Thinking of getting a 7DII to carry me over ... Thoughts appreciated

George Zip wrote in post #18013878
Hello all.

At the moment I have an aging 5D mark II. Great camera and I love it.

Lately though, I have been shooting indoor sports in horrendous lighting (boxing). I generally shoot manual at 2.8 / 3200 / 1/400 .

The problem I am having is I am getting a lot of OOF shots. I am sure part of it is me, but some sports dudes I have spoken to tell me that it is struggle compared to the more advanced AF systems found in the 5DIII, 7DII or 5DS/R.

The 10 FPS looks useful.

The things I like to photograph are people and animals.

My initial plan was to wait for the elusive 5DIV or get a 5DSR. Now the 5DIV or whatever it will be called could be a year out considering they have not even announced it yet, and as much as I would love a 5DSR they are ****ing expensive here in sunny Australia.

A second hand 7dII has bobbed up with only 5000 or so on the shutter with a year of canon warranty for a fair price.

So I am thinking, maybe the 7DII would be a good companion for my 5DII with the view of getting the 5DIV down the track (when and if it comes) or possibly the 5DSR should I trip over a pile of money.

I have good glass (IMO) 3x L lenses. So changing brands is way to big a PITA for me. Plus I love the look of Canon pictures.

What do you guys think.... do you think I should get the 7DII or look for a 5DIII for what I am describing.

PS: was looking through the 7DII thread, and some of those images are absolutely beautiful.

since you have invested in the canon (L)glass. I would recommend getting a 7D2 and wait for the 5D4??

aladyforty wrote in post #18019325
I cant really afford to upgrade anyway, personally think I have the perfect duo in 5DIII and 7DII

It is. I'm not shooting events anymore and tired of travelling with two bodies. The goal is to go FF but if that does not happen and sell my 5D3 I could easily shoot with 7D2 for a long time. I'd would not have a problem shooting a wedding with it.

Not easy to find one body that does it all. Always a sacrifice. I really want the 1DX II AF but I don't need 14 FPS and built in grip. Pixels is the main reason the brakes are on. I will lose reach and that means more investment in glass. 30 megapixels gives me 30% crop power and I do like to crop.

The 5DR & S have too many too many. I could work with 51 if I had to but the FPS is too slow for my needs. I would probably have to replace my computer. I have to admit the IQ is really good on those bodies.

Ah-keong wrote in post #18019336
since you have invested in the canon (L)glass. I would recommend getting a 7D2 and wait for the 5D4??

Good call.

I did just that

digital paradise wrote in post #18019370
It is. I'm not shooting events anymore and tired of travelling with two bodies. The goal is to go FF but if that does not happen and sell my 5D3 I could easily shoot with 7D2 for a long time. I'd would not have a problem shooting a wedding with it.

Not easy to find one body that does it all. Always a sacrifice. I really want the 1DX II AF but I don't need 14 FPS and built in grip. Pixels is the main reason the brakes are on. I will lose reach and that means more investment in glass. 30 megapixels gives me 30% crop power and I do like to crop.

The 5DR & S have too many too many. I could work with 51 if I had to but the FPS is too slow for my needs. I would probably have to replace my computer. I have to admit the IQ is really good on those bodies.

If the 5D4 has 30MP and can get say 7-8 FPS I'm in.

Increased resolution is what I am looking for personally.

Incremental upgrades elsewhere is good, don't care about touch/flip screens, 4K etc.

Most importantly it has to take pictures that look like canon pictures.

The whole DR debate on other forums is absurd. Sure it's good, but you reckon the world will blow up if Canon does not match Sony.

George Zip wrote in post #18019485
If the 5D4 has 30MP and can get say 7-8 FPS I'm in.

Increased resolution is what I am looking for personally.

Incremental upgrades elsewhere is good, don't care about touch/flip screens, 4K etc.

Most importantly it has to take pictures that look like canon pictures.

The whole DR debate on other forums is absurd. Sure it's good, but you reckon the world will blow up if Canon does not match Sony.

These are my exact same thoughts about the 5D4. I have never been worried about DR either. I will gladly take any improvements but is last on my list. It has given a lot of ammunition to a few Sony and Nikon owners who like to come in and stir the pot.

