Canon 7D Mark II Field Test

Introduction. The 7D Mark II is Canon's newest APS-C DSLR body with the original 7D debuting over five years ago. Featuring a 20.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with embedded Dual Pixel AF, a 65-point all cross-type AF sensor, and dual DIGIC 6 processors, the Canon 7D Mark II improves upon the original 7D in many critical ways and delivers solid performance.

Camera Body and Handling. The Canon 7D Mark II feels great. The body is constructed of durable magnesium alloy and has weather and dust sealing, which is said to be improved over the original. Additionally, the shutter is rated for 200,000 actuations; an improvement over the 150K-rated life of the original 7D's shutter. Build quality is very good and the body has a nice grip that fits naturally in my hand. While ever so slightly larger than the original 7D (though the body-only weight is identical), using the 7D Mark II for extended periods of time is easy. With an acceptable weight and a battery rated for 800 shots (without flash), the camera is well suited for a long day of shooting. The CIPA rating for battery life (50/50 flash/no-flash) is lower than the 7D, though (670 vs 800). The 7D Mark II has both CF and SD card slots, which is a nice usability upgrade over the original which had only one CF slot. The camera also includes a USB 3.0 port for quick file transfers and tethered shooting. The 7D Mark II also features a built-in GPS, which can be enabled through the menu system. Unfortunately, the 7D Mark II does not have built-in Wi-Fi.

Introduction. In Part I of this shooter's report, I discussed how the Canon 7D Mark II handled and performed in general terms. In Part II, I'll further discuss the performance of the Canon 7D Mark II, particularly autofocus performance, high ISO performance, speed and video.

Shooting in Automatic Modes: Metering. With an improved EOS Scene Detection System and a 150,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor, the 7D Mark II meters most scenes very well. The 7D Mark II offers spot metering, evaluative metering, partial metering, and center-weighted average metering, all of which work as advertised. When using spot metering, a thin, stationary black circle appears in the middle of the viewfinder. Disappointingly, spot metering is limited only to the center of the sensor and is not tied to a movable AF point, unlike what I'm used to with my Nikon DSLRs.

Auto white balance also works well. While providing all of the typical white balance options and an easily customized Kelvin temperature option, the 7D Mark II's auto white balance setting delivers excellent results. Overall, the 7D Mark II meters both exposure and white balance well. I used the camera in particularly difficult lighting conditions and was impressed with its overall performance.