The Future of the 7d and xxD series

The latest rumors suggest that there is gonna be a merge of the 7d and xxd (80d) series to save resources. That means there is only going to be one camera.
But how could the 7d series and the xxd series be merged into one camera? Isnt the 7d series basicaly better in any poissible way except the flippy screen?

Would this mean that this camera will basicaly be the succesor to the 7dii but with a flippy screen?
what features differentiate the 7d and xxd series that we could see in a merged body?
 

Sharlin

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The 7D and the xxD series used to be a single series, so that might give us some hints. As I speculated on another thread, a hypothetical xxD/7D merger might have:
  • 6D (or RP) style partial metal, partial composite body
  • Weather-proofing somewhere between the 7D2 and the 80D (Canon claims 80D is roughly 7D1 level)
  • 26 or 28 MP, 8–9 fps, 25+ frame RAW burst
  • Roughly 7D2 level AF
  • Tilty-flippy touch screen, obviously (missing from the 7D2)
  • WiFi, NFC , and BLE (missing from the 7D2), might also have GPS
  • Some form of 4K
  • Perhaps some casual/beginner features removed that exist in the xxD but not in the 7D2
It would likely be a disappointment to many 7D2 owners, unfortunately, but it would be a great general-purpose tool.
 
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The 7D and the xxD series used to be a single series, so that might give us some hints. As I speculated on another thread, a hypothetical xxD/7D merger might have:
  • 6D (or RP) style partial metal, partial composite body
  • Weather-proofing somewhere between the 7D2 and the 80D (Canon claims 80D is roughly 7D1 level)
  • 26 or 28 MP, 8–9 fps, 25+ frame RAW burst
  • Roughly 7D2 level AF
  • Tilty-flippy touch screen, obviously (missing from the 7D2)
  • WiFi, NFC , and BLE (missing from the 7D2), might also have GPS
  • Some form of 4K
  • Perhaps some casual/beginner features removed that exist in the xxD but not in the 7D2
It would likely be a disappointment to many 7D2 owners, unfortunately, but it would be a great general-purpose tool.

That seems like a possible outcome and a probably speclist for if they try to find the middleground between the two series.
Honestly i would be very disappointed if this happend.

Couldnt this "merge" also mean that there wont be a 90d and just a 7diii?
What are your thoughts?
 
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I think it would make sense if they merge bouth into the 7diii. The enthusiast folks wont need the fps and fast autofocus and will go for the m50 or its succesor and the people who need it can get the 7diii with 12 fps and superior autofocus.

A merge as in finding the middleground doesnt make sense to me because mirrorles is the future, especialy for enthusiast, except for the sport/wildlife oriented models
 
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Exactly :ROFLMAO:!

I think i worded it bad.
I mean that the peole who are interested in the 80d line probably wont need the fps and fast autofocus and will be happy with the m50 or its succesor (instead of a merge model beteeen 90d and 7diii)

I mean that is precisly the reason why the 80d line exists at all. They will just find that feature set in the m50 line from now on. At least that woud be logical instead of downgrading the 7d line to a middleground between 7d and 80d series
 
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The 7D and the xxD series used to be a single series, so that might give us some hints. As I speculated on another thread, a hypothetical xxD/7D merger might have:
  • 6D (or RP) style partial metal, partial composite body
  • Weather-proofing somewhere between the 7D2 and the 80D (Canon claims 80D is roughly 7D1 level)
  • 26 or 28 MP, 8–9 fps, 25+ frame RAW burst
  • Roughly 7D2 level AF
  • Tilty-flippy touch screen, obviously (missing from the 7D2)
  • WiFi, NFC , and BLE (missing from the 7D2), might also have GPS
  • Some form of 4K
  • Perhaps some casual/beginner features removed that exist in the xxD but not in the 7D2
It would likely be a disappointment to many 7D2 owners, unfortunately, but it would be a great general-purpose tool.

The kicker for me would be a body with tilty-flippy + a joystick. Canon seems to think these are mutually-exclusive features.
 
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Sharlin

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Dec 26, 2015
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Turku, Finland
That seems like a possible outcome and a probably speclist for if they try to find the middleground between the two series.
Honestly i would be very disappointed if this happend.

Couldnt this "merge" also mean that there wont be a 90d and just a 7diii?
What are your thoughts?

Given that the 77D exists, I agree that one plausible way to go would be an evolutionary upgrade for the 7D2 and dropping the xxD line. The 7D3 could have the QoL improvements the 7D2 is missing (tilty touch, wireless) but be otherwise not a huge upgrade, with a release price lower than the 7D2. I think Canon going toe-to-toe with the D500 is unlikely at this point. YMMV; my thinking may be biased by what I myself would like to see.
 
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May 11, 2016
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I own both the 80D and the 7D Mk II and have come to appreciate the strengths of each of them. And also to dislike the weak points of them.

