Canon 7D mk2 owners thread.

[ChrisHeathcote]

.... but pointless if there aren't any potential images worth capturing today. How about sticking yours on a tripod in the weather for 24 hours instead?

Often thought about trying storm chasing, but then remembered I don't like storms

Not sure about 24 hours, but I got caught in a massive downpour a dew weeks back, camera was fine, shame the same couldn't be said about me

 

[dinners]

....How about sticking yours on a tripod in the weather for 24 hours instead?

That's actually something I'm keen to hear about long term.

I'm often out in all weather and whilst I do what I can to cover the camera it often sits on a tripod in the pouring rain.

 

[RedRobin]

That's actually something I'm keen to hear about long term.

I'm often out in all weather and whilst I do what I can to cover the camera it often sits on a tripod in the pouring rain.

....Well, if you can arrange for some rutting Red Deer, or similarly exciting subject, to appear in my viewfinder I will definitely be more than happy to get as wet as it comes just to capture some good images. In my life I have worked outdoors with horses in all the seasons and when I was an amateur racing cyclist I trained for miles in all weathers except snow and ice. So I'm happy out in all weathers just as long as I am appropriately dressed. But I must have some definable incentive and light which isn't turgid and colourless. Ooops! The sun has just now dipped low under the overcast sky.... Just gonna pop out to see if any flying seagulls about....

 

[dinners]

....Well, if you can arrange for some rutting Red Deer, or similarly exciting subject, to appear in my viewfinder I will definitely be more than happy to get as wet as it comes

I could have given you drenched, stinking, rutting red deer in horizontal hail last week

 

[RedRobin]

I could have given you drenched, stinking, rutting red deer in horizontal hail last week

....I would have been up for that! But it sounds very much as if you are up north in Scotland whereas I am in West Dorset. If a shot excites you, to hell with the weather! You stop thinking about it. I'll trade you mating dragonflies on a very hot day in stinky peat bog mire here down south

My window of low sunlight opportunity I just dashed outside for was very short and without seagulls - Just a couple of black crows at distance (Canon 300mm F/4L IS) but I practiced my focussing on them using Zone AF and ISO 800. I shot some but none are even remotely keepers - Just more practice to become more familiar with the 7D2.

 

[Gaz J]

Robin

What's different on the 70D with reviewing images compared to the 7d MkII?

 

[RedRobin]

Regarding weatherproofing, I am sure I have several times in all the blurb I have read before pre-ordering the 7D2, read that it's as weatherproof as the 1DX and those big boys. Or is it just Canon's marketing department bigging it up? Surely, as a camera specifically aimed at wildlife and sports action photographers, the 7D Mark II must be what Canon claim.

 

[RedRobin]

Robin

What's different on the 70D with reviewing images compared to the 7d MkII?

....No touch screen on the 7D2. I better edit my earlier comparison post to clarify that point. But also if the buttons method is used, they are more easily at hand (or should I say at your fingertips).

It's a relatively minor point when you get used to a different modus operandi and I must admit that I'm still in the honeymoon period with the 7D2 and am finding very few criticisms - I am looking hard for them though.

 

[Gaz J]

Ah ok. Never had a touch screen.. I only ever review my images for sharpness so have the zoom button set to actual size. One press and it brings up the last frame shot to 100% around the AF point that achieved focus. Then you can scroll back through others at the same size.

 

[LauraJ23]

....Regarding the question of lens vs body, the 70D is already extremely versatile and a body is merely a control unit mounted on the all important lens. Whether any Sigma or Tamron lens is 'better' than a Canon L lens is another question and budget may influence your choice. But if funds allow, Canon L every time! I bought all my four Canon L lenses here on TP Classifieds - Two of them even before I bought a DSLR body! (the 70D).

Following are the 7D Mark II and 70D pros and cons versus each other but please understand that these are only from the perspective of how I personally use a camera and that's for almost exclusively wildlife. I never use any video so cannot comment on those features at all. Also bear in mind that I have used the 70D for 11 months and the 7D2 for only a few days. They each have much in common such as Canon's excellent ergonomics and surprisingly effective built-in flash. They both suffer from the topside buttons being too small, in my opinion.

70D PROS (not in any order of importance):

(-) Relatively compact but still very easy to handle with the heavier telephoto L lenses mounted.

(-) The flip screen, being fully articulated, can be closed so that the LCD display is completely protected.

(-) Easier and faster to navigate and resize the review of images after capture due to touchscreen but also the alternative buttons are better positioned for faster use.

(-) Simpler to use and easier learning curve.

(-) Wi-Fi if that is useful to you (it isn't to me).


