Canon Rebel T7i

Canon T7i (EOS 800D outside the USA, 18.7 oz./531g with battery and card, about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.) and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. bigger.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

September 2022 Canon Reviews Canon Lenses Canon Flash All Reviews

Canon T7i and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM. bigger.

Introduction

Good Missing

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

The Canon EOS T7i is a high performance DSLR in an inexpensive ultralight package. There's no real reason to pay more unless you intend to physically abuse it (get the 1DX Mk II), need more than 6 FPS (get the 7D Mk II) or use it full-time for a living and appreciate having a few more direct control knobs and dials — or want the camera-memory recall C1, C2 and C3 modes — of Canon's heavier and more expensive cameras (get the 5DSR).

The T7i is the highest performance Digital Rebel, with 45 AF points and 6 frames per second.

The Rebel T7i came out at the same time and is almost identical to the 77D as far as size, weight, image quality, speed, autofocus and menu performance, simply lacking a few convenience features.

It's about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

Good

● First Rebel with a 45-point AF system.

● Can shoot-through the flicker of fluorescent, LED and vapor and lighting often found in gyms, restaurants, arenas and auditoriums so you won't get randomly underexposed or off-color shots at fast shutter speeds.

● High quality: Made in Japan and has free 100% USA customer support at (800) OK-CANON.

● Built-in flash.

● Built-in flash can work as a commander to control remote Canon flashes.

● [Q] Quick-Control button to get to most settings just like Canon's pro cameras.

● Swiveling touch LCD make it very fast to set, probably faster than Canon's pro cameras without touch screens!

● Electronic movie stabilization.

● Automatic lens aberration correction for vignetting, lateral color fringes, distortion and diffraction, presuming the camera has a lens profile installed. All corrections are ON by default, except for distortion, and most recent popular lenses already have their profile installed.

● HDR and time-lapse movies.

● WiFi.

● NFC.

● Bluetooth.

● Selectable one-axis level and viewfinder grids; but the viewfinder level is just a three-position icon for left/OK/right roll; use the rear LCD for more level detail.

● Depth-of-field preview button.

● 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 and square aspect ratios with finder lines (MENU > Camera 5 > Aspect Ratio), but not actual finder masking.

Missing

● No C modes on dial; have to set and reset everything manually as you change shooting conditions — but people who get this camera rarely know how to set all that anyway.

● Has Auto ISO, but no way to adjust the slowest shutter speed; always bases it on focal length.

● Only one card slot.

● No GPS (use the GP-E2 GPS).

● No battery percentage indication, just a three-segment icon.

● No LCD auto brightness control.

● No AF Fine Tuning.

● No rear control dial (present in 77D).

● No Bulb Timer (present in 77D).

● No lock on mode dial (present in 77D).

● No top LCD (present in 77D), but who needs a top LCD when there's a bigger, better one on the back?

Canon T7i. bigger.

Lens Compatibility

Canon T7i. bigger.

This is an APS-C (1.6x) camera.

It works with all Canon EF Full-Frame lenses made since they were introduced in 1987, and all Canon APS-C EF-S lenses made since they were introduced in 2003.

EF-M lenses for Canon's mirrorless cameras won't fit or attach, much less work.

I tried it with my exotic 1980s 50mm f/1 L and original 300mm f/2.8 L, each of which use a special electronic-only focus system, and they work fantastically well with my T7i. Focus with my 50mm f/1 L is dead-on at f/1.0, no AF fine tune needed.

Specifications

LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

It's about $500 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

Image Sensor

24 MP CMOS with dual-pixel Live View AF.

14.9 × 22.3 mm.

3.72 µm square pixels.

3:2 aspect ratio.

1.613× crop factor.

Ultrasonic cleaner.

Still Formats

JPG and/or raw.

sRGB and Adobe RGB.

Still Image Sizes

Large: 6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (24 MP).

Medium: 3,984 x 2,656 (10 MP)

Small 1: 2,976 x 1,984 (6 MP)

Small 2: 2,400 x 1,600 (4 MP).

CR2 raw: 6,000 x 4,000 (24 MP).

Cropped Aspect Ratios

3:2 native.

4:3 cropped.

1:1 (square) cropped.

16:9 cropped.

ISO

ISO 100 ~ 25,600.

