Canon EOS R7 Camera Review

Big Brother to the previously reviewed Canon R10, the R7 offers dust and moisture resistance, faster shutter, dual card slots, revised control placements and improves in many ways on what was already a fine camera design. Running all the usual tests, shooting more images out in the field and assessing the camera from scratch, there are some identical features and many significant tweaks. Will these all add up to a better camera and a better user experience? Let's find out.

Canon EOS R7 Features

Manufactured using both Magnesium alloy and high-strength engineering plastic, the body is strong and well-made but still only weighs 612g including card and battery. The dimensions are larger than the previously reviewed R10, but still reasonably compact at 132mm wide, 90.4mm high and 91.7mm deep. The battery has a very acceptable capacity of 700 shots using the LCD or 500 shots using the EVF.

Moving to the top of the camera, the viewfinder comprises a 0.39-inch OLED EVF with 2.36M dots, with a 100% view at a generous 1.15x magnification. This works well and is pleasant to view through, without causing any eye fatigue. The monitor is a vari-angle 7.5cm (2.95 inch) TFT LCD touchscreen with 1.62M dots. This is equally clear and sharp. There is no built-in flash.

The top plate houses the shutter release, movie start/stop and an ISO button, a useful convenience. The on/off switch is moved slightly to the rear of the top plate and works well, even if I might have preferred it around the shutter release button. The rear control wheel has been re-sited to the camera back, where it surrounds the joystick. It is a good location and the wheel is just the right resistance so it does not turn too easily. Some wheels can be very fiddly, but this one has been well thought out and works.

The Q/menu button is in the centre of the four-way controller and this gives access to all the main parameters that we might want to change routinely.

The AF/MF selector is on the front of the camera, but the AF system is so fast and reliable that many users may not use the facility of MF. AF is operational from -5EV to +20EV and the metering system from -2EV to +20EV. The ISO range extends from 100-25600 (12800 for video), although it can be extended to ISO 51200 (25600 for video). The mechanical shutter has a range of 30s – 1/8000s (15fps) and the electronic shutter from 30s – 1/16000s (30fps).

The 22.3mm x 14.9mm APS-C CMOS sensor has 32.5MP. The crop factor is 1.6x. The processor is Canon's blisteringly-fast Digic X. Images are recorded on either of the 2 SD cards in RAW, JPEG or HEIF formats. There is full compatibility with SD, SDHC, SDXC and UHS-II cards. The two card slots are behind their own access door on the right grip. The door opens wide enough so there is plenty of room to get fingers in to extract the cards.

Connectivity is the order of the day and the R7 offers a plethora of ways to connect. image.Canon is a Direct WiFi connection for uploadable Cloud services. We have YouTube live streaming, Smartphone connect to assist the vloggers and content creators and even direct tethering by wire to a computer. Physical connecions include mike, USB Type-C with charging supported and mini HDMI (Type D) out.

All this would be to no avail if the images were not sharp and we have built in IS that is claimed to have a 4.5 stop advantage, increased to 7 stops if used in conjunction with the lens IS. This is true of the kit 18-150mm lens , but some other IS lenses from the RF range will offer up to 8 stops advantage when combined with the camera IBIS. Testing this out, using the 18-150mm lens, this was found to be exactly right.

As mentioned, RF full frame lenses can be used as the mount is the same, but DSLR EF lenses can also be fitted using the Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. There are two other adapters available for EF lenses, the EF-EOS R Control Ring Adapter and the EF-EOS R Drop-in Filter Adapter.

Finally, the camera has dust and moisture resistance, thus freeing the photographer to continue shooting in poor weather conditions. As always, this does not mean the camera is waterproof, but it is an extremely valuable feature, giving a good level of protection against the elements.

Key Features

• 32.5MP APS-C CMOS
• Media 2 card slots: SD/SDHC/SDXC/UHS-II
• Shutter speeds 30s to 1/8000s (Mechanical shutter)
• Shutter speeds 30s to 1/16000s (Electronic shutter)
• ISO 100- 32000 (expands to 51200)
• Movie ISO 12800 (expands to 25600)
• Image Stabiliser: up to 4.5 stops, 8 stops with lens IS
• 15fps mechanical shutter
• 30fps electronic shutter
• 30fps RAW burst mode
• AF to -5 EV
• Metering to -2 EV
• Detection AF for People, animals or vehicles
• Dust and moisture resistance
• Movie File Formats:4K UHD, 4K Full HD H.265/HEVC, Audio: AAC, Linear PCM
• 4K/Full HD: H.264/ MPEG-4 AVC, Audio: AAC, Linear PCM
• Full HD up to 120p
• 8.3MP frame grab from 4K UHD movie
• OLED 0.39 inch EVF with 2.36 million dots
• Vari-angle touch screen 2.95 inch LCD with 1.62 million dots
• Bluetooth
• WiFi
• 612g incl battery and card
• Battery capacity 770 shots, using screen
• Battery capacity 500 shots, using EVF
• Creative Filters
• Picture Styles

Canon EOS R7 Handling

Compared to the Canon R10, the R7 does make some significant improvements to handling. Some of these amount to greater convenience, some to improved ergonomics.

Although the layout is pure Canon and very similar to other models, in this version the rear control wheel has been resited to surround the joystick. The functions remain the same and exposure compensation can be controlled by this wheel, but the positioning protects it from accidental activation when carrying the camera one-handed. It also makes the action of changing the focusing spot and the exposure a very slick process. Another good idea. There is also now a dedicated ISO button near the shutter release and this is very advantageous for those who alter the ISO routinely, perhaps when working on location in dull light. We do lose the four options around the Set/Menu button on the four-way controller, but these functions can be accessed using the Q menu.

Far more convenient than being located in the battery compartment, the two SD card slots are accessed via a sliding/hinged door in the grip section. Also more convenient is the larger battery, housed in the usual place but with a more refined design to the compartment. The retaining spring is the usual slick Canon style, the battery is a larger capacity and the number of shots considerably increased.

All of these things make their contribution to efficient working and help to make the camera intuitive and a pleasure to use.