Canon EOS Rebel T7i Review

Even though it was introduced in February of 2017, the Canon EOS Rebel T7i (which is known as the EOS 800D in countries outside of the US) is still considered to be one of the greatest DSLR cameras, especially for those who are looking for a bit of a bargain.

It is an update to the well-known EOS Rebel T6i / EOS 750D from 2015, and it combines all of the traditional hallmarks of a Canon DSLR, such as great handling and image quality, with some strong specifications, such as a 6fps burst mode and a 3-inch touchscreen that can be angled in different directions.

Its mirrorless equivalent, the Canon EOS M50, currently outperforms it in terms of shooting performance, which puts this camera in second place. This camera can take 600 pictures on a single charge, whereas the other camera can only take 235 pictures on a single charge. The battery life of the other camera is pitiful in compared to the capacity of this camera.

If an optical viewfinder and the handling of a bigger DSLR is more appealing to you than the handling of a more compact camera like the EOS M50, then the Canon EOS Rebel T7i / 800D is still a very fine choice and still merits its spot-on our list of the best beginning DSLR cameras.

• Product
• Features

Canon EOS Rebel T7i US 24.2 Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD,...

• 24.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS C) sensor
• Built in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth Lens used: EF S 18-55 millimeter f by 4-56 IS STM (at focal length of 55 millimeter)
• High Speed continuous shooting at up to 60 fps Weight Approx 1877 ounce or 532 grams (including battery pack and SD memory card) Approx 1711 ounce or 485 gram (body only)

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Last update was on: June 9, 2023 5:59 pm

$1,199.95

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• 24.2 Megapixel CMOS (APS C) sensor
• Built in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth Lens used: EF S 18-55 millimeter f by 4-56 IS STM (at focal length of 55 millimeter)
• High Speed continuous shooting at up to 60 fps Weight Approx 1877 ounce or 532 grams (including battery pack and SD memory card) Approx 1711 ounce or 485 gram (body only)
• Metering Range: EV 1-20 (room temperature, evaluative metering)
• Use the EOS Utility Webcam Beta Software (Mac and Windows) to turn your compatible Canon Camera into a high-quality webcam

Design And Build Quality

• The structure is made of aluminum alloy and polycarbonate.
• The design has not significantly evolved from earlier iterations.
• It has a very low-end feel about it, especially in comparison to other mirrorless competitors.

The Rebel T7i, much like the Rebel T6i, is constructed out of aluminum alloy and polycarbonate. However, the weight of the camera has been reduced by around 20 grams, and it now weighs 532 grams when it is equipped with both a battery and a memory card.

However, despite the fact that we have no reason to believe that the quality of the construction of this camera is not very high, the outside finish of the camera, which is predominately matte plastic, does not feel very pleasant to the touch.

When we compare it to more contemporary mirrorless competitors like the Panasonic Lumix G90/G95 and the Fujifilm X-T30, it appears to be rather inexpensive. This is especially true when we are being critical.

Even while it won’t be able to compete with the majority of its mirrorless competitors in terms of size, the T7i/800D is still very tiny. Additionally, the textured hand grip is pleasingly deep, which enables you to gain a good handle on the camera.

There have only been a few small adjustments made to the back of the camera compared to its predecessor in terms of design. The indentation that allows you to release the rear variable-angle display has been moved to the side of the viewfinder, rather than to the right-hand side, and the slope on the left-hand side of the viewfinder has been made a little bit flatter.

Aside from that, the design is virtually indistinguishable, using the same control arrangement as the T6i and the 750D. This is not a negative aspect of the situation, though, as the T6i/750D is a pleasant camera to work with.

There are a sufficient number of body-mounted controls dispersed throughout the camera, but not an excessive number of them. There is a single command dial and specialized controls for ISO, autofocus, and display located on the top plate of the camera. On the rear of the camera, there is a host of settings that are often used.

Additionally, you may reach the Quick menu by hitting the Q button on your keyboard. This provides you with quick access to certain important functions, which may either be altered by using the camera’s hardware buttons and dials, or by tapping the screen to flip between different settings.

Touchscreens are now quite standard on cameras, and fortunately for Canon, the company was one of the pioneers in implementing them on its DSLRs. This indicates that even a more outdated model such as this one has a highly user-friendly touchscreen interface that is linked extremely smoothly with the menu system of the camera.

A cheaper pentamirror design is utilized in the EOS Rebel T7i / 800D rather than the pentaprism design that is used in more sophisticated DSLRs. This design displays roughly 95% of the scene, which is comparable to what is displayed on the Nikon D5600.

