DxoMark Review at Nov. 5
I have been recently following this site. Interested in what other thinks about their testing results for products in general.
I think DxOMark either has a bias against Canon, or their tests exaggerate the DR/noise advantage of Sony sensors, or both. Personally I have no issues with Canon DR or noise.
Just picked up my 7D2 at lunch time, woohoo!
-Jack
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I think DxOMark either has a bias against Canon, or their tests exaggerate the DR/noise advantage of Sony sensors, or both. Personally I have no issues with Canon DR or noise.
Just picked up my 7D2 at lunch time, woohoo!
Please do remember that DXOMark.com reviews use DXO RAW converters with their own demosaicing algorithms and profiles. Unless you use the same DXO software and settings, your results may be different. (In particular, the DXO tests seem to correlate pretty well to recent Adobe software when comparing products from the same manufacturer. Tests between different camera manufacturers' products are often somewhat different and you would need to find tests using "your" RAW converter and demosaicing algorithms and profiles to make a fairer comparison.)
I think DxOMark either has a bias against Canon, or their tests exaggerate the DR/noise advantage of Sony sensors, or both. Personally I have no issues with Canon DR or noise.
"At a summary level: Stuff a Canon EOS 1D X into a 7D-sized APS-C body with an APS-C-sized sensor, add a few enhancements (and remove a few), cut the price by 74% (as of review time) and you get a 7D Mark II. This camera is a bargain-priced, professional-duty-ready DSLR ready to tackle your world."
"While it may be a second camera for many professionals, the feature-to-price ratio of this camera is going to make it the first choice camera for many professionals."
"Truth is, I expected to see no difference between the 7D II and 70D results until at least ISO 1600 or 3200. Most of Canon's recent camera releases showed most of their ISO noise improvements at the upper range of their available ISO settings. However, after looking at this comparison many times, I see very slightly cleaner results from the 7D II starting at the base ISO of 100 with the advantage growing with ISO setting increase. This difference is slight through ISO 400.
At ISO 800 and 1600, the difference, while still not huge, is more easily recognized. The 7D II's advantage grows stronger at ISO 3200 and 6400. I have typically avoided these ISO settings on prior APS-C models, but I'm pleased to see ISO 3200 looking this good."
"At a summary level: Stuff a Canon EOS 1D X into a 7D-sized APS-C body with an APS-C-sized sensor, add a few enhancements (and remove a few), cut the price by 74% (as of review time) and you get a 7D Mark II. This camera is a bargain-priced, professional-duty-ready DSLR ready to tackle your world."
"While it may be a second camera for many professionals, the feature-to-price ratio of this camera is going to make it the first choice camera for many professionals."
"Truth is, I expected to see no difference between the 7D II and 70D results until at least ISO 1600 or 3200. Most of Canon's recent camera releases showed most of their ISO noise improvements at the upper range of their available ISO settings. However, after looking at this comparison many times, I see very slightly cleaner results from the 7D II starting at the base ISO of 100 with the advantage growing with ISO setting increase. This difference is slight through ISO 400.
At ISO 800 and 1600, the difference, while still not huge, is more easily recognized. The 7D II's advantage grows stronger at ISO 3200 and 6400. I have typically avoided these ISO settings on prior APS-C models, but I'm pleased to see ISO 3200 looking this good."
Yep. After a weekend of shooting two engagements and a wedding, I officially deem the 7D mk2 totally full-frame competitive for wedding photographers who hang out at ISO 3200 all night. This camera is freaking awesome!
I only wish they'd get around to fixing the stupid image review scrolling functionality. It's awesome that you can finally customize the SET button to zoom to 100%, (like Nikon has had for almost a decade now) ...but the inability to quickly scroll back through the other images is infuriating. With Nikon, command dials are MUCH more programmable across the board, and I personally can't live without this...
Yep. After a weekend of shooting two engagements and a wedding, I officially deem the 7D mk2 totally full-frame competitive for wedding photographers who hang out at ISO 3200 all night. This camera is freaking awesome!
Glad to hear it. I've only taken a few test shots at 3200 with mine and I'll agree.
I only wish they'd get around to fixing the stupid image review scrolling functionality. It's awesome that you can finally customize the SET button to zoom to 100%, (like Nikon has had for almost a decade now) ...but the inability to quickly scroll back through the other images is infuriating. With Nikon, command dials are MUCH more programmable across the board, and I personally can't live without this...
