- Mar 08 7:16 pm
#60980
I purchased this camera for several reasons. Firstly I am going on a photo trip and need a backup body. This new body will relegate my older 70D to the backup role. Secondly, I am continuing to have focusing problems when using my big lens and thought that perhaps this body, with its more sophisticated focusing, might lessen such problems.
I am also thinking of purchasing a new Rebel T6s when it is available.
As is usual these days, the manual that came in the box is a dumbed-down version. It is 178 pages, but the manual that is on the disk in PDF form, is 548 pages. I haven’t read the larger version yet.
I used to own a Canon 7D and hence, have some familiarity with this line of cameras.
I am not going to review every aspect of this camera, but instead will focus on features I find interesting.
This model took far too long to arrive in the market place. Its features are not awe-inspiring, but the overall package is impressive. I think its delay relates to two aspects. Firstly, who is going to buy it? Secondly, is its introduction going to impact other Canon camera bodies?
From my own walkabouts, it is obvious that the snapshot market is now dominated by tablets and smartphones. So such people are not the market for the Canon 7D Mark II. People emphasizing landscapes, flowers, etc. are also not the target market. These people seek full frame or larger sensors. That leaves sports photographers and people like us, wildlife/bird photographers as the prime market.
Canon has a 12 fps body that costs around $6,000 and they don’t want these photographers to buy a $2,000 body instead. So they dumbed the 7D II down. It is constrained to shoot at 10 fps. If one examines the power of the processor and compares to other bodies, it is clear that it is capable of processing well over 10 fps.
The sensor is 20.2 Megapixels in APS-C format. Canon’s version of APS-C has a 1.6 lens factor. This means that a 400mm lens will function as a 640mm lens when compared to a full frame sensor. This factor is “per dimension” and hence the sensor is 1/(1.6X1.6) the area of a full frame sensor. This means that the pixels are packed so that if the same packing were employed on a full-sized sensor, such a sensor would sport over 51 Megapixels. (Not so coincidentally, Canon’s upcoming new 5D models are so sized.)
The first factor of interest to me is digital noise. I found the 7D to be a strong generator of noise. My older Canon 5D Mark II full frame sensor had much less noise that did the 7D. When I moved to the 70D body, I was very pleased by the absence of digital noise. So I expected to the newer 7D Mark II to be at least as good as the 70D in noise generation, and likely better. My initial experience is that the 7D II does indeed generate less digital noise than the 70D. I don’t try to measure noise, but simply note when I see it and when I don’t.
A second feature of the 7D II that interested me was the built-in GPS receiver. I bought my first stand-alone GPS receiver over 10 years ago when I was living in Riyadh. Even though I purchased it in Canada, it had street maps of Riyadh embedded in it. When I was in a moving vehicle, the device showed my speed in MPH. Since that time GPS receivers have improved greatly. My first device lost the satellite signals when I walked under a tree canopy. My new stand-alone model, a Garmin Oregon, does not lose its signal when I walk under a canopy.
The GPS function of the 7D II can record routes for later display on maps. It can be set to poll location information in intervals from 1 second to 5 minutes. (Recall my old Garmin could calculate my ground velocity.) It can record compass settings for each photo. In fact you can display the compass on your LCD as you shoot.
A setting on the camera will allow the GPS to update the camera’s clock using the GPS receiver. I’m hoping that this will automatically adjust the camera’s clock when switching to and from Daylight Savings and also when I travel across time zones.
My concern about using the GPS was the drain on the battery. The manual observes that the GPS polling occurs even when the power is off and hence, it will drain your battery if you leave this function on when the camera is not in use. Indeed my first usage of the camera tested this glitch. I thought I had turned it off, but apparently I hadn’t. My battery expired after 385 exposures. (These are enhanced batteries, yielding about 10% more Mah (milliamp hours) than for the 7D in the same form factor.)
On a subsequent outing, I had about 650 shutter releases and the battery indicator showed I had only used about 1/4th of the power. GPS on in both cases, but not on overnight for the second outing.
