Canon 7D good for filmmaking?

Question

I am an aspiring filmamker and I need a good camera that will last and is simple to learn to work. What do you guys think about the Canon 7D?

Answer 1

the cannon 7D is an excelent choice but i would prefer the 5D here is the specs for both - 7D :

Imaging



Imaging Sensor/Effective Pixels

CMOS/ 18 MP (APS-C)



Effective Sensor Size

22.3 x 14.9 mm



A/D Resolution Power

14-bit



Colour Filter Size

RGB Primary Colours



35mm Focal Length Equivalent

1.6x



Image Recording



Medium

CF Type I & II



Image Size



Large / Fine

5,184 x 3,456 / Approx 17.9MB



Middle / Fine

3,456 x 2,304 / Approx 8.0MB



Small / Fine

2,592 x 1,728 / Approx 14.5MB



RAW

5,184 x 3,456 / Approx 17.9MB



mRAW

3,888 x 2,592 / Approx 10.1MB



sRAW

2,592 x 1,728 / Approx 4.5MB



Movie Shooting



1920 x 1080

Available in frame rates 30 / 25 / 24 fps



1280 x 720

Available in frame rates 60 / 50 fps



640 x 480

Available in frame rates 60 / 50 fps



Viewfinder



Coverage (vertical/horizontal)

100% coverage



Dioptric Adjustment

3 to +1 dpt



Interchangeable Focusing Screens

Fixed



Autofocus



AF Points

19



Exposure Control



Shooting Modes

9



Metering Segments

63



Metering Modes

Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted



ISO Speed Range

ISO 100-6400 (expandable to H: 12800) (expandable to 3200 via CF)



Exposure Compensation

Manual, AEB ±5: 1/3 or 1/2-half increments



Shutter



Shutter Speed

1/8000 sec. -30., Bulb, X-sync at 1/250 sec



Flash Control



E-TTL II Autoflash

Yes



Built-in Flash / G. No.

Provided / 12



Speed



Shooting Speed

8 fps / 90 shot max burst (JPEG), 15 (RAW)



White Balance



Settings

9



WB Bracketing

Yes



General Features



LCD Monitor

3.0 ClearView II (Approx. 920K dots)



Custom Functions/Settings

27



Start Up Time

0.1sec



Personal Functions/Settings

Yes



Integrated Cleaning System

Yes



Live View

Yes (Quick, Live & Live Face Detection AF Modes)



External Interface

Hi-Speed USB/ Video OUT/HDMI



Remote Control/Type

Yes (N3 type)



Battery

LP-E6



Chassis Material

Stainless Steel + polycarbonate with glass fibre



Dimensions (W x D x H) mm

148.2 x 110.7 x 73.5mm



Weight (excl. battery in grams)

820





5D :

Imaging



Imaging Sensor/Effective Pixels

21.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor



Effective Sensor Size

36 x 24 mm



A/D Resolution Power

14-bit



Colour Filter Size

Primary Colours



35mm Focal Length Equivalent

1x



Image Recording



Medium

CF card Types I & II (2GB or higher)



Image Size



Large / Fine

5616 x 3744 pixels; approx. 21 MB



Large / Normal

5616 x 3744 pixels; approx. 21 MB



Medium / Fine

4080 x 2720 pixels; approx. 11.1 MB



Medium / Normal

4080 x 2720 pixels; approx. 11.1 MB



Small / Fine

2784 x 1856 pixels; approx. 5.2 MB



Small / Normal

2784 x 1856 pixels; approx. 5.2 MB



RAW

5616 x 3744 / Approx 21MB



S RAW

1 - 3861 x 2574 / Approx 10MB



S RAW 2

2784 x 1856 / Approx 5.2MB



RAW & JPEG Simultaneous Recording

Yes



Viewfinder



Coverage (vertical/horizontal)

0.98



Dioptric Adjustment

3 to +1 dpt



Interchangeable Focusing Screens

Yes



Auto Focus



AF Points

9 cross type + 6 assist



Exposure Control



Shooting Modes

7 standard modes



Metering Segments

35



Metering Modes

Evaluative, Partial, Spot, Centre-weighted average



ISO Speed Range

ISO 100-6400(L1: 50, H1: 12800, H2: 25600)



Exposure Compensation

Manual, AEB ±2: - 1/3 or 1/2-stop increments



Shutter



Shutter Speed

1/8000 sec – 30, bulb, X-sync 1/200 sec.



Flash Control



E-TTL II Autoflash

Yes



Built-in Flash / Guide Number

N/A



Speed



Shooting Speed

3.9 fps



White Balance



Settings

9



WB Bracketing

Yes



General Features



LCD Monitor

3 inch



Custom Functions/Settings

25



Start Up Time

0.1 sec



Integrated Cleaning System

Yes



Live View

Yes (Quick, Live & Live face detection AF Modes)



External Interface

Hi-Speed USB/ HDMI mini/ Audio/Video OUT/ PC Terminal/ Remote control/External microphone input



Remote Control Terminal

Yes (RC-1, RC-5 compatible)



Battery

Lithium Ion LP-E6



Chassis Material

Stainless Steel



Dimensions (W x H x D) mm

152 x 113.5 x 75



Weight excl. battery (g)

810

there is a big diff in price aswell,

but for a bigginer the 7D is an excellent choice :D

Answer 2

It's certainly "good" for a beginner but you also have to remember that you're not going to be a beginner for long. What you would probably want is a camcorder rather than a camera, and something that records onto MiniDV, because you can give it a film-like look while editing.



I use a Canon XL1s, which is pretty great, and user friendly and easy to learn--problem is, it doesn't film in High Definition. A solid investment is to try and find one of these second-hand http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/HDV/XLH1/....it's hi-def, easy to learn and WILL last a very long time.



The problem with using a DSLR camera is that, while some of them DO have attachments for better microphones, many of them don't, which means you have to record sound and video separately, which is a drag. It's harder to try and put them together in sync than to get a slightly higher quality camera and have it record good video and good sound all at once.





So, the answer is, it depends---the 7D IS a great camera. And you can definitely shoot some videos on it to get started. BUT it won't be long before you're going to max out what you can learn from that, and need to get something else...so you need to judge what's best for you from that perspective :)

Answer 3

you recognize, the 7D is a sophisticated nonetheless digital camera happens to have a video characteristic. It replaced into on no account meant to be a video production digital camera. You develop an enticing factor with the sound gadget. in case you seem on the available sound equipment for respectable camcorders, you need to use on the spot microphones, Canon connections and classic audio jacks. those latest broadcast high quality camcorders do no longer fee over $6,500 to any extent further so in case you will produce short high quality video clips, you will locate it much less complicated to in basic terms use a video digital camera it fairly is desperate up with all the effective factors you like for this manner of production.