor performance above 1200 ISO I bought a really nice 1D mklll it was so much better than my 7D that I soon bought another one so when I went out I had 2 lens with a camera ready to shoot.

My 7D just sit in my bag for a few years and recently I decided to use it.
Went to the river saw this bald eagle sitting out in the open nothing around him late afternoon so sun was low and he was lit up great would have been a wonderful photo but my 7D would not work.

The camera was way out of warranty but only had 4500 clicks on it.
When I sent it to Canon I had to pay much more for the repair because they say it is a pro camera.
Why do they think they should get more for labor on one camera over another one this is BS.

So I paid a good bit of money for a camera that does not live up to the hype reliability was terrible and service cost what another camera would have cost.

I don't know how other feel but for me I expect what they call a pro camera to last longer than 4500 clicks.
Now I feel better since I got that off my chest.

Things break. That is what warranties are for. How is it Canon's fault you didn't use the camera enough to generate the failure during the warranty period?

Saying the ISO-performance of the 7D is poor above 1200 says way more about you than it does the camera. The 7D is very capable of nearly noise free results at ISO 6400. How is it Canon's fault that you are not capable of making it do so? Learn how to properly expose. Learn how to process your work. Look at some of the high-ISO threads here and elsewhere. You'll be amazed what some folks can do with the 7D at 6400. Caution, don't look at TeamSpeed's ISO 12,800 work with the 7D. It will make you cry.

Yes some can make a silk purse out of a sows ear but that don't change the fact that right out of the camera it will have noise.
Some make good photos right out of the camera other depend on their skill on the computer to cover up for poor photos.

And some people take great shots with their camera then improve them further on the PC. Infering that PC users are covering up poor quality images is a lame point that unfortunately has been raised countless times before - usually by people that can't post process.

By the way I've had a 7D that produced fantastic results - so much so that I've now upgraded to a 7D2. Don't blame the tools...

Ok it is all my fault that the 15 cent made in Taiwan shutter button failed.
The 7D is a great camera want to buy one with only 4500 clicks on it and just reconditioned by CPS.
You guys sure get your panties in a wad when someone tells the truth about Canon.

Black Bart wrote in post #17876050
Some make good photos right out of the camera other depend on their skill on the computer to cover up for poor photos.

Stproc wrote in post #17876060
And some people take great shots with their camera then improve them further on the PC. .......... Don't blame the tools...

WOW!, Both good points. I have done the GAS trip as well from T2i, to 7D, to 6D, and then the Fuji XT-1. Yes the camera can make a difference and some do handle low light better than others. But when it gets down to fact each is generally a different tool with different advantages/disadvantag​es. Each is a compromise of one advantage over an other.

A good photographer learns how to use the equipment he has. Meaning he learns BOTH critical processes in photography - that being image capture and image processing. I waffle between the two; sometimes I capture fantastic images that don't require any processing and then at times I find myself over processing something that probably shouldn't be saved. I do believe Noise Reduction should not be 90% of post process, but then again some cameras were not designed for low light. I still have my 7D and it is my go to camera for wildlife, but only when the sun is out. When I know it is going to be overcast I sacrifice the reach and pull out the 6D or XT-1.

I believe it is all about learning the equipment and mastering the two critical processes of photography. Someday I will get there!

I am surprised the 7D failed so quickly - normally it is a great and durable camera. Every manufacturer does produce some lemons, it's just very disheartening to get one of them. We can't always test things out during the warranty period and then we get burned. Understandable to say the least.

Black Bart wrote in post #17876069
Ok it is all my fault that the 15 cent made in Taiwan shutter button failed.
The 7D is a great camera want to buy one with only 4500 clicks on it and just reconditioned by CPS.
You guys sure get your panties in a wad when someone tells the truth about Canon.

Sell it.

Move on.

Even the best gear has a dud here and there. Doesn't mean every 7D is of poor quality.

Very best,

I agree with you and that is why I will continue to use my 1D it is much better suited for what I'm doing.

