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Canon 7DII

Edward
Enthusiast

I got the camera and tested it with the 400 mm f 2.8 MKII versus a 5DIII with the same lens plus a 1.4X MKIII, both at F 4 and ISO 400 mounted in a tripod and manual focus.  The target was a brick wall.  Other than enlarging the image obtained with the 5DIII in the computer to match the size of that obtained with the 7DII, no further image manipulations were done in RAW CC.  The results were that image quality from the 7DII were slightly better than that of the 5DIII. I have done the same test with the 7D and the image of the 5DIII was better.  In other words there is a perceptible gain in image quality.  I kept the 7DII because I still will be able to use the F 2.8 aperture of the lens that will not be possible since the 5DIII + the 1.4X that would be f 4.  Also gain the 10 fms that double that of the 5DIII is great for wildlife photography.

 

The image quality/noise is not a considerable improvement over the previous one.  Otherwise the camera capabilities surpasses in all aspects those of the 7D.  There some small details such as now the frame counter goes to 1999 versus 999 in the old one. When setting the date there is an additional option to change the daylight saving time, a GPS,  etc.  

 

One peculiarity is that the labeling in the LCD panel is the reverse of that on the 5DIII, yet the Main Dial and the Quick Control Dial works as labeled in the 5DIII.  For example, the AF-Drive is labeled as such in the 5DIII but as Drive-AF in the 7DII, yet in both cameras when you press this button to change the AF the Main Dial is used.  Somebody at Canon forgot to match the labeling on the LCD panel to correspond to that of the 5DIII so that the first notation AF indicates use of the Main dial and the second notation Drive indicates the use of the Quick Selection Drive. The Rating Button I still consider a waste; no professional will rate the images based on the LCD monitor and it is not programmed to be changed to a more useful function.  In the 7D I could use the AF-ON and the AF point selection button to magnify the images in the viewfinder that I found easier than the current method of having to push the Magnifying Button and rotating the Main Dial.

 

The autofocus is excellente and I will risk to say better than the one on the 5DIII.  There a new button surrounding the multi-controller that allow for the quick selection the various AUTOFOCUS modes, a great improvement location over the previous M-Fn button (that is still present) but I still have to push the AF selection button to activate it.  Why is that I just cannot have single action button for this function or a way to change the camera's program to do it?

 

Canon is again cutting cost by offering a Basic Camera Manual plus a full manual as a CD.  This is fine for those tha carry a notebook out in the field but I no longer do to save delays in airports as well as cutting weight for carry-ons were restrictions are getting to be less than 18 pounds for some airlines. Overall, this camera has a lot to offer for the money.  

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION


@Edward wrote:

YES, [the 547-page 7D2 manual] will not bigger than the current 5DIII manual that I already carry ...  


Au contraire, the 5D3 manual (which I happen to have up on the adjacent screen) is only 403 pages.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

View solution in original post

36 REPLIES 36

@HPL, I love the way you use the word "deprived". It suggests that you are "owed" something which is really weird because you don't have to buy anything. If anyone deprived anyone anything, it was you that deprived yourself of a camera with a manual. Life didn't just happen to you.

 

@Edward, okay enough about manuals. I agree with Skirball, you muddied the water so completely with the use of a telephoto extender, upscaling of images, etc. that a fair side-by-side image comparison is impossible. None the less, I applaud the effort.

 

You mention the labels being "backwards" but without comment to the previous 7D. When comparing the 7D2 with the 7D (or 5D3 for that matter) one notices that all the labels are reversed and this appears very intentional. The previous labeling had the first "feature" corresponding to the rear wheel and the second "feature" corresponding to the top wheel. As the top wheel is considered the dominant wheel, I think it makes sense to list the feature to which its use corresponds first.

 

I'd be interested in reading more of your comments. Keep them coming.

>cale_kat

 

"@HPL, I love the way you use the word "deprived". It suggests that you are "owed" something which is really weird because you don't have to buy anything. If anyone deprived anyone anything, it was you that deprived yourself of a camera with a manual. Life didn't just happen to you."