The reading using Windows Properties shows degrees, minutes and seconds to 14 decimal places. The camera comes with a Map Utility if you wish to see your travels on a map.
Another feature in which I was interested is the focusing. This model has 65 focusing points which are user selectable, or can be grouped. They are all cross-type sensors and some are dual cross-type. Often my subjects are far away and are in the dark. So I set up my bodies to use only the centre focusing sensor, preferably in Spot Mode. There are numerous options described in the manual for tracking moving objects. I haven’t tested these yet, but intend to try some. For example, when at Pt. Roberts, I see a group of Cormorants flying towards me along the shoreline, initially they are far away and their relative motion is negligible. As they come closer their relative speed increases and maximizes as they zoom by me as high speed. The 7D II’s manual claims that I can set an expansion focus sensor group so that if the subject moves out of the focusing sensor’s coverage, another sensor will become active and follow the subject. Ominously, though, the focus exposure lock is set to off when tracking occurs. That is, normally the camera will not allow a shutter release until the subject is focused, but in AI Server mode (for tracking), the shutter will fire if the subject is not in focus. This in turn suggests that there is some expectation that tracking will not work as well as hoped.
One unexpected camera setting was for the drive speed. In the past, my cameras have had two or three settings: single shot, medium speed, high speed. This model, though, has a menu for selecting the frame rate – from 1 to 10 fps. Also, the user can select a silent mode of up to 4 fps. I haven’t tested the silent mode yet. I have noticed how some birds are very sensitive to the sound of the shutter, though. I recall watching a Rufous from at least 25 meters distance and see it jump as I released the shutter (with an older camera). For now I shall not use this setting as the shutter is clearly more silent than that of the 70D and the old 7D.
This model is also supposed to autofocus with lenses having a maximum aperture of F8.0. I am uncertain about this, having tried a 400mm F5.6 plus a 1.4 converter and observing that the autofocus was disengaged. There is some discussion which implies that this feature will only work with certain lenses (probably Canon lenses). Shooting horizons would certainly be enhanced if one could have autofocus a 600mm F4.0 plus a 2X converter (= 1200mm F8.0 X lens factor, or 1920mm).
One feature I dislike is the placement of the exposure meter to the right side of the viewfinder. On previous models this was displayed on the bottom of the viewfinder and seemed bright. The meter on the 7D II is difficult to read when it is bright outside. I use manual exposure and find this meter useful for initial setup. When I first used the camera I thought that this meter was missing, so dark was it.
I shoot only RAW images and the buffer of the 7D II shows at 21 images. It will be sized differently for different types of images (JPEG, etc.). The camera is capable of writing at high speeds and I have ordered a 150 MB/sec speed CF card for it. The functional buffer size may be increased to 31 images with this card. That is, as one fires the shutter, the camera is busy clearing the buffer to the card simultaneously and this writing slows the buildup in the buffer.
The camera has two card slots, one for CF cards and one for SD cards. The user can assign usage of the cards as desired. E.g., video on one, stills on another; write images to both cards simultaneously; automatically start using the other card if the first card becomes filled.
Even though many Birds are very curious creatures, they don’t like to pose for photographers. Hence, the further away the photographer is, the less likely the subject will notice the interest of the shooter. Most photographers I see in the field use a 400mm lens. If the camera body is a Canon with an APS-C sensor, then the lens factor is 1.6 and the lens magnification is equivalent to a 640mm lens. (With a similar Nikon and their 1.5 lens factor, then the magnification is equivalent to 600mm.) The related way to obtain magnification is to put more pixels onto the camera’s sensor. The 20.2 MP sensor on the Canon 7D II is a disappointment to me. Nikon’s equivalent models have 24 MP. Canon’s upcoming Rebel models will have 24 MP sensors and I shall buy one of these. The June 29th arrival of the new Canon 5D models will make available a 50 MP sensor in a full frame size. The individual pixel size (pitch) is identical to that of the 7D Mark II and indeed, this new model will also offer 1.3 and 1.6 crop settings, making this new model equivalent to the 7D II in this factor (number of pixels). However, it will only have a frame rate of 5 fps.
