Canon's EOS 7D Looks 'Still,' Boasts 1080p

Canon EOS 7D
Like a few previous models, Canon's newest entry looks like a still camera, and shoots like one, too — unless it's 1080p video you need, and it can manage that, as well. And when the unit is a DSLR (digital single lens reflex), that also includes the added flexibility of interchangeable lenses.

Canon is rolling out its newest entry in what it calls its "mid-range DSLR product category" — the EOS 7D Digital SLR. And the EOS 7D is not merely a typical step up from any previous models, Canon said, but represents a "brand new product that stands on its own with new features never before seen in any Canon camera."

EOS 7D's versatility ranges from shooting stills and slow-motion at 8fps to recording at 1080p/24fps using an enhanced set of options and customizable controls.

Canon has other cameras that look and act like still units but also come with HD 720p and 1080p options — notably its EOS 5D Mark II that has been used to capture action sequences for such TV series as "24" (that photography director Rodney Charters detailed at last April's NAB Show) — although the EOS 7D carries lower price points than the Mark II and is geared to, among others, what Canon calls "advanced amateurs."