Canon 7D Mark II Owners first thoughts

[Joey]

The OP of this thread is apparently a UK resident and received his new camera on 29th October(?).

I'm also in Britain, and as far as I can tell none of the major resellers have stock yet. Is this another example of Rip-Off Britain? When I finally get my camera I will have to pay about 30% more than the US price, and in the USA they get their kit weeks before we do!

I could, apparently, order from DigitalRev in Hong Kong, who have them in stock, and I'd receive my camera in about five days and pay £200 less than buying from a reputable UK dealer who buys through the Canon UK distribution channel. Does anyone have a view on whether it's worth sticking with Canon UK distribution, or saving money and getting my camera quicker by ordering from DigitalRev?

Dale Photographic in Leeds have them in stock; £1,599.00

(They also keep getting in surprisingly large amounts of used D600 and D610s)

You're right - they've had them in stock about a week, although every other dealer is still waiting for theirs and apparently they don't have a confirmed date when they'll get them either. So I asked Dale why, and their answer is that they have a very good relationship with Canon, and they ordered 'quite a lot of them'. I'll be ordering from Dale on Monday (they only open 'till 12:30 on Saturdays) and will expect to receive my camera on Tuesday.

 

[privatebydesign]

The OP of this thread is apparently a UK resident and received his new camera on 29th October(?).

I'm also in Britain, and as far as I can tell none of the major resellers have stock yet. Is this another example of Rip-Off Britain? When I finally get my camera I will have to pay about 30% more than the US price, and in the USA they get their kit weeks before we do!

I could, apparently, order from DigitalRev in Hong Kong, who have them in stock, and I'd receive my camera in about five days and pay £200 less than buying from a reputable UK dealer who buys through the Canon UK distribution channel. Does anyone have a view on whether it's worth sticking with Canon UK distribution, or saving money and getting my camera quicker by ordering from DigitalRev?

Dale Photographic in Leeds have them in stock; £1,599.00

(They also keep getting in surprisingly large amounts of used D600 and D610s)

Wow, at £1,599.00...that converts to roughly $2,875 CAD...over 50% more than the current Canadian list of $1899! For warranty purposes, it's usually best to buy in your home country,but with that big a price difference it might be worth taking a chance and shop around. $1899 CAD is approximately £1,056....or nearly £550 difference. Even with shipping/duty you stand to save. Maybe a large US or Can retailer might be worth checking out.

We are not lucky at all as concerns the cost of tech products in Europe, and not only tech stuff, unfortunately. Everything costs 30% to over 50% more than US and Canada. I paid €1,629 for mine in Italy and I'm very happy because the 7D2 is currently listed at €1,799. Btw, the battery grip is practically nowhere to be found here at present.

I had resolved not to be an early adopter and wait for the price to settle a bit also because I was still undecided between the 7D2 and 70D, but after reading some first impressions reviews and the comments of the owners I couldn't resist and I'm happy I didn't wait. The 7D2 is really a mini-1DX.

It depends how you look at pricing. In the USA the minimum wage for many states is $7.25, and though many states have higher minimums things like overtime, healthcare etc are not paid as they are in the EU, the UK minimum wage is £6.25 for over 21's and that is $10, or nearly 40% more.

 

[Sporgon]

The OP of this thread is apparently a UK resident and received his new camera on 29th October(?).

I'm also in Britain, and as far as I can tell none of the major resellers have stock yet. Is this another example of Rip-Off Britain? When I finally get my camera I will have to pay about 30% more than the US price, and in the USA they get their kit weeks before we do!

I could, apparently, order from DigitalRev in Hong Kong, who have them in stock, and I'd receive my camera in about five days and pay £200 less than buying from a reputable UK dealer who buys through the Canon UK distribution channel. Does anyone have a view on whether it's worth sticking with Canon UK distribution, or saving money and getting my camera quicker by ordering from DigitalRev?

Dale Photographic in Leeds have them in stock; £1,599.00

(They also keep getting in surprisingly large amounts of used D600 and D610s)

You're right - they've had them in stock about a week, although every other dealer is still waiting for theirs and apparently they don't have a confirmed date when they'll get them either. So I asked Dale why, and their answer is that they have a very good relationship with Canon, and they ordered 'quite a lot of them'. I'll be ordering from Dale on Monday (they only open 'till 12:30 on Saturdays) and will expect to receive my camera on Tuesday.

