Canon 7D mk2 owners thread.

Ben6 said:
I'm using the 100L on mine and it was one of the first lenses I tried with my 7D2 as I wanted it to be quicker too. It was very low light when I tested it and it seemed to be about the same speed in low light as it had been in daylight on my 60D so I should imagine when I finally try it out properly il be quite impressed.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ben that's brilliant it does sound like the 7D 2 works really well with the 100L:)
 
Last edited:
RedRobin said:
....I do. But not as often as I will be doing when the Damselflies start emerging.

I came from the 70D and so don't know the 7D 'mk1' to be able to report comparisons.

I usually switch to manual focus for close-ups of Dragonflies etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks Robin I'm looking forward to the new season too:)
Maybe I'm set in my ways but I find it easier and quicker to autofocus especially when it's a bit warm and the subject could fly off at any moment
When I have more time like for example early in the morning when the insects are cold or if a butterfly has just emerged I do use manual focus and live view
 
Last edited:
Phal said:
The AF is definitely better but I don't think it's a magic fix for the tiny DOF that you get from shooting very close. I'm looking forward to using my 100mm F2.8L with it this summer but I think I'll also be trying to make more use of my flash which I got just before xmas so I can afford to shoot with much narrower apertures than you can with natural light.
Click to expand...

Thanks Etienne I've always preferred the look of natural light shots and try to focus stack from 2 or 3 shots to get more depth of field
I have to be quick to get the shots before the subject moves to use autofocus to quickly get a series of shots with varying focus :)
 
LCPete said:
Thanks Etienne I've always preferred the look of natural light shots and try to focus stack from 2 or 3 shots to get more depth of field
I have to be quick to get the shots before the subject moves to use autofocus to quickly get a series of shots with varying focus :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I've done similar things so far without a flash but it's rare to get something stationary enough for shots I can stack. Natural light is nice but it'll be nice to have another option for stuff that moves a bit faster or when it's dark.

Either way, I don't expect the 7d2 focus to magically land the focus on tiny subjects with a 1mm DOF but it certainly won't be any worse hehe (had a 70d last year)
 
LCPete said:
Thanks Robin I'm looking forward to the new season too:)
Maybe I'm set in my ways but I find it easier and quicker to autofocus especially when it's a bit warm and the subject could fly off at any moment
When I have more time like for example early in the morning when the insects are cold or if a butterfly has just emerged I do use manual focus and live view
Click to expand...

....On the Canon 100mm F/2.8 L IS you can autofocus to get you to 'base camp' but then fine tune the focus manually - You don't have to switch from AF to MF on the lens, but you probably know this already.

But, as you say, we each find the habit which individually suits us best - There's no right or wrong way.

Do you use Back Button Focus on the AF-ON button? That separates autofocussing from the shutter button and has definite advantages.
 
I had a 7d for a while, changed it for a 70d (while still owning a 5d 3 and a 1d 3) and still don't consider that I have a really good crop camera. The 1d I love, but it's mostly sentimental, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. Will a 7d mk 2 make me happy or do I need to hold on until I can afford a 1dx in a year or so?

I want something that locks on quickly and delivers goods, consistent images. Don't we all.... Will I be happy, or left wanting again?
 
Last edited:
Gary Kinghorn said:
I had a 7d for a while, changed it for a 70d (while still owning a 5d 3 and a 1d 3) and still don't consider that I have a really good crop camera. The 1d I love, but it's mostly sentimental, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. Will a 7d mk 2 make me happy or do I need to hold on until I can afford a 1dx in a year or so?

I want something that locks on quickly and delivers goods, consistent images. Don't we all.... Will I be happy, or left wanting again?
Click to expand...

The 1DX is 3x the price for a reason o_O
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
I had a 7d for a while, changed it for a 70d (while still owning a 5d 3 and a 1d 3) and still don't consider that I have a really good crop camera. The 1d I love, but it's mostly sentimental, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. Will a 7d mk 2 make me happy or do I need to hold on until I can afford a 1dx in a year or so?

