Roadshow: Why is Canon pushing megapixels so hard on the EOS 7D?

[MyMIKENZ]

The Canon 7D is one of the best value for money camera's I have ever shot with. I have found a 18-200mm lens rounds of this camera for wildlife and sports for the semi pro or serious casual photographer! oh and its not heavy either, and you cover almost all shoot scenarios.

[paradust]

one thing about noise most people dont realize is that the amount of noise is not as important as the QUALITY of noise. a small amount of ugly digital noise looks worse than a whole lot of grain. the reason i love my 7d is that produces noise that, if kept within iso3200, resembles film grain. but anyway, photographers worry too much. ive printed iso3200 crops on A4 with only a tad of NR and nobody had a problem with it. dont worry people - if its a good photo, no amount of noise will ruin it.

[fontheking5]

Infact you often get better quality whit a lower Megapixel rating especially on compact cameras whti smaller sensors. It all depends on the sensor , the bigger it is the better .

[rustynasty143]

Why oh why Canon don't make a medium format camera? can someone answer me why? they have the resources the technology and name, why not try to make medium format, instead of cramming more megapixel on a small sensor. People are getting bored on knowing canon can put more megapixel in APH-C sensor blah- blah-blah, where is the challenge? make a medium format and beat the hell out of hasselblad medium format.

[assimunch]

Hey, if you ever meet this guy again, ask him why, oh why Canon EOS doesnt have a flip out LCD screen!

Every EOS has a LiveView but LievView is pretty useless without a flip out screen. Also, every video camera/camcorder has a flip out screen, and EOS has a HD video, so it should also have a flip out screen.

Thank you.

[jesoby]

actually the forums are awash with complaints about noise levels of the 7D; exposing to the right and then adjusting levels does help.

[paradust]

@jesoby true, though you have to be extra careful not to blow out the highlights. personally i like to have an extra stop advantage when processing photos in acr, plus i dont rreally care about noise - customers dont pixel peep and 7d noise is more like grain and looks quite neat.

just out of curiosity, do you push to the right often and if so, how do you measure light? i tried it for some time but after blowing out a few "keepers" i went back.

[whitey211]

I'm using a 30D right now with 8MP and I have never wished I had more. I think the 10MP that the Mark3 has is the perfect amount for that size sensor. I print absolutely stunning 20x30 prints from mpix, and I doubt I'd ever want to print any larger then that. I wish Canon would follow Nikons footsteps and forget the pixels and work on ISO performance.  But Nikon is just waaay too freakin expensive for lenses.

[famousPhotog]

On any given size sensor and using any given sensor technology, there will ALWAYS be a sacrifice in image quality when going to densely packed high megapixel sensors. Furthermore, the extra detail that is being recorded on high megapixel sensors is smudged by the inherent increase in noise to the point that the theoretical advantage in resolution is NOT realized. You basically end up filling your hard drive with extra crud, not meaningful detail. Trust physics, not marketing hype!

[transferases]

Agreed 100%. This is something Nikon understands, there D3S with 12mp and full frame will blow the canon 1d mk iv away in terms of high iso performance. In fact from the posted images it seems to be a full 2 stops better than the 1d mk iv judging from the preproduction model pictures of the 1d mk iv. So pretty much Iso 3200 on the canon is the same as iso 12,800 on the nikon.

[famousPhotog]

While most of the photographers surveyed may have expressed their desire for more megapixels (and smaller sensels), the fact remains, as supported by the laws of physics, LARGER sensels and pixel pitch equate to superior dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratios, and low-light high ISO performance. Had the 7D been issued with the most advanced Canon sensor technology, but as a 10mp camera instead of 18mp, the RAW files would be significantly cleaner and superior at all ISO.

[agun17]

@famousPhotog

I suggest you learn how noise is created.

You will then comprehend why noise is not a physics rule, but rather a consequence and how technology can make sensors less noisy.