Canon 7D mk2 owners thread.

I had two 7D MkI's and had AF problems with both. The first one also had some metering problems where I'd get a really under or over exposed shot in the middle of a burst. So far I've been more than happy with the AF system of the MkII and the overwhelming majority as well within the sharpness levels I would expect. The OOF shots have been mainly due to operator error, too slow shutter speed with movement etc. and the odd shot of focussing on an object close to the actual subject, but I can put up with that. I got the new 100-400 L MkII yesterday and took that out for a few shots and have been more than impressed with the combination. I think the lens will be spending the biggest majority on the 7D MkII rather than the 5D3, specially for wild wildlife as opposed to caged wildlife. I really can't fault the 7D MkII, I've just checked and I've kept well over 4500 out of 4803 that I've taken so far.
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Ok so if you bought a camera from Digital Rev or Panamoz, which fell within the recall serial numbers. If you then sent it to Canon UK would they carry out the work or reject it as it had not been imported through the correct channels?
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I don't know, Chris. I've only ever been aware of recalls based on serial numbers (be it bodies or lenses) and not seen any requirement to furnish receipts.

Bob
 
ChrisHeathcote said:
Ok so if you bought a camera from Digital Rev or Panamoz, which fell within the recall serial numbers. If you then sent it to Canon UK would they carry out the work or reject it as it had not been imported through the correct channels?
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If you've bought it from Panamoz you would be able to contact them and they would arrange a replacement unit sent out for you if Canon UK refuse to do the work. I had a problem with a Sigma lens, Panamoz swapped it for a brand new one with no problems at all. From the first time I contacted them to having the replacement was less than 11 days. Probably faster than Sigma could do it under warranty anyway.

I don't know whether DigitalRev would do the same but I suspect they would if it came to it.
 
hollis_f said:
Not for the 7D MkI - which has masses and masses of posts complaining about poor AF.
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Im sure we both will never agree on this matter regards if there is an issue or not with either the camera or the operator.

I know Az on a professional level along with many other photographers in motorsport who have not been happy with the 7D MKII A/F and many have traded 7D's in for the upgrade.

I have confidence in their ability to use a camera and therefore have no doubt some units are not performing on par with others but am also sure some units are fine.

Only time will tell if enough are not on par or anyone with enough clout makes enough of a fuss to get it recognised by Canon.

People like me and you can argue till the cows come home if needed and still not make a difference ;)
 
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It's a new camera with a brand new AF module so I wouldn't be surprised if there are a couple of teething issues. It would be interesting to know how many units in terms of percentage are believed to have AF issues and then compare that number to say the 1DIII which did have a confirmed problem.

I've had my 7DII since launch day (well, the day after) and have taken nearly 50k shots with it, mostly motorsport and football and I can honestly put my hand on my heart and say I don't have any issue with the AF. It is head and shoulders above my 70D, better than my old 5DIII and I have a hard time saying it's not as good as my 1DX.
 
Az_GTi said:
I've had 2 7D2's, both performed pretty well, but AF wasn't quite as consistent as I would have liked/expected. Really not much difference to my 70D to be honest. I was using with a 300mm 2.8 II lens too. I wonder if both bodies I had were a bit ropey as sometimes focus was nailed perfected and other times it missed, particularly in a burst mode. Bit strange.

Panamoz at under £1000 is a deal if you get a good body! I cannot recommend Jessops after the shambles I've had with them. Fair play they didn't hang around in giving me my money back.
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Yeh I'm quoting myself here... sorry. But just wanted to clarify the reasons I had two bodies and returned them was because both times the boxes came without a unsealed. The first time the camera had nearly 400 actuations on - so clearly was not new (which I had paid for). The second time there didn't appear to be any actuations but there was a finger print on screen - and I had been promised a "sealed" box. I talked about it more on my Facebook page. But anyway long story short I was a bit disappointed and decided that Jessops wasn't the outlet I was prepared to do business with.

