Official: Canon EOS 7D Mark II

[Sporgon]

Not sure what impact this will have on EXMOOR availability in the future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29233644

Exmoor is where they have lots of deer and heather

In your link I didn't see any analysts saying " Exmor will save Sony stock !"

Or even Exmor anything.........

 

[Larry]

Just a quick question. Nobody has mentioned anything about micro adjustment on the MkII, any idea?

Mentioned it in my previous (last 2) posts.

DPR references AFMA in their preview, ...yes, the 7DII has it.

 

[2n10]

Just a quick question. Nobody has mentioned anything about micro adjustment on the MkII, any idea?

Mentioned it in my previous (last 2) posts.

DPR references AFMA in their preview, ...yes, the 7DII has it.

I can not find the review I saw it on but supposedly it will be on the long and short ends for zooms.

 

[Loswr]

Just a quick question. Nobody has mentioned anything about micro adjustment on the MkII, any idea?

Mentioned it in my previous (last 2) posts.

DPR references AFMA in their preview, ...yes, the 7DII has it.

I can not find the review I saw it on but supposedly it will be on the long and short ends for zooms.

Correct.

 

[unfocused]

Not sure what impact this will have on EXMOOR availability in the future.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29233644

That's just smartphones. Sony is THE 900 pound gorilla in the sensor world. Their reach for sensors extends into every single area they are used, far beyond just Exmor for digital cameras. Even if Sony failed and went bankrupt at some point, there are a good half dozen solid companies out there that would snatch up their sensor business in a heartbeat. So even if in the long run it isn't Sony making Exmors, or EXView HAD, or any of the other major sensors that Sony makes, they will still be made. The technology and patents are far too lucrative to simply disappear.

Fat lot of good that's going to do anyone who has bought into the Sony camera and lens system though.

Just one more reason I would not buy into any system except Canon or Nikon.

Exmoor is where they have lots of deer and heather

Had to look it up. The name sounded Scottish and I was afraid they might be taking it with them, but looking at the map, it appears it's safe from those Highlanders for now...oh wait...I might be Scottish...not sure though...I think we got thrown out a couple of centuries ago...but I used to have a Gordon Black Watch tie.

 

[Lee Jay]

True...however, one doesn't need to buy into the whole Sony system. You can just buy their bodies (which are ephemeral anyway, from every manufacturer, unlike lenses), and use an adapter to attach your Canon lenses. Stick with the Canon "system", but gain the benefit of Exmor with the rest of that system.

Do you still get the same fast focusing?

If Sony somehow did end up belly up...eh, no real harm done...most people would have replaced an old A7whatever body in a couple years anyway.

Well, maybe if it is a Sony. I just finished a huge shoot using nothing but my over 10 year old 20D, and I got more glowing comments on this shoot than on any shoot ever. I plan to buy two new (Canon) cameras in the next 6 months, and I plan to keep them for at least 10 years.

 

[nvsravank]

I just read the best thing about this camera over at DPreview!!! It's got spot metering linked to the AF point!!! I've been hoping for that and thought they would never build this into a non-1-series camera!!! I love it!!

I'm so glad someone else is this excited about this. I never thought it would happen either, but that is AWESOME.

Was going to sell my backup 7d, move primary to backup, and add a 7d2 as primary.

Now might have to sell both and buy two...

This has made the decision for me easier. Now I got two cameras for the price of 1dx and that serves me better - a 5d mark III and a higher reach 7d mark II both with great focussing.

 

[DiSnapper]

Any clue on when these will be on sale in India?

 

[Lee Jay]

I don't think that most enthisiasts, semi-pros, or pros are going to sit on a camera body for ten years. I think your average consumer tends to churn through cameras at a pretty fast rate as well, although there are certainly some who stick with what they've got as long as they can to get the most for their money.

