Canon 7D Mk II is announced and available for pre-order (1 Viewer)

[Farnboro John]

I was playing with Swallows while waiting for the USAF to do something, and one shot across behind some trees while I was shooting. I think the result, while no competition winner, speaks volumes for Case 2 with the sensitivity turned down to avoid changing focus due to obstacles.

John

 

[Dave Williams]

I was playing with Swallows while waiting for the USAF to do something, and one shot across behind some trees while I was shooting. I think the result, while no competition winner, speaks volumes for Case 2 with the sensitivity turned down to avoid changing focus due to obstacles.

John

It's not a blur but I think it's out of focus John.

 

[Farnboro John]

It's not a blur but I think it's out of focus John.

Probably not quite spot panning, that's what you get for doing BIF with a 500 + 1.4 - but the point is that the treetop leaves it is behind (and it had swept past more, to the right) haven't been grasped by the camera instead of the bird. The old 7D would have the leaves in focus and the bird way off after it went behind the treetop.

John

 

[Owen Krout]

I personally think that much of the talk about the 7Dmii having focus problems are simply from expecting the unreasonable from the equipment. In MHO most of us are not professional wildlife photographers and just enjoy the hobby. More than anything, my personal photos are mostly to help in verifying what I did manage to find on an outing.

John, I was trying to do Swallows in flight myself this afternoon and it really a challenge for me and for the equipment. That is what makes it fun! Personally, I shoot expecting to discard most of my attempts and feel a real sense of accomplishment when some of the 10% that I keep are worth showing off.

The 7Dmii and Canon 100-400mm mki are a fantastic combination but it is still up to me to manage to get into position to allow them to do their best.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I personally think that much of the talk about the 7Dmii having focus problems are simply from expecting the unreasonable from the equipment. In MHO most of us are not professional wildlife photographers and just enjoy the hobby. More than anything, my personal photos are mostly to help in verifying what I did manage to find on an outing.

John, I was trying to do Swallows in flight myself this afternoon and it really a challenge for me and for the equipment. That is what makes it fun! Personally, I shoot expecting to discard most of my attempts and feel a real sense of accomplishment when some of the 10% that I keep are worth showing off.

The 7Dmii and Canon 100-400mm mki are a fantastic combination but it is still up to me to manage to get into position to allow them to do their best.

You wouldn't be saying that if you'd suffered the disastrous results I had with my first Mk II body (scroll back to January pages to see what I mean), followed by the immediate and continued good results with my present replacement body from the moment it came out of the box.

It's easy to blame others when you've had no first hand experience of the problem.

Believe me, the focusing problems on some of the bodies were very real indeed.

 

[Farnboro John]

You wouldn't be saying that if you'd suffered the disastrous results I had with my first Mk II body (scroll back to January pages to see what I mean), followed by the immediate and continued good results with my present replacement body from the moment it came out of the box.

It's easy to blame others when you've had no first hand experience of the problem.

Believe me, the focusing problems on some of the bodies were very real indeed.

I have never doubted it, which was one reason I held off from buying one for so long: and I was grateful for the expositions on the subject that enabled em to avoid a nasty experience.

However, I am constantly delighted with the one I have got.

John

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I'm delighted with mine too, John.

At first I was even blaming myself for missed shots, never believing that a new camera that was boasting a super focusing system could be so at fault. Even when I knew that some people were complaining (and I believed their complaints) I still didn't want to believe mine was one of the bad ones. The light here in November and December didn't lend itself to good photography.

It took a trip to India with hundreds of failed shots in perfect conditions and light to cast the scales from my eyes and for me to realise that I actually had one of the duff bodies. It's easy for those who've never suffered it to say that it's all in the mind and down to bad technique.

Maybe with a bit more experience they might change their views.

 

[Grahamdevenish]

I'm delighted with mine too, John.

At first I was even blaming myself for missed shots, never believing that a new camera that was boasting a super focusing system could be so at fault. Even when I knew that some people were complaining (and I believed their complaints) I still didn't want to believe mine was one of the bad ones. The light here in November and December didn't lend itself to good photography.

