Canon EOS R7 Mark II: What We Know

[Philnick]

1) Keep your "full-frame companion camera" hands off the R7. The scroll wheel near the viewfinder is a joy to use for those who use it as their primary camera. If you want, add another in the traditional location (for three control wheels), but leave the R7's wheel alone. You could move the joystick away or down to the traditional location - I use the "thumb on the screen" method anyway.

2) Don't you dare deprive us of a mechanical shutter - its role in protecting the sensor while changing lenses is essential.

All I really want in a II model is more stable AF and lower noise at high ISO - which more megapixels would work against.

 

[Loswr]

…lower noise at high ISO - which more megapixels would work against.

At the level of individual pixels, for those who care about such things. Personally, a care about pictures, and fewer MPs won’t lower image noise…a larger sensor will, though.

 

[Philnick]

At the level of individual pixels, for those who care about such things. Personally, a care about pictures, and fewer MPs won’t lower image noise…a larger sensor will, though.

Give it a rest. Are you going to chase me around the net razzing me whenever I make an idle comment like that?

PS What about the main points of my post - the rear dial placement and importanceof the shutter - not just its parting comment about megapixels?

 

[jdavidse]

The Canon EOS R7 Mark II is expected to arrive at some point this year. We think that it'll come in either Q3 or Q4 of 2025. As always, nailing down announcements dates is not an exact science, as there are so many variables that go into picking a day to announce a product.

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The only upgrade I need is for it to come in a similar body to the R5 MkII. I’ll never understand why they designed the controls that way for the Mark I.

 

[David - Sydney]

2) Don't you dare deprive us of a mechanical shutter - its role in protecting the sensor while changing lenses is essential.

True but you can replace it with a "sensor shield"/protector like the Z9/Z8/A9iii have.

 

[David - Sydney]

What I absolutely DON'T want to see is Canon shifting the video switch to the left side of the body as they have done since the R6II. Bracing a telephoto with your left hand while the bird you're photographing is perfectly in frame? Get ready to have to hunt for it all over again if you dare want a video of it.

Can't you just press the red record button = C3 video on the R5? No need to switch to video mode unless you need to change from the default settings

 

[koenkooi]

Can't you just press the red record button = C3 video on the R5? No need to switch to video mode unless you need to change from the default settings

You can, but you’re stuck with one mode. On the R5 you could switch to video with mode+info and then select a custom mode again. Very fast and easy to switch between 8k30, 4k30 and a 120fps mode.

On the R5II I have C3video set to 8k60 as a compromise, enough pixels to crop and enough fps to catch fast action. But no real slowmo for the mouse that steals the bird feed or proper 30p motion blur for the toad.

On the R8 I mostly use the back screen and small lenses, so the switch makes sense there, but on the R5II I hand hold the 100-500 and 180 macro, which means my left hand is not available for button flicking.

I do sometimes think ahead and change C3v, but since I’m not a video person I usually get it wrong

 

[Loswr]

Give it a rest. Are you going to chase me around the net razzing me whenever I make an idle comment like that?

Perhaps you should give spreading misinformation a rest.

PS What about the main points of my post - the rear dial placement and importanceof the shutter - not just its parting comment about megapixels?

Ergonomics are very personal. If you like the rear dial placement, great. Others may hate it. I don’t have a horse in that race since I don’t use an R7 and have no plans to get an R7II.

Canon could certainly implement a protective-only shutter as Nikon did for the Z8/Z9. That would be good in an ‘upmarket’ R7II. Personally, I don’t find cleaning a sensor to be too burdensome but having the sensor covered is a good thing (not necessarily during lens changes per se since those take only seconds, but rather during the long hours when the camera isn’t in use when there’s ample time for dust that gets in during those lens changes to settle out).

 

[koenkooi]

[...]Personally, I don’t find cleaning a sensor to be too burdensome[...]

With IBIS present I am a lot less confident when cleaning it myself, I don't know how sturdy the IBIS cradle is. I've only had to clean my R5 sensor once in four years, I hope I can avoid cleaning the R5II one

 

[ReflexVE]

1) Keep your "full-frame companion camera" hands off the R7. The scroll wheel near the viewfinder is a joy to use for those who use it as their primary camera. If you want, add another in the traditional location (for three control wheels), but leave the R7's wheel alone. You could move the joystick away or down to the traditional location - I use the "thumb on the screen" method anyway.

2) Don't you dare deprive us of a mechanical shutter - its role in protecting the sensor while changing lenses is essential.

All I really want in a II model is more stable AF and lower noise at high ISO - which more megapixels would work against.

Just want to point out something on the second point: The mechanical shutter is both easier to damage and more expensive to replace than the sensor. Most people don't realize that. Sensors are covered by a very hard layer, mechanical shutters are a precision instrument. The latter takes very little to stop functioning.

