I just took delivery of a brand new Canon EOS 7D. Up until this time, I have been the proud owner of a number of Olympus digital cameras including two dSLRs - the E-330 followed by the E-30. Recently my son, combined with years of exposure to web hype about Canons, Nikons and Sonys, convinced me that it was time to upgrade my camera and also time to consider another brand. Olympus, after all, and despite their claims to the contrary, has in many practical senses, abandoned the Four Thirds dSLR system.
This photo shows, clockwise from the top, Olympus E-330, Canon 7D, and Olympus E-30.
So, onward with the Canon...
While I opened the boxes just a few hours ago, and have only just managed to fully charge the enclosed battery and begin wading through the instruction manual, it is interesting that I am already drawing comparisons between this unit and the Olympus E-30 that it replaces. So far, I'd say that as nice as the 7D is, size wise and shape wise, the Olympus wins the ergonomics contest. Mind you, this may not be a fair comparison as the E-30 was, for me, almost perfect in terms of construction, size and weight. The fact that it also offered a tilt swivel LCD, while the 7D does not, just adds to my sense that Olympus had it right and Canon, not quite.
Other subtle differences that affect usability include the the on/off switch which seemed better positioned on the E-30, but better executed on the 7D; the use of two standard control dials on the Olympus versus one oddly placed dial on the Canon and that strange wheel on the back. While they work well, they are just not placed quite as conveniently as they are on the Olympus, so once again the Olympus layout seems more convenient to me. Beyond that general and admittedly niggling comparison though, it is quite astonishing just how similar these two cameras feel in the hands. On the whole, both offer an excellent control layout, strong construction and solid feel. There really isn't much to recommend one over the other, and both feel much better to me than the Nikon D7000 I looked at.
Then there is the manual, which seems quite good, better than any Olympus manual I've read, and is already shedding light on a few areas that no one seems to speak much about. First off is image stabilization. Olympus uses an in body stabilization system that I rarely used, but which also never got in the way. The E-30 had a three mode system that would allow you to stabilize shots even if you were panning. The first thing I have discovered about Canon's lens based system is that it apparently doesn't work while the camera is in motion, as in when you're panning. Hmmm. That's interesting. The other thing I noticed, at least with the 15 - 85mm kit lens I purchased with the camera, is that it is huge. It seems fairly well built but is quite a bit heavier and larger in diameter than any of my Olympus lenses. The APS-C sensor isn't that much larger than a four-thirds sensor so I wonder how much of this is due to that, apparently less than optimal, optical image stabilization system. Hmmm again... Also, while the manual is good, the complexity of the 7D makes it a must read.
What I do like right away about the 7D is that the camera seems to be very solid, as does the lens. The 7D is built such that one could probably employ it as a fairly effective modern take on the Medieval mace, if you needed to. I also very much like the fact that the 7D is part of a living breathing system with lots of third party support, a huge variety of lenses and accessories to choose from and most importantly, a future (well, nothing is certain, but it seems probable)!
Of course, all this comes under the heading of first impressions, and nothing much can really be said until I have had a chance to get out into the field and take photos. So more to come in future posts. Stay tuned...