I try to get gear from Dale Photographic when I can, have done over the past thirty years, and got the 6D + 24-70 f4 IS from them as they were the only ones in the country to do that as a 'kit', priced accordingly. They are always competitive on price with the likes of WEX. Worth supporting, they are a helpful outfit.

 

[Eldar]

The OP of this thread is apparently a UK resident and received his new camera on 29th October(?).

I'm also in Britain, and as far as I can tell none of the major resellers have stock yet. Is this another example of Rip-Off Britain? When I finally get my camera I will have to pay about 30% more than the US price, and in the USA they get their kit weeks before we do!

I could, apparently, order from DigitalRev in Hong Kong, who have them in stock, and I'd receive my camera in about five days and pay £200 less than buying from a reputable UK dealer who buys through the Canon UK distribution channel. Does anyone have a view on whether it's worth sticking with Canon UK distribution, or saving money and getting my camera quicker by ordering from DigitalRev?

Dale Photographic in Leeds have them in stock; £1,599.00

(They also keep getting in surprisingly large amounts of used D600 and D610s)

Wow, at £1,599.00...that converts to roughly $2,875 CAD...over 50% more than the current Canadian list of $1899! For warranty purposes, it's usually best to buy in your home country,but with that big a price difference it might be worth taking a chance and shop around. $1899 CAD is approximately £1,056....or nearly £550 difference. Even with shipping/duty you stand to save. Maybe a large US or Can retailer might be worth checking out.

We are not lucky at all as concerns the cost of tech products in Europe, and not only tech stuff, unfortunately. Everything costs 30% to over 50% more than US and Canada. I paid €1,629 for mine in Italy and I'm very happy because the 7D2 is currently listed at €1,799. Btw, the battery grip is practically nowhere to be found here at present.

I had resolved not to be an early adopter and wait for the price to settle a bit also because I was still undecided between the 7D2 and 70D, but after reading some first impressions reviews and the comments of the owners I couldn't resist and I'm happy I didn't wait. The 7D2 is really a mini-1DX.

It depends how you look at pricing. In the USA the minimum wage for many states is $7.25, and though many states have higher minimums things like overtime, healthcare etc are not paid as they are in the EU, the UK minimum wage is £6.25 for over 21's and that is $10, or nearly 40% more.

I paid NOK13.299,- here in Norway (Japanfoto), which translates to GBP1.250/USD2.000. Our minimum wages are way above UK and we have a 25% VAT and the UK has 17%, if I remember correctly. So from that perspective, Canon gear in the UK is expensive.

 

[pierlux]

....When I finally get my camera I will have to pay about 30% more than the US price...

Dale Photographic in Leeds have them in stock; £1,599.00.

Wow, at £1,599.00...that converts to roughly $2,875 CAD...over 50% more than the current Canadian list of $1899! ...

We are not lucky at all as concerns the cost of tech products in Europe, and not only tech stuff, unfortunately. Everything costs 30% to over 50% more than US and Canada. I paid €1,629 for mine in Italy and I'm very happy because the 7D2 is currently listed at €1,799. ...

It depends how you look at pricing. In the USA the minimum wage for many states is $7.25, and though many states have higher minimums things like overtime, healthcare etc are not paid as they are in the EU, the UK minimum wage is £6.25 for over 21's and that is $10, or nearly 40% more.

True. And food also, just to mention a prime good. But energy... is insanely expensive here.

Back to first impressions, my 50mm f/1.4 has become a fantastic portrait lens! With the 5D2, its autofocus was unreliable even after AFMA (+13), but with the 7D2 it works like a charm, and I haven't AFMAdjusted it yet. Too much of a difference to think it's only the DOF advantage of crop.

I still haven't AFMAd any of my lenses 'cos I've been too busy playing with the settings. I'm going to look into AFMAing as the next step, it will be interesting to compare each lens' result to the 5D2's adjustments. Logic would suggest consistent results, i.e. back- or front-focusing lenses should behave similarly relatively to each other, but I suspect things are not as simple as they appear and the AF module accounts for more than speed, accuracy and precision in this respect. We'll see in the next days.