It took a trip to India with hundreds of failed shots in perfect conditions and light to cast the scales from my eyes and for me to realise that I actually had one of the duff bodies. It's easy for those who've never suffered it to say that it's all in the mind and down to bad technique.

Maybe with a bit more experience they might change their views.

Hi,

I'm still having problems with mine, after it's already been back once and I've installed the new firmware - I can still get sharper shots with my 7d Mk 1 in like for like conditions.

Did you send yours back to the shop or direct to Canon?? - I'm not sure which way to jump (Mine was from the very first batch - Some pictures are ok but none of them have the bite that the Mk 1 has.....)

Thanks

Graham

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Hi,

I'm still having problems with mine, after it's already been back once and I've installed the new firmware - I can still get sharper shots with my 7d Mk 1 in like for like conditions.

Did you send yours back to the shop or direct to Canon?? - I'm not sure which way to jump (Mine was from the very first batch - Some pictures are ok but none of them have the bite that the Mk 1 has.....)

Thanks

Graham

I got mine on October 30th, the first day they were in the country. As I said above, at first I put the focus problems down to bad technique, because I couldn't believe a new camera model boasting a new, superior focusing system could be at fault. It was the consistently bad results in exceptional light in India that finally removed the scales from my eyes and I got in touch with the supplier on the first day after I got home.

I sent it back to the supplier after much argument. They were wanting to send it for repair because it was out of their 28 day returns limit. I wasn't happy with that because it had been faulty from the word go and dug my heels in. After I showed photographic evidence (salvaged from my recycle bin) they relented and sent me a replacement body.

It's way better than my old 7D mark 1, with better results all round and a much higher ratio of keepers. In fact, with hindsight, I'm now wondering if my old camera was all it should be in the focus department.

A selection of shots from Mallorca this month below.

 

[senatore]

In a hide the other day all of the four birders were 7D ii users two with 400 and two with 500 lenses.

An interesting discussion started re flight shots and the AF area that each of us preferred.It was surprising that all four of us preferred different AF areas :- Single Point AF AF 4 point expansion AF 8 point expansion and Zone AF.

The one I prefer is Zone AF but was told by the others that I'd be lucky to get the bird in sharp focus.

Have any of you tried all the AF areas and settled on one in particular ?

Max

 

[Roy C]

In a hide the other day all of the four birders were 7D ii users two with 400 and two with 500 lenses.

An interesting discussion started re flight shots and the AF area that each of us preferred.It was surprising that all four of us preferred different AF areas :- Single Point AF AF 4 point expansion AF 8 point expansion and Zone AF.

The one I prefer is Zone AF but was told by the others that I'd be lucky to get the bird in sharp focus.

Have any of you tried all the AF areas and settled on one in particular ?

Max

I am not sure there is any one right area mode Max, it depends on your target bird and how near you are to it. With really fast flyers like swallows and the like a wide AF area like Zone 15 or 25 pt zone helps a lot, also I use all pts sometimes which really helps to capture a fast erratic flyer - when using one of these modes it also helps to use to correct 'Case'. The only trouble with using a wide AF area is that the AF will pick up on the nearest part of the bird which may be a wing tip and not the head/eye, this is especially troublesome when the subject is fairly close.
With AF point expansion you can easier put the focus point over the head/eye although picking up really fast and erratic flyers is not always that easy even with 8 pt expansion.
I would rarely use just a single point for BIF but of the other options IMHO its a matter of choosing the best one for my subject considering flight speed, flight characteristics and subject distance. One of the beauties of the 7D2 (and most other Cams) is that it is very easy to change the AF area mode on the fly while still looking through the viewfinder.

