70D or 7D MK II

[MagnumJoe]

I’m interested in a second body to compliment my 5D MK III. I mostly shoot candids, portraits, my grandson in the park and his T-ball and soccer games. The 5D MK III has done really well and I rented a canon 1.4 III extender and will try out this weekend.

The reason I’m interested in the 70D or 7D MK II for my second body are.
The extra reach and video auto focus.

70D advantages
Touch Screen
Articulated Screen
Price

7D MK II advantages
Ergonomics (similar to 5D MK III)
65 Focus Points
10 FPS
Weather Proof
Headphone Port
Viewfinder coverage, 100%

I’m leaning towards the 7D MK II, but I’d like to hear your feedback and suggestions.

Which one would/will you buy or would you buy?

 

[yokaew]

I have a 7OD and really like it for still, especially when shooting outdoor. The focus system is really good. Extra reach is also great for shooting sports.
For video though, I find it is not quite as good as I had hope in low light situations. I am new to video so it could very well be that I don't know what I am doing .

 

[luckydude]

Hard to say right now, we haven't seen the raw files to be able to judge if it is a new sensor or the same as what is is in the 70D (my inexpert guess is it is the 70D sensor with more noise reduction applied for jpegs).

You have some sports, I shoot sports and I use the center point for that. The double cross may be a win, I don't know yet, I don't think anyone does, is there a double cross (it's not double cross, it's a + and /\ on top of that which is better) in some other camera? Do they get more keepers? If so then that might be a reason to buy it.

I shoot birds in flight so I want the reach and the AF so I'll probably buy this body. But I'm skeptical enough that I'm not going to just buy it, I want to see some real reviews.

I've got the 7D and the 5DIII that you have and the 7D sees no use because the 5DIII is that much better. Crops from it are better than what I get from the 7D. The 7DII is going to have to come to the table with something good to make me use it over the 5DIII. The 5DIII is an awesome body. If Nikon hadn't patented the crop in the camera I'd just switch the 5D to crop mode for wildlife and have the camera I want.

 

[MagnumJoe]

Hard to say right now, we haven't seen the raw files to be able to judge if it is a new sensor or the same as what is is in the 70D (my inexpert guess is it is the 70D sensor with more noise reduction applied for jpegs).

You have some sports, I shoot sports and I use the center point for that. The double cross may be a win, I don't know yet, I don't think anyone does, is there a double cross (it's not double cross, it's a + and /\ on top of that which is better) in some other camera? Do they get more keepers? If so then that might be a reason to buy it.

I shoot birds in flight so I want the reach and the AF so I'll probably buy this body. But I'm skeptical enough that I'm not going to just buy it, I want to see some real reviews.

I've got the 7D and the 5DIII that you have and the 7D sees no use because the 5DIII is that much better. Crops from it are better than what I get from the 7D. The 7DII is going to have to come to the table with something good to make me use it over the 5DIII. The 5DIII is an awesome body. If Nikon hadn't patented the crop in the camera I'd just switch the 5D to crop mode for wildlife and have the camera I want.

Currently, I really have no interest in wildlife, but who knows. My grandsons soccer season ends Nov 1 which is 3 weeks behind of when the 7D MK II is 'suppsoively" released. I have the 5D MK III and only slightly touched the focusing system and it's freaking amazing. I know many of us worry about noise and how the 7D MK II will perform. 75 percent of the photos I take are lower that ISO 800. Living in Florida, the weather can change in in 15 minutes. I get what you are saying though, but that 10FPS on a sunny day sounds very nice for a grandpa trying to get that perfect shot.

 

[luckydude]

I get what you are saying though, but that 10FPS on a sunny day sounds very nice for a grandpa trying to get that perfect shot.

While I shoot hockey a lot (my kids play) I never use the burst mode, I'm always single shot. Maybe it's because I play as well, dunno, but I can anticipate the shot and get what I want.

I have had to work on my technique to get those shots. I learned that AI-servo really helps (that's an understatement), I use center point focus, spot metering, shutter priority and I tend to set the ISO, auto ISO hunts more than I like.