 

[magic koala]

Have had the 7D2 for a week. I also have the 5DM3 and 7D. Straight out of the box it's perfect, great ISO 1600 and above, quiet continuous shooting and focusing is great in low light. The new battery definitely lasts longer than the older version. I tried the 24-70mm f2.8 II, 135mm, 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f4 IS and they all worked perfectly - everything in focus, no adjustments required. The 50mm f/1.4 definitely works better on the 7D2 than the 7D, not sure why but the shots just look great.

My only issue is that I realize that I shoot far less sports and I'm actually quite satisfied with the 5DMK3. I actually stopped using the 7D when I got the 5DMK3 but I just love buying new gear! I lent the 7DMK2 to my friend since he shoots his daughter swimming, playing soccer and taekwondo. I won't mind if he buys it off me.

Can't praise the 7DMK2 enough, good job Canon!

 

[Big_Ant_TV_Media]

Have had the 7D2 for a week. I also have the 5DM3 and 7D. Straight out of the box it's perfect, great ISO 1600 and above, quiet continuous shooting and focusing is great in low light. The new battery definitely lasts longer than the older version. I tried the 24-70mm f2.8 II, 135mm, 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f4 IS and they all worked perfectly - everything in focus, no adjustments required. The 50mm f/1.4 definitely works better on the 7D2 than the 7D, not sure why but the shots just look great.

My only issue is that I realize that I shoot far less sports and I'm actually quite satisfied with the 5DMK3. I actually stopped using the 7D when I got the 5DMK3 but I just love buying new gear! I lent the 7DMK2 to my friend since he shoots his daughter swimming, playing soccer and taekwondo. I won't mind if he buys it off me.

Can't praise the 7DMK2 enough, good job Canon!

If I was u keep the 7D mark too and sell the 7D while it still has value

 

[Freddie]

Mine arrived yesterday evening.

I know I'm a bit late to the party but I didn't pre-order early.
I tried the 7D in late 2010 and decided to get the 1D MK IV instead despite the price disparity.
I will be testing and comparing over the next few days. The birds are mostly gone here in the high Rocky Mountains save for the few residents. I am thinking of feeding them a bit this year to provide subjects. They love peanut butter.
We have Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in rutting season right now so I may go see how it works with large animals. I have the 1D MK IV and a 5D MK III to compare with the 7D MK II. I have lenses from 15mm fisheye up to 500mm L, f/4, Series 1. Since I'm a member of CPS, I am thinking of borrowing the 1DX and comparing as well. That may or may not happen depending on how testing goes.
I had the 1D MK II and 1D MK III when they came out so I have lots of images from the same lenses to compare with. I would say that if the new camera does not better those two cameras I would be sorely disappointed. The 1D MK IV betters them both by a large margin. It may take a few days but I will be testing.

 

[magic koala]

Have had the 7D2 for a week. I also have the 5DM3 and 7D. Straight out of the box it's perfect, great ISO 1600 and above, quiet continuous shooting and focusing is great in low light. The new battery definitely lasts longer than the older version. I tried the 24-70mm f2.8 II, 135mm, 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f4 IS and they all worked perfectly - everything in focus, no adjustments required. The 50mm f/1.4 definitely works better on the 7D2 than the 7D, not sure why but the shots just look great.

My only issue is that I realize that I shoot far less sports and I'm actually quite satisfied with the 5DMK3. I actually stopped using the 7D when I got the 5DMK3 but I just love buying new gear! I lent the 7DMK2 to my friend since he shoots his daughter swimming, playing soccer and taekwondo. I won't mind if he buys it off me.

Can't praise the 7DMK2 enough, good job Canon!

If I was u keep the 7D mark too and sell the 7D while it still has value

Yep, somebody is buying the 7D off me for $500

 

[Basil]

Ok, I'm a little late to this thread. I've had my 7DM2 since Friday 31 Oct. Adorama shipped it next day air on the 30th. I have not had a chance to put it through its paces really, but from what I have seen so far I am going to love this camera! The most obvious thing is the low light / hi ISO performance. I will attempt to attach a picture I took in my living room with very low light (one 40-watt bulb in a lamp across the room at night). This was shot at an incredible ISO of 16,000 (that's thousand, not hundred). Yes there is some noise in the black areas, but for this ISO it is amazing!