As for both cameras, both performed very similar. Yes lots of AF settings to play with. I did play with all the options (inc focus priority etc) and shot some static subjects too (e.g pebbles and angled cereal box to test focus accuracy (single point AF). I had to dial in some micro-adjustment but even then occasionally would miss sweet focus - but not very often, generally spot on. Tried both bodies with both 300 2.8 II and 70-200 2.8 II. AF was very fast as you would expect but accuracy on moving subjects (cars/bikes), especially in burst mode was a little bit disappointing given all the hype/positivity with many reviews etc. Maybe there was some "operator error" - I'm not immune to screwing up. But I think I know what I'm doing, have used a number of different bodies etc (with same lenses) so can make observations/comparisons as a result.

Generally I only shoot one or two frames at a time but I did spray off 20+ shots a few shots to see how things performed. I have read up about problems a bit more and someone said it's like the camera prioritises firing off lots of shots and can't keep the AF up at same time. Maybe the battery doesn't provide enough juice for bigger lenses. Speculation and probably nonsense given Canon have likely aimed the body (due to x1.6 sensor an high fps etc) at sports togs who are using a larger lenses etc. But still the problems were definitely there and as a long time member here I thought I would share my findings. I think expectation and satisfaction of how a camera performs and what it produces are different for everyone. I'll openly say I'm am a bit of a fussy git haha.
 
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Took a couple of snaps this afternoon and I'm enjoying it already. Didn't get any real movement shots, but the focus system seems to be good. If the focus is as good as my 5d3 with the extra reach I'll be happy.
 
My issues as mentioned earlier in this post were not operator error, though did think that initially.

Tripod mounted camera, good light photographing an object completely static.. Could not get a pin sharp image for love nor money, no matter which lens I stuck on it.. Sent camera back and replaced with another, identical set-up and this time sharp.. Delighted with my purchase now, but I did wobble a fair bit to be honest when it came to getting a replacement.
 
Just got my 7D2, are there any default settings that I should be changing straight away to get the best from this camera ? For example I noticed that high ISO noise reduction is on, should this be on?

Thanks
 
middlearthimages said:
7d mk2 - I have lightroom 4 . Will I have to upgrade this as I found the cr2 files are not recognised.

If so will lightroom 5 work with it?

Cheers,

John
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You can convert all your RAW files to DNG files using the latest version of the Adobe DNG Converter. Checking that it has been updated for your camera of course. ;)

You can convert RAW files on the fly into Lightroom, but I think it needs to be an up to date version to convert the latest RAW files. Hopefully someone will say if I'm wrong.

I would consider upgrading from LR4, to now, LR6, but only you know how you use Lightroom. There have been lots of upgrades between the versions. The biggest upgrade for me in LR5 is the option for Smart Previews, to allow you to work on previews of the files without the original files. I'm in the process of generating Smart Previews so I can use them on a Laptop in work. Not everyone will need/want to do such things.

From the specs of LR6, the HDR Merge and Panorama Merge look interesting. But again, if you never use such things, it may not look too attractive. A newer version would, you would hope, work faster though.
 
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middlearthimages said:
7d mk2 - I have lightroom 4 . Will I have to upgrade this as I found the cr2 files are not recognised.

If so will lightroom 5 work with it?

Cheers,

John
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LR 5 had an upgrade to allow processing the 7D MkII files.

Best buy It though as you wouldn't want to offend the Internet software police would you.
 
I have confused myself totally with this camera....

Had a play, just in the garden, during daylight and early evening with a 300 f2.8 mounted and everything seemed fine, even the lower light shots seemed clean.

Took to Assen for the WSBK. Used on the Friday primarily at points around the track, again with the 300 mounted. Upon return, almost ALL shots taken were OOF/soft. Used same technique as with previous bodies so happy that use was ok.

Started seeing threads upon return about possible AF issues, particularly the mirrorbox/AF system replacements. AHA, that must be the problem methinks.

Since then, have done a factory reset on settings and played again. Must say the pictures look fine ???

