Am I the only one excited about the new 7D mk2?

[msm]

And with a 2x mark III converter it takes 45 frames. But it required more light to focus at that speed with the original light it was much slower. With more light the bare lens 70-200 only required 31frames but the 300 stayed at 39.

More systematic testing can definitely be done as light seem to influence it but I am lazy.

 

[privatebydesign]

Actually the 70-200 IS II focuses faster than the 300 IS II. And I can not notice any focusing slowdown on the 300 IS II even with 2x converter. The 70-200 however is slooooow with the 2x. This is my experience with both 5DIII and 1DX, the 1DX is slightly faster with both lenses.

Do you have any actual evidence of that or just an empirical feeling? For many years Canon touted their 300 f2.8's as the "fastest focusing af slr's".

I have evidence in that I just recorded it at 50FPS and it takes the 70-200 36frames to go from infinity to MFD and back to infinity compared to 39 for the 300 IS II. So the difference was less than I expected from my memory but it is still there.

That is interesting, thanks.

 

[Helevitia]

I'm feeling frustrated with my choices. I bought a 7D in April of 2012 as a stop gap until a 7D2 was announced(thinking it was right around the corner) or a newer, cheaper FF camera. As we all know, the 7D2 was never announced back then and we got the 6D, which has amazing image quality, but lacks in weather sealing and fast AF.

Fast forward, we are now starting to see images from the 7D2, which is barely better than the 70D. Fine, I can live with that. I get it now, I need to go FF if I want the image quality I'm looking for. However, the 5DIII, although amazing, has no USB 3 and is way too expensive! Which is a real bummer.

The 7D2 has everything I could ever want, but image quality.
The 6D has the best image quality, but no weather sealing and slow AF
The 5D3 covers everything but USB 3, but is now 2.5 years old and way too expensive.

So, looking at my choices, I basically want the 5D4 for less than $2k

I bought both the 70-200 L and the 24-70 L lenses in anticipation of upgrading to better image quality. It took me 3 years to be able to buy both.

Thinking out loud, the 5D3 would be fine if it wasn't $3200 retail! I could live with USB 2. I know it goes for as little at $2550 on they ebay auctions now and then, but even at $2550 it is incredibly expensive.

In my humble opinion, the 7D2 should have had much better image quality. If it was closer to the 5D3, I would have pre-ordered it. I know, there are a lot of people that will say the true RAW images haven't been looked at in detail and high ISO this and low ISO that, but what we already know with the images we have, speak for themselves, again IMHO.

I haven't looked into too much detail from other manufacturers, simply because I've always liked Canon, but I feel I'm waning a bit.

What other choices do I have, if any? I've always felt cameras were overpriced anyway for the high end cameras. They must be making a killing. Canon seems to be a bit behind and that's another frustrating part. I'm just an amateur photographer(always for fun) that wants a great camera without having to take a small loan out to get one.

Maybe I need to reset my expectations?

 

[privatebydesign]

So, looking at my choices, I basically want the 5D4 for less than $2k

And I want a 1DX MkII for less than $4,000 and a 1Ds MkIII replacement for less the $5,000 too, guess what, it ain't gonna happen.

Incidentally, what difference does USB 3 make to anything?

Look around all you want, you will find the high end DSLR crop camera market wanting, if you have decent lens requirements your choices are the 7D MkII and the 5 year old Nikon D300s, which is basically the 7 year old D300, and if you are a gambler this weeks Sony offering, but it probably won't be supported next week.

If you truthfully want a serious IQ kick then same generation FF gives it to you, but at a price, if you can't or don't want to afford the price then you have to make a compromise.

 

[Keith_Reeder]

The 7D2 has everything I could ever want, but image quality.

Oh, for the love of God, what does that even mean?

The 70D's IQ is as good as - and in many cases better than - any other crop sensor's IQ: any piddling low ISO DR benefit that Sony sensors might have is both insignificant and irrelevant - this isn't a landscape camera.

The 7D Mk II's sensor is better again than the 70D (I own the 70D and the 7D, so - sorry and all - I'm talking from a position of actual first-hand experience), and in my test conversions of 7D Mk II Raws (which Photo Ninja handles very well, even though it's not yet officially supported) I'm seeing an easy stop + of high ISO (where it matters for this camera) improvement over the 7D.

What more do people expect? That's an amazing improvement.

And at lower ISOs, the 70D/7D Mk II files are clean as a whistle compared to the 7D's - none of that "noisy skies at 100 ISO" nonsense that followed the 7D around...

 

[Loswr]

The 5D3 covers everything but USB 3, but is now 2.5 years old and way too expensive.

So, looking at my choices, I basically want the 5D4 for less than $2k

In my humble opinion, the 7D2 should have had much better image quality. If it was closer to the 5D3, I would have pre-ordered it.

The 5DIV won't be less than $2K, nor less than $3K at launch.

Get a USB3 card reader.