The vast majority of dSLR purchasers never buy another one. Only pros and genuine enthusiasts do. Of all the people I know that have dSLRs, almost all of them still use the first one they ever bought. I'll provide a list of people I know, aside from me - 10D, D70, 5DII, Rebel XT, 300D, T2i, T4i. In fact, of everyone I know, only one person aside from me has ever "upgraded" and that was to move from Canon (40D) to Nikon (D200 - still using that one). And my upgrade was from 10D to 5D when the 5D first came out.

This next path (looking like 20D+5D to 7D2+6D) will be my first body upgrade since 2005. I've cycled through a great many lens changes since my first DSLR purchase (17-40L, 28-135IS, 75-300IS, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 35/2, 35/1.4L, Sigma 20/1.8, Sigma 15mm fisheye, 100/2, 85/1.8, 24-105L, 70-200/2.8L IS, 70-200/2.8L IS II, Tamron 1.4x, Tamron 2x, Kenko Pro 1.4x, Canon 1.4x II Canon 2x III, Meade ETX-125PE, Celestron Edge HD 11).

 

[spinola]

7D2 sensor = 70D sensor

 

[Lee Jay]

7D2 sensor = 70D sensor

The performance is similar (I'd call it a 1/3 stop advantage or so), the sensors are different.

 

[Zv]

I don't think that most enthisiasts, semi-pros, or pros are going to sit on a camera body for ten years. I think your average consumer tends to churn through cameras at a pretty fast rate as well, although there are certainly some who stick with what they've got as long as they can to get the most for their money.

The vast majority of dSLR purchasers never buy another one. Only pros and genuine enthusiasts do. Of all the people I know that have dSLRs, almost all of them still use the first one they ever bought. I'll provide a list of people I know, aside from me - 10D, D70, 5DII, Rebel XT, 300D, T2i, T4i. In fact, of everyone I know, only one person aside from me has ever "upgraded" and that was to move from Canon (40D) to Nikon (D200 - still using that one). And my upgrade was from 10D to 5D when the 5D first came out.

This next path (looking like 20D+5D to 7D2+6D) will be my first body upgrade since 2005. I've cycled through a great many lens changes since my first DSLR purchase (17-40L, 28-135IS, 75-300IS, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 35/2, 35/1.4L, Sigma 20/1.8, Sigma 15mm fisheye, 100/2, 85/1.8, 24-105L, 70-200/2.8L IS, 70-200/2.8L IS II, Tamron 1.4x, Tamron 2x, Kenko Pro 1.4x, Canon 1.4x II Canon 2x III, Meade ETX-125PE, Celestron Edge HD 11).

I'm with Jrista on this one based on my experience and living in Japan where buying a new camera every 6 months seems to be the norm. My 5D2 feels very outdated amongst the multitude of 6D and 5D3's out there (some of them are definitely not pro). Perhaps in the past people held on to their gear for longer but (mainly thanks to Sony) things are changing rapidly so naturally folk want to keep up. I can't imagine keeping my 5D2 (which I bought 2 years ago) for any longer than another year, simply because by then it will be really hard to sell.

Also camera's have come down in price considerably so it's easier to justify a new purchase. I went through 3 bodies in 4 years, not even including my EOS M. And I consider that conservative. It's like PCs and laptops now. Who keeps a laptop for 10 years? Yeah it works but why burden yourself with slow ass gear when you can buy the latest for a few hundred bucks?

My longest kept electronic device is a hi-fi that my dad bought me about 20 years ago. Still works (but the speakers gave way ages ago). I only kept it for sentimental reasons. The thing is giant and a first generation iPod could easily outperform it! So in that respect I get why someone might keep a camera for ages.

 

[Lee Jay]

I don't think that most enthisiasts, semi-pros, or pros are going to sit on a camera body for ten years. I think your average consumer tends to churn through cameras at a pretty fast rate as well, although there are certainly some who stick with what they've got as long as they can to get the most for their money.

The vast majority of dSLR purchasers never buy another one. Only pros and genuine enthusiasts do. Of all the people I know that have dSLRs, almost all of them still use the first one they ever bought. I'll provide a list of people I know, aside from me - 10D, D70, 5DII, Rebel XT, 300D, T2i, T4i. In fact, of everyone I know, only one person aside from me has ever "upgraded" and that was to move from Canon (40D) to Nikon (D200 - still using that one). And my upgrade was from 10D to 5D when the 5D first came out.