I want something that locks on quickly and delivers goods, consistent images. Don't we all.... Will I be happy, or left wanting again?
Click to expand...

Gary the 7D MkII is a nice camera. Its taken me a little while to start getting the best out of it. My issues with it are to do with ISO noise but I accept that I'm being particularly fussy as I have been fortunate enough to own a 5D3 (which i traded for the 7D) and I also have a 1DX. You own a 5D3 so you know the ISO capabilities of that body. The 1DX is a little better.

For what its worth if you are after the very best image quality in high FPS body then buy a 1DX. It knocks the 7D out of the park IMO in that respect, but you pay for the privilege, although new imports can be had for £3100 which almost makes me buy another. I've used the MkII and the 1DX in a direct back to back comparison photographing the same subject with the same lens in the same conditions and the 1DX definitely has the edge. However if I had only been using the MkII that day I would have had no complaints about the number of keepers.

I bought the 7D for its crop factor and now just use it when the light is good and I can keep the ISO below 800 when I'm shooting wildlife.. Thats not to say it wont go higher because it will and I've shot at ISO 2000/2500 on a car rally and got images that I was very pleased with.
 
Last edited:
RedRobin said:
....On the Canon 100mm F/2.8 L IS you can autofocus to get you to 'base camp' but then fine tune the focus manually - You don't have to switch from AF to MF on the lens, but you probably know this already.

But, as you say, we each find the habit which individually suits us best - There's no right or wrong way.

Do you use Back Button Focus on the AF-ON button? That separates autofocussing from the shutter button and has definite advantages.
Click to expand...

Hi Robin yes I know about the manual focus override I haven't really tried it much its a good idea will have a go :)
I do use back button focus its really handy been using it for while:)
 
Well today was the first time I've had the camera out, two football matches the first in average light the second in great light...

Outcome... Utter disaster.... The pics that have come out make my previous 600d look like a 1Dx...

Real issues with focusing on subjects, even a few yards away when checking the review, the focus point is smack bang on target as well.

ISO 100-1000, Speed 2500, F/4 on a Canon 70-200 F2.8 L Series... Set it up to run with Case 1 & Case 4, both similar outcomes. Used both Centre Point focusing and also Up/Down/Left/Right.

Bitterly disappointed in it...

At this point I am hoping it is purely my inability to take a photo rather than the camera being the problem.

Will be reverting back to the 600d on Monday for our big local derby as don't want to screw it up...

Just can't get my head around why it should be like this....
 
Hi Mark, sorry to hear about your experiences, especially with such great sounding conditions. Any chance you could put a photo or two up to show how far it was out?

It could be something as simple as needing microadjustment, or you could have a much bigger problem with the AF system.
 
I'll put a couple up on flickr straight from the camera later... Had another look last night and some of the photos with a player inside the box, few yards from me with focal point right on his face and it is very soft/blurred... Several shots in a row with him running towards me, all identical....
 
Gaz J said:
Gary the 7D MkII is a nice camera. Its taken me a little while to start getting the best out of it. My issues with it are to do with ISO noise but I accept that I'm being particularly fussy as I have been fortunate enough to own a 5D3 (which i traded for the 7D) and I also have a 1DX. You own a 5D3 so you know the ISO capabilities of that body. The 1DX is a little better.

For what its worth if you are after the very best image quality in high FPS body then buy a 1DX. It knocks the 7D out of the park IMO in that respect, but you pay for the privilege, although new imports can be had for £3100 which almost makes me buy another. I've used the MkII and the 1DX in a direct back to back comparison photographing the same subject with the same lens in the same conditions and the 1DX definitely has the edge. However if I had only been using the MkII that day I would have had no complaints about the number of keepers.

I bought the 7D for its crop factor and now just use it when the light is good and I can keep the ISO below 800 when I'm shooting wildlife.. Thats not to say it wont go higher because it will and I've shot at ISO 2000/2500 on a car rally and got images that I was very pleased with.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. A little more thought and hunting down the back of the sofa required this end I think.
 