I am also thinking of purchasing a new Rebel T6s when it is available.
As is usual these days, the manual that came in the box is a dumbed-down version. It is 178 pages, but the manual that is on the disk in PDF form, is 548 pages. I haven’t read the larger version yet.
I used to own a Canon 7D and hence, have some familiarity with this line of cameras.
I am not going to review every aspect of this camera, but instead will focus on features I find interesting.
This model took far too long to arrive in the market place. Its features are not awe-inspiring, but the overall package is impressive. I think its delay relates to two aspects. Firstly, who is going to buy it? Secondly, is its introduction going to impact other Canon camera bodies?
From my own walkabouts, it is obvious that the snapshot market is now dominated by tablets and smartphones. So such people are not the market for the Canon 7D Mark II. People emphasizing landscapes, flowers, etc. are also not the target market. These people seek full frame or larger sensors. That leaves sports photographers and people like us, wildlife/bird photographers as the prime market.
Canon has a 12 fps body that costs around $6,000 and they don’t want these photographers to buy a $2,000 body instead. So they dumbed the 7D II down. It is constrained to shoot at 10 fps. If one examines the power of the processor and compares to other bodies, it is clear that it is capable of processing well over 10 fps.
The sensor is 20.2 Megapixels in APS-C format. Canon’s version of APS-C has a 1.6 lens factor. This means that a 400mm lens will function as a 640mm lens when compared to a full frame sensor. This factor is “per dimension” and hence the sensor is 1/(1.6X1.6) the area of a full frame sensor. This means that the pixels are packed so that if the same packing were employed on a full-sized sensor, such a sensor would sport over 51 Megapixels. (Not so coincidentally, Canon’s upcoming new 5D models are so sized.)
The first factor of interest to me is digital noise. I found the 7D to be a strong generator of noise. My older Canon 5D Mark II full frame sensor had much less noise that did the 7D. When I moved to the 70D body, I was very pleased by the absence of digital noise. So I expected to the newer 7D Mark II to be at least as good as the 70D in noise generation, and likely better. My initial experience is that the 7D II does indeed generate less digital noise than the 70D. I don’t try to measure noise, but simply note when I see it and when I don’t.
A second feature of the 7D II that interested me was the built-in GPS receiver. I bought my first stand-alone GPS receiver over 10 years ago when I was living in Riyadh. Even though I purchased it in Canada, it had street maps of Riyadh embedded in it. When I was in a moving vehicle, the device showed my speed in MPH. Since that time GPS receivers have improved greatly. My first device lost the satellite signals when I walked under a tree canopy. My new stand-alone model, a Garmin Oregon, does not lose its signal when I walk under a canopy.
The GPS function of the 7D II can record routes for later display on maps. It can be set to poll location information in intervals from 1 second to 5 minutes. (Recall my old Garmin could calculate my ground velocity.) It can record compass settings for each photo. In fact you can display the compass on your LCD as you shoot.
A setting on the camera will allow the GPS to update the camera’s clock using the GPS receiver. I’m hoping that this will automatically adjust the camera’s clock when switching to and from Daylight Savings and also when I travel across time zones.
My concern about using the GPS was the drain on the battery. The manual observes that the GPS polling occurs even when the power is off and hence, it will drain your battery if you leave this function on when the camera is not in use. Indeed my first usage of the camera tested this glitch. I thought I had turned it off, but apparently I hadn’t. My battery expired after 385 exposures. (These are enhanced batteries, yielding about 10% more Mah (milliamp hours) than for the 7D in the same form factor.)
On a subsequent outing, I had about 650 shutter releases and the battery indicator showed I had only used about 1/4th of the power. GPS on in both cases, but not on overnight for the second outing.
The reading using Windows Properties shows degrees, minutes and seconds to 14 decimal places. The camera comes with a Map Utility if you wish to see your travels on a map.
