Canon's much anticipated successor to the popular crop-sensor 7D was announced at Photokina 2014. Here's what I think of the 7D Mark II. Here are some things that I'm excited about, as well as some gripes about the 7D Mark II.
Disclaimer: This is my opinion based on what I've seen and heard about the camera. I have not actually used the 7D Mark II.
Auto-Focus
For years, Nikon cameras have enjoyed more focusing points than any other camera in the market.Canon fired back withg 65 focusing points (that's right, sixty-five), all cross-type, on their new 7D. This is a big deal for professional photographers in all fields. Getting the focus from just about anywhere is crucial to pros, especially those who shoot sports, wedding and journalism.
No WiFi
For the casual or even professional photographer, the lack of WiFi is no big deal. Many can just download the images from the memory card and upload the photos later. For the photojournalist, wedding photographer, sports photographer or even the paparazzi, the lack of WiFi could make or break a job. Breaking news images are important to the press, as these first images are important for visualizing a story for an audience. Not getting them out quickly can mean the competition might get it first and it could cost them valuable income.
High ISO
Nikon's D810's low ISO is one of its prize features. Getting an ISO that low means very long exposures with very little noise. But the lack of low ISO on the 7DMkII is not surprising. Instead, Canon focused on the traditional route of pushing high ISO. The 7DMkII has an impressive ISO of 16,000, expandable to 51,200. In low light the images look very usable, as seen in Matt Granger's preview of the camera. As impressive as the high ISO was, the camera's expanded ISO of 51,200 looked extremely noisy.
GPS Tagging
While not a new feature by any extent, GPS tagging is still a novelty in the DSLR arena. Travel photographers might love this feature as it makes it easier to tag where a photo was taken. Enthusiasts may also love this feature as it allows them to know where a photo was taken, with the chance of duplicating the shot for their own practice.
Dual Storage
The CF card is not only a staple in professional DSLRs, it was faster. But the advent of ultra-high-speed (UHS) SD card makes them almost as fast (if not faster with UHS-II SD cards) as CF cards. Canon built the 7DMkII has both CompactFlash and SD card slots. This not only allows photographers a choice, but also a way of backing up their work in the case that one card or the other may fail.
But having both slots can be troublesome. Some photographers may prefer one format over the other, or they may use one format exclusively out of necessity. If the 7DMkII had dual SD card slots or dual CF card slots, it would make a lot more sense as it keeps storage consistent.
Another drawback to this dual storage CF card and SD card mash up is the hit on battery life. Since the camera has two card formats to work with, it has to run with two chipsets for reading and writing to each card. This draws more power from the battery and may lower battery life.
Video
In a time when 4K video is becoming more and more prominent, Canon took a more conservative stance with the 7DMkII. Rather than giving it 4K recording capability, Canon instead give the camera the ability to record Full 1080p video at 60 FPS. While this may be a neat feature for creating slow motion video, the lack of 4K video recording may make enthusiast filmmakers to shy away from this camera. Hopefully, the people behind the Magic Lantern project can find a way to unlock 4K recording capability out of the 7DMkII.
Why do I think the 7DMkII may have potential 4K recording capability? Canon's 1D-C has dual DIGIC5+ processors that enable this camera to record 4K video. The 7DMkII has dual DIGIC6 processors. If in the remote chance the DIGIC6 inherits the DIGIC5+'s instructions, 4K video can potentially be unlocked.
Canon's 7D Mark II looks to be a strong competitor in the DSLR space, especially for photographers who need the speed of lots of auto-focusing points. Its low light performance is excellent for getting quick shots in relative darkness. The 7DMkII's dual storage is a dual edged sword and the lack of 4k video is itself a minor drawback. Overall I look forward to seeing this camera out in the wild and if I can manage to get my hands on one, I'll do a full review.
So what do you think of the new Canon 7D Mark II? Is its feature set worth salivating over or the lack of WiFi and 4k enough to pass it by? Let me know in the comments!