As I have previously mentioned, the Canon EOS 7D looks like a pretty amazing camera. It has an impressive list of features and there are a few things that it brings to the table that have me really excited.

However, amazing as it is, the 7D is still missing several features from my ideal camera, and even more from my list of must-haves for my next camera. Here are a few of the main reasons why I don’t plan to buy the Canon 7D:

1. Autofocus at f/8: Most consumer cameras will only autofocus with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or larger (remember that the smaller the f-stop, the larger the aperture). This may not sound like a big deal since most professional lenses are f/2.8, and even consumer lenses typically range from f/3.5 to f/5.6. However, super zooms are often at f/4 or f/5.6, and if you add a teleconverter to the lens you will lose 1 or 2 stops further. My most used lens is the Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6 L. It is a fantastic lens under most conditions but simply adding a 1.4x teleconverter takes it up to a maximum aperture of f/8 when fully racked out and so I lose autofocus with most cameras. (Sure, some will argue that this lens is not a good candidate for teleconverters anyway, but sometimes you need all the focal length you can get and the trade-off in image quality is worth the extra zoom). Professional cameras often extend the allowable autofocus range to f/8. If the 7D had this one feature it would be a very strong contender to be my next camera.
2. Integral Battery Grip: I don’t often need more than one battery, even for a full day of shooting, and I’m very happy to carry a spare battery in my pocket. But the really nice thing about having a battery grip on your camera is that it provides an extra set of shooting controls (including a shutter release, main dial, AE lock/FE lock and AF point selection) designed to make vertical shooting easier and more comfortable). You can buy add-on battery grips for most cameras however they are not always the perfect solution. Inadequate weather sealing is one potential drawback, and they also do not always have all of the controls that would be included on an integral grip. One feature in particular that I want in my battery grip is the inclusion of an AF-ON button, but add-on grips typically don’t include one. The 7D doesn’t have an integral grip, and the Canon BG-E7 battery grip designed for the 7D doesn’t include an AF-ON button.
3. Not Enough Megapixels: I already mentioned this in my previous article about the 7D, but it’s worth mentioning here too… Lately lots of people have been crying for the camera companies to stop chasing megapixels and focus more on reduced image noise. Not me. I want both! I shoot lots of birds and wildlife which can often be very small in the frame, and more megapixels would mean that I could crop my images tighter in post, yet still have a large file for multi-purpose use. I was expecting this camera to be at least 21 megapixels, which would be comparable to the Canon 5D Mark II. I really hope the next professional camera from Canon gets back to the winning ways of more and more megapixels.
4. Single Memory Card Slot: I’m a backup freak and the most vulnerable point in any photography storage system is at the time of capture. If a camera has only one memory card slot, then, by definition, at the time of capture there is only one copy of each image that has been created. The simple addition of a second card slot would ensure that there are always at least two copies of every image. This would be a relatively inexpensive feature to add and I’m extremely disappointed that Canon missed this one on the 7D.
5. Exposure Bracketing: Most Canon cameras provide a simple method to create a 3-stop auto-exposure bracket. In traditional film photography bracketing was used almost exclusively to ensure that you got the correct exposure. In digital that’s no longer really necessary because you can easily see the image on the LCD and decide whether you got it or not. Today bracketing is used more for HDR photography than anything else. For this reason it is often desirable to have (many) more than 3 images in the bracket. Personally I prefer 5 shots in one stop increments, so I have to shoot 2 brackets of 3 shots each in order to get all the exposures I need. Nikon cameras and Canon’s professional cameras allow much more control over bracketing. It is such a simple thing to provide (a software change only), so I’m stunned that Canon did not include this feature in the 7D. HDR photography is the hottest and most exciting thing in the photo world today (just do a quick search of HDR on Flickr to see what I mean) and Canon really missed the boat here.

I’m really excited by the possibilities that the Canon EOS 7D opens up, especially with the new autofocus system and with the built-in wireless flash controller. But Canon missed a few features that could have taken this camera from “exciting” to “damn near perfect”. I’m not saying that I will never buy this camera, but for now I’m planning to hold out for the next release in the 1D series (1D mark IV ??). Hopefully it comes sooner than later!!

Updated 2009-09-30 I got an email from Amazon.ca today saying that they had screwed up on the price, and that they had cancelled my order. Fail.

