Reikan FoCal: Canon EOS 7D Details

Autofocus Performance Information for the Canon EOS 7D

83.2% of lenses would benefit noticeably from FoCal calibration, with 62.3% showing a significant improvement.

Significant
62.3%
Noticeable
20.9%
Minimal
16.8%

Source: FoCal IQ: EOS 7D (EF mount)

Definitions:

Significant: 4 or more AF Microadjustment units.
Noticeable: 2 or 3 AF Microadjustment units.
Minimal: no more than 1 AF Microadjustment units.

FoCal Support for the Canon EOS 7D

Check your autofocus performance for free with FoCal Mobile or dig deep into your gear with FoCal Pro.

Supported Features
Automatic Focus Calibration

Automatic Focus Calibration is available for this camera, offering Single Adjustment Value

The Focus Calibration tool in FoCal will tune your Canon EOS 7D and lenses to work as well as possible together. A full calibration takes a few minutes, after which you will be able to see the before/after images and, with FoCal Pro, dig into the measurements.

Your camera can be fully controlled automatically, which means a full calibration takes just one click.


Calibration check

Calibration Check is available for this camera.

Calibration Check is a one-click tool for checking the current state of your Canon EOS 7D and lens operation. In a minute or so, it will give you a result showing whether your kit is working optimally or could benefit from tuning.

Calibration Check (AF System Check) is completely free in FoCal Mobile!


MultiTest

MultiTest is available for this camera.

MultiTest gives you a two-dimensional view of your lens performance. See how your lens performs at different focus positions across the aperture range, revealing any focus shift as the aperture changes, showing the very sharpest aperture, and understanding just how much benefit calibration and manual-focusing will be for you.


Stabilisation Test

Stabilisation Test is available for this camera.

How does your stabilisation system really perform? With the Stabilisation Test in FoCal, you can investigate the benefit of your camera and/or lens stabilisation system. See the quality improvement as the shutter speed slows, and investigate whether stabilisation when tripod-mounted can actually degrade the quality.


Focus Consistency

Focus Consistency is available for this camera.

With the Focus Consistency tool, you can investigate how repeatable your Canon EOS 7D autofocus system is. Choose to defocus between shots in one or both directions, and compare viewfinder (phase-detect) and Live View focusing.


Aperture Sharpness

Aperture Sharpness is available for this camera.

What happens to your image sharpness as you change aperture on your lens? With the Aperture Sharpness tool in FoCal, you can find out!


Dust Analysis

Dust Analysis is available for this camera.

Take a good look at your Canon EOS 7D sensor with the Dust Analysis tool. Quantify the dust spots - see how many there are and how much of an impact they will really have on your sensor before you decide to embark on a costly and potentially risky clean.


Snapshots

The Snapshots feature is unavailable for this camera

This feature is not yet available for this camera.

Using FoCal with your Canon EOS 7D

Connecting to your computer or mobile device

FoCal can take control of this camera via USB in tethered mode.

You will require a USB cable with a Mini-USB connector to connect to your Canon EOS 7D.
AF Microadjustment

The option for AF Microadjustment on the Canon EOS 7D is found in the Custom Function menu under the C.FnIII-5 option:

(Note that the image above may not show the correct C.Fn number - for the Canon EOS 7D, you should navigate to C.FnIII-5)

For FoCal, the adjustment will be per-lens, so select Adjust by lens, then hit the INFO button.

You can adjust the value on the screen then hit SET.

Adjust the value using the rear dial, then hit SET to save the chosen value.

Hit the MENU button to return to the previous screen. You should see your chosen values selected:

Environment Setup

Choose a location with a solid floor

Ground floor locations are less likely to vibrate when people move, trucks drive past outside the building etc. The quality of your test results will be affected if there is vibration to the camera/lens during the test.

Attach the target firmly to a vertical wall at approximately the height of the camera lens

If you print the target yourself, make sure it is flat and cannot blow around during testing. We recommend using a FoCal Hard Target (available from the Reikan FoCal Store) as these are the targets we use for all our development and testing.

Ensure the target is well lit with a stable light source

We don’t recommend the use of fluorescent or LED lighting as they can flicker – you won’t be able to see this with your eye, but the camera can be affected and the results may not be as accurate as possible. Also avoid changeable outdoor lighting - e.g. clouds moving across the sky. FoCal can compensate for small light level changes, but large changes can cause problems during testing.