7D Mark II CONS (not in any order of importance):

(-) No articulated flip screen - Useful for low down and high up shots. I don't miss the touchscreen as it just gets greasy.

(-) Much more elaborate Autofocus system to learn but it promises to deliver a higher rate of 'keepers' when mastered.

(-) A steeper learning curve due to offering more control options and much more customisation generally.

(-) Very heavy on battery juice and that's without activating GPS.

(-) No Wi-Fi without an expensive accessory (but I don't need Wi-Fi on a camera).


70D CONS (not in any order of importance):

(-) The rear control dial is smaller and it's inner selections are often awkward to control.

(-) Easier to accidentally engage the overall settings LOCK slider (I was in the middle of a critical shot when I first did it without knowing and thought the camera had completely failed!).

(-) Tiny and also badly positioned, and therefore utterly useless, DoF Preview button. What were you thinking, Canon!!? Possibly my biggest gripe.

(-) Hinged battery cover isn't sprung and so can sometimes obstruct if you are in a hurry.

(-) Not as weatherproof. I got caught out by a very heavy shower and it caused temporary and uncontrollable LCD display racing when viewing images after capture. It lasted a couple of hours and I was ready to contact my supplier.


7D Mark II PROS (not in any order of importance):

(-) A more sophisticated Autofocus system.

(-) Much more customisable throughout and also so that you can change/select more settings while still looking through the viewfinder.

(-) Much more valuable information can be displayed in the viewfinder (which is bigger).

(-) More weatherproof (not fully tested by me yet!) and lots of rugged rubber.

(-) Grippier to hold but it is a larger and slightly heavier body. Rugged rubber again!

(-) Probably smoother ISO performance at higher ISO settings but not significant at lower settings. (Not fully explored yet).

(-) I no longer lose autofocus if I mount a Canon 1.4x Extender on my 400mm F/5.6L. But I rarely do so anyway because I don't like the results so far.

(-) Offers a more enabling camera to grow your potential than the 70D and that is probably the most important consideration of all.


In making this list I may have missed some aspects but these are the ones which immediately come to mind. As said, the 7D Mark II is still a voyage of discovery but I already feel that I made the right decision to buy one. It will take time before I can master it but I won't be using any 14 days consumer rights to return it!

Thanks Robin, a good post to read.

 

[RedRobin]

Thanks for the tip, Gary @Gaz J - I found and have now tried the Magnification Settings option Actual Size review. However, it does then need a lot of scroll wheel scrolling if your focus point wasn't bang on the target of a small bird in a big sky.

Oh, and a Big Thankyou for posting that Grant Atkinson blog link yesterday about the Autofocus system

 

[RedRobin]

Thanks Robin, a good post to read.

....I'm glad it was of interest. Has it influenced a choice yet?

Silly me forgot to include the somewhat major pro for the 7D Mark II that it can shoot at 10 fps, hence potentially securing more choice of best image. I will now edit my earlier post accordingly.

 

[RedRobin]

Michael @michael23 - I have just checked out your Flickr photostream and I am not at all convinced that you need a 7D Mark II because it looks to me as if you are getting very good results indeed from your 70D.

[However, someone might say the same about me!]

 

[LauraJ23]

Michael @michael23 - I have just checked out your Flickr photostream and I am not at all convinced that you need a 7D Mark II because it looks to me as if you are getting very good results indeed from your 70D.

[However, someone might say the same about me!]

Very nice of you to say Robin! Thank you very much!

When I was listening to a a demo of what it features, my wife said to me, so you want to save for one then? I am really impressed with it, the 10fps would be so great on birding pelagic trips, and the amazingly quiet shutter even when not in silent mode grabbed my attention, certainly quieter than my 70d.

 

[Gaz J]

Thanks for the tip, Gary @Gaz J - I found and have now tried the Magnification Settings option Actual Size review. However, it does then need a lot of scroll wheel scrolling if your focus point wasn't bang on the target of a small bird in a big sky.

Oh, and a Big Thankyou for posting that Grant Atkinson blog link yesterday about the Autofocus system

No problems Robin. Birds in sky centre point expanded to five every time for me. Gives you a bit of leeway with tracking.

 

[RedRobin]

When I was listening to a demo of what it features, my wife said to me, so you want to save for one then? I am really impressed with it, the 10fps would be so great on birding pelagic trips, and the amazingly quiet shutter even when not in silent mode grabbed my attention, certainly quieter than my 70d.

....The shutter is very audibly quieter than the 70D but if you set the 7D Mark II in Silent Continuous mode it will only shoot at 4 fps. I never set my camera to Single Shot because I don't find it difficult to shoot just one shot while still being able to instantly grab more shots if I want by leaving it set at the fastest rate.