 

[Mancubus]

Got my 7Dm2 today.

I had some issues with my Sigma 17-50mm 2.8. These lens worked fine on my 70D but I am getting very inaccurate focus on the 7Dm2, no matter what Micro AF adjustments I make.

My other lenses (85mm 1.8, 100mm macro, 10-22mm) work very well with the 7Dm2. So I guess there could be an incompatibility issue between these lens and the 7Dm2 body. I wish more people could test this combination.

EDIT: It seems to be a Sigma issue, the lens need to be serviced to have the firmware/chip updated in order to work with such a new camera body.

Zooming in photos is a step backwards from the 70D. On the 70D I could just use my thumb to press the review button and use the two buttons next to the AF-On to zoom in and out, or just use the touching screen.

EDIT A good solution is to use the SET button to enable zooming at: Custom controls (under Cn. F3) > Set button > Mag/Reduce

That exposure scale that is displayed on the top screen of the 70D is now hidden inside the viewfinder on the 7Dm2. Not a big deal but just saying.

 

[-Gamer-]

Got my 7Dm2 today. I have to be a bit critical here, it's a great camera but not perfect.

I had some issues with my Sigma 17-50mm 2.8. These lens worked fine on my 70D but I am getting very inaccurate focus on the 7Dm2, no matter what Micro AF adjustments I make.

My other lenses (85mm 1.8, 100mm macro, 10-22mm) work very well with the 7Dm2. So I guess there could be an incompatibility issue between these lens and the 7Dm2 body. I wish more people could test this combination.

Zooming in photos is a step backwards from the 70D. On the 70D I could just use my thumb to press the review button and use the two buttons next to the AF-On to zoom in and out, or just use the touching screen. On the 70D I can also zoom in a photo and from that point rotate the bottom wheel so the next photo would also appear zoomed in, very good to compare focus.

On the 7Dm2 I need to press a button on the left side (so I need to use the other hand) to review the photo, then press another button to be able to zoom and from there use the wheel. If I want to view the next photo zoomed in, I have to do everything again, rotating the bottom wheel won't do it like it did on the 70D.

That exposure scale that is displayed on the top screen of the 70D is now hidden inside the viewfinder on the 7Dm2. Not a big deal but just saying.

Go into Custom Controls and change the Set button to Mag/Reduce. (I think thats all I did as far as viewing back images.) You should now be able to just push the Set button and rotate the back dial to view the next image or prior image at whatever magnification you set in the Playback section of the main menu. Push the Set button again to change back into normal view size.

Use the top dial to enlarge or reduce the image size while viewing. Now you can playback and view images with just your right thumb and forefinger. Hope this helps ya out

Forgot to mention use the Multi-Controller to move about while viewing images.

 

[serendipidy]

Sorry if I'm beating this to death. Here is another one. ISO 1600 subject with high DR (14stops?). The kind of picture you are not supposed to be able to take with a 7D2. Not perfect but completely acceptable for many uses in my opinion. Not what I bought this body for but good to know it'll do in a pinch. Canon 24 f2.8 IS, ISO 1600, f5.6 1/40th of a second handheld.

All that aside, I think your photos are wonderful. Is that a botanical garden somewhere? It looks pretty awesome.

Thanks for the compliment. I was curious about the 7D2's use for general photography outside of the sports and wildlife stuff where I'm pretty sure it will be great. I thought it did a fine job. You aren't going to mistake these for full frame shots at 100% in Lightroom but for general photos they're OK with me. It was raining heavily all day so I needed an indoor spot to shoot. The photos are of Longwood Gardens in southesterm Pennsylvania, USA. A great spot to visit if you are ever in the area. About an hour from Philadelphia. I go once a month or so.

I have only been to Longwood Gardens once (3 years ago) and I loved it. I was visiting my wife's family in Philly and only had my Canon PowerShot SX230 with me. Fabulous place and I must return with a DLSR for better shots. Here are but a few of the hundreds of photos taken there that day. I highly recommend this place if you like gardens.