This next path (looking like 20D+5D to 7D2+6D) will be my first body upgrade since 2005. I've cycled through a great many lens changes since my first DSLR purchase (17-40L, 28-135IS, 75-300IS, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 35/2, 35/1.4L, Sigma 20/1.8, Sigma 15mm fisheye, 100/2, 85/1.8, 24-105L, 70-200/2.8L IS, 70-200/2.8L IS II, Tamron 1.4x, Tamron 2x, Kenko Pro 1.4x, Canon 1.4x II Canon 2x III, Meade ETX-125PE, Celestron Edge HD 11).

I'm with Jrista on this one based on my experience and living in Japan where buying a new camera every 6 months seems to be the norm. My 5D2 feels very outdated amongst the multitude of 6D and 5D3's out there (some of them are definitely not pro). Perhaps in the past people held on to their gear for longer but (mainly thanks to Sony) things are changing rapidly so naturally folk want to keep up. I can't imagine keeping my 5D2 (which I bought 2 years ago) for any longer than another year, simply because by then it will be really hard to sell.

Also camera's have come down in price considerably so it's easier to justify a new purchase. I went through 3 bodies in 4 years, not even including my EOS M. And I consider that conservative. It's like PCs and laptops now. Who keeps a laptop for 10 years? Yeah it works but why burden yourself with slow ass gear when you can buy the latest for a few hundred bucks?

My longest kept electronic device is a hi-fi that my dad bought me about 20 years ago. Still works (but the speakers gave way ages ago). I only kept it for sentimental reasons. The thing is giant and a first generation iPod could easily outperform it! So in that respect I get why someone might keep a camera for ages.

I generally keep computers for 7 years, and I don't buy low end junk for a few hundred bucks. I bought my stereo in 1989 and have replaced a component here and there over time. It will still blow the doors off 99% of the sound systems in modern theaters. I just bought a set of binoculars I intend to keep for the rest of my life (Canon 10x42L IS - highly recommended). I've had my model airplane fleet for 28 years basically in all original condition until last year when I finally upgraded to state of the art propultion and radio systems. I generally keep cell phones for 5-7 years. Until a few weeks ago, my three cars were an 88, 01 and 04.

Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is painful and expensive. I only upgrade to gain a major new capability that I didn'thave before and that I will use all the time.

 

[Lee Jay]

I work in a national laboratory with a bunch of engineers like myself. Few people I know are upgraders. Most drive older cars, few have DSLRs, most keep computers longer than I do.

 

[Loswr]

Maybe it's less about demographic and more about personality. I'm on my fourth dSLR in five years. A friend with the office next to mine (a peer on the 'corporate ladder') is just starting to consider getting a new dSLR as an upgrade to his 20D and 28-70/2.8L.

 

[Chuck Alaimo]

I don't think that most enthisiasts, semi-pros, or pros are going to sit on a camera body for ten years. I think your average consumer tends to churn through cameras at a pretty fast rate as well, although there are certainly some who stick with what they've got as long as they can to get the most for their money.

The vast majority of dSLR purchasers never buy another one. Only pros and genuine enthusiasts do. Of all the people I know that have dSLRs, almost all of them still use the first one they ever bought. I'll provide a list of people I know, aside from me - 10D, D70, 5DII, Rebel XT, 300D, T2i, T4i. In fact, of everyone I know, only one person aside from me has ever "upgraded" and that was to move from Canon (40D) to Nikon (D200 - still using that one). And my upgrade was from 10D to 5D when the 5D first came out.

