Review: Sensor Performance of the 7D Mark II

[Canon Rumors]

<p>Roger Clark has done a very extensive and technical review of the sensor performance of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and how it relates to the original 7D, astrophotography and general photography needs.</p>
<p>This review is well worth the read.</p>
<p><strong>From the review…

</strong><em>“The data shown here for the Canon 7D Mark II indicate that the camera is operating at near perfect levels for the sensor with lower apparent read noise and impressively low pattern noise compared to all other current Canon cameras tested and better than that in the 7D Mark I. This means that for high signals, noise is dominated by photon statistics. Sensitivity is improved 14% over the 7D Mark 1, and the sensitivity per square micron is the highest that I have measured for any Canon camera to date.</em></p>
<p><em>The approximately 10x lower thermal dark current is a <b>game changing</b> factor, making this camera the top Canon camera for long exposure low light photography that I have tested. The superb autofocus system, comparable to Canon 1D series pro cameras with 65 autofocus points is another <b>game changing</b> innovation, as the camera is at a price point that is affordable to more people.”</em></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.clarkvision.com/reviews/evaluation-canon-7dii/" target="_blank">Read the full review</a> | <strong><strong><strong>EOS 7D Mark II in stock $1799: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081808-REG/canon_9128b002_eos_7d_mark_ii.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NEWZDRG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00NEWZDRG&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=4IHYPE3ZKJN5VL4X" target="_blank">Amazon</a></strong></strong></strong></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>

 

[TLN]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

 

[fragilesi]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

Sounds like they will for the type of photography he mentions that they would . . .

And show them the poorly focused action shot the Sony missed versus the one the Canon got and then I suspect anyone would notice the difference.

Why can't people take balanced opinions? This isn't religion where there is at least an excuse for displaying huge bias.

 

[Skywise]

The approximately 10x lower thermal dark current is a game changing factor, making this camera the top Canon camera for long exposure low light photography that I have tested.

Better than an FF sensor like the 6D?

 

[Don Haines]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

5 axis stabilization is old news.... just ask anyone with an Olympus OMD camera... it's been out for about 3 years, and they had 3 axis internal stabilizers 12 years ago....

 

[TLN]

Well, i can call game changer new technology, new features, something that never been done before.
7d2 in evolution of 7d. It is bwtter here and there, and we can expect it from canon. This is not a revolution of technology, so its hardly a gme changer.

But a7 is.
First ff mirrorles. Yep i know about leica, but its too exotic and pricey
A7r offers really nice sensor in a compact body
And a7s low light performance is incredible. In a light and small package.
A7ii first ff ibis.
And they can easily use canon lenses with af. You can call it a first step to universal lens mount if you want.

Im not a sonynfanboy, just a general phot shooter and a7 looks very promising to me

 

[TLN]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

5 axis stabilization is old news.... just ask anyone with an Olympus OMD camera... it's been out for about 3 years, and they had 3 axis internal stabilizers 12 years ago....

5 axis full frame stabilization?

 

[Don Haines]

The approximately 10x lower thermal dark current is a game changing factor, making this camera the top Canon camera for long exposure low light photography that I have tested.

Better than an FF sensor like the 6D?

better per square micron....

The 6D has 2.5 times the number of square microns, so even if the 7D2 is 20 percent better per square micron, the 6D still generates twice the electrons.

 

[dolina]

I never had any illusions that it will be outdo the ISO & dynamic range of a 1DX & 5D3. My expectation is it be better than the original 7D.

In all accounts I am impressed with the 7D2.

 

[Don Haines]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

5 axis stabilization is old news.... just ask anyone with an Olympus OMD camera... it's been out for about 3 years, and they had 3 axis internal stabilizers 12 years ago....

5 axis full frame stabilization?

I think marketing departments are "full of it"

A 14 percent improvement in efficiency is evolutionary, not revolutionary.....
5 axis stabilization on crop to 5 axis stabilization of FF is evolutionary, not revolutionary....
increasing the number of focus points..... same thing.

Realistically, the last three revolutionary things to hit cameras were the digital sensor, live view displays, and DPAF. Despite the hype (and everyone is guilty), pretty much everything else has been evolutionary.

 

[TLN]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

5 axis stabilization is old news.... just ask anyone with an Olympus OMD camera... it's been out for about 3 years, and they had 3 axis internal stabilizers 12 years ago....

5 axis full frame stabilization?

I think marketing departments are "full of it"

A 14 percent improvement in efficiency is evolutionary, not revolutionary.....
5 axis stabilization on crop to 5 axis stabilization of FF is evolutionary, not revolutionary....
increasing the number of focus points..... same thing.

Realistically, the last three revolutionary things to hit cameras were the digital sensor, live view displays, and DPAF. Despite the hype (and everyone is guilty), pretty much everything else has been evolutionary.

Well, youre right but full frame stabilisation and small flange distance seems interestin:
Does any system offer stabilized 35/1.4 on full frame? Stabilized 24/1.4? Nope. Stabilized ... Well you got the point. Fast primes on fullframe with ibis looks so much fun to me. With a7r ii in future or a7s ii youll get what you want: more resolution or better iso. Your choice.