Menu -> Custom Functions page 3 -> Custom Controls -> change the Set button to the magnifying glass.
Menu -> Playback page -> Magnification -> set to "Actual Size" or whatever you want.
When viewing an image magnified, turn the large rear click wheel with your right thumb to scroll between pictures, at the same magnification. Turn the top main wheel with your right index finger to change magnification. There you go, all right-hand-only image reviewing.
It's like this on the 5D3 also. I don't remember about earlier cameras.
Personally on the 7D2 I'd recommend 4x, as I think actual size can make you think pics are unacceptably soft when they will actually look fine on the computer.
-Jack
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Overall I was very pleased. However coming from a 5D3, the AF is not new to me. 10fps is though, and the shutter sounds very nicely damped and robust, better than the 5D3's metallic clink. Also the fps does not seem to slow down as the battery drains, like the 5D3's does. That's huge. I don't think it's advisable to view images at 100% view on the LCD on the back of the camera. I set the magnifying glass button to go right to "Actual Size" when pressed. This caused some consternation, as many shots seemed OOF on the camera that were actually fine on the computer. However there still were some shots that the camera seemed to miss for no reason. I think the 5D3 is a bit better at AF in very low contrast situations. This day was mostly overcast, but in the moments the sun poked through, the AF seemed to shift into overdrive. Also these uniforms can be tough, there is a lot of blank space on them. I used my usual one AF point with expansion (8 neighboring points active), and AF Case 3 (the one with the soccer player icon). I think I am spoiled by the consistent pixel-level sharpness of Full Frame, but when the camera really nails the shot, I can't distinguish it from my 5D3. All in all this is an extremely capable sports camera. Much better than my old 7D in every way. I am thrilled to have 10fps and to not have to lug the massive 300/2.8 and to have zoom back in my life.
-Jack
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Shots look good, Jack. Looks like you're getting pretty good subject isolation like you were hoping. Concerning the missed shots. Have you examined them in DPP to see which AF points were active in the frame to see if the focus had wandered off your target?
I understand why you use the single AF point with eight-point expansion. I'm curious though if you've tried single point acquisition with the entire field of AF points enabled. I know that may sound heretical at first, but that way your subject can travel all around your frame and still stay locked-on. You also get a lot more leeway in your composition that way. If you don't already do this, you set "AF Point Display during focus" to ALL, and now you can watch your AF points dancing over your subject as its tracking and know instantly if you lose your subject. It took me a few minutes to find it, but the 7DMKII has a new parameter called "Initial AFpt" which you'll want set to manual so that you have full control over your initial focus point, but you probably figured that out already.
Kdog, I will try that next. I imagine the iTR is supposed to make that technique viable. Old habits die hard!
Actually I did another test today on my daughter running towards me, in and out of shadows with a bright and busy background. I changed the 1st and 2nd image focus/speed priority from "equal" to "focus". I didn't notice the fps slow down any, but the AF seemed a bit better. Out of 31 shots I counted 3 oof, 7 acceptable, and 21 good to perfect. So about 90% keepers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-Jack
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Ever since purchasing this camera I've had some type of atmospherical disturbance follow me wherever I've traveled. Can't wait for sunshine or a clear night to photograph. Very overcast and about 6:45 ish. Here are a few from a quick trip to Lancaster PA. All except the two buggies were shot focusing thru the car windshield (which you're never supposed to do). All were aperture priority. I can't say how much I hate Canon's conversion program DPP. Can't seem to get anything to pop.
First 4 shot at ISO 1600.....Wedding at 4000 All of the images I've posted were straight out of camera with a tad of DPP applied. No photoshop. Lancaster shots from 7 to 7:30am and watching out for electrified fences.
Today's weather.....see what I mean about atmospherical disturbances. Friday expecting clear weather for playoff game so hopefully some night shots of the game.
When viewing an image magnified, turn the large rear click wheel with your right thumb to scroll between pictures, at the same magnification. Turn the top main wheel with your right index finger to change magnification. There you go, all right-hand-only image reviewing.
It's like this on the 5D3 also. I don't remember about earlier cameras.
Personally on the 7D2 I'd recommend 4x, as I think actual size can make you think pics are unacceptably soft when they will actually look fine on the computer.