It sounds as if you have a very understanding wife . I'm no longer married but not all wives/partners are like that!

 

[MadWoman]

Regarding weatherproofing, I am sure I have several times in all the blurb I have read before pre-ordering the 7D2, read that it's as weatherproof as the 1DX and those big boys. Or is it just Canon's marketing department bigging it up? Surely, as a camera specifically aimed at wildlife and sports action photographers, the 7D Mark II must be what Canon claim.

Sounds as if you haven't seen this: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/11/cracking-open-the-7d-ii

Just because I could, I took mine out in the torrential rain today, with no problems whatsoever :-D

 

[Gaz J]

Must admit I prefer to adopt the take no chance of water ingress. Anything more than intermittent drizzle the cover goes over the lens and camera. Not that I shoot in the rain very often.

 

[RedRobin]

Sounds as if you haven't seen this: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/11/cracking-open-the-7d-ii

Just because I could, I took mine out in the torrential rain today, with no problems whatsoever :-D

....Brilliant! I really enjoyed reading that and the author has a sense of humour which I like. Thanks I think we can definitely say that the 7D Mark II is weatherproof. It's very sensible and wise of Canon to pay attention to that detail.

Did you get any 'keeper' shots in the torrential rain? Or did you just feel like going out and dancing in the rain, Sue?

 

[MadWoman]

Just a couple, Robin, of a very wet dog! I will retake the duck photos which I really quite liked, but I still had the focus set up for running dogs not waddling ducks so not quite the right bit was in focus. My fault entirely. And I was lying flat in the mud in torrential rain as well! I now have a project next time it rains.

 

[RedRobin]

Just a couple, Robin, of a very wet dog! I will retake the duck photos which I really quite liked, but I still had the focus set up for running dogs not waddling ducks so not quite the right bit was in focus. My fault entirely. And I was lying flat in the mud in torrential rain as well! I now have a project next time it rains.

....You should have taken a selfie in the mud!

Being able to very quickly switch from running dogs to waddling ducks (or vica versa) is exactly the sort of sudden changing scenario which I am trying to set up my 7D2 for. In my case it's more likely to be a Tit in a bush and then suddenly a Buzzard chasing an overhead thermal. The 7D2 allows such flexibility and perhaps the other single-number-D Canon bodies do as well.

 

[MadWoman]

Mine is set up for that, Robin, but the rain affected my brain!

 

[Gaz J]

Ive been in bushes!!

 

[cruso]

Cracking post sue 337

 

[Gaz J]

Just been having a browse and see that you could for example have the AF ON button set to AF Case 4 with single point and have the AE LOCK button set to AF Case 3 with expanded AF points. Its very versatile.

 

[RedRobin]

Just been having a browse and see that you could for example have the AF ON button set to AF Case 4 with single point and have the AE LOCK button set to AF Case 3 with expanded AF points. Its very versatile.

....Now that is a very good tip as both those buttons are so easily under your thumb. And furthermore, you could very easily revise those AF Case numbers in readiness for a different type of photo session on a different day.

Such versatility bodes well for forthcoming next generations of Canon's 'professional' range.

 

[George]

....Now that is a very good tip as both those buttons are so easily under your thumb. And furthermore, you could very easily revise those AF Case numbers in readiness for a different type of photo session on a different day.

Such versatility bodes well for forthcoming next generations of Canon's 'professional' range.

Having used this system on the 1 Dx for about 2 years now, I find the easiest way to set my autofocus up is to have Accel/decel tracking and Tracking sensitivity both on the "My menu" page on the rear screen, and have the camera set up such that when I switch on, that screen is the default to come on, then you can adjust as necessary depending on shooting conditions.

The biggest change from the 1 Dx system is the ability to have a setting whereby you can have I think 25 points in the centre area set up for the camera to switch between automatically, on the 1 Dx it's either 9 or the whole lot and having an intermediate setting is very useful.

 

[RedRobin]

The biggest change from the 1 Dx system is the ability to have a setting whereby you can have I think 25 points in the centre area set up for the camera to switch between automatically, on the 1 Dx it's either 9 or the whole lot and having an intermediate setting is very useful.

....On the 7D2, that 25-points area is called 'Large Zone AF' and you can also slide the 25-set to either side.

 

[Neil B]

2 full pages and not a image to be seen

 

[Gaz J]

Only have jpegs Neil from messing about in the garden unfortunately. Back to work tomorrow so nowt for two weeks.

 

[George]

I was away last week, got some red kite shots which I'll try and post later this week, but pleased with the results, using a 300 2.8 mk2 and a 2x mk3 converter, hand held.

 

[Gaz J]

I was away last week, got some red kite shots which I'll try and post later this week, but pleased with the results, using a 300 2.8 mk2 and a 2x mk3 converter, hand held.