Updated 2009-09-29 Sorry, this deal appears to have ended… Try checking back later to see if they revive it.

There’s a great deal on right now at Amazon.ca for pre-orders of Adobe Photoshop & Premiere Elements 8. The MSRP is $149.99 (USD) for the bundle, but if you order right now you can get them for $52.99 (CAD), and Adobe has a $30 (USD) mail-in rebate that will also apply. That brings the total price down to approximately $20 (CAD) depending on the exchange rate. Wow!

Alternatively you can pick up Photoshop Elements 8 on its own for only $24.99 (CAD) and use a $20 (USD) mail-in rebate to get Photoshop Elements for less than $5.00. Another wow!

Either way, Photoshop Elements is basically free and Premiere Elements is very cheap. Compare this to $738 for the full version of Photoshop CS4 and you’ll know that you’re getting a deal. Sure CS4 has a few more features than Elements, but if you’re using Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture as your main photo processing tool and you only need to do the occasional local edit that Lightroom can’t do, Photoshop Elements presents a pretty ideal alternative to CS4. Most photographers really have no need for the full set of features of CS4.

From Adobe:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 8 combines power and simplicity so you can make your photos look extraordinary, share your life stories in unique print creations and web experiences, and easily manage your photos and video clips. New options enable you to create perfectly lit shots, recompose photos to any size without distorting key subjects, and quickly find your highest-quality shots or shots of specific people.

Adobe Premiere Elements 8
Adobe® Premiere® Elements 8 makes it easier than ever to create incredible movies, enhance your stories with professional style, share virtually anywhere, and easily manage your video clips and photos. Now you can easily manage all your clips and photos from a powerful, convenient new Organizer; add fun graphics and effects that automatically follow the motion in your scenes; and much more.

The recent release of the Canon EOS 7D has created quite a stir in the photography community. Initially people weren’t sure where this camera fit into the lineup of existing Canon cameras. From the naming convention it appears to fit somewhere between the 50D and the 5D Mark II; however, the feature set is so impressive that many assumed that it was intended to slot in above the 5D in the hierarchy. As the dust has settled it appears more and more that Canon has created a new product line designed to directly fight the Nikon D300s which is positioned in the market in a place where Canon had no comparable equipment.

Marketing aside, the 7D has a very impressive list of specifications and the image quality appears to be at least as good as the 50D (with increased resolution at 18 megapixels for the 7D vs. 15 megapixels for the 50D). It may not quite match the standard set by the full-frame 5D Mark II, but this is clearly one of the best SLR cameras ever produced.

Here are a few of the main reasons why I’m excited by this addition to the Canon family:

1. New Autofocus System: I’ve had the Canon 40D for almost 2 years (and 70,000 images) and in that time I’ve never really loved the autofocus system. It works well in some situations, poorly in others, and OK in most. But I’ve always felt that it could be faster and more accurate, and could do more to help me achieve critical focus. For the 7D Canon is boasting that the brand new “19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors in center at f/2.8 and f/5.6 and AF area selection modes to match various shooting situations” will be exactly what I’ve been asking for: faster and more accurate. I certainly hope they’re right.
2. Low Light / Low Noise Shooting: It seems that I can almost always use a little bit faster shutter speed and so higher ISO’s with lower noise levels are definitely exciting. I use ISO800 all the time with my 40D and the noise in those images is “acceptable” but often much uglier than I want it to be. In my opinion ISO1600 is not at all usable except in those extreme situations where getting any shot is better than getting nothing at all. I was able to test a 50D for an extended period and on that camera I find the images made at ISO1600 to be comparable to those at 800 on my camera, and the 7D is supposed to be even better yet. This is a very good thing and I’m excited at the possibility of having a camera where ISO3200 is a reality, not just a crazy dream!
3. Lots of Megapixels: Lately lots of people have been crying for the camera companies to stop chasing megapixels and focus more on reduced image noise. Not me. I want both! I shoot lots of birds and wildlife which can often be very small in the frame, and more megapixels means that I can crop my images tighter and post yet still have a large file for multi purpose use. So while I’m happy that this camera is 18 megapixels, I’d be even happier with more. Canon, keep the pixels coming!
4. HD Video: This isn’t so much exciting for me as it is very interesting. I don’t shoot a lot of video, but I do want to be able to in a pinch. I’m used to always having a point and shoot nearby to use for the occasional video that I want to shoot, but it would be much nicer to have it built into my SLR. The fact that the 7D includes 1080p High Definition video, with the amazing control over depth of field that only comes with an SLR is really nice. Video has already become a de facto industry standard for SLR’s, but I’m glad that Canon is pushing the quality envelope with the video capabilities implemented in this camera.
5. Wireless Flash Control: I’m saving the best for last with this one… The 7D comes with built-in capability to control multiple external Speedlite flashes wirelessly using TTL metering. That means that the camera can control the output level of each flash where in the past an external flash with Speedlite Master capability, or a dedicated wireless Master controller, had to be mounted on the hotshoe of the camera. These units are heavy, bulky, and expensive! Canon has long been way behind Nikon in this one little detail as most (all?) Nikon SLR’s have been able to control slave flashes wirelessly for a long time. Anyone even remotely aware of the Strobist movement will immediately understand why this is a big deal. It’s not just big, it’s huge!