I think I might have confused the terms "image review" and "image playback", however rest assured this is NOT my first rodeo. ;-)
Grab your 7D mk2 / 5D mk3, and click a new picture, then immediately zoom in using the SET button customization. ...You CAN'T scroll between images, because the command dials are still dedicated to exposure control.
Only upon hitting the "play" button, or half-pressing your shutter to turn off the rear LCD first, can you then zoom in and scroll from picture to picture.
This type of thing may not be noticed by most, and may even be considered an advantage to others, but my point was that it's a functionality that is set in stone, and that is unfortunate.
By the way, I do indeed prefer to go to 100% with all my zooming settings; I know that some people talk about how pics can appear soft when viewed too closely, but I don't seem to have this issue. For anyone who is interested, I outlined a couple of the ways I combat this issue here: http://www.slrlounge.com/six-tips-dslr-autofocus-sharper-images-qa/
Joel, could you help me understand this technique if you get a chance. I'm having a hard time figuring it out, but it sounds great. Is it simply for servo mode? How do you control the initial focus point? Sorry, I'm very confused
Yeah, it is confusing. It's actually easier to set up on the 5DIII because the 7DII has a bunch of new additional settings that have to all be configured right.
What I'm about to describe is really great for sports and to a lesser degree BIFs, although it may be the best way for them too. It's a shame that it's so hard to get to, but I believe this is *the* most powerful way to exploit the incredible autofocus system of these cameras.
So let me review the hallmarks of this technique.
Point 1: Single initial focus point so that you can precisely choose your subject even in a busy frame. You don't need to use center point for this either. You can move it to any of the AF points in the frame, just as you would in single-shot shooting.
Point 2: Enable ALL 65 AF points for AF tracking. That way your initial target can move anywhere in your field of AF and you can constantly adjust your composition to say include the other players on the field, or to keep the bird in the sweet spot of the frame, etc. You have 65 AF points, use 'em! Forget all that zone stuff, at this point I really don't see a use for it. Now you may be thinking that with all those AF points enabled that the camera will be making decisions for you that you don't want it to make. But read on to see how you can guide it to do precisely what you want it to do.
Point 3: Enable display of focus AF points. This is key. That way you can now *see* exactly where the focus AF points are and watch them dance on your subject as it moves around in the frame and also to see instantly if they wander off. If they wander off, then you simply reacquire your initial focus point and start tracking again. It's so fun to use, it feels like a video game.
Here are the settings.
- Use the buttons on your camera (not a menu) to set your AF area to 65 Point Auto. Page 79 of the manual.
- In the AF menu, set Selectable AF Point to 65 point (I believe that's the default).
- Set Initial Afpt to manual. This is crucial because it's what allows you to choose the initial focus target and not the camera. When this is enabled, you should be able to see that line around all the focus points in the viewfinder which shows you're in 65 point mode, but you should also see the square box around just the initial focus point. You can use the joy stick or other buttons to move that to any of the 65 points in the frame, just like you would in single-shot mode.
- Set Auto AF Pt Sel to "on". This enables the super tracking mode (color, shape, etc).
- Set AF point display during focus to "ALL (constant)".
- Use any AF "case" you want. Doesn't matter.
I highly recommend using the back-focus button and disable focus on the shutter button. Look through the viewfinder and place the initial focus point box on your subject, press and hold the af button with your thumb and watch the video game begin. You'll see any number of focus points dancing around on your subject. Then while still holding the af button with your thumb, just snap away with the shutter button to your hearts content.
It takes some practice because there's a lot going on. You're watching your comp with regard to your subject, plus watching the dancing dots to make sure they're staying with your subject. If they wander off, just reacquire and keep shooting. Pretty much every shot is a keeper this way. It will really revolutionize your action shooting.
Here's a shot from a family and friends indoor soccer match as part of a recent Bat Mitzvah I shot using the 5DMKIII. That's the Bat Mitzvah girl going in for the kill shot in a crowded frame with everybody moving. Camera stayed dutifully locked onto to my target.
That's ISO6400 btw, on the 5DIII. The 7DII tracking should be even better!
Shots look good, Jack. Looks like you're getting pretty good subject isolation like you were hoping. Concerning the missed shots. Have you examined them in DPP to see which AF points were active in the frame to see if the focus had wandered off your target?