So what's your overall opinion of the camera George. Unfair comparison though it is where do you see it in regard to the 1DX. I have my view but I'd be interested to hear yours.

 

[Jacobite1746]

I was away last week, got some red kite shots which I'll try and post later this week, but pleased with the results, using a 300 2.8 mk2 and a 2x mk3 converter, hand held.

I have been using the exact same set-up today between showers and have had to micro adjust for this set-up and also with the 1.4 MK 111 due to significant front focusing yet had no similar problems when using these combinations with either my 5D MK111 or original 7D I just wondered if anyone else had encountered this.

 

[George]

Well, Gary, in a nutshell, I think it's great value for money, and will be an excellent backup to the 1 Dx, it's got the main features I'd hoped it would have ie virtually the same AF system (which IMHO takes a long time to really get the hang of) it's got exposure comp in auto ISO which was a great firmware update in the 1 Dx as I tend to shoot a lot of the time in manual with auto iso, 10 fps is really adequate for my wildlife stuff, the 4 fps in silent mode is actually going to be very useful I think for some situations, e.g. we get a lot of otters on Raasay where we go a lot, they are completely immune to a jet going over them at 500ft but a 1Dx shutter at 12 fps?....they run a mile!!

The extra reach is handy as well, unfortunately I haven't had the chance to really explore the high ISO performance and I don't expect it to be anywhere near the 1 Dx which has, I think, the edge over any other camera Canon have produced, including the 5D3.....but we must remember they've crammed 20 Megapixels into a 1.6 crop...personally I'd have preferred say 16-18 with a really good noise performance.

Downside?...well, so far the battery life is a bit horrid and will certainly require a grip to make it acceptable, and the video options don't interest me at all, but again, bearing in mind it's price point, overall I'm pleased with it.

Personally, I don't like touch screens, I have an EOS M for places I don't want to be seen with a DSLR, and wish I could switch it off completely, so that's no loss, but i look forward to trying some high ISO shots.

George.

 

[George]

I have been using the exact same set-up today between showers and have had to micro adjust for this set-up and also with the 1.4 MK 111 due to significant front focusing yet had no similar problems when using these combinations with either my 5D MK111 or original 7D I just wondered if anyone else had encountered this.

Funny you should say that, in the lack of FoCal being available for a proper set up, I did some rough adjustment and ended up with plus 10 on all my lens combos, 300 mk 2 with 1.4, 2x (mk3) and 70-200 mk2 with extenders, without that focusing looked soft (which those lenses aren't)

 

[Jacobite1746]

Funny you should say that, in the lack of FoCal being available for a proper set up, I did some rough adjustment and ended up with plus 10 on all my lens combos, 300 mk 2 with 1.4, 2x (mk3) and 70-200 mk2 with extenders, without that focusing looked soft (which those lenses aren't)

I have applied exactly the same +10 and am a lot happier now with my images at least I now know it was not just myself having to have a little fiddle to get better results

 

[mipevo6]

Folks,


Two issues to raise

ISSUE ONE

Just got off the phone to a friend of mine who picked up a 7d2 last week. He is having a minor niggle with his 7d2 which I thought was worth asking you guys about.

Does anybody here use AF point display ?

Blue Second menu, it will show you on your preview which focus point (or points) had achieved focus in your shot as red squares. It is working on mine, but he says his will only do it with a Sigma lens but not with his 70-200F4 is.

Can you folks try it out and see if it works ?

ISSUE TWO

I was having a look at the lens correction information and my 85 1.8 doesn't have any correction data, anybody know why ?

It works ok for my 100 Macro and 70-200 2.8 MKii ?

Thanks

Martin

 

[George]

I have applied exactly the same +10 and am a lot happier now with my images at least I now know it was not just myself having to have a little fiddle to get better results

Bit surprising we are both getting the same results, it must just be coincidence....I look forward to FoCal's update, then I can get a real indication.....otherwise it's back to Elstree!!

 

[Jacobite1746]

Folks,


T

ISSUE TWO

I was having a look at the lens correction information and my 85 1.8 doesn't have any correction data, anybody know why ?

It works ok for my 100 Macro and 70-200 2.8 MKii ?

Thanks

Martin

Have you been into the EOS Utility to make sure your lens is selected by checking the box. Just hook your camera up to your laptop open EOS Utility navigate to lens correction data and check the box for your lens

 

[mipevo6]

Have you been into the EOS Utility to make sure your lens is selected by checking the box. Just hook your camera up to your laptop open EOS Utility navigate to lens correction data and check the box for your lens

I have never installed EOS utility so no

I will do so now, thanks for the tip