For a long time with Canon, if you weren't dropping nearly three grand on a 5D , you were stuck with a vastly lesser DSLR. The $US1700 7D is Canon's first semi-pro DSLR, and actually it's my favourite yet.

The Canon 7D has been built from the ground up with feedback from professional Canon users. With 18mp, HD video, 100% viewfinder, 8fps, 100-12,800 ISO, has this reinvention created what could be Canon's best ever camera?

Build quality; 8fps; viewfinder; focus speed; high ISO; image quality; video functions

Lots of menus; current high price; no second card slot

Many photographers were a tad confused about the positioning of Canon's new 7D when it was announced to the market. Seemingly, it was considered to be an upgrade to the existing 50D range of camera, but what Canon have, actually, done is given the semi-pro market, and even some pro photographers a...

I purchased the 5D MarkII a little while ago, and just picked up this 7D for a great back up camera, and I am completely impressed with it so far. I mainly use my 5D MKII for video, and have it hooked up to a shoulder rig full time, so its nice to have this bad boy in my camera bag for those photo...

With the introduction of the 7D, Canon has fit a camera neatly into both the resolution and cost gaps that had formerly existed in their DSLR lineup. Now there's a smooth progression of resolution from 10 megapixels to 21 at roughly 2 or 3 megapixel increments, and a $1700 camera to fill the gap...

Good image quality; Great continuous shooting rate with JPEG files; 8 fps high speed shooting rate; HD video

Cost; 72 dpi output of images

This18 megapixel DSLR camera has dual image processors for fast operation – burst mode of up to 8fps (JPEG). It is well made and rugged with extensive sealing against dust and moisture. There is automatic dust removal by filter shake.

This camera is ultra-responsive with seemingly no time lag between imagining the picture and having it saved on the CF card; The 8fps burst speed is ideal for capturing fast moving subjects; Auto focus and auto exposure are almost always spot on.

Only having three frame auto bracketing is poor; Nikon brackets nine and Pentax seven – which is ideal for creating high dynamic range sets.

There's one ping-pong match that never ends-the battle between Nikon and Canon for DSLR supremacy. No sooner does Nikon come out with the D300S (a $1699, 12.3 megapixel (MP), 7-frame-per-second model) than Canon follows suit with the 7D, a $1699 18MP camera that shoots at a speedy 8 fps.

Great 18MP photo quality; Blazing fast 8 fps shooting; Pinpoint focusing; Just so happens to take HD videos

Expensive; Heavy-it's a commitment; Video focusing takes practice; Considerable learning curve

Well-built, designed for serious users without the desire or budget for a full-frame model

Strong color accuracy; Very accurate white balance system; Great hardware features

Some noise issues at high ISOs

Great camera....but a GBP1,699 you are about GBP400 dearer than Jessops!

Beautiful images, a great video mode and superb build quality mean those in the market for a top-end DSLR need look no further.