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Canon 7D vs Canon M3

Portability
56
Imaging
57
Features
70
Overall
62
Canon EOS 7D front
 
Canon EOS M3 front
Portability
85
Imaging
65
Features
76
Overall
69

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Key Specs

Canon 7D
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400 (Increase to 12800)
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 860g - 148 x 111 x 74mm
  • Introduced November 2009
  • Replacement is Canon 7D MII
Canon M3
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Canon EF-M Mount
  • 366g - 111 x 68 x 44mm
  • Introduced February 2015
  • New Model is Canon M6
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Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Overview

On this page, we are looking at the Canon 7D versus Canon M3, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both produced by Canon. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the 7D (18MP) and M3 (24MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The 7D was announced 6 years prior to the M3 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Canon 7D being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Canon M3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a full comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the 7D grades against the M3 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Canon 7D over the Canon M3

 7D M3 

Reasons to pick Canon M3 over the Canon 7D

 M3 7D 
IntroducedFebruary 2015November 2009Fresher by 63 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1040k920kClearer display (+120k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Canon 7D and Canon M3

 7D M3 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Canon 7D has got physical measurements of 148mm x 111mm x 74mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 2.9") and a weight of 860 grams (1.90 lbs) and the Canon M3 has dimensions of 111mm x 68mm x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7") and a weight of 366 grams (0.81 lbs).

Analyze the Canon 7D versus Canon M3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the 7D compared to the M3.

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the 7D and M3 is 56 and 85 respectively.

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 top view buttons comparison

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing just by looking through a spec sheet. The graphic below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the 7D and M3.

As you can see, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Canon M3 to result in greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images more aggressively. The older 7D will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 sensor size comparison

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon 7D Portrait photography info
Canon M3 Portrait photography info
74
focusing manually
good megapixels (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
79
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Canon 7D as a Street photography camera
Canon M3 as a Street photography camera
57
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
79
screen tilts
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
has focus via touch
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Canon 7D Sports photography information
Canon M3 Sports photography information
64
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
good megapixels (18MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery (800 per charge)
61
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
slow fps (4.2 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (250 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Canon 7D Travel photography details
Canon M3 Travel photography details
53
environment proofing
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Time Lapse mode
terrible battery (800 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
73
has focus via touch
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
no Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (250 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon 7D as a Landscape photography camera
Canon M3 as a Landscape photography camera
63
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF/EF-S mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery (800 shots)
no Time Lapse mode
67
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Canon EF-M mount)
good sized screen (3 inches)
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
bad battery life (250 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Canon 7D as a Vlogging camera
Canon M3 as a Vlogging camera
28
has face detect autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic socket
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
80
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
includes face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic socket
lack of image stabilization
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Canon 7D vs Canon M3 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon 7D and Canon M3
 Canon EOS 7DCanon EOS M3
General Information
Make Canon Canon
Model type Canon EOS 7D Canon EOS M3
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2009-11-06 2015-02-06
Physical type Mid-size SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Dual Digic 4 DIGIC 6
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 22.3 x 14.9mm 22.3 x 14.9mm
Sensor area 332.3mm² 332.3mm²
Sensor resolution 18 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 5184 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Max enhanced ISO 12800 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 19 49
Lens
Lens mount type Canon EF/EF-S Canon EF-M
Amount of lenses 326 23
Focal length multiplier 1.6 1.6
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920 thousand dots 1,040 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT color LCD, liquid-crystal monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.63x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per second 4.2 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 5.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye Auto, on, off, slow synchro
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264 H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 860g (1.90 lb) 366g (0.81 lb)
Physical dimensions 148 x 111 x 74mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 2.9") 111 x 68 x 44mm (4.4" x 2.7" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 72
DXO Color Depth rating 22.0 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.7 11.8
DXO Low light rating 854 1169
Other
Battery life 800 pictures 250 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LP-E6 LP-E17
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Microdrive cards SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $1,050 $481