I understand why you use the single AF point with eight-point expansion. I'm curious though if you've tried single point acquisition with the entire field of AF points enabled. I know that may sound heretical at first, but that way your subject can travel all around your frame and still stay locked-on. You also get a lot more leeway in your composition that way. If you don't already do this, you set "AF Point Display during focus" to ALL, and now you can watch your AF points dancing over your subject as its tracking and know instantly if you lose your subject. It took me a few minutes to find it, but the 7DMKII has a new parameter called "Initial AFpt" which you'll want set to manual so that you have full control over your initial focus point, but you probably figured that out already.
Yeah, it is confusing. It's actually easier to set up on the 5DIII because the 7DII has a bunch of new additional settings that have to all be configured right.
What I'm about to describe is really great for sports and to a lesser degree BIFs, although it may be the best way for them too. It's a shame that it's so hard to get to, but I believe this is *the* most powerful way to exploit the incredible autofocus system of these cameras.
So let me review the hallmarks of this technique.
Point 1: Single initial focus point so that you can precisely choose your subject even in a busy frame. You don't need to use center point for this either. You can move it to any of the AF points in the frame, just as you would in single-shot shooting.
Point 2: Enable ALL 65 AF points for AF tracking. That way your initial target can move anywhere in your field of AF and you can constantly adjust your composition to say include the other players on the field, or to keep the bird in the sweet spot of the frame, etc. You have 65 AF points, use 'em! Forget all that zone stuff, at this point I really don't see a use for it. Now you may be thinking that with all those AF points enabled, that the camera will be making decisions for you that you don't want it to make. But read on to see why you can guide it to do precisely what you want it to do.
Point 3: Enable display of focus AF points. This is key. That way you can now *see* exactly where the focus AF points are and watch them dance on your subject as it moves around in the frame and also to see instantly if they wander off. If they wander off, then you simply reacquire your initial focus point and start tracking again. It's so fun to use, it feels like a video game.
Here are the settings.
- Use the buttons on your camera (not a menu) to set your AF area to 65 Point Auto. Page 79 of the manual.
- In the AF menu, set Selectable AF Point to 65 point (I believe that's the default).
- Set Initial Afpt to manual. This is crucial because it's what allows you to choose the initial focus target and not the camera. When this is enabled, you should be able to see that line around all the focus points in the viewfinder which shows you're in 65 point mode, but you should also see the square box around just the initial focus point. You can use the joy stick or other buttons to move that to any of the 65 points in the frame, just like you would in single-shot mode.
- Set Auto AF Pt Sel to "on". This enables the super tracking mode (color, shape, etc).
- Set AF point display during focus to "ALL (constant)".
- Use any AF "case" you want. Doesn't matter.
I highly recommend using the back-focus button and disable focus on the shutter button. Look through the viewfinder and place the initial focus point box on your subject, press and hold the af button with your thumb and watch the video game begin. You'll see any number of focus points dancing around on your subject. Then while still holding the af button with your thumb, just snap away with the shutter button to your hearts content.
It takes some practice because there's a lot going on. You're watching your comp with regard to your subject, plus watching the dancing dots to make sure they're staying with your subject. If they wander off, just reacquire and keep shooting. Pretty much every shot is a keeper this way. It will really revolutionize your action shooting.
Here's a shot from a family and friends indoor soccer match as part of a recent Bat Mitzvah I shot using the 5DMKIII. That's the Bat Mitzvah girl going in for the kill shot in a crowded frame with everybody moving. Camera stayed dutifully locked onto to my target.
That's ISO6400 btw, on the 5DIII. The 7DII tracking should be even better!
clap Thanks so much
PS: I see how this is great for sports action, but I don't think it would be useful for BIF
It is because it lets you follow birds behind branches of trees low to the horizon - I do this with my 1Dx frequently, and the AF for the 7D MKii shares this ability
That wedding shot is at ISO 4000? (just confirming) did DPP apply any denoise or is that straight out of camera? It looks amazingly clean
Yes ISO 4000 and the rgb panel sharpness was at 0 otherwise only brightness and that box that looks like a traditional levels adjustment were used. I did not adjust any other parameters.
I think I might have confused the terms "image review" and "image playback", however rest assured this is NOT my first rodeo. ;-)
Grab your 7D mk2 / 5D mk3, and click a new picture, then immediately zoom in using the SET button customization. ...You CAN'T scroll between images, because the command dials are still dedicated to exposure control.