ISO 100 is optimum.

Auto ISO

Adjustable high ISO limit in full stops from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600.

There is no way to set the slowest shutter speed; it selects based on focal length.

Video

Frame Sizes and Rates

1,920 × 1,080 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p or 23.976p.

1,280 × 720 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p or 25p.

640 × 480 at 29.97p or 25p.

Bit rates from 60 MBPS (1,080/59.94p) to 3 MBPS (640/29.97p).

File Formats

.MP4 holding MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video and AAC audio.

Time-lapse movies saved as .MOV holding LL-I at 1,080/29.98p.

Audio

Recorded only along with video.

Stereo microphones built in.

Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.

No headphone jack.

Autofocus

Via optical finder

45 cross-type points.

Phase detection with dedicated AF sensor.

Center sensor is a high-precision sensor optimum with f/2.8 lenses.

No face recognition.

LV -3 ~ +18.

Via Live View

Dual-Pixel AF.

Face tracking.

LV -2 ~ +18.

Finder

95% coverage.

0.82× magnification with 50mm lens.

23.2º apparent angle.

19mm eyepoint.

-3 to +1 diopters.

Fixed screen.

Light Meter

7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor.

63-zone (9 x 7) metering.

Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points).

Center-weighted average metering.

Partial metering (center, approx. 6.0% of viewfinder).

Spot metering (center, approx. 3.5% of viewfinder).

LV 1 ~ 20 range, rated with finder or LV 0 ~ 20 with Live View.

Shutter

1/4,000 to 30 seconds, Bulb.

1/200 flash sync speed.

2s or 10s self-timer.

Frame Rates

To 6 FPS, viewfinder shooting with tracking autofocus.

To 4.5 FPS, Live View shooting.

3 FPS in Continuous Low setting.

Burst Sizes

Unlimited in JPG, so long as your card keeps up.

21 to 27 shots in raw.

19 to 23 shots in JPG+raw.

Remote Releases

Wired

2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.

Wireless: Bluetooth

Canon BR-E1 Wireless Remote. bigger.

This new Canon BR-E1 Wireless Remote has a 16-foot range.

Canon BR-E1. bigger.

Flash

1/200 sync speed.

Built-in Flash

Yes, pops up.

GN 39'/12m at ISO 100.

Covers as wide as a 17mm lens on this camera (28mm equivalent on full-frame).

Built-in flash can work as a commander to control remote Canon flashes.

External Flash

Dedicated hot shoe.

E-TTL II for use with all EX series flash.

No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your slaves or use a hot-shoe adapter for corded sync.

Live View

For video and for stills.

Manual or Dual-Pixel autofocus.

5x and 10x magnifications.

LCD Monitor

Canon T7i and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM. bigger.

Swivels all over.

95% coverage.

3" (77 mm) diagonal.

1,040,000 dots.

3:2 aspect ratio.

Anti-smudge coating, but no anti-reflection coating.

Connectors

Digital connector for USB 2.0 or GP-E2 GPS.

2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.

3.5mm mic jack.

HDMI type C with CEC; use a Canon HTC-100 HDMI cable or whatever fits HDMI-C.

Storage

One SD, SDHC or SDXC card.

UHS-I compatible.

Eye-Fi compatible.

Not compatible with Multimedia cards (MMC).

Quality

Canon T7i. bigger.

Made in Japan.

Power & Battery

Battery

7.2V, 1,040 mAh.

1.30 x 0.55 x 1.94."

33 x 14 x 49.4mm.

1.59 oz./45g.

Rated 600 shots; 550 shots at 32ºF/0ºC for regular shooting

270 shots (230 shots at 32ºF/0ºC) with Live View

1 hour and 55 minutes of movie shooting, or 1:50 at 32ºF/0ºC.

Charger

Folding-plug external LC-E17 charger included in USA.

In other areas you may get the LC-E17E charger with a detachable cord.

2.65 x 1.09 x 3.63."

67.3 x 27.7 x 92.2 mm.

3 oz./85g.

Rated 2 hour charge time.

AC Adapter

Optional AC Adapter AC-E6N and DC Coupler DR-E18.

Size

3.93 × 5.16 × 3.00 inches HWD.

99.9 × 131.0 × 76.2 millimeters HWD.