The display is nice and bright (if a little cramped), but you’ll need to take care when composing shots to avoid unwanted elements encroaching on the edges of the frame. We discovered on a couple of occasions when reviewing shots on the rear display that annoying stray elements had crept in. You’ll need to take care when composing shots to avoid unwanted elements encroaching on the edges of the frame.

The good news is that you will have complete coverage in this area if you plan to depend more on the touchscreen located on the back of the camera when framing photographs. The display has a suitable range of movement that may aid the user in a variety of shooting circumstances, and the clarity and sharpness are both of a satisfactory level.

Autofocus

• The 45-point angle of attack, all cross-type
• The focusing may be sensitive all the way down to -3EV.
• The Dual Pixel AF for Live View functions quite well.

Even though it was released in 2015, Canon’s tried-and-true 19-point phase-detect AF system was used in the EOS Rebel T6i and EOS 750D. However, even at the time of its release, this technology was beginning to show its age. In preparation for the release of the Rebel T7i and 800D, Canon completely redesigned this feature, increasing the number of AF points to 45 and making them all cross-type for improved accuracy.

Even if this is not nearly comparable to the Canon EOS M50’s 143-point autofocus system, the fact that all of these AF points are of the cross-type variety is a significant improvement over earlier versions.

Cross-type sensors are sensitive in both the horizontal and vertical planes, which means that when the camera is focusing, it is more likely to lock onto its target than a sensor that is sensitive to only one plane, which can mean that you have to rotate the camera in order to achieve focus. Since cross-type sensors are sensitive in both the horizontal and vertical planes, when the camera is focusing, it is more likely to lock onto its target.

In addition to this, the focusing is sensitive all the way down to -3EV, which means that even in low light conditions, you shouldn’t have any problems. When we tested the AF in low levels of artificial light, it worked quite well; the only time it struggled was when we put it in situations that were virtually completely dark.

Finally, 27 of the AF points are sensitive even at wider apertures, all the way down to f/8. This is ideal for situations in which you want to utilize a reasonably slow lens in conjunction with a teleconverter.

The phase-detection system found in the T7i and 800D performs exceptionally well. When we used an 18-55mm lens, we did not notice any slowdown in the focusing speed, and the 800D’s subject-tracking performance was excellent. This is due to the 7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor, which assists the AF system in tracking subjects.

As there is no dedicated joystick for AF point selection, this is done via the four-way button arrangement on the rear of the camera, which works pretty quickly, while there are four AF modes to choose from: selectable single point, Zone AF (uses 9 AF points in a selectable block), Large Zone AF (can select the central 15 AF points, or the 15 points either side), and Auto Selection AF. Selectable single point, Zone AF (uses 9 AF points in a (uses the entire coverage, with the camera selecting the AF points).

Live View photography and video capture are both enhanced using Canon’s Dual Pixel AF, which is included in the Rebel T7i and 800D. It is definitely a nice advance over Canon’s rather clumsy Hybrid CMOS AF III technology, which was used in the previous model and wasn’t a patch on its mirrorless competitors for speed and operability. It was used in the older model and wasn’t a patch on its mirrorless rivals for speed and operability.

Performance

• Burst shooting at 6 frames per second is slower than competing mirrorless cameras.
• A user guide that is beneficial for new users of the camera
• Long battery life, capable of firing 600 shots.

The Canon EOS Rebel T7i boasts a continuous shooting speed of 6 frames per second, which was made possible in part by the inclusion of the Digic 7 image processor. However, this is just a moderate improvement, and considering that mirrorless competitors offer quicker burst shooting, it’s a shame that Canon hasn’t been persuaded to try and wring even more performance out of the new camera.

However, battery life has seen a significant improvement, and many mirrorless competitors would have a difficult time competing with the T7i/800D’s capacity of 600 shots. If you prefer to shoot using only the rear display, however, the camera’s battery life will be reduced to 270 shots. This puts it behind its closest competitor, the Nikon D5600, which can take an additional 220 shots for a total of 820 before the battery needs to be recharged. There is a catch, however, as the battery life will drop to 270 shots if you only use the rear display.

It can be difficult for new users to get their bearings when it comes to creative photography. This is one area in which the graphical Guide Mode on cameras such as the Nikon D3500 has proven to be very helpful in the past, and it is encouraging to see Canon introduce something analogous to this feature on the T7i and 800D.

Canon has developed a graphical user interface that has a streamlined appearance and provides users with assistance by describing camera settings and providing guidance regarding the effects that each will have on the final image.

