Canon engineered the shutter sound for the EOS 7D

Leonard Goh | Sep 23, 2009

(Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

A few weeks back, Canon announced the EOS 7D, the company's contender in the professional midrange dSLR category. This model is set to go against the likes of the Nikon D300s and the Pentax K7. At a launch event held in Singapore, we got a chance to try this much-talked-about camera and here are some of our early impressions.

The EOS 7D's build is solid, and we were told by a Canon representative that the magnesium alloy body is weather resistant. The grip of the shooter feels good and we felt our fingers molding into it comfortably. The plethora of buttons on the rear may scare beginners, but each is clearly labeled so we knew which button activates what function. The 100-percent viewfinder is clear and the focusing points are larger and easy to identify. The autofocus module felt snappy in our short experience with the camera, but what really got us hooked was the sound of the shutter. Canon told us the firm actually did a survey with other photographers to find out which kind of shutter sound they prefer, and the one produced by the EOS 7D was meticulously crafted as a result.

The LX3 (left) and the S90. (Credit: Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

At the event, we also got a glimpse of the PowerShot S90, Canon's answer to the popular Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. The advanced point-and-shoot is slightly smaller than the LX3 and the stepped-control ring is a nice touch as it allowed us to customize the function we want to map to it. The flash is not activated by spring. Rather, it is electronically controlled and rises up when needed and retracts into the camera when switched off.

Prices and availability of Canon's other new Ixus and PowerShot shooters were also made available at the event. The touchscreen-operated Ixus 200 IS, PowerShot G11 and EOS 7D will be available come early October for S$599 (US$431.31), S$899 (US$647.32) and S$2,699 (US$1,943.40) (body only), respectively. As for the PowerShot SX20 IS, SX120 IS and Ixus 120 IS, they are available in stores now for S$749 (US$539.31), S$469 (US$337.70) and S$499 (US$359.30), respectively. The PowerShot S90's availability in Asia is not confirmed but we were told by Canon that it should be on retail shelves by the later part of this year, with pricing to be advised.

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Loohh

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Loohh says...
Thank you for the prompt info, ZaoBao today on page 10 still cannot provide the price for 7D and G11, very slow.

Suggestion for your consideration:

You mentioned Canon's answer to Lumix LX3 is S90, shouldn't it be G11?

Considering the 2 very special features that make G11 and LX3 stand out from the rest of compact cameras, both allow external flash unit and can be shot in RAW format.

Thank you!
Pls keep the good info coming! :-)

Sep 24, 2009 15:32