Recent negative 7D threads

^ I think some may be, but there are a handful of others that have either sent theirs in, or gotten a new one without the same issues, so it would have been a dud 7D.

To draw an analogy...

"I just bought a Ferrari. I thought it would steer better around corners, but it is a dissapointment that it is finicky about when I brake and when I accelerate, so it does not corner as well as my Mazda 3 did. And frankly the tires are horrid in the rain or snow, and it is hard to accelerate in slippery conditions, too. The shift lever is finicky, the clutch pedal takes a ton of effort, as does the steering! I am going to return it to the dealer. because it just isn't worth it!"

DPReview forum II

thw wrote in post #9791308
DPReview forum II

I don't understand

Rigby470 wrote in post #9787830
The 7D is a great camera. . .once you learn how to use it.

For me I chose the 5D2 because the learning curve was not as steep and I can get great results as I learn. As someone already said, the 7D is an unforgiving camera. It mandates that an operator know what he is are doing and prior knowledge of the myriad of settings the 7D has to offer.

The 5D2 reminds me a lot of the 40D and 50D as far as operation. The 7D was a completely new beast. Of all the DSLRs I've owned it had the steepest learning curve and honestly I don't think I've learned everything there is to know about the new AF system.

If I only shot medium to wide angle I could see using the 5D2 only. I am getting into longer range shooting and I just can't afford the glass that I would be happy with on the 5D2. The two make a nice pair for me.

gabebalazs wrote in post #9791391
I don't understand

I get it!

So..... what does it mean in terms of good ergonomics when a prosumer camera has a 'steeper learning curve' than most pro cameras? People who have been getting great shots with 5D, 1DmkII's, 1dMKIIIs, etc aren't happy with the 7D? even if its a case of RTFM, what does that really say? Shouldn't a great tool 'get out of the way' and not require a doctorate to get it to work?

Purely for discussion's sake (I don't have a 7D, and bear it no ill will), assuming you aren't shooting something very difficult, shouldn't default settings yield a decent picture? Has this year's 18mp crop cam (and next years 24mp crop cam, and so on..) lost some essential goodness that we are all working twice as hard now to wring out of the camera?

elader wrote in post #9791898
So..... what does it mean in terms of good ergonomics when a prosumer camera has a 'steeper learning curve' than most pro cameras?

"Steeper learning curve" and good ergonomics are in no way related - the 7D might well have a steepish learning curve depending on what you're coming from, but it has excellent ergonomics.

The two are certainly not mutually exclusive.

I think it is general conception that people new to photography think 'good camera = good photo's'

I think more first-timers are buying the 7D than say the 5D2, not entirely sure why seeing as the 7D is almost as expensive.
So I'm not surprised people are having issues. It's not a difficult camera, but you certainly can't use it like a P&S, once you've adopted how to get the best out of it it's simple.

benesotor wrote in post #9793076
I think it is general conception that people new to photography think 'good camera = good photos'

And that "more sophisticated" should somehow equate to "easier to use" - and it's not just inexperienced folk that seem to labour under misconception.

benesotor wrote in post #9793076
I think it is general conception that people new to photography think 'good camera = good photo's'

I think more first-timers are buying the 7D than say the 5D2, not entirely sure why seeing as the 7D is almost as expensive.
So I'm not surprised people are having issues. It's not a difficult camera, but you certainly can't use it like a P&S, once you've adopted how to get the best out of it it's simple.

The 7D is almost as expensive as the 5DII? I'm not sure about prices in the UK but in North America the 5DII is more than a $1000 more expensive than a 7D.

jwcdds wrote in post #9786319
Stay away? Heavens no.

More like be patient and actually read the manual. And when one's done reading the manual, come here and look at the 7D sticky and go through the links, the tips, the video tutorials.

I think some forget or simply assume that just because one pays $1700, doesn't mean the camera will take better photos for them.

Couldn't...agree....mo​re!

I've just bought myself a 7D and around 50% of my photos so far have been soft.

A professional friend of mine who shoots motorsport for a living mainly with a 5D Mark II (which according to many people on here is also nigh on impossible) had a play with my 7D when I first took it out the other day,and I can safely say the pictures he took were far from soft or OOF.

I think patience is the key. When I went from my 20D to the 40D I wasn't friends with my 40D for a couple of months. I had to send it in for AF issues but even after that it took me a while to get used to it. I wouldn't hesitate to get a 7D if I could afford it. I just had a friend go from a Rebel XT to a 7D.

sixsixfour wrote in post #9791104
I think the majority of these incidents are attributed to the "aye-dee-ten-tee" error.

Apparently IT support people use the acronym PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair). Perhaps we need something similar - PEBV?

jm4ever wrote in post #9793261
The 7D is almost as expensive as the 5DII? I'm not sure about prices in the UK but in North America the 5DII is more than a $1000 more expensive than a 7D.

In the UK the 7D is about £1300, and the 5D2 is about £1600, I don't see it as a huge difference.