Canon
EOS-1D Mark III
 vs
Canon EOS
7D

Canon EOS 7D

71
Winner

Canon EOS 7D
"Very good low-light performance, low noise levels and good retention of detail"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's iso-noise
"Improved button and control layout over 50D/5D Mark II"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
8 fps
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
19
Viewfinder coverage
 Great viewfinder coverage
100%
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
Canon EOS-1D Mark III

63

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
100 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
94 ms shutter lag
Battery life
 Great battery life
2200 shots
Focus points
 Many focus points
45

differences

Advantages of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.7 more bits of color
Overall image quality Better image quality 71.0 vs 66.0
Help
 Around 10% better image quality
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 2200 shots vs 800 shots
Help
 Around 3x more shots per battery charge
Focus points Significantly more focus points 45 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,078 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The EOS-1D Mark III has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-H 28.7x18.7mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 60% larger sensor
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 8 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 94 ms vs 131 ms
Help
 Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Learn more about
the Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Advantages of the Canon 7D
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
 Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 10.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 80% more detail in your photos
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
Lens availability More lenses available 162 lenses vs 125 lenses
Help
 Around 30% more lenses available
Size Significantly smaller 148x111x74 mm vs 156x157x80 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 860 g vs 1,335 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The 7D's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.61x
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Thinner 2.9" vs 3.1"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The 7D's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent pro DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS-1D Mark III
63 vs 71
Explain scores
Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 7D.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Weather sealed Weather sealed Help
Shoot in extreme weather
Shutter lag Minimal shutter lag Help
EOS-1D Mark III:94 ms
7D:131 ms
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Cross type focus points Many cross-type focus points Help
19
Viewfinder coverage Above average viewfinder coverage Help
100%
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Weight Heavy Help
EOS-1D Mark III:1,335 g
7D:860 g
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
EOS-1D Mark III:6,400 ISO
7D:12,800 ISO
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
EOS-1D Mark III:3,200 ISO
7D:6,400 ISO

Compared to recent pro DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Supports RAW Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
EOS-1D Mark III:APS-H 28.7x18.7mm
7D:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Viewfinder size Below average viewfinder size Help
EOS-1D Mark III:0.61x
7D:0.62x
Screen size Very small screens Help
3.0"
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
11.7 EV
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
EOS-1D Mark III:71.0
7D:66.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
EOS-1D Mark III:22.7 bits
7D:22 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
EOS-1D Mark III:1,078 ISO
7D:854 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Viewfinder coverage Slightly less viewfinder coverage
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Weight Is slightly lighter
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,499 - $3,500 body only

$4,299 - $4,300 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Continuous shooting Doesn't shoot as fast continuously
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder coverage Significantly less viewfinder coverage
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 7D
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,690 - $1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D300S vs the EOS-1D Mark III
Compare the D300S vs the EOS 7D

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Placeholder

Canon EOS-1Ds

Pro DSLR
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder
Screen size Much smaller screen
Live view No live view
Compare the EOS-1Ds vs the EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Color depth Better color depth
Weather sealed No weather sealing
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$1,398 body only

$1,998 with 16-50mm lens
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Color depth Better color depth
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Lens availability Significantly fewer lenses available
Compare the SLT A77 vs the EOS 7D

appearance

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS-1D Mark III Canon EOS 7D

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Jodieharvie (4:38 AM, February 19, 2012)
Love the 7D, would love the mark III
 
Shawn (1:33 PM, May 18, 2011)
 It should be noted for those currently in the market for the 7D that if you throw out the misc scores applied here, both of which are inconsequential (viewfinder size and popularity?!!!), then it is basically a dead heat.  Not being a particularly big fan of the 1D Mark III because of it's focusing issues, I would still take it over the 7D, which I also own every day of the week, accept when I need video capability.  Given that a used Mk III is now reasonable I would opt for it if you are a serious photographer.  While the 7D looks goods and feels good it is functionally illiterate having some of the worst noise I have seen in a recent camera, highly noticeable even at relatively low ISOs such 800.  The fact that the 7D resolution is higher than that of the Mark III is of no real value in my opinion because of the aforementioned fault.  The focusing is even worse with consistently soft focus a major issue (even after performing a hard reset and microfocusing).  Which all goes to show that the popularity category is of no value regarding this camera.  Hopefully, Canon will either abandon this model or take it's time in creating a worthy successor.  The success of the 7D is a classic example of how extensive marketing can mask the tremendous faults of this camera.