At the moment, can only assume user error in Assen, Donington in a couple of weeks should give me a better idea.
 
lukey1965 said:
I have confused myself totally with this camera....

Had a play, just in the garden, during daylight and early evening with a 300 f2.8 mounted and everything seemed fine, even the lower light shots seemed clean.

Took to Assen for the WSBK. Used on the Friday primarily at points around the track, again with the 300 mounted. Upon return, almost ALL shots taken were OOF/soft. Used same technique as with previous bodies so happy that use was ok.

Started seeing threads upon return about possible AF issues, particularly the mirrorbox/AF system replacements. AHA, that must be the problem methinks.

Since then, have done a factory reset on settings and played again. Must say the pictures look fine ???

At the moment, can only assume user error in Assen, Donington in a couple of weeks should give me a better idea.
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Please keep us informed.
 
Had mine since November and mainly used for macro so did not notice problems until holiday in NZ, nearly every shot oof or soft even slow moving and static subjects. On return to Uk tried MFA on lenses and tried again in Spain. Yet again missing focus on everything. Reverted to 50d, luckily I took as spare body, and shots were fine proving lenses were not at fault. I have contacted supplier and am waiting for info on return.
 
Mmmm there does seem to be a recurring AF issue theme... shame. I'm sure people have good bodies but there's definitely some poorly ones out there too. Too many people who I think "know what they are doing" for it to just be operator error. What will Canon do about it?!?! The camera's not a full blown "pro" body but it's still an expensive bit of kit not to work properly...

Anyway someone asked for a birdy pic, not something I normally do but was testing in the garden so here's one... taken with 300mm 2.8 II with x1.4:

robin_7d2.jpg
 
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Chipper said:
Hi there...anybody got any bird photos?
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Thought I'd post a couple of BIF for Chipper and others asking about AF
Here are a few (Bwlch Nant yr Arian today). with the 7D II and 300 f2.8 on Av mode with centre metering and AI servo, First one is interesting with Kite shot through tree branches.
Case 1 selected on the AF menu.
Must say I do get some focus "chatter/hunting" even in one shot, but when it works it really does perform.
John
View attachment 36611 View attachment 36612 View attachment 36613
 
Az_GTi said:
Mmmm there does seem to be a recurring AF issue theme... shame. I'm sure people have good bodies but there's definitely some poorly ones out there too. Too many people who I think "know what they are doing" for it to just be operator error. What will Canon do about it?!?! The camera's not a full blown "pro" body but it's still an expensive bit of kit not to work properly...

Anyway someone asked for a birdy pic, not something I normally do but was testing in the garden so here's one... taken with 300mm 2.8 II with x1.4:
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There is talk of an imminent firmware upgrade which is supposed to sort out all the issues.
 
As I've said before, I got one of what I was pretty sure was a suspect body , it was on the first day of release. I spent quite a bit of time on static objects to eliminate operator error, and convinced myself (and Canon, with a series of pictures) that I had a problem.
The replacement is very much better, I'm quite satisfied, but I think it's unfortunate that this model is getting such a lot of bad publicity, as I suspect the number of affected bodies was quite small, and I don't think (although I may be wrong) that anything being released now is anything other than fine, and I think it's an excellent camera for the money, and will be a great 1 Dx backup.
I wouldn't have been at all happy relying on my first body in any circumstances, and had the second been the same, I'd have called it a day, but that is very far from the case now.
I've certainly seen some excellent shots on here, and taken some myself, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the body to anyone........with the proviso that there are limitations (I personally wouldn't choose to use it above 1600 for instance).

There was mention of a firmware upgrade, but it was supposed to be last week and nothing has been announced.

The OOF issues I was experiencing were really, on reflection pretty obvious, not just the occasional shot, you'd know pretty quickly if you had one.

I really think it's time this was put to bed, get one and try it!!

George.
 
Brachytron said:
There is talk of an imminent firmware upgrade which is supposed to sort out all the issues.
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There are optimistic rumours that are almost certainly wildly inaccurate.

