What We Like – and Don't Like – About the EOS 7D Mark II (And Why I'm Preordering)

By Sean Setters

If you're a Canon shooter, then there's a lot to like about the newly announced EOS 7D Mark II. We were especially excited about a few features – but somewhat disappointed with others [or by the lack thereof].

Likes:

  • 65-point AF - It's hard not to like the AF system found in the EOS 1D X and EOS 5D Mark III. It's feature-rich, fast, accurate, and customizable. Including it in Canon's top-of-the-line APS-C sensor camera was a great idea.
  • Fast 10fps Burst - Large Buffer - Until recently, only EOS 1-series cameras had a burst rate this high. But now you can get 10 fps (up to 31 RAW images) at a fraction of the cost of a 1-series camera. This combined with the 7D Mark II's AF should make this a go-to camera sports shooters who can't make the leap to a 1D X.
  • Durable shutter (200,000) - Both Bryan and I do a lot of shooting. We really appreciate Canon's decision to include such a durable shutter in this camera. At 10fps, you'll likely go through shutter clicks faster than you would using another camera. So added durability is important for customers' long-term satisfaction.
  • Dual-Pixel Sensor / Movie Servo AF - First introduced in the EOS 70D, Canon's Dual-Pixel sensor was a perfect mate for the 7D Mark II. As someone who's been shooting a decent amount of video lately, the Movie AF feature is something I'll get a lot of use out of.
  • 1080p at 60fps - While the orig. EOS 7D could capture video at 60fps, it was limited to 720p. I'm really looking forward to shooting the EOS 7D Mark II at 60fps in 1080p and slowing down the video to 30fps (or 24fps) for great visual effects.
  • Anti-flicker technology - Both Bryan and I shoot a fair amount of indoor sports. This feature will help us by eliminating those "dark frames" captured when shooting under flickering lights.
  • Dual Memory Card Slots - This is a feature that I forgot to include when first posting this article, but it's an extremely useful one. I always have my 5D III set to record duplicate RAW images to the CF and SD memory cards. This gives me a great safeguard against a single card failure or the accidental deletion of data. Peace of mind is a very valuable thing – it shouldn't be underestimated.

Not so happy about...

  • Built-in intervalometer - On the face of it, this feature belongs in the "Likes" section. It's a feature I've been wanting for years. But Canon did something very strange with this feature - they limited it to 99 shots or less (see update). What!? That's about 3-4 seconds of time lapse video. I typically capture around 400-500 shots when I do a time lapse, so this "feature" becomes so much less useful for me. I'm hoping Canon updates the camera via firmware to enable capturing significantly more images (>1000). Update: The Canon EOS 7D Mark II does allow for an indefinite number of captures if you set the intervalometer to "00." (thanks Mike) However, I'd still like a couple more digits so that I can specify a specific number of captures significantly larger than 99.
  • No Focus Peaking in Video - Magic Lantern has spoiled me – I love focus peaking. At a quick glance at the LCD, I can see what's in focus when shooting video. While the Movie Servo AF makes focus peaking less necessary, I'd still like to have it for things like manual focus pulls and confirming focus even when using Movie Servo AF.
  • No 4K Video - Truth be told, this isn't a feature I would use anytime soon. Processing in 4K takes more time, attention and processing power than I care to devote to it. But considering the last EOS 7D's life cycle spanned 5 years, who's to say I won't be interested in 4K capture before then?

Considering everything, though, I think Canon has developed a great camera in the 7D Mark II. There's so much more to like than to complain about (and the complaints are rather small in comparison). The EOS 7D Mark II's feature set makes it an excellent complement to anyone shooting with a 5D Mark III. And with that in mind, one will be showing up at my door as soon as it becomes available. :-)

By the way, Bryan has just uploaded a lot of comparison tables and images to the Canon EOS 7D Mark II Review page.

Newly Added

  • Sensor Comparison
  • Burst Rate Comparison
  • Shutter Durability Table
  • Back/Top/Side Camera Comparison Images

B&H has the Canon EOS 7D Mark II available for preorder.

Posted: 9/16/2014 9:02:01 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
Posted to: Canon News    
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