 

[Loswr]

Just want to point out something on the second point: The mechanical shutter is both easier to damage and more expensive to replace than the sensor. Most people don't realize that. Sensors are covered by a very hard layer, mechanical shutters are a precision instrument. The latter takes very little to stop functioning.

But the DUST, man…the DUST!

 

[justaCanonuser]

I'd love a bit of a beefier body and a return Canon's standard ergonomics - I still get confused when I change cameras, my thumb seeks the wheel in the wrong place. Plus the tiny wheel-joystick combo is really hard to use with gloves. A much faster readout with electronic shutter would also be a remedy in particular for silent wildlife photography.

Not sure whether a pimping up to 40 MP would really help in terms of readout speed with a conventional sensor design (I do not expect a stacked sensor because that would require to shrink the active photo sites of the pixels even more). 40 MP would be whopping, but I guess in reality often not fully usable when shooting action, because it would need a lot of light and very fast shutter speeds to freeze quicker motions right on the pixel level. This is already an issue when I shoot e.g. vivid birds with my R7 Mk I and a long supertele lens, if I want to use of the full resolution capability of that camera (which is really good).

 

[Philnick]

I'd be ok with replacing the mechanical shutter with an automatically-closing sensor shield for lens changes when the camera is turned off, it the sensor's readout is fast enough to avoid rolling shutter. Adding a third dial in the traditional location while leaving the R7's dial by the viewfinder would seem to satisfy both camps, particularly if the joystick is moved to its traditional location. Just let both wheels be configurable however the user prefers - it could even have both joysticks, so the users could turn off the one that annoys them.

Save the CF slot for the video version so we can still have the current dual SD slots for security shooting stills. Just improve the low light noise performance and give it the R5/II's Autofocus system.

 

[Loswr]

Save the CF slot for the video version so we can still have the current dual SD slots for security shooting stills. Just improve the low light noise performance and give it the R5/II's Autofocus system.

How does dual SD provide more security than CFe plus SD?

Note that sensor read out speed is one of the factors determining AF performance (at least, as far as subject tracking is concerned). A faster read out speed means better sampling of moving subjects.

 

[AccipiterQ]

1) Keep your "full-frame companion camera" hands off the R7. The scroll wheel near the viewfinder is a joy to use for those who use it as their primary camera. If you want, add another in the traditional location (for three control wheels), but leave the R7's wheel alone. You could move the joystick away or down to the traditional location - I use the "thumb on the screen" method anyway.

2) Don't you dare deprive us of a mechanical shutter - its role in protecting the sensor while changing lenses is essential.

All I really want in a II model is more stable AF and lower noise at high ISO - which more megapixels would work against.

Boo this man! The R7 was an ergo nightmare. Blow it up.

 

[AccipiterQ]

Hmm, that sort of thing could power the camera like in The Matrix.

"Liquid cooling"....just insert this needle leading from the camera into a nearby vein....

 

[yankiefrankie]

My primary genre these days is sports photography (my kids, wrestling and baseball). With baseball especially, the open field will push my r5m2, even with a 2x TC on the 100-300 f/2.8L. Unfortunately, there are two products in Canon's backlog that I'm waiting on to solve this problem: The r7m2 and the (very rumored) RF 600mm f/4L II.

My hesitation in purchasing the current r7 is the ergonomics are horrible. It looks/feels like an expensive Rebel. My original rig pairing was a 5dmk3 with a 7d. I could barely tell the difference between the cameras when swapping between the two and it was lovely. So my #1 with a bullet request for the r7m2 is please please please make it a crop r5m2 ergonomically.

I don't even need 40mp; The current resolution is adequate. The following would be wonderful:

- Mirror the r5m2 ergonomics
- CF Express B card slot (take or leave a secondary SD slot)
- Latest AF
- Stacked sensor for faster readout
- 14 bit electronic shutter
- Upgraded EVF w/eye control (not a must have, but I do enjoy EC in my triple back button focus setup)

If Canon can nail the above, my $2k preorder would be submitted on announcement day.

I use the RF 24-105 2.8 and 100-300 on 2 R52's for my kid's baseball/softball. I find this combo excellent with 24-300 at 2.8. I agree that 300mm can be short for outfield shots if I am behind home plate, but I move down the foul line if I want to get closer shots out there.

If you do not like the reach of the 100-300 even with extenders, why don't you use the 200-800? I used to use the 100-500 before I got my 100-300. I loved the range and reach, but I really hated the lack of background separation. Unfortunately, everything is a compromise, and unless I am willing to run 3 camera/lens combinations something is always going to be missing/lacking.