Spiderdudeuk said:
Well today was the first time I've had the camera out, two football matches the first in average light the second in great light...

Outcome... Utter disaster.... The pics that have come out make my previous 600d look like a 1Dx...

Real issues with focusing on subjects, even a few yards away when checking the review, the focus point is smack bang on target as well.

ISO 100-1000, Speed 2500, F/4 on a Canon 70-200 F2.8 L Series... Set it up to run with Case 1 & Case 4, both similar outcomes. Used both Centre Point focusing and also Up/Down/Left/Right.

Bitterly disappointed in it...

At this point I am hoping it is purely my inability to take a photo rather than the camera being the problem.

Will be reverting back to the 600d on Monday for our big local derby as don't want to screw it up...

Just can't get my head around why it should be like this....
Click to expand...

Might be worth trying it with just centre point selected. In the expanded point the manually selected AF point must achieve focus on the subject first to be able to hand off to the others. Maybe its not doing that.
 
Did some testing today and found that the 70-200 needed a few + movements on the microadjustment.. This seems to have addressed that side of things. Also, the pics seem to be back focusing, so suspect it is more my ability to hit the target first time and then the AI Servo is tracking the wrong point.. Just a thought...

Steep learning curve, but I will persist and see how I go tomorrow.. Read Peter Millers setup on the 1dx and found that helpful. So fingers crossed for tomorrow now!
 
I have just upgraded from the 70D and bought the 7D mkii new from Jessops. I am still finding my feet with it and have enjoyed reading these posts. I am having issues with soft images when using my Canon 100-400mm L IS USM mki. I mostly take wildlife (birds) photographs. Is anyone else having issues with this lens. Any advice would be appreaciated.
 
KAS said:
I have just upgraded from the 70D and bought the 7D mkii new from Jessops. I am still finding my feet with it and have enjoyed reading these posts. I am having issues with soft images when using my Canon 100-400mm L IS USM mki. I mostly take wildlife (birds) photographs. Is anyone else having issues with this lens. Any advice would be appreaciated.
Click to expand...

....I took exactly the same upgrade route from 70D to 7D Mark II last November. It takes time to learn all it has to offer (I am still learning!) but your images should not be soft.

Are the soft ones only when using your 100-400mm? If they are soft on all your lenses you might have a faulty body - There have been such issues but retailers will normally exchange.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KAS
Are the soft ones only when using your 100-400mm? If they are soft on all your lenses you might have a faulty body - There have been such issues but retailers will normally exchange.[/QUOTE]

Hi Robin, thanks for the reply. The camera is great and I have learn't quite quickly. I get soft images only using the 100-400mm and mainly at 400mm. I fully understand the crop of 1.6 and keep my speed up to the equivalent focal length. I had the same problem with the 70D and hoped the upgrade would improve the images, and it has to a degree. Most likely its my poor techique.
 
KAS said:
Hi Robin, thanks for the reply. The camera is great and I have learn't quite quickly. I get soft images only using the 100-400mm and mainly at 400mm. I fully understand the crop of 1.6 and keep my speed up to the equivalent focal length. I had the same problem with the 70D and hoped the upgrade would improve the images, and it has to a degree. Most likely its my poor techique.
Click to expand...


....Do some tests on a tripod and with the IS on and off. As with identifying most problems it's a matter of gradual elimination. It sounds as if it's lens related rather than body related.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KAS
I shoot almost exclusively dogs and wildlife, for which I have found the MkII excellent, but over the last few days I have had a bit if a shock to the system and shot a wedding, a football match and a circus with it, and have been really impressed with the camera. In particular, for the football match I used the large zone (I think - the central third of the focus points). I have barely used such a large area before, normally relying on spot focus or a single point, but the action was so fast and furious I couldn't keep up so I upped the size of the area. It barely had a miss with the focus (out of 600 shots) and somehow it seemed to find the faces every time. Even the team's official photographer was impressed with their sharpness. (I had on a Mk1 100-400).