 

[senatore]

I am not sure there is any one right area mode Max, it depends on your target bird and how near you are to it. With really fast flyers like swallows and the like a wide AF area like Zone 15 or 25 pt zone helps a lot, also I use all pts sometimes which really helps to capture a fast erratic flyer - when using one of these modes it also helps to use to correct 'Case'. The only trouble with using a wide AF area is that the AF will pick up on the nearest part of the bird which may be a wing tip and not the head/eye, this is especially troublesome when the subject is fairly close.
With AF point expansion you can easier put the focus point over the head/eye although picking up really fast and erratic flyers is not always that easy even with 8 pt expansion.
I would rarely use just a single point for BIF but of the other options IMHO its a matter of choosing the best one for my subject considering flight speed, flight characteristics and subject distance. One of the beauties of the 7D2 (and most other Cams) is that it is very easy to change the AF area mode on the fly while still looking through the viewfinder.

Cheers Roy for your comments.

The birder using the Single Point AF was adamant he was using the best area mode "If I hit the bird I get a very sharp shot".Trouble is if I was using that area mode I would not hit the bird very often unless it was a Grey Heron cruising by.

Max

 

[Dave Williams]

Cheers Roy for your comments.

The birder using the Single Point AF was adamant he was using the best area mode "If I hit the bird I get a very sharp shot".Trouble is if I was using that area mode I would not hit the bird very often unless it was a Grey Heron cruising by.

Max

I agree with all of Roy's point but I also have come to the conclusion that single point is the best option too but of course you have to have the right subject etc etc. If you can, use it !
For some subjects and situations it's impossible so again subject size ,speed etc dictate your choice. The camera body isn't a miracle worker though and I think many users expect it to be just that.
Of course the irony of single point is that none of the AF modes matter, and consequently many of the 7D2's ( and IDX and 5D3's) attributes are suddenly irrelevant.

 

[edenwatcher]

I would normally use 4 or 8 point expansion depending on subject, however on occasions when a stationary bird has become a flying bird(!), or something unexpected flies past, single point has worked pretty well!

Rob

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Just thought I'd update. I dipped my toe in the water with another of these back in May and having used extensively and can now say I am pretty pleased with it. Most of the owl shots on my FB page were taken with it including the facial 100% crop at ISO 3200 (if memory serves). https://www.facebook.com/pages/ebirder/114411863993

 

[PeterBird]

Just thought I'd update. I dipped my toe in the water with another of these back in May and having used extensively and can now say I am pretty pleased with it. Most of the owl shots on my FB page were taken with it including the facial 100% crop at ISO 3200 (if memory serves). https://www.facebook.com/pages/ebirder/114411863993

Some cracking owl shots, Marcus!

 

[senatore]

Although it's great that the 7Dii allows you to auto focus with a 1.4 converter attached I find it's not worth bothering with as a shot without the converter attached cropped gives as good if not better shot than with the converter attached.

Mind you I have a Kenko converter not a Canon one which might be the cause of the problem.

Any comments/advice with using converters would be appreciated.

Max

 

[lewis20126]

Although it's great that the 7Dii allows you to auto focus with a 1.4 converter attached I find it's not worth bothering with as a shot without the converter attached cropped gives as good if not better shot than with the converter attached.

That is my current conclusion as well and that of other users I've spoken to. I've not tried the microadjustments approach yet but that is the only hope.

cheers, alan

 

[BodyResults]

I haven't noticed image quality drop-offs when adding 1.4 extender to 400 f5.6 or 100-400 IS II or adding the 2X to the 600f4.

Certainly the focus slows down and struggles a bit more in low light.

I do still have issues with consistency with the 7D2 hitting sharp focus with all lenses. 1DX and 5D3 seem more consistent to me. I'll probably send it to Canon in a few month to see they can do anything.

 

[mdb2]

At Last

I have taken the plunge and this afternoon purchased the 7Dmk2. Sorry about the wind probably my fault. So I just played about in the back garden. I have over the months followed this thread with the ups and more downs since its inception hopefully things are better now! I believe canon may of had an early bad batch. I must admit to being pleasantly surprised at the more quieter shutter hacking away at full belt. Much nicer, makes my old 7D sound rather noisy. Hopefully the weather will get better and I will get some BIF with better light.
Mike