This next path (looking like 20D+5D to 7D2+6D) will be my first body upgrade since 2005. I've cycled through a great many lens changes since my first DSLR purchase (17-40L, 28-135IS, 75-300IS, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 35/2, 35/1.4L, Sigma 20/1.8, Sigma 15mm fisheye, 100/2, 85/1.8, 24-105L, 70-200/2.8L IS, 70-200/2.8L IS II, Tamron 1.4x, Tamron 2x, Kenko Pro 1.4x, Canon 1.4x II Canon 2x III, Meade ETX-125PE, Celestron Edge HD 11).

I'm with Jrista on this one based on my experience and living in Japan where buying a new camera every 6 months seems to be the norm. My 5D2 feels very outdated amongst the multitude of 6D and 5D3's out there (some of them are definitely not pro). Perhaps in the past people held on to their gear for longer but (mainly thanks to Sony) things are changing rapidly so naturally folk want to keep up. I can't imagine keeping my 5D2 (which I bought 2 years ago) for any longer than another year, simply because by then it will be really hard to sell.

Also camera's have come down in price considerably so it's easier to justify a new purchase. I went through 3 bodies in 4 years, not even including my EOS M. And I consider that conservative. It's like PCs and laptops now. Who keeps a laptop for 10 years? Yeah it works but why burden yourself with slow ass gear when you can buy the latest for a few hundred bucks?

My longest kept electronic device is a hi-fi that my dad bought me about 20 years ago. Still works (but the speakers gave way ages ago). I only kept it for sentimental reasons. The thing is giant and a first generation iPod could easily outperform it! So in that respect I get why someone might keep a camera for ages.

I generally keep computers for 7 years, and I don't buy low end junk for a few hundred bucks. I bought my stereo in 1989 and have replaced a component here and there over time. It will still blow the doors off 99% of the sound systems in modern theaters. I just bought a set of binoculars I intend to keep for the rest of my life (Canon 10x42L IS - highly recommended). I've had my model airplane fleet for 28 years basically in all original condition until last year when I finally upgraded to state of the art propultion and radio systems. I generally keep cell phones for 5-7 years. Until a few weeks ago, my three cars were an 88, 01 and 04.

Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is painful and expensive. I only upgrade to gain a major new capability that I didn'thave before and that I will use all the time.

Sure, but that's you.

Most of my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances have DSLRs now. All of them used to have a handful of P&S cameras in the past, but most have since moved to their smartphones for most of their day-to-day photography, and a DSLR for the photography they consider "more serious." Many of these friends actually have more DSLRs than I do. I have the 7D and 5D III at the moment (I gave the 450D to my mother a year ago.) Some of my arguably "non-photographer" friends have three to five ILC type cameras, almost one per person in a family sometimes. A couple are die-hard Canon fans, others pick up whatever they are told is best, and have a variety of brands. I know for a fact that some of these people have cameras lost in their closets, for which they purchased replacements (that I figure will become lost themselves at some point, warranting the purchase of another "new" DSLR to replace it...I'm sure it's some kind of justification conspiracy...hide the camera in the closet, justify buying a new one when they "can't find it". )

Maybe it's a demographic thing. Most of the people I know are programmers of one sort or another, which tends to come with rather high paying salaries. Married couples usually both work, which means spending a few hundred bucks on a DSLR every year or two isn't a big deal. I imagine smartphone churn is probably the primary way that lower income demographics get new cameras these days, and that will probably eat away at the P&S market until there it's barely a shadow of it's former self. At the same time...I think that will increase the value of ILC cameras. I do know that most of my non-photographer friends/acqaintances/coworkers DO view DSLRs as "better", even if they may not actually be better than comparable mirrorless cameras. Bigger must be better seems to be the theme (and when it comes to sensors, they are right...bigger sensors fundamentally do mean better images, even if they are just JPEGs.)

interesting, I guess it all depends on who you see in your circles. In my circles of friends and family (not including those who are photographers), only a few own dslr's. The parents and their contemporaries have P&S camera's. The vast majority rest use their phones.