 

[AlanF]

I'd love a bit of a beefier body and a return Canon's standard ergonomics - I still get confused when I change cameras, my thumb seeks the wheel in the wrong place. Plus the tiny wheel-joystick combo is really hard to use with gloves. A much faster readout with electronic shutter would also be a remedy in particular for silent wildlife photography.

Not sure whether a pimping up to 40 MP would really help in terms of readout speed with a conventional sensor design (I do not expect a stacked sensor because that would require to shrink the active photo sites of the pixels even more). 40 MP would be whopping, but I guess in reality often not fully usable when shooting action, because it would need a lot of light and very fast shutter speeds to freeze quicker motions right on the pixel level. This is already an issue when I shoot e.g. vivid birds with my R7 Mk I and a long supertele lens, if I want to use of the full resolution capability of that camera (which is really good).

The 45 Mpx R5 sensor reads out twice as fast as the R7's 32 Mpx sensor. The R7 sensor is of an old design, and new 40 Mpx sensor could be at least twice as fast, I would presume. I agree about the change in ergonomics between the R7 and the R5 series is a bit of pain for those of us who have both.

 

[pierceography]

I use the RF 24-105 2.8 and 100-300 on 2 R52's for my kid's baseball/softball. I find this combo excellent with 24-300 at 2.8. I agree that 300mm can be short for outfield shots if I am behind home plate, but I move down the foul line if I want to get closer shots out there.

If you do not like the reach of the 100-300 even with extenders, why don't you use the 200-800? I used to use the 100-500 before I got my 100-300. I loved the range and reach, but I really hated the lack of background separation. Unfortunately, everything is a compromise, and unless I am willing to run 3 camera/lens combinations something is always going to be missing/lacking.

I'm strongly considering adding the 24-105 f/2.8L. How often do you find yourself using it during baseball games? My hesitation is I already own the 28-70 f/2, and I'm not sure the 30mm warrants $3k for me.

My reasoning behind the 100-300 was not baseball exclusively. For wrestling, I wanted something that was fast (indoor high school gyms, mostly) but with a decent zoom range. I have the EF 70-200 f/2.8 II, but 200mm simply wasn't enough for a lot of shots. The 100-300 has been absolutely splendid for wrestling. I can get my shutter speed as high as 1/500 and ISO under 6400 in most gyms. The majority of my shots are between 130mm and 250mm, but I enjoy having the options to zoom in for closeups or out for wider shots of the whole mat.

For baseball, I have my first real experience with this 100-300 this evening. My son has his first outdoor game since I added the lens. So far, my baseball shooting has been indoors (horrible lighting) or during outdoor practice where I can walk onto the field. For the indoor tournaments, 300 is enough to get the whole batter in the frame if I'm behind the dugout, but getting players in the field (especially the outfield) is a different story. I'll bring both the 1.4x and 2x TCs tonight. I did a couple rounds of photographing my kids skiing with the 100-300 + 1.4x/2x TCs and I was pleased with the IQ.

My dream lens setup for baseball is the RF 24-105 f/2.8, RF 135 f/1.8 (I have the EF f/2 now, which still holds up remarkably well), the RF 100-300 f/2.8, and the RF 600 f/4 (rumored II). (1.4x TCs in use for the last two)

My reasoning against the 200-800 or even the 100-500 is I live in the northern US (Michigan), so half of my sports photography is indoors, and those lenses are simply too slow for shooting in field houses or gymnasiums.

But I'm always open to feedback or suggestions!

 

[Canis Lupus]

After 200 000 exp on mechanical shutter, some thousands on electronic, and lots of video, most wildlife and birds, I`m done with the R7i. The price tag was too low, and it was not a successor of the 7Dii. In short, and its about shooting in demanding conditions shooting birds and wildlife: The AF misses a lot, and even report hits when it is a miss. AF also often jumps off after some shots in a burst, even in slower pace. Far too few keepers. Electronic shutter can`t be used on moving objects because of the very slow read out speed that gives a horrible rolling shutter. 1. curtain electronic works fine, but very noisy.

Else a very good camera which delivers excellent results under less demanding conditions. I've had no issues with them (we have two), and they have survived lots of sub arctic hard weather on shorter and longer trips all year round. But do not expect the R7 to compete with top shelf /full frame) cameras on challenging objects.

I have waited for the upgrade to come. And I hope it will be a top shelf camera in the APS-C class. A little sibling to R5ii. 32 MP is enough, but most important the camera has to deliver better focus, with AF in high class, have pre shooting in RAW, fast electronic shutter and keep the noise down, companied with eye tracking like the big 3 (plus R6iii? Guess it will be a standard on top cameras). APS-C format has some advantages Canon should lift to the top shelf. My big wish for the R7ii (or what its name will be) is to be a real companion together with my new R5ii.