Reviews |Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot
Review

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Snap Verdict

By giving the 2000D / T7 a 24Mp sensor Canon has made it more enticing than the 1300D /T6 it replaces. However, the lack of touch control and a sluggish AF system in Live View and video mode are disappointing.

That said, with the exception of slightly limited dynamic range, the image quality is good. There’s plenty of detail on show and exposure and colour are usually handled well.

For

  • Simple controls
  • Good detail levels
  • Extensive lens range

Against

  • No touch-control
  • Dated Live View and video AF system
  • Dynamic range a little limited

What is the Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7?

Known as the Canon EOS Rebel T7 in the US, the EOS 2000D is the replacement for the Canon 1300D (aka EOS Rebel T6). Launched in March 2016, the 1300D was Canon’s most entry-level DSLR. The 2000D / Rebel T7 is very similar but it has a 24-million-pixel sensor rather than an 18Mp chip.

Because Canon has introduced the lower-level Canon EOS 4000D / EOS Rebel T100 the 2000D / T7 isn’t at the very bottom of Canon SLR line-up.

Features

Like the 1300D, the 2000D is designed to suit novice photographers. Canon is aiming it at people moving up from a smartphone or compact camera to their first interchangeable lens model. And as the 1300D was very successful at that, Canon hasn’t changed a great deal for the 2000D. The most notable difference is the upgrade to the sensor.

This sensor is paired with a DIGIC 4+ processing engine (the same as is in the 1300D). This enables a sensitivity range of ISO 100-6,400 (expandable to ISO 12,800) and a maximum continuous shooting speed of 3fps for 150 jpegs or 11 raw files. It’s also possible to shoot Full-HD (1920 x 1080) movies at 30, 25 or 24fps (frames per second) for up to 29 minutes 59 seconds.

While advanced exposure modes such as aperture priority, shutter priority and manual are available, Canon’s Scene Intelligent Auto mode and a collection of scene modes are on hand to help inexperienced photographers get good results easily.

There’s also a built-in features guide to help new photographers get to grips with their camera, but the Guided Mode seen on the Canon M50 and 800D/T7i that simplifies controlling the camera is not available.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot

Autofocus

As it’s an SLR, the 2000D has a phase detection autofocus (AF) system with a dedicated autofocus sensor. This has 9 AF points clustered around the centre of the image frame.

While it is possible to use this phase detection system when images are composed on the screen, it’s a clunky process as the live view feed has to be interrupted while the mirror moves over the imaging sensor. Consequently, the 2000D is more likely to be used with its contrast detection autofocus system. This draws information from the imaging sensor and allows a continuous live view. This is the only method of autofocusing available in video mode.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot

Connectivity

Canon has given the 2000D a NFC (Near Field Communication) chip and this can be used to ease connecting the in-built Wi-Fi system to an Android smartphone. Those using an iOS device can connect to the camera using a password.

Battery Life

Canon states that in CIPA testing the EOS 2000D’s battery enables 500 images or 1.5 hours of HD video to be recorded with a single charge. That compares reasonably well with a mirrorless camera, but it’s not especially good for an SLR.

Key Specifications

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Build Quality and Handling

As it’s at the budget end of the line, the 2000D doesn’t have weatherproof sealing or a metal body, but it feels pretty well put together – if a bit plastic. Notably, the 2000D has a metal lens mount whereas the 4000D has a plastic one.

A deep grip ensures you have a firm hold on the camera and a mode dial on the top gives quick access the exposure modes, with settings for program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual as well as Intelligent Auto, Creative Auto and a collection of scene modes.

On the back of the camera, buttons give quick access to key features such as the sensitivity (ISO), drive mode, autofocus options, white balance settings and live view.

As there’s just one adjustment dial (located at the top of the grip on the front of the camera and within each reach of your index finger, an Av/+/- button is provided on the back to allow the dial to be used to adjust aperture in manual exposure mode or exposure compensation in the semi-automatic exposure modes.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot

Viewfinder

The 2000D is a digital SLR, which means it has an optical viewfinder built-in. This uses a pentamirror rather than the brighter, more expensive pentaprism, but it provides a decent view of the scene.

With 95% coverage there’s a chance that there will be objects around the edge of the frame that you don’t see when composing the image, but that’s not unusual with entry-level SLRs.