Of those who do own dslr's, vast majority will use that camera until they break it or lose it. Features that we desire won't sell to that crowd ....DR??? yeah right, unless the camera has more computer in it to do on the spot PP, or more advanced presets that offer more image manipulation control DR won't sell. DR will only make a difference in post process and most common users don't do any post process. Seriously though, the average user is going to be in Auto everything mode, shooting to jepg. Most will never read their manual!!!! So yeah, what sells to the average user, advanced sensor's for pixel peepers or instagram-like presets???

 

[Zv]

I'm sure there are multiple factors that go into it.

Location, for example. I live in Colorado...big landscape state. I think people also generally look to DSLRs to give them better landscape photos than their phones. Once mirrorless quality kicks up, I suspect most will go for the smaller, more portable and easier to use mirrorless options instead of DSLRs. We also have plenty of wildlife here, and two large migration seasons for birds. I see a LOT of average people at the local state parks photographing birds and wildlife with DSLRs and moderately long telephoto lenses.

I imagine things could be different in big cities. People always on the move, the inconvenience of draping a large, heavy camera over your neck in thick crowds, etc. I imagine smaller cameras are probably more desirable there. I don't know for sure...don't like cities much myself, I avoid them. I live in Colorado, and I've barely been to downtown Denver. When I go, it's in for work, out as soon as I can be. But it definitely seems like a very different environment, and I can't say I see many people walking around with big cameras.

Still, I see the ILC market as a whole as a big market that still has growth potential. I think economies are still contracting somewhat, and still trying to settle from the recessions. I think there have been BIG demographic shifts among large population groups who have shifted from high paying jobs to low paying jobs, no jobs, or retirement. That changes sales trends. Once that whole shakeout is done, and new generations start moving into the market, I think ILC sales will pick up. It's possible new generations would prefer different kinds of cameras as well...mirrorless over DSLR, highly connected (i.e. WiFi or even LTE web access for direct publishing of photos to online profiles like instagram), etc. New markets as well, with asian and indian markets growing considerably.

Yeah, that last point about connectivity is a good one and something smartphones do exceptionally well. A lot of times I find myself grabbing my iPhone and snapping a pic of a product I want to sell (like on a used items forum) or a document (such as an ID card for work) I want to quickly email as it eliminates that extra step of transferring it to a computer. Combine that ability with something like a G7 X and hell yeah I'll take some of that! Getting your media to the masses as soon as things happen seems to be the trend nowadays rather than three weeks later when no one really cares.

Lee Jay I can't imagine having a cellphone for 7 years! so curious, what kind is it??

 

[Lee Jay]

Lee Jay I can't imagine having a cellphone for 7 years! so curious, what kind is it??

All of them I've ever had, several brands. I'm only 2 years into my Galaxy S3 at the moment. Haven't considered upgrading.

I live in Colorado too, the "big landscape state". I think I've taken about 5 landscapes in my life, and only one of them in Colorado. That was a big panorama taken with a state of the art camera, a Nikon Coolpix 950!

 

[Loswr]

Lee Jay I can't imagine having a cellphone for 7 years! so curious, what kind is it??

All of them I've ever had, several brands. I'm only 2 years into my Galaxy S3 at the moment. Haven't considered upgrading.

I live in Colorado too, the "big landscape state". I think I've taken about 5 landscapes in my life, and only one of them in Colorado. That was a big panorama taken with a state of the art camera, a Nikon Coolpix 950!

Different circles then. There are many well known landscape photographers who live in this state. One in particular is exceptionally well known, John Fielder. This IS a big landscape state, and people DO spend a lot of time taking landscape photos here. Go hiking up in the highlands above the Maroon Bells, or in the Uncomphagre wilderness, or San Juan range, and you'll see a ton of people with DSLRs.

I think your less a representative of "the norm" than you might think.

If "the norm" for dSLR owners in Colorado is landscape photography and obsession about DR, then you're right on target.

I suspect that once again, you're assuming your needs/wants/habits are those of the majority. They're not.

 

[Lee Jay]

Oh, I know John Fielder's work, I just don't find landscapes to be interesting, from anyone. They're worth a 1 second glance and that's it for me.

I don't go hiking anywhere because I'm allergic to all grasses, all flowers and most trees.