Attach the camera or lens to a solid, sturdy tripod

If the option is available for your tripod, you can hang something heavy from the hook at the base of the centre column to further stabilise the camera lens during testing.

For large lenses, use the supplied tripod collar and attach the lens to the tripod (not the camera) - this will not only reduce strain on the camera mount, but also make the whole camera/lens system more stable.

Position the camera the appropriate distance from the target

The Target Distance Tool in FoCal will guide you. You can use this either with or without the camera connected to FoCal. More information is available at help.reikanfocal.com/targetdistance.

Connect the camera to the computer

You will require a USB cable with a Mini-USB connector to connect to your Canon EOS 7D.

Use the USB cable supplied with your camera or a high-quality alternative, and avoid extension cables. Low quality USB cables can cause considerable unreliability during testing and it's usually the first thing we suggest changing if you get unreliable operation of FoCal!

Camera Setup

Check the camera battery is at least half (>50%) charged

Low batteries can cause the tests to run incorrectly or to fail. FoCal can catch and properly identify most issues, but if a battery is low or exhausted the camera may behave unexpectedly and you may see strange behavior.

Remove any battery grip from the camera

Battery grips can cause considerable extra vibration when mounted on a tripod - remove them before you calibrate.

Aim the centre focus point of the camera approximately at the centre of the FoCal Target

You don't have to be too precise - positioning will be confirmed during Target Setup.

Cover the eyepiece of the camera (DSLR Only)

This stops stray light entering the back of the camera and affecting exposure during tests.

Camera Settings

Switch to Photo mode

The Canon EOS 7D can operate in both Photo and Video mode. If there is a selector switch, ensure that it is switched to Photo mode.

Remove any mode limits

Some cameras allow you to limit available options for various settings. If this is possible on your camera, please ensure that the following are allowed options:

  • AE Mode: Aperture Priority and Manual
  • Metering Mode: Spot Metering, Matrix/Evaluative Metering
  • Aperture: All apertures
  • Shutter Speed: All shutter speeds
  • ISO: All ISO values

Switch to Aperture Priority Mode

Most tests in FoCal use Aperture Priority mode, so it's a good idea to switch to this mode when you start.

If a tool in FoCal requires a different mode, you will be asked to change.

Select non-continuous Autofocus mode

Ensure the autofocus mode of your Canon EOS 7D is set to One Shot.

To check, when you half-press the shutter button, the camera should lock focus (with a beep if this is enabled), and then stop focusing.

Select single focus point mode

You should not use any automatic focus point selection modes. When you look through the viewfinder and activate autofocus (half-press the shutter button or use the AF-ON button), you should see only a single, non-moving AF point selected.

Choose the Centre focus point

Most FoCal tests require use of just the centre focus point, so set that single point (from the step above) to the centre.

Ensure Focus Limiter is disabled on lens (if applicable)

FoCal may use the whole of the lens focus range during testing. You may encounter errors if the range of focus is limited on the lens, so make sure the limiter is set to OFF or the minimum-to-maximum range (note this option is not present on all lenses - it's usually available on longer telephoto lenses or macro lenses).

Ensure any image stabilisation is disabled on lens and/or in-camera (if applicable)

You should disable any image-stabilisation option on your lens, as it can reduce the quality of the results.

Canon EOS 7D Specifications

Camera ModelEOS 7D
ManufacturerCanon
USB TypeMini-USB
Expected Shutter Life150000 actuations
Diffraction Limited Aperturef/6.9
Sensor SizeAPS C: 22.3 x 14.9 mm (332.3 mm²)
Sensor Resolution5184 x 3456 pixels (17.9 MP)
Pixel Size4.3µm
Sensor TypeBayer
Lens MountEF mount
Base ISO100
CPU TypeDual DIGIC 4
Release DateSeptember 2009
In-body StabilisationNo

FoCal Products

Find out more about our suite of camera & lens tools

FoCal Plus

Quick and simple Autofocus Tuning.

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FoCal Pro

Tune, Analyse & Compare.

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FoCal Mobile

Calibrate, analyse and compare your camera and lenses with your mobile device.

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