Canon EOS
7D
 vs
Sony
NEX-7

Updated (March, 2013): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Sony NEX-7n

Canon EOS 7D

72

  
Sony NEX-7

55

  
Winner

Canon EOS 7D

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Weather sealed
 Weather sealed
Shoot in extreme weather
Lens availability
 Slightly more lenses available
162 lenses
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Cross type focus points
 Many cross-type focus points
19
Built-in flash
 Built-in flash
External flash not needed
 
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
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.4 EV
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
 

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
Startup delay Less startup delay 400 ms vs 1200 ms
Help
 3x less delay when turning on
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
Autofocus Video autofocus Contrast detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 24 MP vs 17.9 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
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
Dynamic range More dynamic range 13.4 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
 1.7 f-stops more dynamic range
Weight Much lighter 350 g vs 860 g
Help
 2.5x lighter
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 Cheaper $948.00 vs $1,499.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $551 cheaper (around 40% 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
72 vs 55
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.

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
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
Sensor size 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 Supports RAW Help
Better editing
Sensor cleaning Both have self cleaning sensors, which is uncommon in cameras similar to these Help
Avoids dust in your photos
External flash Support external flash Help
Better lighting
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
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Battery life Has a significantly 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
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Storage slots Has more storage slots
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7000 vs the NEX-7
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the D7100 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D7100 vs the NEX-7
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$669 - $800 body only

$699 - $749 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Autofocus Focuses automatically while shootting video
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the EOS 7D
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the NEX-7
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5200 vs the EOS 7D
Compare the D5200 vs the NEX-7
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$998 - $1,000 body only

$1,598 - $1,930 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

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
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 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Overall image quality Better image quality
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the EOS 6D vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,479 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens
Sensor size Much larger sensor
Overall image quality Better image quality
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Built-in flash No built-in flash
Compare the EOS 5D Mark II vs the EOS 7D
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 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 Alpha NEX-6

Sony Alpha NEX-6

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$748 body only

$898 with 16-50mm lens
Autofocus Faster autofocus
Focus points Many more focus points
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the Alpha NEX-6 vs the NEX-7
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 - $699 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

$999 - $1,114 body only

$1,099 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
Fujifilm X-E1

Fujifilm X-E1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$999 - $1,000 body only

$1,399 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the X-E1 vs the NEX-7
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$656 - $782 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay
Weight Lighter
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack
Supports 24p No 24p support
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 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 4 comments

Avatar for Dawood Suliman Hashmi Dawood Suliman Hashmi (6:07 PM, March 31, 2013)
so, which should i buy???cause in many points sony has won but still the credit has gone to canon!
 
Gus1 (10:15 AM, March 06, 2013)
Great comparison! Very helpful indeed. Has led me to make the right choice for my needs! Thankyou!
 
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!!!