Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Canon EOS 7D vs Sony SLT-A77

Canon EOS 7D

Winner
Canon EOS 7D

67

vs

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

56

 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Canon EOS 7D

Live view
Has live view
Preview your photos
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
 

Reasons to buy the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

Image stabilization
Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Shutter lag
Barely any delay taking photos
180 ms shutter lag
Storage slots
More storage slots
2
Fastest shutter speed
Fast shutter speed
1/8000 of a second
 

differences

Advantages of the Canon 7D

Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Movie format Shoots movies 1080p @ 30fps vs None
Help
Shoots Full HD (1080p) video as well as still pictures
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
Sealed to shoot in the rain
Lens availability Much more lenses available 162 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
Around 80% more lenses available
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 854 ISO vs 581 ISO
Help
The 7D has a slight edge (0.6 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 19 vs 1
Help
Grab focus in difficult situations
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 17.9 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
Capture around 50% more detail in your photos
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 8 fps vs 5 fps
Help
60% faster continuous shooting
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 131 ms vs 180 ms
Help
Around 30% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder size Larger viewfinder 0.62x vs 0.59x
Help
More than 10% larger viewfinder
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 6,400 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
The 7D's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Focus points More focus points 19 vs 11
Help
Set focus accurately within the frame
Battery life Longer battery life 800 shots vs 650 shots
Help
More than 20% more shots per battery charge
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 400 ms vs 600 ms
Help
More than 30% less delay when turning on
Thickness Significantly 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

Advantages of the Sony DSLR-A700

Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11.9 EV vs 11.7 EV
Help
0.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Color depth Better color depth 22.3 bits vs 22 bits
Help
Distinguishes 0.3 more bits of color
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.5x15.6mm vs APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
Help
More than 10% larger sensor
Weight Lighter 768 g vs 860 g
Help
More than 10% lighter
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Learn more about
the Sony DSLR-A700
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS 7D
67 vs 56
Explain scores
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
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.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Viewfinder Both have pentaprism viewfinders Help
Pentaprism
Fastest shutter speed Fast max shutter speeds Help
1/8000 of a second
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
7D:12,800 ISO
DSLR-A700:6,400 ISO
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
7D:6,400 ISO
DSLR-A700:1,600 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor size Very small sensors Help
7D:APS-C 22.3x14.9mm
DSLR-A700:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
66.0
Color depth Poor color depth Help
7D:22 bits
DSLR-A700:22.3 bits
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
7D:854 ISO
DSLR-A700:581 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$649 - $968 body only

$949 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens

Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Shutter lag Has significantly more shutter lag
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$580 - $799 body only

$731 - $899 with 18-55mm lens

Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 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
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$898 body only

$1,498 - $1,930 with 16-50mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Thickness Is thicker
Viewfinder Has a lower quality type of viewfinder
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$600 - $899 body only

$739 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens

Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Dynamic range Has slightly wider dynamic range
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$585 - $805 with 18-55mm lens

Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Color depth Has slightly more color depth
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker

Canon EOS 7D Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,899 - $1,917 body only

$2,399 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Shutter lag Much more shutter lag
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens

Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Color depth Better color depth
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Pro DSLR

$2,405 body only

$2,699 - $3,000 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Cross type focus points Significantly fewer cross-type focus points
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,299 body only

$3,800 - $3,899 with 24-105mm lens

Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Lens availability Fewer lenses available
Continuous shooting Shoots slower

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $779 with 18-55mm lens

Live view Has live view
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Shutter lag Significantly more shutter lag
Viewfinder size Smaller viewfinder
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$548 body only

$598 with 18-55mm lens

Live view Has live view
Movie format Shoots movies
Viewfinder Has a digital viewfinder
Storage slots Has fewer storage slots
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Sony Alpha DSLR-A550

Entry-level DSLR

Live view Has live view
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Color depth Worse color depth
Sony Alpha DSLR-A350

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350

Entry-level DSLR

Live view Has live view
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Significantly smaller screen

appearance

Canon EOS 7D Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
Canon EOS 7D Sony Alpha DSLR-A700
Canon EOS 7D Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

discussion

Showing 5 comments

Saish (2:44 PM, March 14, 2011)
7D is awesome ......just got hands on it and got some lessons from professionals
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (0:53 PM, February 17, 2011)
Hi NikonFanboy, we only include lenses currently available for sale, we pull the numbers from our sister site LensHero.com, see Sony A700 lenses.

The site pulls prices automatically from retailers, and it looks like it hasn't found any north american retailers so the price its quoting you is from europe converted to USD which might be part of the issue. I'll look into that to see why its not finding any local prices.

Snapsort compares any two cameras you want, regardless of the age difference!

A200 vs A700 - do we have the wrong picture for the A700?

Thanks!
 
nikonFanboy (5:16 AM, February 17, 2011)
92 lenses available??? if you include minolta lenses how much would that be? since when did a700 became $2,659.35? everything in canon is significant difference..everything in sony is slightly....you are comparing cameras with a huge age difference. what are you smoking? and since when does an a700 look like an a200?
 
Ascot (11:03 AM, November 02, 2010)
My apolagies, I misread the listing
 
Ascot (10:57 AM, November 02, 2010)
You guys need to get your facts right. The A700 has 2 card slots, and has image stabilisation. If you are going to do comparisons, get it right!