Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Sony
NEX-7

Canon EOS 7D

63
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
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
162 lenses
Badge
 Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
19
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Sony NEX-7

59
Runner-up

Sony NEX-7

Reasons to buy the Sony NEX-7

Size
 Really small
Compact 111x59x38 mm
True resolution
 High true resolution
24 MP
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
16,000 ISO
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.4 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures

differences

Advantages of the Canon 7D
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Lens availability Much more lenses available 162 lenses vs 8 lenses
Help
 Around 20.5x more lenses available
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 800 shots vs 430 shots
Help
 Around 90% more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Shutter lag Slightly less shutter lag 131 ms vs 223 ms
Help
 More than 40% less delay when taking photos
Fastest shutter speed 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 Sony NEX-7
Size Much smaller 111x59x38 mm vs 148x111x74 mm
Help
 4.9x smaller
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Overall image quality Better image quality 81.0 vs 66.0
Help
 More than 20% better image quality
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
True resolution Much higher true resolution 24 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 16,000 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The NEX-7's maximum light sensitivity is 1.3 f-stops better
Weight Much lighter 350 g vs 860 g
Help
 2.5x lighter
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.4 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Thickness Significantly thinner 1.5" vs 2.9"
Help
 Around 50% thinner
Color depth Better color depth 24.1 bits vs 22 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 2.1 more bits of color
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 10 fps vs 8 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Low light performance Slightly lower noise at high ISO 1,016 ISO vs 854 ISO
Help
 The NEX-7 has a slight edge (0.3 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Focus points Slightly more focus points 25 vs 19
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.5x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
 More than 10% larger sensor
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $1,199.99 vs $1,500.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $300 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Sony NEX-7 Learn more about
the Sony NEX-7
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
63 vs 59
Explain scores
Sony NEX-7 Sony NEX-7
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 mirrorless interchangeable-lens.

advice

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Are you a camera expert? Share your knowledge!
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I am a beginner that will never be an expert.  My life is busy as a single mom and we are always...

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Beginner I like to all kinds of photos especially wants the camera to be water proof so I can take...

One person recommends the Canon 7D:

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0
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similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen resolution Very high resolution screens Help
7D:920k dots
NEX-7:921k dots
External mic jack You can plug a microphone into both of these Help
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Supports 24p Both support 24p, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
For that film look
True resolution Capture extremely high resolution images Help
7D:17.9 MP
NEX-7:24 MP
Movie format Full HD (1080p) video Help
7D:1080p @ 30fps
NEX-7:1080p @ 60fps
Sensor size Very large sensors Help
7D:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
NEX-7:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Interchangeable lenses Both support interchangeable lenses, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Many lenses to choose from
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
Sensor cleaning Self cleaning sensors Help
Avoids dust in your photos
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
7D:Pentaprism
NEX-7:Digital
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
7D:1/8000s
NEX-7:1/4000s
Longest exposure Long exposures Help
30 seconds
Lowest price Very expensive Help
7D:$1,500.00
NEX-7:$1,199.99
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

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
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 60D vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,198 body only

$2,898 - $2,999 with 24-105mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Built-in flash Doesn't have a built-in flash
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the NEX-7
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
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 NEX-7
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$1,398 body only

$1,998 with 16-50mm lens
Image stabilization Has image stabilization
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the SLT A77 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the SLT A77 vs the NEX-7
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5100 vs the NEX-7
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the NEX-7

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
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
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the EOS 7D

Sony NEX-7 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$598 - $600 body only

$698 - $700 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the NEX-5N vs the NEX-7
Olympus OM-D E-M5

Olympus OM-D E-M5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,000 - $1,299 body only

$1,100 with 14-42mm lens
Screen type Has an OLED screen
Weather sealed Weather sealed
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the OM-D E-M5 vs the NEX-7
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$569 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Weight Lighter
True resolution Much lower true resolution
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the NEX-7
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$797 - $947 with 10-30mm lens
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the 1 V1 vs the NEX-7
Fujifilm X-Pro1

Fujifilm X-Pro1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$1,991 - $2,298 body only
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the X-Pro1 vs the NEX-7

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Sony NEX-7
Canon EOS 7D Sony NEX-7
Canon EOS 7D Sony NEX-7

discussion

Showing 2 comments

Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:49 PM, September 07, 2011)
Glad we could help
 
Ruwan_w (0:47 PM, September 07, 2011)
Awesome comparison!! Could not find this anywhere else on the net!!!