The 1D3 is better at low ISO than the 7D, but at high ISO they just about equalize, especially when you level out the huge resolution difference. However, indeed, there is either something wrong with your 7D, or you were underexposing, and actually then digitally shooting at higher ISOs. There are indeed variations in ISO management between copies of 7Ds, I have had 4, and 1 was atrocious, 3 others were all quite good. One of mine is still being used by a member here even today. I suspect that you need to fully charge your battery to try the 7D, and also check the watch battery that is in it. It charges from the main battery, and if you didn't use the camera for years, that battery wound down without being recharged.

To make the most of your photography, you still have the darkroom aspect of photography, but in this case you don't use chemicals and techniques, you use software and your own creativity and skills. Any photo you take and don't touch up, another more skilled photographer and graphic artist can make better. I find it interesting that you state you are fairly new to photography but take jabs at others. I remember feeling like that, and I learned that in many cases it wasn't my equipment that was poor, or that others used techniques to hide their inadequacies, I found out that I was indeed the inadequate one, and vowed to learn and get better.

---------------

Now, let's look at some samples and facts about the 7D vs 1D3, using my personal copies.

Here is an out of camera JPG from my virgin 7D when I first got it, at ISO 3200.

Black Bart wrote in post #17876050
Yes some can make a silk purse out of a sows ear but that don't change the fact that right out of the camera it will have noise.
Some make good photos right out of the camera other depend on their skill on the computer to cover up for poor photos.

In any field of endeavor, better results are achieved by those who best know how to use their tools. If you choose not to get the best out of your tools. Use your 7D however you wish, but don't blame the results you get on the camera.

Bassat wrote in post #17876047
Things break. That is what warranties are for. How is it Canon's fault you didn't use the camera enough to generate the failure during the warranty period?

Problem is there is no warranty if Canon abandons support of a product. Canon's habit of abandoning their own products in inexcusable. When abandoned, not only can you not get warranty service, but Canon will not repair it. Neither will they sell parts for it. And according to Canon, they may abandon a product in as few as seven years.

If you buy a point-and-shoot for $98 bucks, I can understand it. However, when you buy a pro product for thousands and thousands of dollars, it would not be unheard of to use it for seven years. But with Canon, you might be SOL if your extremely expensive camera breaks.

And what was I told by a Canon rep? Not in these words, of course, but basically I was told "tough luck. Move on. Spend thousands and buy something new."

Up yours, Canon.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17876136
Problem is there is no warranty if Canon abandons support of a product. Canon's habit of abandoning their own products in inexcusable. When abandoned, not only can you not get warranty service, but Canon will not repair it. Neither will they sell parts for it. And according to Canon, they may abandon a product in as few as seven years.

If you buy a point-and-shoot for $98 bucks, I can understand it. However, when you buy a pro product for thousands and thousands of dollars, it would not be unheard of to use it for seven years. But with Canon, you might be SOL if your extremely expensive camera breaks.

And what was I told by a Canon rep? Not in these words, of course, but basically I was told "tough luck. Move on. Spend thousands and buy something new."

Screw you, Canon.

What? You have GOT to be kidding. Canon has not abandoned the 7D. Every manufacturer on earth stops servicing their products at some point. Try getting warranty service on an Edsel, or a 2003 Chevy Malibu.

I must be really old in both thinking and age. When I got my first Canon SLR, a used one from my brother, I was in the state of mind that an ASA film speed of 400 was a heck of an accomplishment for the film makers. Now, it seems, that if a camera can’t produce a perfectly clean image at ISO 12,800 it is considered no good. I guess it’s like Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a change’n”.

I am still loving my 7D.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #17876136
Problem is there is no warranty if Canon abandons support of a product. Canon's habit of abandoning their own products in inexcusable. When abandoned, not only can you not get warranty service, but Canon will not repair it. Neither will they sell parts for it. And according to Canon, they may abandon a product in as few as seven years.

Every single product out there has this exact same business model. There's zero argument here.

Very best,

When canon stops supporting a camera its likely 10 years or older. It's hard to imagine any other consumer electronics product being supported for 10 years. Try ordering new parts for a 10 year old stereo or blue ray player.