The Canon EOS 7D Mark II was officially launched on the 15th September 2014. I was at the official media event for the announcement and launch of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and got a short hands on experience with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II during the event. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is the successor to the award winning Canon EOS 7D.
Before I proceed further, let me recap what I shared earlier in my post on the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, my initial thoughts and views and the key technical specifications of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II –
Thoughts/Views of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- 10fps – High Speed performance inherited from the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, check out my YouTube clip and listen to the 10fps!
- 200,000 maximum shutter count (A workhorse camera)
- 65 points All Cross-Type AF System (great for Sports and Events)
- Dual Digic 6 image processors (that’s powerful)
- Dual memory card slots (CF and SD, best of both memory storage world)
- Inheriting the best of the worlds from the Canon DSLR family to deliver a powerful workhorse DSLR camera
- Ideal for Sports, Wildlife and Events Photographers
EOS 7D Mark II Product Specifications
- Dimensions: Approx. 148.6 x 112.4 x 78.2mm
- Weight: Approx. 820g (body only)
- Image sensor: 20.2 mega-pixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- Imaging processor: Dual DIGIC 6
- ISO speed: 100-16,000 (expandable to 51,200)
- Continuous shooting speed: 10 fps
- Maximum video quality: Full HD 60p
- AF: 65-point all cross-type
- LCD: 3” LCD / 1,040,000 dots
- Shutter release cycle: 200 000
The golden opportunity to review the Canon EOS 7D Mark II came when I was able to loan the Canon EOS 7D Mark II for the Hokkaido Photographers Invitation Program 2014! It was really awesome to have the Canon EOS 7D Mark II for an overseas trip, testing and pushing it cold Hokkaido weather conditions. For the Hokkaido Photographers Invitation Program 2014, I brought 2 DSLRs, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 7D Mark II, more information on my travel photography equipment can be found here! My combination was the Canon EOS 5D Mark III fitted with the Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM (courtesy of Canon Singapore that loaned me for this trip) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II fitted with the EF 70-200mm f4L USM.
This combination of a full frame with a wide-angle lens (Canon EOS 5D Mark III with EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM) is ideal for wide landscape scenes and travel walkabout scenes. The other combination of the APS-C with a telephoto lens (Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF 70-200mm f4L USM) is ideal for wildlife, action, travel and landscape (isolating a part of a wide landscape area) photography.
During my Hokkaido trip, the combination of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the EF 70-200mm f4L USM was especially good for photographing wildlife such as the deer and the fox in Shiretoko National Park, Utoro. The 65 points All Cross-Type AF System was really good for photographing wildlife in action along with its 10fps action! On Day 2, at the Tsurui Village, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II was fitted with the EF 400mm f5.6L USM lens to photograph Japan’s national icon, the red crown crane known as tancho zuru. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II fast focusing with its 65 points All Cross-Type AF with 10fps and dual Digic 6 image processors made it highly suitable for wildlife photography action. On Day 3, at the Tokachi River, I was photographing the White Tailed Eagle, seagulls and swans along the Tokachi River bank with the EF 400mm f5.6L USM prime lens. Photographing the White Tailed Eagles proved to be very challenging given the open riverbank terrain and when I was walking towards them when the eagles were perched on tree branches or fallen tree trunks. The White Tailed Eagles were very sensitive to human movements and they flew away once they sensed us walking towards them.
I was taught about using a telephoto lens to shoot landscapes, at that point in time, I really couldn’t visualize how it can be done and how the photographs would turn out since I didn’t travel out to countries with such vast and wide landscapes. When I was in Hokkaido and I started shooting landscapes with the telephoto lens (the Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the EF 70-200mm f4L USM lens), I finally realized why and how the photographs would turn out with such a combination. This technique is very useful in vast landscape area and we can “isolate” a certain portion of the entire landscape such as the snow capped mountain peaks and sunset scenes. When we were traveling on the roads, there were a number of times whereby the road and mountain peaks had a “nice leading line” and zooming it in at 200mm, the photo outcome was really beautiful! You just have to try it out, shooting landscape scenes with a telephoto lens (such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF 70-200mm f4L USM combination). I am sure you will have a very enriching photography experience with this technique!