The focus was also absolutely spot on in the dim, coloured light of the circus as well (single point).

It also behaved beautifully at the wedding and the silent shutter came into its own.

I have loved this camera since I got it last November, but in this last week I have been really impressed with its versatility.
 
I'd recommend downloading this guide for the 7D ii AF system.

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/articles/2014/eos7dmk2_afGuidebook.shtml

It can help explain how to get the best settings dialled in for certain scenarios. The fact that the AF system has a whole guide/manual of its own tells you how complicated it can get. It'll take a few outings before I've found the sweet spot for me.
 
I'm heading to the WEC at silverstone this weekend so that'll give me chance to use it in anger for the first time. What case setting have people been using for Motorsport through fencing? I'm at work at the moment but from memory case 2 or 3?
 
DavidC1980 said:
At Brand Hatch the other week I started on Case 1 and was missing focus on loads of shots. Case 2 seemed to be far more accurate, both with a clear view and through fencing.
Click to expand...
It will certainly give me chance to test it out and i'll try a few different cases I think. I'll start on two and go from there though i think.
 
KAS said:
Are the soft ones only when using your 100-400mm? If they are soft on all your lenses you might have a faulty body - There have been such issues but retailers will normally exchange.
Click to expand...

My 7d is being returned tomorrow as the shots are very poor coming out of it.. This is with a 70-200mm f2.8 L and having done 3 matches over the weekend all have required a lot of PP to make the pics presentable.

I will replace it with another 7d MKII, as I honestly feel the camera when working is the right way to go for wildlife and sport... But this particular one I'm convinced is not right.

I set up with tripod and various L series lenses to check exactly what was happening, then switched to my old 600d with same lenses, same focal point and as similar setting as I could get. When transferred to the computer it was clear that the 600d was producing the better product...
 
  • Like
Reactions: KAS
MIne arrived today from Simply. Was held in HRMC but they managed to expedite fairly quickly.

Have unboxed, charged battery, and had a quick play.

Will need to get my skates on ref the new AF system as I will be in Assen this time next week for the WSBK !!

Will give me a good chance to try it out.
 
Just to update from my cf card question recently. My lexar 1066x 160mb/s cf card came today and just run a quick test fired 61shots before the camera started to slow at all compared to the 19 I got from my 45mb/s sandisk sd card I have.

I know i'll never fire 61 shots in succession like that but it's surprising how the 4-5 shot bursts add up at time and I nice to know the speeds there if you need it etc.

I'll try some more tests over the weekend to see what the actual mb/s from the card is.
 
lukey1965 said:
MIne arrived today from Simply. Was held in HRMC but they managed to expedite fairly quickly.

Have unboxed, charged battery, and had a quick play.

Will need to get my skates on ref the new AF system as I will be in Assen this time next week for the WSBK !!

Will give me a good chance to try it out.
Click to expand...
Hmrc didn't give you a nasty bill too did they?

Enjoy though, there great cameras with a great af system once your heads around it all ;)
 
Ben6 said:
Hmrc didn't give you a nasty bill too did they?

Enjoy though, there great cameras with a great af system once your heads around it all ;)
Click to expand...

No bill from HRMC. Phoned Simply for an update yesterday morning and they said it was held in Customs.

Later on in the day, had email saying it was with courier company and would be delivered today between 15.56 - 16.56. It arrived at 16.03 !!
 
lukey1965 said:
No bill from HRMC. Phoned Simply for an update yesterday morning and they said it was held in Customs.

Later on in the day, had email saying it was with courier company and would be delivered today between 15.56 - 16.56. It arrived at 16.03 !!
Click to expand...
Sounds like good service to me!
 
Playing in semi-darkness in the garden, and the images under reasonably high ISO don't look too bad to me.
 
