Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Canon Rebel
T2i

Updated (February, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Canon Rebel T3i

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
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
8 fps
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
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%
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

73
Runner-up

Canon Rebel T2i
"Excellent detail and resolution"
dpreview.com | talking about the T2i's image-quality
"Since the body shell is virtually identical to the EOS 500D that it replaces, the handling is also virtually identical, meaning the grip still feels a bit fiddly unless you're got very delicate hands."
dpreview.com | talking about the T2i's feel

Reasons to buy the Canon Rebel T2i

Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
1,040k dots
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 129x98x62 mm
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Thickness
 Thin
2.4"
Weight
 Light-weight
530 g

differences

Advantages of the Canon 7D
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
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly faster 8 fps vs 3.7 fps
Help
 More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 252 ms
Help
 Around 50% less delay when taking photos
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
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 854 ISO vs 784 ISO
Help
 The 7D has a slight edge (0.1 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 9
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Longer battery life 800 shots vs 440 shots
Help
 More than 80% more shots per battery charge
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

Advantages of the Canon T2i
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 920k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Size Smaller 129x98x62 mm vs 148x111x74 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Color depth Better color depth 22.1 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.1 more bits of color
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.4" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 530 g vs 860 g
Help
 Around 40% lighter
Lowest price Cheaper $499.00 vs $1,329.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $830 cheaper (2.7x less)
Canon EOS Rebel T2i Learn more about
the Canon T2i
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
89 vs 73
Explain scores
Canon Rebel T2i Canon EOS Rebel T2i
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 pro DSLR with a entry-level DSLR.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonEOS 7D
 Canon EOS 7D vs Canon EOS Rebel T2i
CanonRebel T2i
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
26
34
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
46
11
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
36
14
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
40
11
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
32
13
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
39
13
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
44
10
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
1080p @ 30fps
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
162 lenses
Screen resolution High resolution screens Help
7D:920k dots
T2i:1,040k dots
Supports 24p 24p support Help
For that film look
Thickness Thin Help
7D:2.9"
T2i:2.4"
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
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
66.0

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 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 Rebel T3i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the Rebel T2i
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 7D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the Rebel T2i
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 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the Rebel T2i
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 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the Rebel T2i
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 7D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the Rebel T2i
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D3100 vs the Rebel T2i
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Canon Rebel T1i

Entry-level DSLR

$445 - $629 body only

$504 - $609 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
External mic jack Lacks and external mic jack
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T1i vs the Rebel T2i

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

Canon EOS Rebel T2i Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Battery life Longer battery life
Weight Lighter
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Much smaller screen
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Rebel T2i

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS Rebel T2i
Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS Rebel T2i
Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 3 comments

Dave Cumming (5:40 AM, November 09, 2010)
When I look over the Score Analysis [between the T2i and 7D], it seems the biggest [glaring] difference is in the intrinsic realm of ... "popularity". How often people look up and check out a model, yes? At more than one half the price less, no suprise there. And so it "earns" a bunch more points, gaining the victory in the matchup on the "total points" basis. Seems like that would be a good [2nd location] for your comment from the beginning, on comparing different types of camera's.
 
Avatar for Alex Black Alex Black (9:22 PM, March 12, 2010)
Thanks for pointing that out Vonnie! 24p does seem to be a sought after feature by those looking to get a film look in their video, see wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24p

We'll look at including whether or not a camera records video in 24p in our comparisons the future.
 
Avatar for vonniedavis vonniedavis (9:03 PM, March 12, 2010)
At the Canon site, it states that the Rebel T2i also shoots 24p -- but you don't show this here.