Probably unrealistic to expect APS-C IQ to approach FF. If you want FF IQ, you compromise on other features...or pay more.

 

[Khalai]

The 6D has the best image quality, but no weather sealing and slow AF

The 6D is supposed to have the same level of weathersealing as 5D II. But nobody will say, to what level that actually is Pity, there is no IPxx classification on camera bodies.

I once spent a whole day in Venice, weather was drizzle, rain or heavy rain only, my 6D+16-35L hanging all day long, soaked wet and nothing happened. So even with obscure level of weather sealing, those babies can stand some abuse. We are often too protective of our gear (not talking about extreme conditions OFC).

 

[Too_Many_Hobbies]

I am on the fence about the 7D Mark II. I love the low-light IQ on the 6D. Actually, there is really not much that I can complain about for what I do (this is after all just my hobby). I ended up selling my 7D which was my wildlife camera for the 70D mainly for the video features (as I now have a 2 year old and twins on the way, so video is becoming more and more important for me). I was also hoping for it to have 4K video, but that was really more for ‘future proofing’ and to buy me some latitude in post processing down to 1080p (provided I ever get some time for post-processing!).

I was really hoping the 7D Mark II would have a touch screen, if not one that tilted (I figured that was quite unlikely). That is what is holding me back – I hate to give up features (touch, tilt, wifi) when spending more money for an upgrade when what I have is already quite usable. And when shooting video, I do use the touch focus a lot.

I had the same problem with the 5D Mark III. I sold my 5D Mark II and bought the 6D as I understand the IQ at least at higher ISO is actually a little better, and the 6D has GPS+WiFi, plus I bought it refurbished for less than half the price I can seem to get a 5D Mark III.

Anyway, I look forward to more testing and reviews, as the autofocus/frame rate/buffer seem fantastic. I would love to have those in my 6D! I think I saw that you can use exposure comp in M with auto ISO, which is another feature I would love to have – more so than the frame rate bump. So, I am probably looking to the 5D Mark IV next go around and hoping it has a touch screen, 4K video, improved autofocus (similar to the 7D II if possible, meaning huge buffer, slightly increased frame rate etc.), and possibly more MP if the IQ can stay at least as good as the 6D (just so I have more cropping latitude in post for wildlife and don’t feel I “need” a crop body).

Still, overall, after surveying what other manufacturers are up to, I am happy with Canon’s offerings and am looking forward to see how the G7 x and 7D Mark II compare to their competitors and am hoping for a 5D IV that I will drool over for 2 years as I save up money for it.

 

[Ruined]

I'm very excited, just not excited enough to pay full MSRP at launch. At first sign of discount though, it will be mine!

Then hopefully Canon will announce 5D4 next year with 6D quality ISO and removable focus screen and I will be set!

 

[Sportsgal501]

I am!!
I'm upgrading from the Canon 50D so I'm more than happy that I can stay with Canon .
Because if the 7D Mark II was just a rumor, I was seriously considering getting the Nikon 7100 late November.

 

[I_Miss_Minolta]

N. Day Shyamalalaland is coming out with his FIRST comedy movie this fall:

It's about a Pudknocker who mopes in front of his computer all day. Unaware of the fact that IQ is subjective, he wastes away zooming in on images 1000% looking for the mythical, “Perfection Snipe” only to repeatedly turn toward the camera...

“I see dead pixels.”

-------------------------------------------------

The 70D's sensor sucks—since when? Spend 5 minutes on Flickr: find me a sucky 70D image—just one.

The 7Dm2 is gonna be just fine.

Care about the wonderment you capture, not the data. Don't be that "Pud" ^ there.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

They're measuring the DR at ISO 6400 to be equal to the 5D3.

No, it's less.
It is better than for the 7D though, but about half a stop (maybe +/- 1/3 stop as the masked vs main area and high ISO ratings might differ).

The dynamic range of both the 7D2 and 5D3 at ISO 6400 is 8.3EV based on the measurements from the sample RAWs for the 7D2 and DXO for the 5D3.

It remains to be seen. I measured higher for 5D3 and even 5D2, but I didn't apply actual ISO rating correction for the 5D3 as DxO did. Their 5D3 copy also might be a little bit on the weak side for high ISO read noise compared the two I've tested.

 

[Steve]

The 70D's sensor sucks—since when? Spend 5 minutes on Flickr: find me a sucky 70D image—just one.

Less than 30 seconds

https://www.flickr.com/photos/12845454@N08/15143688377/sizes/l
(sharing is restricted so click through)

I have no idea how this guy did it but thats a sucky 70D image right there

 

[Ebrahim Saadawi]

I can take a bad picture with a medium format hasselblad. Irrelevant.

The 70D image quality and sensor are nothing worse than any APS-C sensor camera out there. Identical. I can proof that with side by side images, while those claiming it has bad image quality prove this by quoting DxO numbers.

Canon sensors are just as good as any other. If the 7D mk II has disadvantages image quality is not one of them.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Canon sensors are just as good as any other.