The real reason I don't do bursts is I hate having to go through all that crud and delete the non-keepers. I tried burst and found that my keeper rate fell to about 1-10%, closer to 1%. My keeper rate for single shot is 50-90%. So I had a good reason to work on my technique. If you don't made the post filtering then yeah, I've heard 8fps is as "slow" as you want to go.

Good luck with whatever you do, and don't worry too much, you've got an awesome body in the 5DIII. I love mine.

 

[martinslade]

I have been following the posts on the 7d2 closely as I currently shoot with the 70d and am wondering about an upgrade. I shoot dogs in action with the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS mostly in good light and my thinking is that the main benefit to me would be the AF tracking. I find the 70d AF really very good and 7fps more than adequate but 10fps would be nice. I was hoping for improved IQ in RAW but my best guess based on limited info is there will be little difference. So, all in all, would love a new toy (sorry, work horse) but at 2:1 price ratio am finding it difficult to justify as I currently make less that half my income from photography. Just my two penneth...!

 

[jeffa4444]

Having played with the 7d MKII on the Canon stand at Photokina and seen A3 prints from the Canon Pixma Pro-1 I think IQ wise its a big jump from the original 7d.
The camera in the hands is like the original with better control over AF points, GPS, much better video and changeable screens just to mention a few points. Judging by the crowds around the camera right up to close at 6pm today Canon has a winner. Yes it does not have a touch or ariticulated screen but Ive never found that a issue with the original or the 6d if I have to pick on one thing its the lack of built-in Wi-Fi which it should have had for remote shutter release & live view to a smart phone. Everything else the 70d camera has it has and a lot more mind you its 50% more expensive also.

 

[AlanF]

If Nikon hadn't patented the crop in the camera I'd just switch the 5D to crop mode for wildlife and have the camera I want.

Does the Nikon give any extra reach in crop mode? Or is it the same as doing crop of FF in post?

 

[noncho]

You have AF and picture quality on 5D Mark III - I would go for articulated screen, smaller body and wifi remote control on 70D.

 

[Lee Jay]

I can't decide myself. The 70D also has WiFi which would be nice for remote control over the camera. Plus, it's several hundred dollars cheaper. It also has 3x digital zoom mode in video.

I'm upgrading from a 20D. I love my 20D, but there are extreme situations where I don't get as many in-focus shots as I'd like. I know the 70D's focusing system is quite far advanced compared to my 20D, but the 7DII's is even more advance, by far.

I'm leaning toward the 7DII for several reasons. First and foremost, in focus shots in difficult conditions. Second, I don't think the touch screen and flip screen would help me for video since I'd be adding an LCD loupe like the Hoodman Cinema Pro kit for shooting video anyway. In fact, the 70D's screen might hurt in those situations. Finally, the 7DII has genuine f/8 AF points, whereas the 70D does not, and just seems to work "in some situations" for f/8 lens combinations.

The big selling point for me for the 70D is the 3x digital zoom mode in video. Hopefully it'll get added to the 7DII either by firmware for by Magic Lantern. But with the Dual DIGIC 6 chips, that might be a big effort for ML to accomplish.

 

[Khalai]

If Nikon hadn't patented the crop in the camera I'd just switch the 5D to crop mode for wildlife and have the camera I want.

Does the Nikon give any extra reach in crop mode? Or is it the same as doing crop of FF in post?

Same, you can just see it in the VF and it allows you faster bursts...

 

[Marsu42]

I’m interested in a second body to compliment my 5D MK III.

Don't underestimate ergonomics, when dual-using with a 5d3 the 7d2 will feel much more natural (as intended by Canon) which will result in less hassle and more keepers. Plus you'll be much more bothered by the (supposedly, let's see the reviews) smaller viewfinder of the 70d.

