Building on the performance of its popular predecessor, the Canon EOS 7D MkII is even faster and more powerful than before. Andy Luck puts it to the test
It’s hard to believe that it is the best part of five years since the original workhorse, the APS-C format Canon EOS 7D, with its remarkable 8fps shooting rate, was first introduced. That’s a long time for a camera to remain on the market unaltered, and testament to the 7D’s strengths, perhaps.
Its successor, the EOS 7D MkII is big, chunky and fully weather sealed – more in line with a full-frame pro DSLR than an APS-C format camera. It is almost as large and heavy as Canon’s full-frame EOS 5D MkIII, a camera with which it shares an almost identical control layout.
The maximum frame rate has been increased to an impressive 10fps, ideal for wildlife and sports. The new autofocus system is equally class leading, featuring 65 AF points that are well spread out, and all of which are crosstype (when using lenses with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster). The centre AF point, meanwhile, can focus with a maximum aperture of f/8.
There is also a new autofocus area selection lever surrounding the joystick cursor control. When the AF area button has been pressed, it is possible to quickly click through the focus point selection options without removing the camera from the eye.
In terms of speed, then, there is currently little competition in the APS-C arena that gives such a seemingly indestructible and professional feel. In burst mode, frames are rattled off with a very well dampened mirror – and a shutter sound that is addictive!
In terms of performance, the EOS 7D MkII could almost serve as an APS-C equivalent of Canon’s flagship EOS 1DX for those who want more reach from their telephoto lenses for a lot less money. This is something that Nikon can’t really match, having so far failed to replace the greatly missed, professional spec APS-C format D300.
The 7D MkII has a number of new features we could not have imagined five years ago, such as a compass, GPS system, multi-exposure mode, interval timer and HDR mode. There are also twin card slots for SD and CF cards. Essentially, however, it is all about performance with the 7D MkII. Apart from the marginal increase to 20.2MP on the sensor, there are few other concessions to the current trend of piling on the gadgetry and features, an aspect that some photographers, at least, may well applaud.
Surprisingly, however, there is no Wi-Fi – something that may not just be an issue for those wanting to share their images easily via social media; many news and sports professionals have been using Wi-Fi to deliver their work straight to picture desks for years. There is no touchscreen or articulating screen, either. The latter seems a fairly major omission when cameras such as the new Nikon D750 feature a tilt-screen. I found this proved to be incredibly useful, while not compromising the build unduly. The articulating touchscreen worked so well on the lower spec Canon EOS 700D and the 70D, too, so it seems an odd decision not to include it on the 7D MkII. This is a pity, because the dual-pixel AF tracking, silent controls and flicker correction of the 7D MkII make it a good camera to operate in video mode, and a touchscreen would have made it easier to move focus point without jogging the camera. An articulated screen also makes high and low angle shooting so much more convenient in stills mode. It’s also a shame not to have focus peaking or zebras, which are becoming common on the better video-equipped DSLRs these days.
The video quality also lacks a bit of crispness compared to modern competitors such as the Panasonic GH4 and the Sony A7S. For this reason, the 7D MkII might be a better option for those who are more interested in high-speed stills capture rather than cutting edge video quality.
The Dual Digic 6 processors certainly maintain that outstanding performance edge for stills, with burst mode capabilities going up from 25 Raws on the Canon EOS 7D to 31 Raws, and unlimited JPEGs, something Nikon’s nearest equivalent APS-C camera, the D7100, cannot get anywhere near.
Overall image quality is very good, with plenty of detail and Canon’s pleasingly realistic tonal look. High ISO performance is greatly improved, and the camera is mercifully free of the excess shadow noise and banding that some previous Canons, including the original 7D, have been known for. It does not have quite the magical latitude to push shadows that the Nikon sensor currently offers, however.
VERDICT
The increase in megapixels is minimal, but there’s a real improvement to image quality, both in terms of noise control at low ISOs and much more usable high ISO performance. The Canon EOS 7D MkII may not quite have all the bells and whist les of some competitors, but what it does, it does very professionally. It has great controls, superb autofocus, an extremely rapid and resp onsive frame rate and a build quality to rival a tank!
TECH SPEC
Sensor 22.4x15mm APS-C CMOS 20.2MP
Crop 1.6x
Resolution 5472x3648
Autofocus TTL-CT-SIR with dedicated CMOS sensor, 65 all-cross AF points
Maximum frame rate 10fps
ISO sensitivity 100-16000, (51200 expanded)
Shutter speeds 30-1/8000sec
Processor Dual Digic 6
Monitor 3in Clear View II TFT-LCD 1,040,000 dots
Viewfinder Optical 100% coverage
Flash Built-in GN11
Connections USB 3.0, GPS, HDMI mini output
GPS Built-in
Power LP-E6N battery
Size 148.6x112.4x78.2mm
Weight 910g