Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Bottom Line: If you’re looking to shoot sports, wildlife, or anything that moves fast, the 7D Mark II is your camera. With the ability to shoot 10 frames per second, you won’t miss a single frame of the action. More importantly, that perfect shot needs to be in focus. The 7D Mark II has an upgraded 65 point (all cross type) autofocus system that will track everything from birds in flight to fast moving children. In addition to these headline features, the 7D Mark II offers a new silent shutter mode, the most sophisticated viewfinder ever from Canon and 1080p video at 60 frames per second. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is a worthy update to the wildly popular original 7D and should hold action photographers appeal for many years to come.

For a more in-depth review, keep reading below.

Jump to: Specifications | Sample Photos and Videos

September 15th, 2014 – Canon has released the EOS 7D Mark II, it’s next DSLR in the action photography prosumer (or even professional) line of cameras. Today, Canon also announced 3 new lenses the EF 24-105mm 3.5-5.6 IS STM, EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM and the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM.

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Expected to hit the shelves in November, the 7D Mark II was highly anticipated due to the incredible success of the original EOS 7D. Canon has pulled out all the stops for the 7D Mark II. Sports and wildlife photographers should rejoice!

Continuing the trend of being Canon’s only professional (i.e. xD series) camera body with a crop sensor, they have upgraded the sensor from the recently released 70D to a 20.2 MP APS-C sized sensor. A new sensor was needed to be able to capture the higher frames per second. This new sensor offers native ISO from 100 up to 16,000. The ISO is also expandable up to an astounding 51,200, just in case you want to take pictures while you’re standing in a dark closet.

The brand new Dual DIGIC 6 processor is an upgrade from even Canon’s flagship 1DX camera. The new processor runs the amazing 65 auto focus points that are all of the cross sensing type. This is quite the jump from the original 7D’s 19 AF points and should provide excellent tracking autofocus for difficult situations such as bird photography. The new processor also allows for a 2 fps boost, putting the 7D Mark II at 10.0 frames per second continuous shooting. Canon has also included the “silent shutter” feature, also known as silent continuous shooting which will allow up to 4.0 fps in this silent mode. As with the original 7D, the maximum shutter speed is 1/8000 of a second.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II Video

The 7D Mark II is capable of taking both 1080p and 720p at 60 frames per second, an upgrade from the original 7D. The new sensor and processor combine to provide excellent autofocus during video with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology first seen in the EOS 70D. Canon claims that the autofocus during video on the 7D Mark II rivals that of a dedicated camcorder.

Camera Body

The camera body is almost the exact same size as the original 7D, but may be a tiny amount larger. It is also a “tiny” amount heavier weighing in at .02 oz more than the original 7D. On the back of the camera we find the same 100% coverage viewfinder with the 1.0x magnification. Can’t get any better than that. The display comes with an increased pixel count and the same 3.0 inch screen.

Anyone who will be upgrading from the 7D, however will have a slight learning curve to using the Mark II. The layout is much closers to that of the 5D Mark III than the original 7D.

The camera should be incredibly durable. The shutter on the new 7D Mark II is rated at 200,000 photos before it should need replacement. The magnesium alloy weather-sealed body (when used in combination with a weather sealed lens) should prove to be at least as rugged as the original 7D. For a fun example of the original 7D’s ruggedness, see the video below where they burn, throw, it and drown the 7D and it still works!

Surprisingly, the battery life appears to have decreased from the original 7D by about 200 shots. The Mark II is rated for 800 photos, while the original 7D was rated for 1000. This can be expanded by added a battery grip with two batteries (seen below), but it is an interesting observation that the battery life has decreased. We’ll have to see how the batteries do in real life tests when we get our hands on the camera.

Canon added a second card slot for the Mark II, giving it one CF card and one SD card., which will make anyone who is upgrading from the original 7D, the 5D Mark II, a 50D or older body happy. If you have a more recent camera body and you’re looking to upgrade to the 7D Mark II, you may need to buy either SD cards or CF cards for the new second card slot Sticking with one CF card and one SD card appears to be a trend Canon has been continuing with all of their high level cameras, so it probably should have been expected here.

The 7D Mark II provides a compromise with wireless and location tracking technologies. The body does have GPS built into the camera, but it does not have WiFi built in. It’s great that it has GPS, and if you’re really interested in using WiFi with the camera, it does support using the Canon Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7A. Apparently, the reason WiFi wasn’t included in the camera is due to issues with connectivity though the magnesium alloy body of the camera. One other notable feature that was not included is a touchscreen interface. Many have come to be used to using it on cameras like the 70D, and find it incredibly useful when paired with the dual pixel autofocus.

With the price of the camera set at an MSRP of $1799 (MSRP $2149 with kit lens), Canon is definatly aiming at the higher end of prosumers and even some professional photographers. That said, with the incredible set of features Canon has packed into the 7D Mark II, the price tag is well deserved. If you’re a sports or wildlife photographer, or if you need to capture very fast moving objects (I’m looking at you parents of young children), then this is the camera to get.

Order the 7D Mark II today on Amazon or Adorama