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Watch this: Canon 7D battles the extreme elements in hardcore durability test

Watch this: Canon 7D battles the extreme elements in hardcore durability test

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DigitalRev TV put Canon's EOS 7D DSLR through a hardcore durability test that involved fire, ice, and a wheelchair.

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Canon 7D durability test screencap
Canon 7D durability test screencap

It's well understood that top-tier DSLRs are built to last through all sorts of less-than-ideal shooting conditions photogs can often be faced with. Canon's EOS 7D, for example, features a magnesium alloy construction that the company describes as dust and weather resistant. The team at DigitalRev decided to put those claims to the test — and we're not talking about your average durability check.

To offer a preview of what you'll see in the accompanying video, the first segment of the "Canon 7D Hardcore Durability Test" features a delivery truck running into a 7D propped up on a tripod. From there things only go further toward the adsurdly extreme: the camera is tethered to a wheelchair and sent down a massive fleet of stairs, and later frozen in a block of ice only to be rescued by the bullets of an air pellet gun. The gauntlet concludes with the 7D being set aflame and doused with lighter fluid. Over the top? Sure. Yet ultimately — and despite numerous scars from the physical abuse — the shutter keeps firing throughout. It's hard to gauge damage to the sensor with the limited number of sample photos provided, but the fact that Canon's shooter retained any functionality following such an ordeal is a testament to the build quality of these rugged workhorses.