Where the latter (weak Points) are concerned, the weak points of the 7D Mk II bother me more than the weak points of the 80D. I have the luxury to see on a regular basis the results of the 7D Mk II and the Nikon D500 with shots taken at the same time and shoulder-to-shoulder. The AF of the 7D Mk II is no match for the AF of the D500: in particular when lighting is not ideal (e.g. strong light from the side) and/or subjects like aircraft have a lot of green shades (or just less contrast) and/or the subject moves other than in a straight line. In all those situations the D500 outperforms the 7D Mk II.

That in itself should not be a surprise: the D500 is both newer and more expensive than the 7D Mk II.
But ............. if Canon is serious about its cropped camera action photographers, then there will be a 7D Mk III that at least matches the AF-performance of the D500. And the Dynamic range of the 7D Mk III should at least show considerable improvement.

Although there are always people on the forum willing to explain that a good photographer does not need all that: I have seen too many instances where the nearly 2 stops better DR of the D500 when compared to the 7D Mk II make the difference between a background of a blue sky with details in the clouds (D500) and a bluish blob (7D Mk II). Or where the shadows can be made to show details without too much noise (D500) or just not (7D Mk II).

If the 7D Mk II and 80D are to become one, than of course the AF of this combined camera will not be to the standards that I just described. Otherwise Canon would simply market and sell it at the price that comes with the 7D-series. It is just that simple.
For me it merging the 7D with the 80D would mark a time for significant decisions. I would not even have to wait and see the final tests by reputable sites or even the specs.
 
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I own both the 80D and the 7D Mk II and have come to appreciate the strengths of each of them. And also to dislike the weak points of them.

Where the latter (weak Points) are concerned, the weak points of the 7D Mk II bother me more than the weak points of the 80D. I have the luxury to see on a regular basis the results of the 7D Mk II and the Nikon D500 with shots taken at the same time and shoulder-to-shoulder. The AF of the 7D Mk II is no match for the AF of the D500: in particular when lighting is not ideal (e.g. strong light from the side) and/or subjects like aircraft have a lot of green shades (or just less contrast) and/or the subject moves other than in a straight line. In all those situations the D500 outperforms the 7D Mk II.

That in itself should not be a surprise: the D500 is both newer and more expensive than the 7D Mk II.
But ............. if Canon is serious about its cropped camera action photographers, then there will be a 7D Mk III that at least matches the AF-performance of the D500. And the Dynamic range of the 7D Mk III should at least show considerable improvement.

Although there are always people on the forum willing to explain that a good photographer does not need all that: I have seen too many instances where the nearly 2 stops better DR of the D500 when compared to the 7D Mk II make the difference between a background of a blue sky with details in the clouds (D500) and a bluish blob (7D Mk II). Or where the shadows can be made to show details without too much noise (D500) or just not (7D Mk II).

If the 7D Mk II and 80D are to become one, than of course the AF of this combined camera will not be to the standards that I just described. Otherwise Canon would simply market and sell it at the price that comes with the 7D-series. It is just that simple.
For me it merging the 7D with the 80D would mark a time for significant decisions. I would not even have to wait and see the final tests by reputable sites or even the specs.

If anything, the 7D3 should remain and the 80D/77D lines merged. With an intro price of 1300 and poised to go lower within the year, that puts an upper price limit for crop cameras, and I think the 7D2 users are the one that would be willing to pay for a crop camera that is close to 2000 USD. The 7D3 would compete against the best Fuji offerings and the Nikon D500, especially on AF and frame rate. I can't see a lot of 80D users wanting to spend 1500+ if they don't need the frame rate and better AF. And if future Canon cameras have the better DR that came with the 80D and the 5D4, then what is there really to differentiate between the 7D and xxD lines? If anything, I can see Canon xxD users migrating to the M ecosystem.
 
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May 11, 2016
153
53
... and I think the 7D2 users are the one that would be willing to pay for a crop camera that is close to 2000 USD. The 7D3 would compete against the best Fuji offerings and the Nikon D500, especially on AF and frame rate.


I agree with you here.

I personally hope that the 7D Mk III:
  • will come; :)
  • will be available around november 2019 (that would allow for some 'playing around' before next year's airshow season starts);
  • will have an AF-system comparable to that of the D500 (that means an improvement, in particular for less-than-ideal lighting and for erratically flying subjects);
  • will have considerably improved Dynamic Range (comparable to that of the D500).

To be honest, I have given up hope that the 7D Mk III will be an improvement over the D500 in these areas.
I feel that Canon puts a lot of resources into the R-line; too much to expect very big leaps in AF and DR.
With the rumour from another thread that the 1DX Mk III may come between Q4 of 2019 and Q2 of 2020, these action-oriented cameras could be the last DSLRs that will get enough attention to be noticeable improvements in the areas where Canon lags behind.
 
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