The 7D Mark Ii was far more than an update to the 7D. For those who used it to shoot night/indoors sports, flicker reduction was
REVOLUTIONARY.
There was no comparison between the poor shot-to-shot consistency of the 7D's 19 point AF system and the much more consistent 65-pont AF system which also covered a larger percentage of the frame. Just read
Roger Cicala's take on the 7D Mark II:
Compare that with
his assessment of the original 7D, even when using single shot AF on a stationary subject using only the center AF point. It was the second most inconsistent camera he tested from the following list: 1Ds Mark III, 5D Mark II, 1D Mark IV, 1D X, 5D Mark III, 7D, 50D, 60D, T4i, T3i. Only the T3i was barely more inconsistent. The 1D X and 5D III had standard deviation of 15 line pairs per image height (lp/ih). The 7D had a standard deviation of 40 lp/ih, the T3i came in at 41. The 50D and 60D scored 34, and the T4i posted a 29.
My own experience when I transitioned from the 50D to the 7D was similar: The 50D missed focus less often and by lesser amounts than the 7D. When looking through the viewfinder and shooting with the 7D, it felt like a more capable camera. It certainly had a more configurable AF system in terms of settings options. But when looking at the results on even a 24" FHD monitor with the entire image on the screen, the results were undeniable.