Technically that is simply not at all true at lower ISOs. They are considerably behind in low ISO DR. You may not ever care, and that is fine, but that is another matter.

 

[raptor3x]

They're measuring the DR at ISO 6400 to be equal to the 5D3.

No, it's less.
It is better than for the 7D though, but about half a stop (maybe +/- 1/3 stop as the masked vs main area and high ISO ratings might differ).

The dynamic range of both the 7D2 and 5D3 at ISO 6400 is 8.3EV based on the measurements from the sample RAWs for the 7D2 and DXO for the 5D3.

It remains to be seen. I measured higher for 5D3 and even 5D2, but I didn't apply actual ISO rating correction for the 5D3 as DxO did. Their 5D3 copy also might be a little bit on the weak side for high ISO read noise compared the two I've tested.

I find this really interesting. Do you think this is due to copy variation or due to a difference in the way the tests are conducted? Do you see differences in high ISO DR for short exposures in bright light vs longer exposures in dim light?

 

[privatebydesign]

Incidentally, what difference does USB 3 make to anything?

It can make a very big difference if you want to use tethering of any kind. I don't know if Canon's done it, but with USB 3 you can get a higher resolution video feed for live view off the camera more quickly. With USB 2, I get maybe 23fps at best for tethered live view, which is pretty crappy. With USB 3, you could get the same live view feed at a higher FPS. It would be nice, someday, to get a full 4k live view feed off of a camera when doing tethered shooting. That's one of the biggest benefits for using a DSLR for astrophotography, live view focusing is really freakin awesome, and something astro CCD cameras do not have.

It would also be nice to have a 4k live view feed when using a tablet with a DSLR for landscape photography.

I don't think any of that is possible yet with Canon DSLRs...maybe a higher live view feed, but not sure about the 4k live view feed. It;s possible such a thing could be done via a firmware update or maybe ML in the future though...assuming USB 3 is included on the camera.

Doesn't that work via the 5D MkIII HDMI connection?

I tether a lot and haven't found a stills limitation to USB 2, Ethernet, or WFT's, but I don't do video so maybe I am being shortsighted.

 

[Ebrahim Saadawi]

Yes it works from the 1100D to the 1Dx. I don't think USB is a suitable connection for tethering or transferring a live video feed. The HDMI output on all Canon DSLRs transfer the liveview feed at the full frame rate @ Full HD 1080p to a monitor/pc/external recorder, HDMI is a much better solution for such uses. The 7D mk II takes this even further than all the other Canon DSLRs by allowing to output the signal without overlays/menus for clean viewing or recording, whilst having the camera LCD turned on and showing the overlays/menus, and it works up to 60p, with 4:2:2 chroma sampling (vs the internal 4:2:0). It's a very high quality signal for monitoring and even recording, USB is no where near that, plus we are already suffering in the video world from how fragile and flimsy the HDMI cables is to use in professional applications, I can't even imagine working with an even worse mini USB cable, it would be a utter nightmare, this alone in my opinion makes it useless for most professional tethering/monitoring needs.

It might be helpful if you specifically want to use the Canon utility application, which sucks, and which we have no information that it will work better with USB 3 compared to 2, so that is guess work. The only real advantage of USB 3 I can think of is transferring files faster directly from the camera, but then again you can get a USB 3 card reader anyway.

It's very strange this would be a deciding factor in choosing a Camera for someone.

 

[NancyP]

I have no idea yet of the image quality of the 7D2, because I haven't had the chance to download the RAWs taken at different ISOs and run them through ACR/Lightroom. Anxiously awaiting Adobe Camera Raw 8.7. I shoot RAWs so the better OOC jpgs of 7D2 are irrelevant.
That being said, everything else in the 7D2 specs sound like value for money for the hobbyist wildlife or sports stills photographer.

 

[LetTheRightLensIn]

They're measuring the DR at ISO 6400 to be equal to the 5D3.

No, it's less.
It is better than for the 7D though, but about half a stop (maybe +/- 1/3 stop as the masked vs main area and high ISO ratings might differ).

The dynamic range of both the 7D2 and 5D3 at ISO 6400 is 8.3EV based on the measurements from the sample RAWs for the 7D2 and DXO for the 5D3.

It remains to be seen. I measured higher for 5D3 and even 5D2, but I didn't apply actual ISO rating correction for the 5D3 as DxO did. Their 5D3 copy also might be a little bit on the weak side for high ISO read noise compared the two I've tested.

I find this really interesting. Do you think this is due to copy variation or due to a difference in the way the tests are conducted? Do you see differences in high ISO DR for short exposures in bright light vs longer exposures in dim light?

Sometimes there is a little difference between masked area and main area, you can get maybe 1/4 stop there. Also the amount of gain applied at each ISO varies and you can get a good 1/3 stop difference there, in a few extreme cases between the bodies giving the most and least boost it might be at least 1/2 stop.