Canon 7Dii vs Samsung NX-1 Epic Shootout

[MichaelTheMaven]

Finally finished my Epic Shootout on the 7Dii and Samsung NX-1. As some of you remember I ran into a problem with the 7Dii, twice, but haven't had any issues since. The NX-1 is very interesting for it's backlit sensor, but in a head-to-head sports shooting match up, it was not match for the 7Dii. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/GmlzqAy5Q68

 

[drjlo]

Nice review. I was disappointed to see the Samsung, even with its BSI sensor, do worse at high ISO noise even compared to Canon's crop sensor. Perhaps what I really want is a Samsung BSI sensor at around 16-18 MP, not 28 MP. :-[

 

[Click]

Very nice review. Thanks Michael.

 

[Aglet]

so this was NOT with v1.20 firmware on the Samsung?..

 

[dtaylor]

Nice review. I was disappointed to see the Samsung, even with its BSI sensor, do worse at high ISO noise even compared to Canon's crop sensor.

You say that as if Canon's crop sensor is poor at high ISO. The 7D2 is clearly at the top of the APS-C list right now, the 70D is quite good, and even the current 18 MP cameras aren't bad.

 

[Lee Jay]

12:00 - the EVF doesn't work when shooting in burst? How does that not make it into the cons section? How does that even make it into a released camera, for that matter!

That would be more than a show stopper for me, that would be an instant door stop.

 

[MichaelTheMaven]

so this was NOT with v1.20 firmware on the Samsung?..

Nope! It hasn't been officially released yet, supposed to be tomorrow. It has a lot of rough spots to get ironed out, once so, I am sure it will be a fine camera.

 

[bmwzimmer]

Great Job Michael. Love your Epic Shootouts!!!

 

[ritholtz]

Nice review. I was disappointed to see the Samsung, even with its BSI sensor, do worse at high ISO noise even compared to Canon's crop sensor.

You say that as if Canon's crop sensor is poor at high ISO. The 7D2 is clearly at the top of the APS-C list right now, the 70D is quite good, and even the current 18 MP cameras aren't bad.

Is there any difference between 7D2 and 70D. I do not see any between 7D2, 70D and D7100 in dpr comparison tool.

 

[johnctharp]

Nice review. I was disappointed to see the Samsung, even with its BSI sensor, do worse at high ISO noise even compared to Canon's crop sensor.

You say that as if Canon's crop sensor is poor at high ISO. The 7D2 is clearly at the top of the APS-C list right now, the 70D is quite good, and even the current 18 MP cameras aren't bad.

Is there any difference between 7D2 and 70D. I do not see any between 7D2, 70D and D7100 in dpr comparison tool.

Some claim to see it, as Canon claims that the 7D II is superior, and it may very well be a bit cleaner; but the biggest difference is the camera that's wrapped around the sensor, especially in the case of the anemic D7100.

 

[Sabaki]

Hi Michael

I would like to say a big thank you for the video review and in particular, putting it out there that there is issues with some copies of the 7Dii.

I'm on my second copy of the 7Dii now and Canon are in their 2nd week of running diagnostics on it.

I am of the opinion that as Canon have not yet made an official statement regarding the known issues of the 7Dii, they will endeavour to keep all solutions on the down low and out of the public eye.

For the record:
1st 7Dii: Had focus lock issues, the AF point bounced around and would focus on a different point for each photo in a burst. This was acknowledged by Canon and replaced without a hiccup

2nd 7Dii: Struggles to maintain focus in AI Servo for moving subjects, a sequence of 12 images went from relatively sharp, to totally out of focus.
A second issue is very soft focus. Test shots done in Single Shot/One Shot with single point AF, camera on tripod on a stationary subject. 'Green dot' in the bottom right hand corner of the viewfinder indicates focus confirmation yet the images came out soft.

Please note! These anomolies cannot be replicated 100% of the time, as some shots are sharper than others taken with the exact same setup, in the exact same conditions
The technician advised they are aware of the Jeckyl & Hyde nature of these issues

CameraTek (appointed by Canon as their service dept in South Africa) has had a few 7Dii's in with similar issues to mine and have recognised the problem without official, 100% acknowledgement.

Guys, I am writing this because I feel there are enough 7Dii owners out there settling for non performing bodies. Please do scrutenise the performance of your 7Dii with a critical eye, $1800 is no small investment. If you are not happy with the camera, please hand it back for diagnostic checks. Certain issues, like physical AF system issues, cannot be rectified with a firmware update.

DISCLAIMER* I do know that there will those asking the questions, "does he know how to use the camera?" and "does he understand the AF system properly". The answer is no, not 100% but I know it sufficiently to know the cameras I got didn't work. Also, all my reported issues have been acknowleged by Canon.

Even if I help one of you guys out, that'll be enough for me.

 

[moreorless]

When it comes to AF I would suggest that subjects being "large in the frame" is really the most important aspect of performance. If you were shooting with a prime then it would be the shots when the subject was at that kind of distance you would be likely interested in.

 

[Lee Jay]

These 70ish% numbers of in-focus shots for someone running slowly toward the camera just don't seem right to me. I tend to get high 90s for that on my decade old 20D and 5D even shooting at f/2.8 and even zooming while shooting. I'm planning to buy a 7D Mark II to improve on this, not degrade it. For example, these were all shot on the 5D and 70-200/2.8 at f/2.8, I was zooming while she was running, and they are all in focus.

 

[Sabaki]

These 70ish% numbers of in-focus shots for someone running slowly toward the camera just don't seem right to me. I tend to get high 90s for that on my decade old 20D and 5D even shooting at f/2.8 and even zooming while shooting. I'm planning to buy a 7D Mark II to improve on this, not degrade it. For example, these were all shot on the 5D and 70-200/2.8 at f/2.8, I was zooming while she was running, and they are all in focus.

Cute kid you got Lee Jay

I'm pretty convinced the 7Dii is falling a little short of the performance as indicated in Canon's promotional material.

A friend is getting his replacement 7Dii tomorrow. His 50D was killing the 7Dii for sharp images and keeper rate