 

OK, perhaps this suits you better: 

 

...since Canon, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that print manuals, that is to say words printed on paper or something very similar to paper, and then bound in what would easily be recognized to most as a what is commonly referred to as a book,  are obsolete, and since I neither have, nor wish to have, a smart phone, nor wish to carry another expensive, battery powered, relatively fragile piece of equipment into the bush, they will be spending significant time actually talking to me in the future.


@HPL wrote:

OK, perhaps this suits you better: 

 

...since canon, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that print manuals (that is to say words printed on paper or something very similar to paper and then bound in what would easily be recognized to most as a what is commonly referred to as a book)  are obsolete, and since I neither have nor wish to have a smart phone nor carry another expensive, battery powered, relatively fragile piece of equipment into the bush,  they will be spending time actually talking to me in the future.


Ha Ha.


@HPL wrote:

...since Canon, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that print manuals (that is to say words printed on paper or something very similar to paper and then bound in what would easily be recognized to most as a what is commonly referred to as a book)  are obsolete, and since I neither have nor wish to have a smart phone nor carry another expensive, battery powered, relatively fragile piece of equipment into the bush,  they will be spending time actually talking to me in the future.


I get your frustration, I honestly do.  But I can't help but be amused that there is some amount of irony in you eschewing technology on one hand (smart phones, kindles), and yet you must have been on the pre-order list to be one of the early recipients of the 7D2 on the other.

>Skirball

 

I get your frustration, I honestly do. But I can't help but be amused that there is some amount of irony in you eschewing technology on one hand (smart phones, kindles), and yet you must have been on the pre-order list to be one of the early recipients of the 7D2 on the other.

 

Well, I was shooting 2 30D's on which I had had to have the shutter mechanisms replaced in the last nine months or so, and I do earn my living with a camera so, yes, I pre-ordered the 7D MKII, but not because I have been champing at the bit to get one, but more because I was sweating out the wait to replace at least one of my aged veterans.  I shoot a bit of fast moving action and the 7D MKII does have ONE feature that I coveted and that is the ability of the auto focus to lock on and track a subject as it moves ACROSS the field of view, something that I have always had trouble with and I do appreciate the weather sealing.  As I said earlier, I was perfectly happy shooting film, market forces moved me to digital, not a desire for the cool new stuff.  I still prefer Fuji velvia 50, but it is just too impractical in today's atmosphere.  (I do wish I hadn't traded in my Bronica GS1 system).

People that want print are rarely satisfied with anything but print. That said, the vast majority of skilled photographers are carrying some sort of pdf/epub reader. (A smartphone, a tablet, a Kindle/Nook/etc., or notebook.) I don't think we're exploring any new ground as far as trends go.

 

It does seem shortsighted of Canon to not offer a printed manual, especially if this is a important feature for some buyers. Even to offer them for purchase would seem fair but I understand a predicament for companies that want to reduce print waste. Despite the insight offered by the posters here, I still think the vast majority of printed manuals are forgotten or abandoned.

 

I wonder If you wouldn't benefit from an aftermarket guide? When I had my Nikkormat, I occasionally referred to a small printed guide written by the AMPHOTO Editorial Board. It was a compact little book, hardcover yet only 126 pages in length. As technically advanced as that Nikon SLR was at the time, it was nothing compared to the complexity of a modern DSLR so I would expect any modern printed version to be very large.

 

I wonder if you might find a small printout of the more frequently consulted sections might be sufficient.


@RobertTheFat wrote:

Would you really want to carry around the printed version of a 547-page manual? 


Yep...

 


@KeithR wrote:

@RobertTheFat wrote:

Would you really want to carry around the printed version of a 547-page manual? 


Yep...

 


This hasn't ceased to amaze me.

Guess we're just not as smart as you.


@HPL wrote:

Guess we're just not as smart as you.


That was my conclusion as well.

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