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Please note, the video requires that you have QuickTime 7 or higher installed. If you are using Safari and are having problems viewing this video, Option+Click here to download the video. Sample HD video shot with a pre-production Canon EOS 7D.

Once again the Internet "leakers" appear to have gotten the best of Canon, spilling the beans over the weekend on the new 18-megapixel EOS 7D, a mid-level professional digital SLR that can also shoot full, 1080p high definition video in a range of frame rates including the coveted 24p which mimics the look of traditional film.

By now most of the camera blogs have already posted some fairly accurate specs on the 7D based around these leaks -- which, as usual, appear to have originated in China -- but they missed many of the finer points on this extremely loaded DSLR. Indeed this complex and, it should be said, complicated camera seems as technologically advanced as some Formula One race cars.

Here's the rundown on the 7D now that that Canon has "officially" unveiled it to the public. (If you already know all this tech spec stuff, jump to the hands-on preview on the next page.)



• 18-megapixel APS-C-sized (aka non-full-frame) CMOS imaging sensor with a 1.6x magnification ("crop") factor

• Individual pixels sized at 4.3 microns

• Gapless megapixel design on image sensor similar to Canon 50D

• Powered by two Digic 4 image processors

• 8 frames per second maximum shooting speed

• 94-shot JPEG buffer; 15 14-bit RAW (126 shots with a UDMA card)

• ISO 100-6400 with a "High" setting of ISO 12,800

• New 19-point autofocus system with all cross-type focus points and dual diagonal light source detection function

• AF system offers 19-point, single point, spot point, AF expansion, or Zone AF

• Orientation linked Autofocus automatically flips focus point for vertical shooting

• "Super-fluid design" with a "natural fit" for the hands

• Quieter shutter rated at 150,000 cycles

• Shutter response time of 0.059 second (Mark III cameras are rated at 0.055 second)

• Mark III prism style optical viewfinder with 100% coverage

• Dust and water-resistant with a magnesium, steel, polycarbonate body comparable in ruggedness to the old Canon EOS 1N film camera.

• 8-channel read out

• Dual Axis Electronic Level Control to help keep shots straight by showing you a graphical level on the back of he camera in Live View or in the optical viewfinder as a series of dots

• Built-in flash with a wider angle over coverage than in the past (15mm max)

• Built-in flash can trigger other strobes (A, B, & C units)

• Manual video control -- ISO, exposure, shutter speed, aperture, as in the 5D Mark II post-firmware upgrade

• A dedicated Start/Stop button for the video

• In-camera movie editing

• Picture styles applicable to movie mode

• Programmable Multi-function button to control various aspects of the camera

• One touch RAW + JPEG mode

• Dedicated power switch by the mode dial

• New 63-zone dual layered iFCL (Intelligent Focus Color Luminosity) metering system

Whew! That's a lot of features. The 7D will ship at the end of September and will sell, body only, for $1,699. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon's EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens for $1,899.