During the period when I was visiting Hokkaido, the weather was cold, autumn transiting into winter season, with the lowest around -13 degrees Celsius. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II proved its worth to be a tough and resilient DSLR and the battery life was good, it didn’t drain off too much and too quickly given the cold weather conditions!
The Hokkaido Photographers Invitation Program 2014 was an awesome travel photography experience and adventure for me. Let me share with my readers and followers my Hokkaido travel photography adventure! Here are the links to my photographs and travel stories of my Hokkaido travel photography adventure –
- Central/Eastern Hokkaido Familiarisation Trip – Introduction and Overview
- Day 1 – Central/Eastern Hokkaido Day 1 – Utoro / Day 1 travel photographs collection
- Day 2 – Central/Eastern Hokkaido Day 2 – Shari, Teshikaga, Tsurui, Akan / Day 2 travel photographs collection
- Day 3 – Central/Eastern Hokkaido Day 3 – Akan, Ashoro, Tokachi / Day 3 travel photographs collection
- Day 4 – Central/Eastern Hokkaido Day 4 – Kamikawa, Sounkyo / Day 4 travel photographs collection
- Day 5 – Going Home
- Special Post – One Tree Hill – Somewhere in Hokkaido
- Special Photography Collection – Hokkaido Food
The Hokkaido Travel Photographs were uploaded into Flickr and 500px, do visit and check out the amazing and stunning landscapes in Hokkaido!
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II doesn’t just raise the bar with their new cutting-edge features. It can be the new generation workhorse and powerful DSLR for serious enthusiasts and professional photographers. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II might be a suitable partner for the Canon EOS 1DX especially for photographers doing a lot more sports and fast action photography.
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II can also be combined with another full frame DSLR such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, where you have the best of both worlds, the combination of DSLR camera bodies and lens setup that I brought over to Hokkaido, ideal for both travel, events, action and wildlife photography.
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is overall a very strong DSLR camera, packed with strong and powerful technical specifications. One negative point for the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is that there is no in build Wi-Fi and some photographers were expecting it to be build in the new Canon EOS 7D Mark II. This could be due to expectations and requirements in today’s fast paced society that sometimes demands instant updates and gratifications, thus putting a lot of pressure and stress on photographers. The challenge of not having Wi-Fi built in can be assisted with the usage of Wi-Fi SD card if there is a need to use Wi-Fi for the delivery of the photography job.
We, the photographers, must remember, First Thing First! We need to focus on what we need to produce and deliver for our photography assignments, jobs or projects. While in the modern society context, the demands and expectations of “instant news/photos updates” can be pretty demanding, it can be solved with the help of photography and IT accessories.
Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM Review
Canon has a rich and strong history in producing wide-angle lens. I owned the EF 17-40mm f4L USM lens and it’s a legendary wide-angle lens, whether is it on a full frame or APS-C DSLR, it was my work horse lens from wide-angle, landscape to travel photography. The Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens will be a great and worthy successor to the EF 17-40mm f4L USM lens (it’s still going strong!) when the time comes. When the time comes to upgrade my EF 17-40mm f4L USM lens, I will choose the EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens.
I wrote and shared about the Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens earlier in the year and there were more information on the design/quality aspects of this great lens. If you are considering owning a wide-angle lens, look no further than the EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens (and also the EF 17-40mm f4L USM lens too).
The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is available at the following retail recommended prices
Canon EOS 7D Mark II (Body Only) – $2,499 .00
Canon EOS 7D Mark II Kit (w/EF S18-135 IS STM) – $3,049.00
Canon EOS 7D Mark II Kit II (w/EF S15-85 IS USM) – $3,499.00
The Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM is available at the following retail recommended prices
Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM – $1,579.00
If you are looking for a sports/fast action DSLR camera body, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II is definitely a worthy consideration for photographers who wants/needs fast action DSLR body that is affordable and value for money. The Canon EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens is a definitely worth owning it, whether you are using a full frame DSLR or APS-C DSLR.
* I would like to thank Canon Singapore for the opportunity to loan the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and EF 16-35mm f4L IS USM lens, allowing me to bring it overseas for the Hokkaido Photographers Invitation Program 2014 and doing a review on them during the trip! *
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