Only upon hitting the "play" button, or half-pressing your shutter to turn off the rear LCD first, can you then zoom in and scroll from picture to picture.
This type of thing may not be noticed by most, and may even be considered an advantage to others, but my point was that it's a functionality that is set in stone, and that is unfortunate.
By the way, I do indeed prefer to go to 100% with all my zooming settings; I know that some people talk about how pics can appear soft when viewed too closely, but I don't seem to have this issue. For anyone who is interested, I outlined a couple of the ways I combat this issue here: http://www.slrlounge.com/six-tips-dslr-autofocus-sharper-images-qa/
=Matt=
Matt, I've tried what you said to do on the 7d mkii and I can scroll from pic to pic while it was zoomed in but all the other photos have the zoomed in view also. Did I miss something.
It is because it lets you follow birds behind branches of trees low to the horizon - I do this with my 1Dx frequently, and the AF for the 7D MKii shares this ability
I have two 7D MkIIs ordered and 2 7Ds to sell.
Right. That and also if you're shooting BIFs in the sky, it's a huge advantage to using all 65 AF points to acquire and track it rather than trying to keep a center point or even zone on it. For shooting BIFs against the sky, I'd turn off the manual AF point and just let the camera find the bird.
Point 1: Single initial focus point so that you can precisely choose your subject even in a busy frame. You don't need to use center point for this either. You can move it to any of the AF points in the frame, just as you would in single-shot shooting.
Point 2: Enable ALL 65 AF points for AF tracking. That way your initial target can move anywhere in your field of AF and you can constantly adjust ur composition to say include the other players on the field, or to keep the bird in the sweet spot of the frame, etc. You have 65 AF points, use 'em! Forget all that zone stuff, at this point I really don't see a use for it. Now you may be thinking that with all those AF points enabled, that the camera will be making decisions for you that you don't want it to make. But read on to see why you can guide it to do precisely what you want it to do.
Point 3: Enable display of focus AF points. This is key. That way you can now *see* exactly where the focus AF points are and watch them dance on your subject as it moves around in the frame and also to see instantly if they wander off. If they wander off, then you simply reacquire your initial focus point and start tracking again. It's so fun to use, it feels like a video game.
Here are the settings.
- Use the buttons on your camera (not a menu) to set your AF area to 65 Point Auto. Page 79 of the manual.
- In the AF menu, set Selectable AF Point to 65 point (I believe that's the default).
- Set Initial Afpt to manual. This is crucial because it's what allows you to choose the initial focus target and not the camera. When this is enabled, you should be able to see that line around all the focus points in the viewfinder which shows you're in 65 point mode, but you should also see the square box around just the initial focus point. You can use the joy stick or other buttons to move that to any of the 65 points in the frame, just like you would in single-shot mode.
- Set Auto AF Pt Sel to "on". This enables the super tracking mode (color, shape, etc).
- Set AF point display during focus to "ALL (constant)".
- Use any AF "case" you want. Doesn't matter.
I highly recommend using the back-focus button and disable focus on the shutter button. Look through the viewfinder and place the initial focus point box on your subject, press and hold the af button with your thumb and watch the video game begin. You'll see any number of focus points dancing around on your subject. Then while still holding the af button with your thumb, just snap away with the shutter button to your hearts content.
Tried this but I guess I could not follow the directions.......need more help. Thanks for your efforts in this.
Comments
pp
http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/thorsten_milse_on_the_eos_7d_mark_ii.do?utm_source=newsletter_november_1_14&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter
Flickr
I have been recently following this site. Interested in what other thinks about their testing results for products in general.
They recently completed their testing of 7DMkII.
http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-7D-Mk-II-review-Low-ISO-performance-lags-behind-rivals
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Just picked up my 7D2 at lunch time, woohoo!
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Please do remember that DXOMark.com reviews use DXO RAW converters with their own demosaicing algorithms and profiles. Unless you use the same DXO software and settings, your results may be different. (In particular, the DXO tests seem to correlate pretty well to recent Adobe software when comparing products from the same manufacturer. Tests between different camera manufacturers' products are often somewhat different and you would need to find tests using "your" RAW converter and demosaicing algorithms and profiles to make a fairer comparison.)