Weight

18.730 oz. (531.0 g) with battery and card, actual measured.

Rated 18.77 oz. (532g) with battery and card, 17.11 oz. (485g) stripped.

Environment

Operating

0 ~ 40 º C (32 ~ 104 º F).

up to 85% RH.

Announced

15 February 2017.

Promised for

31 March 2017.

Included

Camera.

Eyecup.

Body cap.

Strap.

Battery & Charger.

Printed manual in English, Spanish and French.

USA warranty card.

(Possibly a lens and caps with a kit)

No Software CD.

No eyepiece cover.

No hot shoe cover.

No USB cords.

No A/V cords.

No HDMI cable.

Price, USA

September 2022

About $500 used (with or without 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens) if you know How to Win at eBay.

May 2017

Canon Rebel T7i body: $699, also at B&H.

Canon Rebel T7i w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $849, also at B&H.

Canon Rebel T7i w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,049, also at B&H.

February 2017

Canon T7i body: $749.

Canon T7i w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $899.

Canon T7i w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,299.

Optional Accessories

Canon BR-E1 Wireless Bluetooth Remote.

RS-60E3 wired remote.

GP-E2 GPS.

AC Adapter AC-E6N and DC Coupler DR-E18.

Canon HTC-100 HDMI cable.

Spare LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (one is included).

Spare LC-E17 charger (one is included).

Getting a Legal USA Version

(for USA only)

Canon T7i USA Warranty Card. bigger.

In the USA, be sure you have a folded sheet that is the warranty paper that says USA & CANADA ONLY on one of its pages, and that it lists a serial number that matches the one printed on the bottom of your camera.

If you don't have this paper or the serial number doesn't match exactly, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

If a gray market version saves you $200 it may be worth it, but for $100 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.

Always be sure to check your box while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem, but if you take the risk of getting yours elsewhere, be sure to check everything while you still can return it.

Performance

Overall Autofocus Ergonomics Finder Flash

Frame Rates High ISOs Auto ISO Image Quality

Mechanics Noise & Vibration Movies

Top LCD Rear LCD Data Power & Battery

Overall

The Canon T7i has great professional DSLR image quality in a small, light body.

Autofocus

Autofocus is the usual from Canon: it's fast and sure.

It has 45 sensors that cover much of the image area.

Ergonomics

This is a great-handling camera.

The touch screen and [Q] quick control screen and button make setup fast.

I miss having programmable C1, C2 and C3 positions on the mode dial to make swapping setups instant, but most people who buy this camera wouldn't use these anyway.

Finder

The finder is smaller than larger cameras due to the mirror prism.

It's bright and sharp.

The diopter focus adjustment stays adjusted.

The AF Area indicators are dark LCDs that can obscure the subject, like all cameras even triple the price. You need the $6,000 1DX Mk II for non-obscurring AF-area indicators.

The dark AF Area indicators flash in red in the dark as they become active.

Flash

The built-in flash balances well in brighter light, but like all DSLRs tends to be the dominant source of light when shot indoors.

The finder shows BUSY as the flash recycles.

It can take as long as 3 seconds to recycle, during which time the camera is locked and will not take a picture. 3 seconds doesn't sound like a long time, but it can be if you're trying to capture family action.

Frame Rates

While Canon only rates it to 4.5 FPS with tracking (AI SERVO) autofocus, but I tried my T7i and it runs at 6 FPS — although not all frames are in perfect focus — in AI SERVO as it tracks motion.

High ISOs

I see no difference in performance from other APS-C cameras. The images are never grainy, but get softer at the highest ISOs. This is normal, and has high enough ISOs with quality to shoot just about anything in any light.

Auto ISO

Auto ISO is only partially functional.

While we can set the highest ISO from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600 in full stops, we can't program the slowest shutter speed.

The T7i always uses the lens focal length as the slowest speed, so while this is great for still subjects with most lenses, these speeds are faster than needed with stabilized lenses, and probably slower than needed with moving subjects.

In other words, this is this camera's biggest flaw for me. I depend on Auto ISO to set my camera fast, and I prefer a fixed 1/125 for people photos. The camera's usual self-setting tends to be slower, and lead to blurry available light images of action and motion.

Image Quality

As I've said, it's got a Canon image sensor and has the same color rendition and image quality as Canon's other professional cameras.

