Own 5D mk III and 7D, replace 7D by Mk II for sports? Dilemma....

[entropy69]

I am a bit like the OP. I have both the 7D and 5DIII. But since I bought the 5DIII, after a series of tests, the 7D has collected dust. I really do need to sell it. This isn't meant to disparage the 7D, it really is a remarkable camera and served me well for almost 3 years. But, I get why the 7D sits on a shelf when you own both. If you are not reach limited, I would rather have the 5DIII, and, at least from what I concluded, usually even when you are reach limited, I preferred the images from the 5DIII. Even though the 7D is a great camera, I like the images off the 5DIII better. You lose 1 fps. That really can't be too much of a factor.

Anyway, I am interested in what those that own both the 7DII and 5DIII end up doing. I am considering the 7DII as a way to get that extra reach, hoping that the IQ/noise control/etc is now good enough that I no longer prefer the 5DIII images even when reach limited.

+1

Back to the OP, I, personally, haven't seen enough to have an opinion, but I am glad you started the thread. I think a number of us upgraded from the 7D to the 5DIII. Some may consider going back to the 7DII or supplementing your kit with the 7DII. It is a good question. But I wouldn't expect the answer to be black and white.

Since I have the 5D mk III, the lowlight capabilities are so much better than the 7D: I automaticly pick the 5D if favor of the 7D. I live in the Netherlands, not exactly Carribean light circumstances here... In the sports department I shoot mainly soccer and windsurfing. Especially with windsurfing you need al the mm's you can afford: on full frame the 120-300 with 1.4 converter is often not enough, you'll end up cropping too much. Options would be
-keep it, save money, keep the backup body option
-sell the 7D and save up for extra glass (dropping the backup body option).
-invest in an upgrade from a camera (that served me well before) and get the extra reach (and will not end up being unused).

My 13yr old son did shoot with me with the 7D a few times and he did enjoy it. Taking that in consideration the saving for extra glass and keeping only one body is not the preferred option, being able to go out together is nice as well. I also kept my 24-105, despite having the 24-70II.

Still puzzeled by the AF of the 7D mk II, less than the 1Dx but better than the 5D mk III? Or just comparable to the 5D mk III? I think the 7D mk II is a nice camera for sports/wildlife but the upgrade is not as big as I expected. I really hoped they would have come up with a bit beefier update. Especially when you look at what the competition is doing now, it looks like Canon is losing it a bit. I'm not looking for video capabilities, but if even smartphones and gopro's can shoot 4K video, why can't they add it to a brandnew 1700 euro camera?!
On the other hand: if you own some glass, you do not switch brands quickly. Also, marketingwise I understand they cannot top the 1Dx or 5DIII with the 7DII, otherwise no one would buy these anymore.

Feel like I'm getting there but still miss actual info on how the 5D III and 7DII compare in real life situations....