I don’t necessarily think that the Canon EOS 7D is the perfect camera. In fact it only adds one of the features that I really want in my next camera (AF Microadjustment, which has also already become a de facto industry standard feature). But it is a huge leap over the existing xxD cameras and in many ways an improvement over the much more recent 5D Mark II. The main thing for me is that it shows that Canon hasn’t been sitting on their laurels and that they have some fantastic new technology ready to roll. Upcoming releases in the 1D and 5D series could get very exciting!

We bought a iRobot Roomba Vacuuming Robot last year to try to try to help keep the copious quantities of dog hair in our house under control. These are the ultimate in geekly gadgets and they are simply amazing to watch in action. They use simple algorithms that ensure they clean the entire room (such as following walls, spirals, and randomly changing direction after bumping into something); however, they are by no means efficient in how they do so. In fact they hit some areas of the room many times and other areas only once or twice. They are mesmerizing and hilarious to watch!

For the most part our Roomba works very hard and she cleans reasonably well. It’s not a perfect clean by any stretch, but it’s virtually effortless on our part, and we’ve had very few problems with her. Until yesterday anyway. I had some company coming over for dinner last night so I fired the little dude up in the afternoon in order to give the living area a quick once over. The poor thing couldn’t figure out how to make forward progress. She just stayed in the middle of the room, spinning in circles. Her sad cry for help at the end is rather pathetic…

I have put in a support ticket on the iRobot website and they have been very helpful so far. The initial indication is that one of the proximity sensors on the front has failed. Fortunately the entire robot is modular and each component can be easily removed for cleaning or replacement. Many people figured this out and have learned how to hack their Roombas to do fun and crazy things. I haven’t tried any of these hacks yet, but maybe someday…

Sep 22 UPDATE – iRobot tells me that Roomba is dead and that I need to replace her. RIP Roomba.

I generally want my computers to automatically logon to my personal account when I turn them on (or when they restart in the middle of the night following an automatic Windows Vista update) so that I don’t have to waste any time logging in when I sit down to use the computer. This may not be the ideal thing for a computer shared by several users, but for a computer that has a single main user it is often very desirable.

I just got a new desktop computer and I’m in the process of setting it up with all my personal preferences.  This seems to take longer and longer as Windows gets more and more filled with bloat.  It seems to me that setting up automagic logons was a lot easier in Windows XP than it is in Vista, but I can’t actually remember how it was done there either. Maybe it was included as an option in the TweakUI Powertoy. Anyway I always have to hunt around to find the trick for Vista machines, so I thought I would write it down so that we can all find it easily the next time we need it.

Fortunately there are only a couple of easy steps:

1. Click Start and type netplwiz in the search field (or in the Run… dialog if you are using the classic menus)
2. Click Continue if one of those uber-annoying “User Account Control” windows appears
3. Select the user account to which you want to automatically logon
4. Clear the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” option box up above the User Accounts window
5. Click OK
6. When prompted, enter the password for the user account you selected in step 3

That’s it.  From now on whenever you start or restart the computer Windows Vista will automatically logon to your preferred account.  I assume that this method will also work for Windows 7, but I haven’t been able to test it yet.  I’ll get back to you sometime on or near October 22nd!!

UPDATE Oct 27, 2009 – This trick is definitely still applicable to Windows 7, and it works perfectly!