 

[GmwDarkroom]

As far as WiFi goes, don't make that a big factor. Unless you use it a lot, it's easy to add to any Canon DSLR using DSLR Controller: http://dslrcontroller.com/guide-wifi_mr3040.php

Assuming you're using a tripod for remote, just Velcro that to a leg. Works like a champ and drains the batteries less.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

Since no one ever put his hands on 7D Mark ii, I can only speak of what I saw on the internet:

7D Mark ii
Ergonomics almost like your 5D Mark iii.
AF at least as good as 5D Mark iii.
10 shots per second, much better than you have now.
Video without the problem of moire.
CF + SD slot allows you to share your existing cards.
Better protection against rain and dust.

70D
Price and smaller size.
Articulated LCD and touchscreen.

 

[Ebrahim Saadawi]

Just a note on video to help you decide:

Canon has two generations of video IQ:

-Generation one: aliasing and moire hell, soft images, poor lowlight performance, these are the 550D, 600D, 650D, 700D, 100D, 1200D, 60D, 70D, 7D, 5D mk II, and 6D. These cameras have bad IQ compared to their current competitors (D3300/5300/7100, A6000 etc)

-Generation two: used pixel binning instead if line skipping therefore eliminated aliasing and moire, have better resolution and way better lowlight performance, these are the 7D mk II and 5D mk III. These have similar or better IQ compared to their competitors (D5300/D7100/D600/D800 etc)

If you're serious about video quality do not buy a 70D. The 7D is a much video better camera.

 

[Marsu42]

If you're serious about video quality do not buy a 70D. The 7D is a much video better camera.

If you're serious about video quality, actually there's just one Canon choice: The 5d3 with pixel binning (= no moire) and Magic Lantern raw video. Who knows when this will arrive on the 7d2, if ever.

 

[FEBS]

I get what you are saying though, but that 10FPS on a sunny day sounds very nice for a grandpa trying to get that perfect shot.

While I shoot hockey a lot (my kids play) I never use the burst mode, I'm always single shot. Maybe it's because I play as well, dunno, but I can anticipate the shot and get what I want.

I have had to work on my technique to get those shots. I learned that AI-servo really helps (that's an understatement), I use center point focus, spot metering, shutter priority and I tend to set the ISO, auto ISO hunts more than I like.

The real reason I don't do bursts is I hate having to go through all that crud and delete the non-keepers. I tried burst and found that my keeper rate fell to about 1-10%, closer to 1%. My keeper rate for single shot is 50-90%. So I had a good reason to work on my technique. If you don't made the post filtering then yeah, I've heard 8fps is as "slow" as you want to go.

Good luck with whatever you do, and don't worry too much, you've got an awesome body in the 5DIII. I love mine.

I don't know which body and lens you are using, but your keeper rate in extreme low in burst mode. I did find out, and seen that many more action photographers, use centrum weighted measuring instead of spot measuring. I don't have then problems then that my auto-iso hunts that much.

 

[Ruined]

If you're serious about video quality do not buy a 70D. The 7D is a much video better camera.

If you're serious about video quality, actually there's just one Canon choice: The 5d3 with pixel binning (= no moire) and Magic Lantern raw video. Who knows when this will arrive on the 7d2, if ever.

True about the raw video, but the 7D2 from samples online looks to have much better moire performance than the 70D and 6D - about on par with the 5D3. I think this camera would be a solid video performer... and raw video is massive

 

[StudentOfLight]

If you're serious about video quality do not buy a 70D. The 7D is a much video better camera.

If you're serious about video quality, actually there's just one Canon choice: The 5d3 with pixel binning (= no moire) and Magic Lantern raw video. Who knows when this will arrive on the 7d2, if ever.

... plus the 7D-II has a headphone jack (much like the 5D-III) which is useful for monitoring while you record.

 

[Lee Jay]

If you're serious about video quality do not buy a 70D. The 7D is a much video better camera.

If you're serious about video quality, actually there's just one Canon choice: The 5d3 with pixel binning (= no moire) and Magic Lantern raw video. Who knows when this will arrive on the 7d2, if ever.

... plus the 7D-II has a headphone jack (much like the 5D-III) which is useful for monitoring while you record.

It also has clean 4:2:2 HDMI out with audio embedded.