Canon 7D - Expensive and bulky, or an exceptional camera worth the effort

[HollywoodiversImaging]

Investing in the right system will definitely give you years of enjoyment...and at the end of the day stretching the budget a bit at the beginning will make you happier long term, especially once you learn to use all of the camera features and ergonomics become a noticeable thing. Not to mention fiber optics are nice and easy and worry free when setting up your system.

 

[pjdavo]

Yes it is expensive, yes it is bulky, ....
Bill

Hi Bill, i'm finding my way around the camera topside at the moment as it still looks like it'll be a while before i can take it underwater. I've got a couple of questions that i'm hoping you can help with.

1) do you white balance before each shot? - the white balance function on the 7D seems a bit fiddly since you need to take a shot then access the menu's to use that shot for the white balance (or is there an easier way to set this up?). If you're taking video, presumably you'll need to do this before shooting each clip.

2) do you use the live view? I'm finding the auto focus speed in live view can be pretty terrible, particularly in low light, compared to when using the viewfinder. have you shelled out another grand for a nauticam viewfinder?

many thanks!
Phil

 

[darook]

I can't speak for the 7D though I have a T2i and that has similar characteristics. I always shoot RAW so I don't worry about White Balance until I have the images on my laptop. There you can tune it with DPP or another RAW converter. I use Lightroom for that and love it. It will also compensate for lens distortion. The only time I use live view is for video which I don't do much of with the T2i yet though it does take nice video though AF is a pain. I use the view finder in my housing for stills. Sometimes if I can't and then I stick it into position and shoot and hope. That works out more often than you would think.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Hi Bill, i'm finding my way around the camera topside at the moment as it still looks like it'll be a while before i can take it underwater. I've got a couple of questions that i'm hoping you can help with.

1) do you white balance before each shot? - the white balance function on the 7D seems a bit fiddly since you need to take a shot then access the menu's to use that shot for the white balance (or is there an easier way to set this up?). If you're taking video, presumably you'll need to do this before shooting each clip.

2) do you use the live view? I'm finding the auto focus speed in live view can be pretty terrible, particularly in low light, compared to when using the viewfinder. have you shelled out another grand for a nauticam viewfinder?

many thanks!
Phil

I'll take the liberty of answering for Bill

1)no, most of the time Canon 7D users will shoot in RAW and/or have white balance set to auto
2) the live view auto-focus speed is 18.3x slower than when using the viewfinder. so use the viewfinder

good luck!
Scott

 

[mjh]

Excellent camera and Nauticam is an excellent housing. Assume you have a strobe/s for the S90 but you may want to add a strobe or upgrade to take advantage of the 7D. Since you can also shoot incredible HD Video you should put a high end focus/dive/video light on the list. Many people buy incredible cameras, top of the line housings but skimp on lighting. It could be argued better results can be had buying a little less housing and much better lighting. Just a thought to consider.

 

[bvanant]

Since Scott answered for me, all I will add is that I shoot in raw so no I don't white balance before each shot and use lightroom to sort it all out later. Also by my measurements the live view autofocus is 18.4 x slower (sorry Scott, you must have misread your egg timer; it really is not useable). I only shoot video by mistake, since my wife is the videographer at our house, check out her stuff it is lots better than my pics.
Bill

 

[darook]

Agree with the importance of lighting. I use two Inon S2000s which are pretty small but reasonably potent. They are great for travel though. I need to get a better focus light as the one I have sucks. Really only usable for close up macro and even that is debatable.

 

[Ozwald]

Er, well since its going to cost about an extra 3 or 4 grand to get a 5D and take that underwater, i think i'll give that a miss!

Huh....I bought a 5d as well, $800 more than the 7D. They just had the body only for sale here in Canada for $1899.