The only limit to the quality of your picture is your photographic talent with this camera.

Mechanical Quality

It's mostly plastic, except for the glass and the metal lens mount and tripod socket.

This keeps it ultralight, which lets you carry it longer and farther, and take better pictures that you might be too tired to take if you had a heavier camera by the end of the day.

It is very well made in Japan; this isn't some rubbish offshored to China.

Noise and Vibration

It's moderately quiet. It has a sharp sound, but it's not very loud.

Movies

Video looks great.

Autofocus is as slow as most DSLRs, but if you hold the shutter halfway down it forces the T7i to refocus quickly.

Autofocus is silent with the 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM or other STM lenses, which is better than most DSLR focus systems.

Rear LCD Monitor

The rear LCD is the usual.

The touch screen responds extremely well, like an iPhone.

It's not very big to allow for room for the pivoting mount.

It has no auto brightness control, so you need to fire it up manually for use in daylight.

Data

Cards are titled as "EOS_DIGITAL," standard for Canon.

JPGs are tagged as 72 DPI.

Power & Battery

While I'd prefer a percentage indicator to the three-segment icon, battery life is far better than from any mirrorless camera.

No news or problems here.

Compared

This inexpensive Rebel T7i has the same image quality as larger professional Canon cameras, but weighs and costs much less. What you lose are many of the extra control knobs and dials that make the larger cameras faster to set when used by people who know how to use these settings, but the people who buy Rebels usually have no idea what these settings are. This Rebel usually can make all the same settings and take the same fantastic photos, just that it can take a few moments longer to set them through menus instead of with direct controls.

This new Canon Rebel T7i is almost identical in performance, size, weight and specifications to the Canon 77D which was announced in the same press release with much of the same text. The Rebel T7i does it for less money, but lacks several convenience features:

The T7i has no rear control dial, which is present in the 77D.

The T7i has no Bulb Timer, which is present in the 77D.

The T7i has no lock on its mode dial, while the 77D has a mode dial lock.

The T7i has no top LCD as does the 77D, but who needs a top LCD when there's a bigger, better one on the back?

If you don't need any of these, you can save a couple of hundred dollars with this Rebel T7i, but if any are are important to you, they warrant the difference in price.

Usage

Canon's T7i Instruction Manual.

Charging

Take the battery out and pop it in the included folding-plug charger.

Steady amber means charging, and steady green means charged.

Menus

If you're experienced with Canon's menu system, you can get what you're used to by pressing MENU > (click right to Disp level settings) > SET > Menu Display > Standard.

Instant manual-focus override with STM lenses

With most L lenses you just grab the focus ring for instant manual-focus override, but with STM and other advanced electronic-focus-only lenses like the exotic 50mm f/1 L and original 300mm f/2.8 L, you have to set:

MENU > Camera 1 > Lens electronic MF > Enable after One-Shot AF.

Movies

Set the power switch past ON to the MOVIE icon.

You see your picture on the rear LCD screen, not through the viewfinder.

Tap the camera-icon button with the red dot to the right of the eyepiece to start and stop.

The camera autofocuses, and to make it focus faster on something that just moved, hold the shutter button halfway.

Recommendations

The Canon T7i is a fantastic camera for those of us who appreciate great pictures and ultralight weight.

While it doesn't have some of the buttons I like on heavier cameras, like C1 & C2 on the mode dial or programmable slowest shutter speeds in Auto ISO, it has very little weight making it a joy to carry all day, every day — and having your camera with you always makes better pictures than leaving it at home.

Technically its image quality is as good as all the other Canons.

Lens Suggestions

The kit with the 18-55mm is a great way to get this. The 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a fast and silent -focussing sharp lens that focusses ultra-close and does everything well. It could be the only lens you'll ever need.

If you want more telephoto range to get closer, get the kit with the superb 18-135mm lens. It's bigger and heavier, but goes longer. It all depends on how much you want to carry.

Either of these lens options is wonderful.

If you need an ultrawide lens, get the superb Canon 10-18mm STM.

If you need longer, you also could just get the 55-250mm or new full-frame instant-focussing 70-300mm IS II.

I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield. It comes as a body only, as kit with 18-55mm as shown or as a kit with the superb 18-135mm lens.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

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