Eos7D mk2, How EXCITED will you be if . . .?

[Menace]

Birthday wish list for a new version of the Canon 7D

Histogram in the view finder
Magic Lantern functionality like - Auto-ETTR, Dual-ISO, zebra stripes, RAW histogram, RAW Blinkies, Auto-Dot-Tune, intervalometer
Programmable buttons like the depth of field preview
A really high quality 3.2 inch electronic viewfinder or a hybrid electronic viewfinder or optical viewfinder
Auto Focus at f/8
Control button layout like a 5DIII
Dual CF card slots
Built in GPS
Radio control for speedlights
Wireless tethering app for iOS and Android
Small pro-grade weather-sealed body with a integrated grip
Pop up flash
Updated metering system
Image quality better than 70D
Noise performance as the 5DIII
Auto focus like 5DIII
61 auto focus points
Dual Pixel CMOS AF
Superior low light ( high iso ) performance
Dynamic range to 13 stops
24 MP sensor
10 fps
Giant buffer, 30 RAW at 10 fps
1/8000 shutter speed
100% viewfinder
Able to use same batteries as my 7D
No AA filter

APS-H 1.3x crop mode but possible to crop to APS-C 1.6

Cost less than my car that is below $2 500

Video stuff

Very interesting wish list. Will there be space for dual CF cards in a 7D size body?

 

[Loswr]

If interested here is a quick informal test I did yesterday. Crop cameras are the best birding cameras IMO beating a FF pretty handily. Especially with the new crop sensors from sony.

Interesting that Art Morris (of who's website your URL is seemingly a parody, and who actually shoots birds instead of posed pooches) uses the 1D X and 5DIII with Canon 500/600 II lenses and delivers impressive images.

I must say, your opinion smells like birds that fart. :-X

 

[jrista]

Birthday wish list for a new version of the Canon 7D

Histogram in the view finder <-- +1000000
Auto Focus at f/8 <-- +100000

 

[Don Haines]

If interested here is a quick informal test I did yesterday. Crop cameras are the best birding cameras IMO beating a FF pretty handily. Especially with the new crop sensors from sony.

Interesting that Art Morris (of who's website your URL is seemingly a parody, and who actually shoots birds instead of posed pooches) uses the 1D X and 5DIII with Canon 500/600 II lenses and delivers impressive images.

I must say, your opinion smells like birds that fart. :-X

When I got my Tamron 150-600 I rushed outside to take some bird pictures.. I finally had a long enough lens that I could shoot tiny birds, and using it on a crop camera increased the equivalent focal length to 960mm. All serious birders know the you need long long long lenses and there is no substitute.

I came back from my walk with lots of pictures of Chickadees taken with a wide angle lens at 20mm

 

[NancyP]

Here is a very good and well respected pro bird photographer who uses a 7D:
http://www.glennbartley.com/

 

[Loswr]

When I got my Tamron 150-600 I rushed outside to take some bird pictures.. I finally had a long enough lens that I could shoot tiny birds, and using it on a crop camera increased the equivalent focal length to 960mm.

I put a 2x TC behind my 600 II on my 1D X, then I cropped the image to 25% which increased the equivalent focal length to 2400mm. If I mounted an iPhone behind the 600 II + 2x, that would increase the equivalent focal length to 9600mm. Where does it stop?

The crop factor ("equivalent focal length" is just cropping) is only an advantage IF you're shooting at low ISO and IF printing larger than 16x24"/A2.

There is no crop factor advantage if taking pictures of chickadees eating from your hand...

 

[MichaelHodges]

IMHO the 7D shouldn't be mentioned with any of these cameras.

 

[Don Haines]

When I got my Tamron 150-600 I rushed outside to take some bird pictures.. I finally had a long enough lens that I could shoot tiny birds, and using it on a crop camera increased the equivalent focal length to 960mm.

I put a 2x TC behind my 600 II on my 1D X, then I cropped the image to 25% which increased the equivalent focal length to 2400mm. If I mounted an iPhone behind the 600 II + 2x, that would increase the equivalent focal length to 9600mm. Where does it stop?

The crop factor ("equivalent focal length" is just cropping) is only an advantage IF you're shooting at low ISO and IF printing larger than 16x24"/A2.

There is no crop factor advantage if taking pictures of chickadees eating from your hand...

the picture could not have been taken with a 600II and a 1DX as the birds were closer than the length of the lens ...

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

 

[Loswr]

Here is a very good and well respected pro bird photographer who uses a 7D:
http://www.glennbartley.com/

Indeed. However, he states:

Canon 1DX
If money was no object for me I would definitely own this camera. The file quality is amazing and the autofocus superb. At this point for me though the price is not justified. Furthermore I like to use crop bodies.

I think many people say they prefer crop bodies because money IS an object.

He also goes on to say:

The result of these smaller sensors is increased focal magnification. For example, if a camera has a 1.6x crop factor a 100mm lens will become a 160mm lens or a 300mm lens will become a 480mm lens.