 

[serendipidy]

A few flowers from Longwood Gardens 3 years ago with my SX230.

 

[candc]

i think the dpaf on the 7dii is even better than on the 70d. it seems faster. not having a touchscreen is not that bad. the thumb nubbin works pretty good for moving around. alot better than the dial rockers, i hate those things.

 

[RodS57]

I've had my 7d2 since Monday. Work and the weather have prevented anything more than a few test shots. I have noticed in low light conditions a red flash of light inside the viewfinder which can be seen by the subject through the lens. The manual seems to concentrate on the assist beam in relation to a flash. I haven't found an on/off function for this in the menu system or in the manual. Does anyone know where this setting can be found?

I have auto flash and live view turned off. I've turned off all settings related to AF assist beam that I have been able to find but it still fires. I took a picture of a co-worker just after sunset yesterday and he saw the assist beam flash from about 100 feet away.

Thanks
Rod

 

[candc]

I've had my 7d2 since Monday. Work and the weather have prevented anything more than a few test shots. I have noticed in low light conditions a red flash of light inside the viewfinder which can be seen by the subject through the lens. The manual seems to concentrate on the assist beam in relation to a flash. I haven't found an on/off function for this in the menu system or in the manual. Does anyone know where this setting can be found?

I have auto flash and live view turned off. I've turned off all settings related to AF assist beam that I have been able to find but it still fires. I took a picture of a co-worker just after sunset yesterday and he saw the assist beam flash from about 100 feet away.

Thanks
Rod

That is the af point illumination in the superimposed display that you are seeing. You can turn it off. It is in auto mode by default and comes on when its dark.

 

[2n10]

Got my 7Dm2 today. I have to be a bit critical here, it's a great camera but not perfect.

I had some issues with my Sigma 17-50mm 2.8. These lens worked fine on my 70D but I am getting very inaccurate focus on the 7Dm2, no matter what Micro AF adjustments I make.

My other lenses (85mm 1.8, 100mm macro, 10-22mm) work very well with the 7Dm2. So I guess there could be an incompatibility issue between these lens and the 7Dm2 body. I wish more people could test this combination.

Zooming in photos is a step backwards from the 70D. On the 70D I could just use my thumb to press the review button and use the two buttons next to the AF-On to zoom in and out, or just use the touching screen. On the 70D I can also zoom in a photo and from that point rotate the bottom wheel so the next photo would also appear zoomed in, very good to compare focus.

On the 7Dm2 I need to press a button on the left side (so I need to use the other hand) to review the photo, then press another button to be able to zoom and from there use the wheel. If I want to view the next photo zoomed in, I have to do everything again, rotating the bottom wheel won't do it like it did on the 70D.

That exposure scale that is displayed on the top screen of the 70D is now hidden inside the viewfinder on the 7Dm2. Not a big deal but just saying.

You will most likely need to get the Sigma rechipped. This is common since Sigma reverse engineers the communications with bodies. Your focus problem is highly likely a Sigma issue.

 

[Northbird]

This time tomorrow (5pm GMT) I will have the 7D Mark II in my hands, I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread for 7D Mark II owners (okay I am starting this to distract myself from the wait as well).

What do you like? What do you dislike?
What would you add or subtract?
What will be your primary use for the camera?
Any photographic examples?
Or if you wish a picture of you with your 7D Mark II

;D

One of my first shots using the 7D Mark II. ISO1600, F8, 1/1000s. So far I"m pleased with this camera and yes it's a significant upgrade from the Mark I in AF performance, usable ISO and overall performance. Very highly recommended for anyone in the market for this type of camera body.


Alpen Diamond Dahlia by Tony Varela Photography, on Flickr

 

[RichM]

I followed up the night soccer game with football today. The majority of these were shot with the 7d2, 300/4 at iso 100-400. I found the AF to be most impressive. I still have a test/adjust for lenses, but right out of the box it is either right on or very close.

http://nhsports.smugmug.com/Football/2014-Football/Bow/D3-Qtr-Final-Bow-vs-Brady-11-8/