Canon EOS 7D vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 7D and the Sigma SD1 Merrill, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 7D was introduced in November 2009 and Sigma SD1 Merrill was introduced in April 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 7D over Sigma SD1 Merrill.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma SD1 Merrill over Canon EOS 7D.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 7D and Sigma SD1 Merrill have 3.0" Fixed screens with 920k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. Canon EOS 7D has 100% coverage with 1x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sigma SD1 Merrill has 96% coverage with 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Canon EOS 7D features a 18.0 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.3 x 14.9 mm and a total area of 332.3 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Sigma SD1 Merrill features a 15 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 24 x 16 mm and a total area of 256 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 7D is equipped with Dual DIGIC 4 processor and can take pictures up to 5184 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 5184 x 3456, 3888 x 2592, 3456 x 2304, 2592 x 1728 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Sigma SD1 Merrill is equipped with Dual TRUE II processor and can take pictures up to 4800 x 3200 resolution.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 7D has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Sigma SD1 Merrill has Sigma SA lens mount. They both have APS-C sensor but because of a small size difference their crop factors (also called lens multiplier) differ from each other. Canon EOS 7D has the crop factor of 1.6x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Sigma SD1 Merrill has the crop factor of 1.5x which means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma SD1 Merrill

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma SD1 Merrill. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 7D it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sigma SD1 Merrill nothing can be done. On Sigma SD1 Merrill it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 7D nothing can be done.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 7D comes with LP-E6 battery pack with battery life of 800 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 7D has a single CompactFlash (Type I/II, UDMA 7) card slot. Sigma SD1 Merrill has a single CompactFlash (Type I, UDMA compatible) card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 7D has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 7D, and up to [] on Sigma SD1 Merrill. Canon EOS 7D can shoot continuously up to 8.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 7D has 19 focusing points and Sigma SD1 Merrill has . Sigma SD1 Merrill has detection range from 0 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 7D ranges from +1 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Canon EOS 7D and ±3 EV range on Sigma SD1 Merrill. You can also do exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 7D and and manual exposure adjustment on Sigma SD1 Merrill.

Flash

Canon EOS 7D has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Wireless Speedlite EX. Sigma SD1 Merrill has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Canon EOS 7D and 1/180 sec on Sigma SD1 Merrill.

Canon EOS 7D body has dimensions of 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.83 x 4.37 x 2.91") and Sigma SD1 Merrill body has dimensions of 146 x 113 x 80 mm (5.75 x 4.45 x 3.15"). Canon EOS 7D weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz) and Sigma SD1 Merrill weighs 790 g (1.74 lb / 27.87 oz).

Canon EOS 7D

Sigma SD1 Merrill

148 mm

111 mm

146 mm

113 mm

111 mm

113 mm

74 mm

80 mm