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Whatever. DxO similarly puts the Nikon D810 sensor in another league from the Canon 5DMKIII, and yet it's well known that high ISO video from of the 5DMKIII blows the D810 away. Why is that? Link: http://www.diyphotography.net/canon-5d-mark-iii-goes-head-to-head-with-a-nikon-d810-which-one-is-the-winner/
Here's a review that claims the 7DMKII has better low/mid range ISO performance than the D7100, just the opposite of what DxO claims. The comment is made starting at 4:35. http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/11/05/canon-eos-7d-mark-ii-review/
So honestly, comparing sensors in a vacuum is an interesting datapoint, but it's not telling the whole story by a long shot.
Link to my Smugmug site
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EOS-7D-Mark-II.aspx
Just a few of his comments from that page:
"While it may be a second camera for many professionals, the feature-to-price ratio of this camera is going to make it the first choice camera for many professionals."
"Truth is, I expected to see no difference between the 7D II and 70D results until at least ISO 1600 or 3200. Most of Canon's recent camera releases showed most of their ISO noise improvements at the upper range of their available ISO settings. However, after looking at this comparison many times, I see very slightly cleaner results from the 7D II starting at the base ISO of 100 with the advantage growing with ISO setting increase. This difference is slight through ISO 400.
At ISO 800 and 1600, the difference, while still not huge, is more easily recognized. The 7D II's advantage grows stronger at ISO 3200 and 6400. I have typically avoided these ISO settings on prior APS-C models, but I'm pleased to see ISO 3200 looking this good."
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Here's a quick one of my 9yo that I grabbed this morning while she was lounging on her yogibo.
ISO 800
or peep the original.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Between two games right now, will post more later.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
www.cameraone.biz
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Yep. After a weekend of shooting two engagements and a wedding, I officially deem the 7D mk2 totally full-frame competitive for wedding photographers who hang out at ISO 3200 all night. This camera is freaking awesome!
I only wish they'd get around to fixing the stupid image review scrolling functionality. It's awesome that you can finally customize the SET button to zoom to 100%, (like Nikon has had for almost a decade now) ...but the inability to quickly scroll back through the other images is infuriating. With Nikon, command dials are MUCH more programmable across the board, and I personally can't live without this...
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
Glad to hear it. I've only taken a few test shots at 3200 with mine and I'll agree.
Menu -> Custom Functions page 3 -> Custom Controls -> change the Set button to the magnifying glass.
Menu -> Playback page -> Magnification -> set to "Actual Size" or whatever you want.
When viewing an image magnified, turn the large rear click wheel with your right thumb to scroll between pictures, at the same magnification. Turn the top main wheel with your right index finger to change magnification. There you go, all right-hand-only image reviewing.
It's like this on the 5D3 also. I don't remember about earlier cameras.
Personally on the 7D2 I'd recommend 4x, as I think actual size can make you think pics are unacceptably soft when they will actually look fine on the computer.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
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Overall I was very pleased. However coming from a 5D3, the AF is not new to me. 10fps is though, and the shutter sounds very nicely damped and robust, better than the 5D3's metallic clink. Also the fps does not seem to slow down as the battery drains, like the 5D3's does. That's huge. I don't think it's advisable to view images at 100% view on the LCD on the back of the camera. I set the magnifying glass button to go right to "Actual Size" when pressed. This caused some consternation, as many shots seemed OOF on the camera that were actually fine on the computer. However there still were some shots that the camera seemed to miss for no reason. I think the 5D3 is a bit better at AF in very low contrast situations. This day was mostly overcast, but in the moments the sun poked through, the AF seemed to shift into overdrive. Also these uniforms can be tough, there is a lot of blank space on them. I used my usual one AF point with expansion (8 neighboring points active), and AF Case 3 (the one with the soccer player icon). I think I am spoiled by the consistent pixel-level sharpness of Full Frame, but when the camera really nails the shot, I can't distinguish it from my 5D3. All in all this is an extremely capable sports camera. Much better than my old 7D in every way. I am thrilled to have 10fps and to not have to lug the massive 300/2.8 and to have zoom back in my life.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I understand why you use the single AF point with eight-point expansion. I'm curious though if you've tried single point acquisition with the entire field of AF points enabled. I know that may sound heretical at first, but that way your subject can travel all around your frame and still stay locked-on. You also get a lot more leeway in your composition that way. If you don't already do this, you set "AF Point Display during focus" to ALL, and now you can watch your AF points dancing over your subject as its tracking and know instantly if you lose your subject. It took me a few minutes to find it, but the 7DMKII has a new parameter called "Initial AFpt" which you'll want set to manual so that you have full control over your initial focus point, but you probably figured that out already.