Another word of caution here to new photographers, while an optical viewfinder lets you see the scene as it appears naturally, it cannot show you the impact of any camera settings, if you want that you need to activate the live view and compose the image on-screen.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot

Screen

On the back of the 2000D is a 3-inch 920,000-dot LCD. It may not be the highest resolution screen, but it’s not too long ago that 920,000 dots was considered quite the thing and it provides a clear view of the scene/image.

As the screen is fixed you can’t tip it for a better view when you’re shooting from high or low angles, or for a more comfortable view when you’re shooting video. If you want a vari-angle screen you’ll have to go a little higher up the Canon line-up and plump for an EOS 760D / EOS Rebel T6s or go mirrorless and get an EOS M50.

When activated, the Features Guide displays a little information about the selected setting in the Quick Menu.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Review: Product shot

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Performance

The phase detection autofocus system that’s available when composing images in the viewfinder copes quite well with the low light. It also manages to get quite fast-moving subjects sharp when the active AF point is over the subject. With just 9 AF points, however, quite a lot of the frame isn’t covered, so you need to compose accordingly.

The maximum shooting rate is also just 3fps (frames per second) which means the 2000D/T7 isn’t the best choice for shooting sport and action. It should be fine for capturing those ‘first steps’ and everyday scenes though.

Switching to live view mode slows the focusing down, it’s not the worst but it’s not great with moving subjects. It’s hard to see whether the focus is in the right place in bright sunlight because the screen is fixed rather than tiltable.

Exposure, Colour and White Balance

I found that the 2000D/T7 also usually handles exposure well in the general purpose Evaluative Metering setting. That’s good news for its novice photographer audience. However, as I mention in the next section, you sometimes need to use the exposure compensation control to retain the highlights.

In most situations, the Canon 2000D / T7 produces attractive colours. The Standard or Auto Picture Styles make good default options, but the Landscape Style is useful when you want to give blues and greens a bit more zing.

The auto white balance setting puts in a good performance. Meanwhile, the Ambience Priority Auto white balance setting strikes a nice balance between capturing the atmosphere and creating an image that looks right to our eyes.

Image Quality

A pixel count of 24million on an APS-C format sensor provides allows a nice balance between detail resolution, file size and noise control. And the 2000D /T7 sensor doesn’t disappoint in this respect. Images have a good level of detail visible for much of the sensitivity (ISO) range.

I wouldn’t bother with the expansion setting (ISO 12,800) and would aim to keep to ISO 3200 if possible, but the ISO 6400 produces reasonably good results if the light levels demand it.

While the 2000D ?t&’s detail levels and noise control are good, its dynamic range is a bit disappointing. This means that the highlights burn out a little earlier than I’d like. Consequently, you may find you need to underexposure a scene to preserve the highlights and then apply some selective brightening. You can use a graduated filter with a landscape scene, but neither approach is ideal for novice photographers.

Sample Images

Follow this link to browse and download full-resolution images.

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Sample Image
Shot in Sport Scene Mode
Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Sample Image
This image was shot in Sport Scene Mode
Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Sample Image
Shot in Portrait Scene mode
Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Sample Image
Shot in Landscape Scene Mode

Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 Sample Images

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Verdict

Canon hasn’t changed a great deal about the 1300D/T6 for the 2000D/T7 but the switch to a 24Mp is significant because it puts it level with the Nikon D3400, another very popular entry-level SLR.

As an entry-level model, the 2000D doesn’t have ground-breaking technology, the most robust build or an especially extensive specification list, but it has beginner-friendly exposure modes as well as more advanced options that let you take control when you become more confident.

It’s a competent entry-level DSLR that produces good quality results without offering anything really enticing.

Should I buy the Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7?

While the Canon EOS 2000D / EOS Rebel T7 delivers good quality images the dynamic range is a little low. The live view AF system also doesn’t really inspire you to use it and it lags behind the AF system of most entry-level mirrorless cameras.

With a fixed rather than articulating screen and no touch-control, it may seem rather old-school for potential users who are progressing up from a smartphone. If that and the fact that the viewfinder cannot display the impact of camera settings like white balance and exposure is a cause for concern, take a look at some of the older mirrorless cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, or if you have the budget the Canon EOS M50 announced at the same time as the 2000D.

If your heart is set on an SLR rather than a mirrorless camera, the 2000D/ T7 is good. However, the best entry-level model is still the Nikon D3400.

Canon vs Nikon: how to choose the best DSLR for you

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