The crop factor is just that - cropping. The fact that he seems to think it's a 'magical physics-defying focal length increasing factor' indicates he doesn't have a very good grasp of the relevant technical details.

 

[Loswr]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

My point is that good technique plus excellent gear is better than good technique plus decent gear.

 

[Loswr]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

My point is that good technique plus excellent gear beats good technique plus decent gear.

 

[MichaelHodges]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

Location > gear

Time spent at location > gear

I'd rather shoot with a Canon S2 in Yellowstone for a year than a high end camera and lens combo for two weeks.

 

[Don Haines]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

Location > gear

Time spent at location > gear

I'd rather shoot with a Canon S2 in Yellowstone for a year than a high end camera and lens combo for two weeks.

agreed! I'd take a year in Yellowstone with an iPhone over the high end combo for two weeks...

 

[jrista]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

Location > gear

Time spent at location > gear

I'd rather shoot with a Canon S2 in Yellowstone for a year than a high end camera and lens combo for two weeks.

I bet if I had a 1D X and a 600/4 II I'd create 100x more great photography in two weeks than you would with your Canon S2 in a year. I have absolutely zero doubt, as a matter of fact.

 

[bdunbar79]

Technique beats gear EVERY TIME?

You're telling this to someone who shot in dark gyms with a 1D4 and a 7D then switched to a 1Dx. Technique hardly beats gear every time. I highly doubt my "technique" increased my keeper rate by about 150% and gave me tons and tons of clean images at ISO 6400.

I'd rather shoot NCAA D2 basketball with a 1Dx and 70-200 f/2.8L II IS combo than an NBA game with a 7D, that is for absolute sure.

I swear sometimes you guys just argue to argue.

 

[Don Haines]

Technique beats gear EVERY TIME?

You're telling this to someone who shot in dark gyms with a 1D4 and a 7D then switched to a 1Dx. Technique hardly beats gear every time. I highly doubt my "technique" increased my keeper rate by about 150% and gave me tons and tons of clean images at ISO 6400.

I'd rather shoot NCAA D2 basketball with a 1Dx and 70-200 f/2.8L II IS combo than an NBA game with a 7D, that is for absolute sure.

I swear sometimes you guys just argue to argue.

point taken.... how about technique USUALLY beats gear

 

[jrista]

Technique beats gear EVERY TIME?

You're telling this to someone who shot in dark gyms with a 1D4 and a 7D then switched to a 1Dx. Technique hardly beats gear every time. I highly doubt my "technique" increased my keeper rate by about 150% and gave me tons and tons of clean images at ISO 6400.

I'd rather shoot NCAA D2 basketball with a 1Dx and 70-200 f/2.8L II IS combo than an NBA game with a 7D, that is for absolute sure.

I swear sometimes you guys just argue to argue.

point taken.... how about technique USUALLY beats gear

I think you have it a bit inverted. Gear compliments technique.

It doesn't matter how good your technique is, if your running into a limitation of the gear, your limited. You may be the most skilled photographer in the world...but a 7D w/ 100-400 is always going to result in noisier images, more missed shots due to it's AF jitter, and missed frames relative to a 1D X with a 600/4.

A skilled photographer will make the most of BOTH setups, which means the better setup is...well, still better.

Don't get me wrong...I still love my 7D. I use it whenever I need the reach. I also use it when I need a smaller image scale for astrophotography (which is basically a fancy way of saying I need smaller pixels.) No matter the benefits of any given piece of equipment, though, there are always limitations. And there are always better pieces of gear, and in the hands of a photographer with good technique, better gear always wins.

 

[bdunbar79]

Technique beats gear EVERY TIME?

You're telling this to someone who shot in dark gyms with a 1D4 and a 7D then switched to a 1Dx. Technique hardly beats gear every time. I highly doubt my "technique" increased my keeper rate by about 150% and gave me tons and tons of clean images at ISO 6400.

I'd rather shoot NCAA D2 basketball with a 1Dx and 70-200 f/2.8L II IS combo than an NBA game with a 7D, that is for absolute sure.

I swear sometimes you guys just argue to argue.

point taken.... how about technique USUALLY beats gear

 

[MichaelHodges]

The point being, don't fixate on gear. Technique beats gear every time. One of the best techniques to learn in bird photography is to be slow and quiet..... although that said, I would not refuse a 1DX and a 600II if it were offered

Location > gear

Time spent at location > gear

I'd rather shoot with a Canon S2 in Yellowstone for a year than a high end camera and lens combo for two weeks.

I bet if I had a 1D X and a 600/4 II I'd create 100x more great photography in two weeks than you would with your Canon S2 in a year. I have absolutely zero doubt, as a matter of fact.

The odds of getting truly great photographs in nature increase exponentially based on time in the field, not what gear you have.

First, you have to get out there. Second, you have to stay out there in all conditions. Then you need to apply technique, and hopefully a bit of luck will come your way, but don't count on it.

 

[MichaelHodges]

agreed! I'd take a year in Yellowstone with an iPhone over the high end combo for two weeks...

Absolutely. 8)