Well it arrived today my new 7D2:)
amazing my head is hurting trying to understand all it can do tho:D
I've set it up on single point autofocus mode
Left it on case 1 (this time of year I'm shooting zoo animals)
Set it to back button focus
Raw shooting
Set ISO to whole stop increments
The autofocus mode isn't showing on the quick menu tho (the little button to the top left of the multi controller wheel it is on my 7Dmk 1 quick menu)
I've set the AF ON button to toggle AI servo and one shot but as far as I can see I have to hold down the back AF ON button as well as the focus button (set to the * button) to use AI servo ?
I can of course set it on the quick menu but to toggle between the two I think the best way is to use the AF ON button
I normally use AV mode so will start with that and see how I get on
I'm hoping to be able to get out next week to try it properly
 
Last edited:
I bought my 7D mkii on the 9 March 2015 from Jessops. I mostly use my Canon 100-400mm USM on it photographing birds. Since I upgraded to the mkii from the 70D my images have got worse and worse. They are at best soft but mostly blurred. I commented spmewhere on the thread about it.
I attempted micro adjustments both tethered and Canons preferred method and nothing worked. To be honest I was losing my confidence and started to blame the lens. I went out yesterday afternoon to test my adjustments and I returned with blurs, they were bad I returned home within a hour.
Out of desperation I set up a test this morning where I photographed a flower and a test card at two different distances 3x and at a wide app and at F11 with the four lens's I own, handheld and on the Tripod. After completing the test shoot I down-loaded the images onto my Mac and out of 120 shots I had maybe 2 that look ok but soft with magnified.
To cut the story short, I returned the camera to Jessops after given them a call. They asked me to take a lens with me and the images I had taken on the test. They accepted the images were very poor. They give me a display model to test the 100-400 lens on and bingo excellent images. The display model is new with few activations and they give me it to take away and test. I tested it this afternoon and its spot on and so are my lens's. I can keep the camera or I go to Canterbury to collect a new one that is arriving tomorrow morning. I will probably keep the one I have but will decide after going on a shoot tomorrow. If it takes good images of birds I'll keep it I think. I don't particularly want to take the display model but it only had 240 clicks on it.
 
LCPete said:
Well it arrived today my new 7D2:)
amazing my head is hurting trying to understand all it can do tho:D
I've set it up on single point autofocus mode
Left it on case 1 (this time of year I'm shooting zoo animals)
Set it to back button focus
Raw shooting
Set ISO to whole stop increments
The autofocus mode isn't showing on the quick menu tho (the little button to the top left of the multi controller wheel it is on my 7Dmk 1 quick menu)
I've set the AF ON button to toggle AI servo and one shot but as far as I can see I have to hold down the back AF ON button as well as the focus button (set to the * button) to use AI servo ?
I can of course set it on the quick menu but to toggle between the two I think the best way is to use the AF ON button
I normally use AV mode so will start with that and see how I get on
I'm hoping to be able to get out next week to try it properly
Click to expand...

You can set the AF ON button to AI SERVO and the AE LOCK button to ONE SHOT and just move between them as required.
 
Gaz J said:
You can set the AF ON button to AI SERVO and the AE LOCK button to ONE SHOT and just move between them as required.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gary that's what I was trying to do but AI servo only comes on when I hold both buttons down
I'll have another look tonight:)
 
I have recently bought a 7D2 and come from a 7D.

Am still getting used to it (read manual, have a play, read manual, bird on stick, bird on water, MFA, read manual, bird on water & try some BIF etc).

Still a lot to learn but so far seems a huge step forward.

On the original 7D, I found ISO noise (esp in shadows) less obvious when using ISOs 1/3 stop less than straight multiples ie less noise on 640 than 800 (expected) but also less than on 500.

I have seen from many posts that ISO noise on the 7D2 is less intrusive but has anyone already tried the above concept to see if the same applies to the 7D2?

It is on my list to do but want to be better acquainted with the camera first.

John.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top