If the firmware upgrade (whenever it arrives) does more than fix a couple of minor bugs - most of them in non-English menus - then I shall be enormously surprised.
 
George said:
As I've said before, I got one of what I was pretty sure was a suspect body , it was on the first day of release. I spent quite a bit of time on static objects to eliminate operator error, and convinced myself (and Canon, with a series of pictures) that I had a problem.
The replacement is very much better, I'm quite satisfied, but I think it's unfortunate that this model is getting such a lot of bad publicity, as I suspect the number of affected bodies was quite small, and I don't think (although I may be wrong) that anything being released now is anything other than fine, and I think it's an excellent camera for the money, and will be a great 1 Dx backup.
I wouldn't have been at all happy relying on my first body in any circumstances, and had the second been the same, I'd have called it a day, but that is very far from the case now.
I've certainly seen some excellent shots on here, and taken some myself, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the body to anyone........with the proviso that there are limitations (I personally wouldn't choose to use it above 1600 for instance).

There was mention of a firmware upgrade, but it was supposed to be last week and nothing has been announced.

The OOF issues I was experiencing were really, on reflection pretty obvious, not just the occasional shot, you'd know pretty quickly if you had one.

I really think it's time this was put to bed, get one and try it!!

George.
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I'll second everything George has said, there's no doubts about the faulty bodies, its very evident and you will know its faulty from the off. My second body is a joy to use as opposed to the first body that I struggled to get a shot that was in focus. I would suggest that if your studying your body and looking to see if you might have a fault, then its more likely to be user error than camera fault, there's no mistaking the bad versions.
 
johnty52 said:
Thought I'd post a couple of BIF for Chipper and others asking about AF
Here are a few (Bwlch Nant yr Arian today). with the 7D II and 300 f2.8 on Av mode with centre metering and AI servo, First one is interesting with Kite shot through tree branches.
Case 1 selected on the AF menu.
Must say I do get some focus "chatter/hunting" even in one shot, but when it works it really does perform.
John
View attachment 36611 View attachment 36612 View attachment 36613
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Was that Kite taking something off the top of the water in the middle picture? I've never seen them do that before.
 
Hi Icee, yes a number of kites had gathered before feeding time and a family were feeding the mallards on the lake at Nant yr Arian with bread. The Kites were swooping and taking from the water. The 3rd shot of the Crow was similar. A previous visit, one tog got shots of a kite with a frog in its claws picked up in a similar way !!
J
 
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johnty52 said:
Hi Icee, yes a number of kites had gathered before feeding time and a family were feeding the mallards on the lake at Nant yr Arian with bread. The Kites were swooping and taking from the water. The 3rd shot of the Crow was similar. A previous visit, one tog got shots of a kite with a frog in its claws picked up in a similar way !!
J
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You think you get to know a bird/animals behaviour then they do something you don't expect.
 
Just wondering if anyone is using the MKII with a EF 300mm f2.8 IS lens and a 2x MKIII converter?

If so is the AF speed much the same or better than your previous camera ... I find my MKI 7D and lens/converter combo very hit and miss.

TIA.
 
Mike.P said:
Just wondering if anyone is using the MKII with a EF 300mm f2.8 IS lens and a 2x MKIII converter?

If so is the AF speed much the same or better than your previous camera ... I find my MKI 7D and lens/converter combo very hit and miss.

TIA.
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....Not a direct answer to your question, Mike, but I am finding the 7D Mark II + 100-400mm L II combo super fast to autofocus but when I add the Canon 1.4x III it is very noticeably slower to autofocus and so slow that I prefer to shoot birds in flight without the Extender. Image Quality is good though.

My uninformed expectation is that a 2x III is not going to perform AF any faster than a 1.4x III, both being Canon's state-of-the-art Extenders. On the other hand, the 1.4x results in F/8 max on a F/4.5 lens, so a F/2.8 lens?
 
So thanks for your bird photos. Anybody got any sports, indoor and out, with it?
 
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