Another feature in which I was interested is the focusing. This model has 65 focusing points which are user selectable, or can be grouped. They are all cross-type sensors and some are dual cross-type. Often my subjects are far away and are in the dark. So I set up my bodies to use only the centre focusing sensor, preferably in Spot Mode. There are numerous options described in the manual for tracking moving objects. I haven’t tested these yet, but intend to try some. For example, when at Pt. Roberts, I see a group of Cormorants flying towards me along the shoreline, initially they are far away and their relative motion is negligible. As they come closer their relative speed increases and maximizes as they zoom by me as high speed. The 7D II’s manual claims that I can set an expansion focus sensor group so that if the subject moves out of the focusing sensor’s coverage, another sensor will become active and follow the subject. Ominously, though, the focus exposure lock is set to off when tracking occurs. That is, normally the camera will not allow a shutter release until the subject is focused, but in AI Server mode (for tracking), the shutter will fire if the subject is not in focus. This in turn suggests that there is some expectation that tracking will not work as well as hoped.
One unexpected camera setting was for the drive speed. In the past, my cameras have had two or three settings: single shot, medium speed, high speed. This model, though, has a menu for selecting the frame rate – from 1 to 10 fps. Also, the user can select a silent mode of up to 4 fps. I haven’t tested the silent mode yet. I have noticed how some birds are very sensitive to the sound of the shutter, though. I recall watching a Rufous from at least 25 meters distance and see it jump as I released the shutter (with an older camera). For now I shall not use this setting as the shutter is clearly more silent than that of the 70D and the old 7D.
This model is also supposed to autofocus with lenses having a maximum aperture of F8.0. I am uncertain about this, having tried a 400mm F5.6 plus a 1.4 converter and observing that the autofocus was disengaged. There is some discussion which implies that this feature will only work with certain lenses (probably Canon lenses). Shooting horizons would certainly be enhanced if one could have autofocus a 600mm F4.0 plus a 2X converter (= 1200mm F8.0 X lens factor, or 1920mm).
One feature I dislike is the placement of the exposure meter to the right side of the viewfinder. On previous models this was displayed on the bottom of the viewfinder and seemed bright. The meter on the 7D II is difficult to read when it is bright outside. I use manual exposure and find this meter useful for initial setup. When I first used the camera I thought that this meter was missing, so dark was it.
I shoot only RAW images and the buffer of the 7D II shows at 21 images. It will be sized differently for different types of images (JPEG, etc.). The camera is capable of writing at high speeds and I have ordered a 150 MB/sec speed CF card for it. The functional buffer size may be increased to 31 images with this card. That is, as one fires the shutter, the camera is busy clearing the buffer to the card simultaneously and this writing slows the buildup in the buffer.
The camera has two card slots, one for CF cards and one for SD cards. The user can assign usage of the cards as desired. E.g., video on one, stills on another; write images to both cards simultaneously; automatically start using the other card if the first card becomes filled.
Even though many Birds are very curious creatures, they don’t like to pose for photographers. Hence, the further away the photographer is, the less likely the subject will notice the interest of the shooter. Most photographers I see in the field use a 400mm lens. If the camera body is a Canon with an APS-C sensor, then the lens factor is 1.6 and the lens magnification is equivalent to a 640mm lens. (With a similar Nikon and their 1.5 lens factor, then the magnification is equivalent to 600mm.) The related way to obtain magnification is to put more pixels onto the camera’s sensor. The 20.2 MP sensor on the Canon 7D II is a disappointment to me. Nikon’s equivalent models have 24 MP. Canon’s upcoming Rebel models will have 24 MP sensors and I shall buy one of these. The June 29th arrival of the new Canon 5D models will make available a 50 MP sensor in a full frame size. The individual pixel size (pitch) is identical to that of the 7D Mark II and indeed, this new model will also offer 1.3 and 1.6 crop settings, making this new model equivalent to the 7D II in this factor (number of pixels). However, it will only have a frame rate of 5 fps.
- By GMcD
- By stumblingpiper