For example, if you are using the Aperture Priority mode, the display will demonstrate what settings are required for a blurred or sharp backdrop. Additionally, extra information will be displayed to further assist you in comprehending what is happening on.

This function will most certainly be helpful for beginning users, but more experienced users may, if they so want, disable this option in the menu and continue to utilize Canon’s more conventional menu structure.

The T7i / 800D utilizes the same metering sensor as the T6i / 750D, which has 63-zone Evaluative, Partial, Centre-weighted, and Spot metering settings. The metering sensor has 7560 pixels and is RGB+IR.

The evaluative system does a good job the majority of the time, but it is important to keep in mind that the weighting applied to the active AF point can mean that you need to use exposure compensation in high-contrast situations; we had a couple of instances where the same shot produced two different exposures simply because we shifted the AF point slightly. The evaluative system does a good job the majority of the time, but it is important to keep in mind that the weighting applied to the active

While the choice of an Ambient Auto White Balance mode has its merits, producing somewhat warmer results that might be desirable, the White Priority system can produce clean, neutral results even when working in artificial illumination. The white balance system operates quite well.

Image Quality

• ISO100-51,200
• Significant progress was made in reducing noise.
• A beautiful presentation of the colors

The new 24-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor found in the EOS Rebel T7i and EOS 800D works exceptionally well. Although there is probably not much of a difference between this new sensor and the one in the T6i / 750D in terms of out-and-out resolution, both performing extremely well, the differences come from enhancements made in other areas.

The manner that this camera dealt with noise was perhaps the most significant advancement that it made. At lower sensitivities, the images seemed quite clean and had acceptable saturation; however, the significant gains are only seen at higher sensitivities.

The raw files that were processed in Adobe Camera Raw appeared to be of extremely high quality, with photographs seeming to be quite clean even when ISO 6400 was used. Although there is some luminance noise (which looks like grain), it has a very fine structure, and there is scarcely any chroma noise (which affects color), so it is difficult to discern. However, the saturation is not quite as excellent as it was before, despite the fact that it is still extremely nice.

At an ISO setting of 25,600, the noise in the image is noticeably more evident, and the loss of saturation and detail occurs in addition to the increased visibility of the noise. The findings, despite this, are still quite reliable when other factors are taken into account. This is a setting that should be avoided whenever feasible, but it does offer some flexibility in the event that you really have to take a picture despite the dim lighting.

When it comes to the JPEG output, the colors are nice, as we have come to expect; but, some may argue that the photographs lack the ‘bite’ and clarity of those that are produced by competing cameras; thus, we recommend either shooting in raw format or modifying one of the Picture Styles.

The dynamic range has also slightly improved, but it is still not nearly up to par with competitors. There is just not the same latitude in raw files to recover highlight and shadow information as there is with other cameras, such as the D5600 or the X-T20.

It’s not exclusive to the EOS Rebel T7i or 800D by the length of the imagination, but if you want to get the most out of this camera, you should get rid of the 18-55mm kit lens as soon as you can. It has some very severe distortion, and its sharpness could be improved.

To our good fortune, there is a plethora of optics available on the market that will honor to the high-performing sensor.

Verdict

When compared to some of the most recent mirrorless cameras, there is no question that the Canon EOS Rebel T7i/800D appears to be a little bit antiquated. Having said that, it currently provides a relatively decent value and continues to be a viable alternative for novices or smartphone upgraders who prefer the features of DSLRs, like greater handling and longer battery life.

The sensor continues to amaze with its superb performance at high ISOs and its ability to generate photos that are rich in detail (although you will need some quality glass in order to get the most out of the camera).

When paired with the camera’s logical control arrangement and polished touchscreen, the graphical interface will make the camera even more inviting to novice users, and it will also make the experience of taking photos much less complicated.

It’s a shame that this camera doesn’t have the capability to record in 4K, especially considering that the vast majority of its mirrorless competitors already do. However, the camera’s finish is probably the worst letdown of all. Although it is comparable to earlier generations, the flood of mirrorless devices that have a feel that is much more pleasant in the hand has made this deficiency significantly worse.

However, if you are able to get beyond these drawbacks and are seeking a camera that is easy to use, well-rounded, and that can teach you the fundamentals of more advanced shooting, then the EOS Rebel T7i / EOS 800D is surely still something you should give some consideration to purchasing.

Canon EOS Rebel T7i Specs

Canon EOS Rebel T7i Price

Canon EOS Rebel T7i US 24.2 Digital SLR Camera with...

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