Canon EOS 7D Mark II / SHOOTING REPORT

The EOS 7D Mark II is a flagship model of the Canon’s APS-C camera lineup and it’s the successor of the EOS 7D released 5 years ago. The new CMOS sensor has 20.2 Megapixels (the 7D had 18 Megapixel) and the image processor has been upgraded from the dual DIGIC 4 to the dual DIGIC 6. Skipping 5 makes sense because it’s a major update after 5 years. And, the update brought high-end features including ISO51200 max sensitivity, fast AF and burst rate, and 65 focus points. And, the image quality has improved dramatically. The kit lenses are the EF24-70mm F4L IS and the EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM, and most shots for this report were taken with the 18-135mm.

( Photography : A.Inden / Text : KIMURAX )

Thanks to the wide dynamic range, the tonal gradation is very smooth. Having more pixels increases resolution, but it often results in losing tonal gradation or in generating more noise. I enlarged the shadow area and I noticed some noise. But, I can deal with it because I found it only after close inspection and the tonal gradation is rich. Plus, the resolution is so high that each iron line of the lattice looks very sharp.

I shot with high sensitivity (ISO3200) to see the noise increase caused by having more pixels. I noticed some noise, but it’s not disturbing at all. With ISO6400, some people may find it noisy, while I don’t. By the way, the EOS 7D Mark II features "flicker-less shooting" which deals with the inconsistent exposure by artificial light source – it detects the cycle of blinking and lock the shutter when the light is off. This function comes in handy in a fluorescent light without inverter.

Here’s another shot with ISO3200. It reproduced the great detail. Of course, it never beats the images with regular sensitivity, but is good enough for general use. Great color reproduction and smooth tonal gradation.

The power of 10 fps burst rate and the fast all cross-type 65-point AF is incredible. It captures decisive moments of fast moving objects without a difficulty.

---

The minute and solid lines clearly indicates the high resolving power. And, it faithfully reproduced the unique shiny (apparently) polycarbonate material and the reflection on the distorted surface.

Because of the rich tonal gradation, I could shoot over or under with confidence. The texture depiction of the glass and paint surfaces looks perfect.

I shot way over, but the bright area still has tonal gradation. And, it reproduced the pleasant light I saw.

Thanks to the rich color reproduction and clarity, I can see the pigeon standing in the water even though there's not much reflection. The bokeh isn't massive, but the subject looks very sharp. Great job!

The image quality loses against the one of full frame cameras, but the size, natural image quality, and quick AF makes it a highly practical workforce for any situation.

---

Significant update after 5 years brought more than speed.

If you shoot moving subjects, you want a camera with a high-performance AF. But, full frame cameras can be too heavy and expensive. In this sense, the EOS 7D Mark II is a lifesaver and it can take your EF lenses, too. In fact, the 65 cross points are more than 61 of the professional model EOS-1DX. And, it's a great sub camera of the EOS-1DX because you can select AF-point and compensate exposure in the same way you do with the EOS-1DX. It also inherits the dual card slots providing better protection of your important data. Because of the updates, I can say it's a camera that many people have been waiting for and it will always respond to your desire to shoot, express, and record.

( 20.02.2015 )