Canon EOS
500D
 vs
Canon EOS
7D

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 1100D vs Canon EOS 7D

Canon EOS 7D

89
Winner

Canon EOS 7D
"Highly flexible new AF system with 19 cross-type sensors"
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's auto-focus
"The Canon EOS 7D is a camera that can convince in all areas, and at its current pricing is going to be a very serious competitor for Nikon's flagship APS-C DSLR, the D300S."
dpreview.com | talking about the 7D's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
8 fps
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
131 ms shutter lag
Canon EOS 500D

68
Runner-up

Canon EOS 500D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 500D

Startup delay
 Almost no delay when powering up
300 ms startup delay
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
159 ms shutter lag
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
520 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 500D
Size Smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 148x111x74 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 520 g vs 860 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $599.00 vs $1,329.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $730 cheaper (2.2x less)
Canon EOS 500D Learn more about
the Canon 500D

Advantages of the Canon 7D
Color depth Better color depth 22 bits vs 21.7 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 854 ISO vs 663 ISO
Help
 The 7D has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 8 fps vs 3.4 fps
Help
 Around 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Overall image quality Better image quality 66.0 vs 63.0
Help
 Almost the same
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.54x
Help
 More than 30% larger viewfinder
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.7 EV vs 11.5 EV
Help
 0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
True resolution Higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 15.1 MP
Help
 Capture around 20% more detail in your photos
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Longer battery life 800 shots vs 400 shots
Help
 2x more shots per battery charge
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
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 159 ms
Help
 Around 20% less delay when taking photos
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Canon EOS 7D Learn more about
the Canon 7D
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 500D
68 vs 89
Explain scores
Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Canon EOS 7D. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 500D
 Canon EOS 500D vs Canon EOS 7D
CanonEOS 7D
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
24
14
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
16
22
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
18
16
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
15
18
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
18
14
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
16
19
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
15
23
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
500D:1080p @ 20fps
7D:1080p @ 30fps
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
162 lenses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
920k dots
Thickness Thin Help
500D:2.4"
7D:2.9"
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
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
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Color depth Poor color depth Help
500D:21.7 bits
7D:22 bits
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
500D:63.0
7D:66.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,400 body only

$2,799 - $2,839 with 24-105mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 550D

Canon EOS 550D

Entry-level DSLR

$652 - $888 body only

$778 - $932 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Compare the EOS 550D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 550D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 600D

Canon EOS 600D

Entry-level DSLR

$860 - $1,035 body only

$922 - $1,099 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 500D
Compare the EOS 600D vs the EOS 7D
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 7D
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 500D
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D

Canon EOS 500D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 1100D

Canon EOS 1100D

Entry-level DSLR

$484 - $648 body only

$570 - $659 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO
Screen size Much smaller screen
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the EOS 1100D vs the EOS 500D
Nikon D5000

Nikon D5000

Entry-level DSLR

$997 with 18-55mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Screen size Much smaller screen
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the D5000 vs the EOS 500D

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Pentax K-5

Pentax K-5

Entry-level DSLR

$1,008 - $1,500 body only

$1,293 - $1,650 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Much better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Supports 24p No 24p support
Lens availability Significantly fewer lenses available
Compare the K-5 vs the EOS 7D

appearance

Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 500D Canon EOS 7D

Find similar cameras

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discussion Which do you think is better?

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