With 7d2:
14% improvement? Well 6d ia still better
More focus points? 1dx is till better.
The better solutions existed before. Cannot call it game changer

I understand that for some people this ia what they were waiting for. But for most of the people 7d2 is an overkill. 6d looks like wiser option. Or a7, if you can live with slower af.

 

[jrista]

game changing, game changing, game changing, blah blah..

But show photos from 7d1 and 7d2 to people, and they' won't recognize what camera is where.

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

You wouldn't want stabilization for astro...that would screw up your IQ, not make it better.


The lower dark current is certainly nice, but Canon had really high dark current before. Sony sensors dropped the dark current to phenomenally low levels a couple of years ago, along with the huge reductions in read noise.


It is indeed nice to have lower dark current, but having lower DC just means that read noise, which is still as high as ever (just less patterned) in the 7D II, means you cannot expose any less time than you used to with Canon cameras. You still have to expose as long as always to get faint detail above the read noise floor. (And dark current has always been dealt with via offsetting and dark frames...so it was never a huge problem to begin with.)


I recently found a guy who is using an EMCCD for astrophotography (I have the link at home...amazing stuff, his images, which use ultra short exposures, are nearly noise free). EMCCD cameras use electron multiplying gain to hypergain the signal way above the read noise floor. They are effectively free of RN, with less than 1e-. This guy uses 2-5 second exposures and integrates a few hundred to a thousand of them to get pretty amazing results...extremely faint detail that is EXTREMELY difficult to get with DSLRs and still somewhat difficult to get with standard CCDs.

Read noise is the worst kind of noise for astrophotography. Without it, we could get amazing results with really basic mounts, without guiding, no one would care what their mounts PE was. The 7D II improves some things...but it still has Canon's same old high read noise. Elimination of banding is certainly a plus, and reduction in dark current is still a plus, but RN is STILL their limiting factor.

Here's to hoping Canon has an ace up their sleeve for 2015...really want to see them produce something amazing on the sensor IQ front soon here.

 

[AvTvM]

"Game changing" ... so utterly ridiculous!
14% ... another minor mirrorslapper iteration ... canon ground hog day.

 

[Loswr]

What is really game changing, sony A7 or a7s. Or new 5-axis sensor stabilization in A7 II. Btw it cost as much as 7d2.

If a game-changing tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Technically yes, but it really doesn't matter all that much.

I'll bet the 7DII sells more than all the a7 models combined.

 

[crazyklaus]

With 7d2:
14% improvement? Well 6d ia still better
More focus points? 1dx is till better.
The better solutions existed before. Cannot call it game changer

Did you actually read the review?

Nowhere does it say that this is the best Canon DSLR in every respect.
What it does say is: the dark current is so low that this is a game changer for people that need a low dark current.
What it also does say is: the AF system is so good that this is a game changer for people that can't afford a 1Dx.

 

[justsomedude]

sick.

 

[steliosk]

"perfect levels for the sensor with lower apparent read noise and impressively low pattern noise compared to all other current CANON (and ONLY Canon) cameras"
- FACT

7D2 might be a complete camera with robust body, ergonomics and inherited AF system from 1DX but there is STILL room for even a better sensor

Canon has a loooong long way to go to fix some major problems with bigger steps. Problems such as DR pattern banding when pushing the shadows, where Sony sensors (not cameras) has already fixed that.

so Canon might provide a more complete overall camera and might sell like crazy but that doesn't mean that has the best sensor in the market.

 

[Phil Lowe]

With 7d2:
14% improvement? Well 6d ia still better

Put a 600mm lens on a 6D and try to shoot a bird-in-flight then tell me the 6D is better. "Better" is a relative term, and to make such a generalization is unwarranted.

More focus points? 1dx is till better.

1DX has 61, 41 of which are cross-type. 7D2 has 65, alll of which are cross-type. Your statement is demonstrably false.

The better solutions existed before. Cannot call it game changer

A focus system better than the 1DX or 5D3 for $1799, which is 1/3 the price of the former and 1/2 the price of the latter? That is a game changer.

I own the 7D2. It is significantly better than my 7D in performance, and faster than my 5D3 when shooting wildlife. It does not match the low-light performance of the 1DX, 5D3, or 6D, but they don't provide a 1.6x crop factor, meaning I have more reach with every lens in my bag without having to buy new lenses.

 

[Don Haines]

I understand that for some people this ia what they were waiting for. But for most of the people 7d2 is an overkill. 6d looks like wiser option. Or a7, if you can live with slower af.

The 7D2 was never designed as a camera for the masses. It was designed as a high speed action camera for those who wanted a crop factor. For most of it's target market, it is the best thing out there.

A 6D is a superb LANDSCAPE camera.... but try tracking a chickadee flying through the trees with it.... Then try it with a 7D2. There is a lot to be said about using the right tool for the job and for the segment that the 7D2 was designed for, a kick-ass AF system is by far the most important aspect of camera performance. Yes, everyone would be even happier with more DR, less read noise, or even FF IQ, but as said many times in the past, who cares what the DR is of a blurry picture.

 

[Marauder]

Great review. The 7D Mark II is exactly the camera I'd hoped it would be.

LOL at the thread immediately being high-jacked by the "it's no good if it's not mirrorless and Sony" crowd, which seems to happen every time anyone writes something positive about the 7D Mark II (or any Canon camera for that matter). Eminently predictable! :