Canon 7D Vs Nikon D300s - DSLR Camera Review

It's another Digital SLR shootout! Canon vs Nikon... again. This is an extremely interesting battle of Photography Equipment Manufacturers.

The stakes are high as they duke it out to see who can win the most new consumers.

Photographers are lining up across the virtual battlefield from each other to hurl technical features and camera jargon back and forth.

If you search photography forums for the latest threads about these two mid-range Digital SLR cameras, you will see some very interesting comments. But once the dust is settled, it seems that there is really a winner.

Here are some of the issues that have risen to the top of the debate since the release of two very similar, and, yes, amazing, pieces of photographic equipment.

Megapixel count -

Megapixel count seems to favor the Canon 7D at 18 megapixels vs 12 megapixels on the Nikon D300s. However, the only mention of the issue was from one user who mentioned that the higher resolution of 18 megapixels was an asset when recording images at a high zoom range. Otherwise, it was a non-issue.

Auto Focus -

This is a feature that would seem to favor the Nikon D300s with its 51 focal points, because the Canon 7D has only 19 focal points. However, this is where more is not always better. Some of the comments made reference to the fact that with 51 points to try to focus on, the camera had to work much too hard to quickly coordinate all those points.

Essentially, the 19 point system worked far better when dealing with fast moving objects because the camera's computer was able to keep up with the demand for continuous focus. When not much movement is involved the AutoFocus was not an issue with either camera, but when it was necessary to lock focus on a moving object, one user commented that the "7D is the most capable AF I've seen to date."

Hmmm.. very interesting

Movie Mode -

Both cameras feature HD video capture. The Canon 7D has higher resolution at 1080p and 30 frames per second versus 720p and 24 frames per second.

ISO -

Now that the cameras have been in the hands of actual users for several months, the comments indicate that the Nikon D300s has not been able to capture the same quality of images at high ISO ratings. This will come into play if you are shooting photos indoors in lower light without a flash, such as at a school play or a concert where there will be " No Flash Photography Permitted".

LCD -

Again on the issue of numbers, it would appear that the LCD clarity would be about the same, but, once more, comments on the user forums by folks who have used both cameras seem to favor the brightness of the Canon 7D, especially out doors in bright sunlight when using movie mode and/or Live View.

Price -

Street price is about $100 cheaper for the Nikon D300s. That is $1500 vs $1600, depending upon where you are shopping. This is for the Body Only - without a lens.

Bottom Line - if you are a fan of one camera brand or the other, there is no need to switch, because you will continue to get great images from your chosen brand.

In addition, even though the Canon 7D is the obvious winner in this review, just wait. It won't be long before both cameras are replaced with newer, shinier, more technologically developed siblings.

It is indeed a great time to be a photographer. Photography is really fun.