Canon 7D Mark II Review

7D Mark II Summary

The Canon 7D Mark II is a much needed and much welcomed upgrade to the venerable, 5-year-old EOS 7D. Catering primarily to sports, action and wildlife photographers, the 7D Mark II -- like the 7D -- borrows many features and performance specs from their 1D-series models, but at a more affordable price. The Canon 7D Mark II looks to continue this heritage with an even more flexible and powerful 65-pt. AF system, Dual DIGIC 6 processors, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, improved build quality and more advanced video features. The Canon 7D Mark II is undoubtedly a big upgrade over the 7D in many ways, though the Mark II does falter in a few areas.

Excellent image quality; High ISO performance improved over predecessor; Excellent burst speeds (up to 10fps); Significantly improved buffer depths; 65-pt AF system; Dual Pixel CMOS AF; Can focus down to f/8 (great for teleconverters); 1080/60p video; Headphone and mic jacks; Rugged build quality.

Autofocus speed (AF shutter lag) slower than 7D and 70D; Mediocre battery life for a pro DSLR; Dynamic range at low to moderate ISOs not as good as competitors; Phase-detect AF did not perform as well as expected in our low-light AF tests; No built-in Wi-Fi; No autofocus for 1080/60p video.

The Canon 7D Mark II was released in November 2014 and is sold in both a body-only model with a retail price of $1,799 or with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens for $2,149.

5.0 out of 5.0