Just my 2p!
More DR would be nice but it is hardly my main priority, or anywhere near it! I shoot mainly wildlife/birds (especially small ones) and, for me, AF is king - every other consideration is secondary.Good high ISO is No2 and other aspects/features queue up after those.
Having tried many bodies and lenses from other manufacturers I have yet to find anything that competes with the higher end Canon bodies + lenses. So more DR etc = nice, in focus = nicer!

Currently, if AF is important to you then it's Canon. I should say that I haven't tried the Nikon D500 but the D5 didn't exactly blow my sock off so I don't see the D500 as being a contender for me.

Talley wrote in post #18015069
7D2 is a great camera but it just suffers from that elusive crop IQ imho.

Different sized sensors are optimized for different jobs.

The 7D2 has higher IQ than an APS-C crop from the 5D3 and especially the 5D2. To get higher IQ on the 5D3, you have to use the whole frame and get closer with the same lens, or use a faster, longer lens. In both cases, you must accept a shallower DOF to get the extra light capture of the larger sensor. It does not happen automatically, but if you always go for the shallowest DOF, then it follows automatically that the FF is a win.

The 7D2 has better sensor technology than 5D2 or 5D3; it's just smaller. Sometimes that's a problem, and sometimes its not. For example, I would never use a 5D2 or 5D3 for shooting birds, instead of the 7D2. The 7D2 frame is superior to a 1.6x crop from the 5D2 or 5D3 in every way (the original 5D, though, has better color separation at low ISOs in well-exposed areas).

digital paradise wrote in post #18017257
That reminds me of long threads about using AI Servo for static shots. Apparently Canon says not use it for static objects but people do that all of time and so do I. I prefer One Shot will use it but without hesitation.

What I don't like about AIServo for static shots is that it doesn't allow for recomposition after focus. I have lost many shots because I forgot to switch back to One-Shot after doing BIFs or birds running around the ground, like sandpipers. Sometimes, the final composition is going to be a hard crop, and then, recomposition at shooting time is not necessary, but the best photos are had when the framing *is* the composition, and then, AIServo will lose focus if you recompose.

Yes, you can move the focus point but there may not be time, it jumps in big steps, and at f/8, you simply can't move it on a 7D2.

I need AF that can read my mind.

John Sheehy wrote in post #18020212
What I don't like about AIServo for static shots is that it doesn't allow for recomposition after focus. I have lost many shots because I forgot to switch back to One-Shot after doing BIFs or birds running around the ground, like sandpipers. Sometimes, the final composition is going to be a hard crop, and then, recomposition at shooting time is not necessary, but the best photos are had when the framing *is* the composition, and then, AIServo will lose focus if you recompose.

Yes, you can move the focus point but there may not be time, it jumps in big steps, and at f/8, you simply can't move it on a 7D2.

I need AF that can read my mind.

Not if you are using BBAF and take your thumb off the 'focus' button.

ksbal wrote in post #18018572
if you have to have very short DOF, or better high iso then 5D3 makes sense, but for everything else, I'll use the 7D2.

Is it really "or"? You can't get less noise from the 5D3 with the same FOV and DOF. You must accept shallower DOF to get less noise with the 5D3. Larger sensors do not automatically collect more light.

Bassat wrote in post #18020218
Not if you are using BBAF and take your thumb off the 'focus' button.

I can't tolerate the change of grip necessary to use the BBAF. My thumb, in my best grip of the camera, is critical and ends right near the OVF. I don't like shooting in two separate motions, either. I like to be 1/20s away from focus and exposure.

The back button autofocus is a poor solution for a problem with a much better solution - multiple shutter buttons with independent settings. That way, you simply go to the shutter button that does what you want to do right now, without juggling the camera.

I put a handstrap on my cameras, and this allows me the ease of adjusting my hand to the AF ON and * buttons on the larger bodies like the 1D and 7D/5D bodies.

Now try to do BBF with the SL1... there is a trick there too, but it took me a while to find it.

I think the 7DII is capable of most types of photography, I took this same scene with the 7DII and 5DIII and posted the shots to my facebook page, they were edited similar and most people preferred this shot taken with 7DII so I re-edited it to this

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aladyforty wrote in post #18021648
I think the 7DII is capable of most types of photography, I took this same scene with the 7DII and 5DIII and posted the shots to my facebook page, they were edited similar and most people preferred this shot taken with 7DII so I re-edited it to this

I like this shot. Any chance you can post a link to the 5D3/7D2 comparison shots? At those settings, I would not expect a discernible difference.

no problem