Link to my Smugmug site
The ability of AF to follow despite branches being closer than the subject is quite stunning as well.
The built in GPS is just a freebie! But a very nice convenient one!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Actually I did another test today on my daughter running towards me, in and out of shadows with a bright and busy background. I changed the 1st and 2nd image focus/speed priority from "equal" to "focus". I didn't notice the fps slow down any, but the AF seemed a bit better. Out of 31 shots I counted 3 oof, 7 acceptable, and 21 good to perfect. So about 90% keepers.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
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www.cameraone.biz
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An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
I think I might have confused the terms "image review" and "image playback", however rest assured this is NOT my first rodeo. ;-)
Grab your 7D mk2 / 5D mk3, and click a new picture, then immediately zoom in using the SET button customization. ...You CAN'T scroll between images, because the command dials are still dedicated to exposure control.
Only upon hitting the "play" button, or half-pressing your shutter to turn off the rear LCD first, can you then zoom in and scroll from picture to picture.
This type of thing may not be noticed by most, and may even be considered an advantage to others, but my point was that it's a functionality that is set in stone, and that is unfortunate.
By the way, I do indeed prefer to go to 100% with all my zooming settings; I know that some people talk about how pics can appear soft when viewed too closely, but I don't seem to have this issue. For anyone who is interested, I outlined a couple of the ways I combat this issue here: http://www.slrlounge.com/six-tips-dslr-autofocus-sharper-images-qa/
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
What I'm about to describe is really great for sports and to a lesser degree BIFs, although it may be the best way for them too. It's a shame that it's so hard to get to, but I believe this is *the* most powerful way to exploit the incredible autofocus system of these cameras.
So let me review the hallmarks of this technique.
Point 1: Single initial focus point so that you can precisely choose your subject even in a busy frame. You don't need to use center point for this either. You can move it to any of the AF points in the frame, just as you would in single-shot shooting.
Point 2: Enable ALL 65 AF points for AF tracking. That way your initial target can move anywhere in your field of AF and you can constantly adjust your composition to say include the other players on the field, or to keep the bird in the sweet spot of the frame, etc. You have 65 AF points, use 'em! Forget all that zone stuff, at this point I really don't see a use for it. Now you may be thinking that with all those AF points enabled that the camera will be making decisions for you that you don't want it to make. But read on to see how you can guide it to do precisely what you want it to do.
Point 3: Enable display of focus AF points. This is key. That way you can now *see* exactly where the focus AF points are and watch them dance on your subject as it moves around in the frame and also to see instantly if they wander off. If they wander off, then you simply reacquire your initial focus point and start tracking again. It's so fun to use, it feels like a video game.
Here are the settings.
- Use the buttons on your camera (not a menu) to set your AF area to 65 Point Auto. Page 79 of the manual.
- In the AF menu, set Selectable AF Point to 65 point (I believe that's the default).
- Set Initial Afpt to manual. This is crucial because it's what allows you to choose the initial focus target and not the camera. When this is enabled, you should be able to see that line around all the focus points in the viewfinder which shows you're in 65 point mode, but you should also see the square box around just the initial focus point. You can use the joy stick or other buttons to move that to any of the 65 points in the frame, just like you would in single-shot mode.
- Set Auto AF Pt Sel to "on". This enables the super tracking mode (color, shape, etc).
- Set AF point display during focus to "ALL (constant)".
- Use any AF "case" you want. Doesn't matter.
I highly recommend using the back-focus button and disable focus on the shutter button. Look through the viewfinder and place the initial focus point box on your subject, press and hold the af button with your thumb and watch the video game begin. You'll see any number of focus points dancing around on your subject. Then while still holding the af button with your thumb, just snap away with the shutter button to your hearts content.
It takes some practice because there's a lot going on. You're watching your comp with regard to your subject, plus watching the dancing dots to make sure they're staying with your subject. If they wander off, just reacquire and keep shooting. Pretty much every shot is a keeper this way. It will really revolutionize your action shooting.
Here's a shot from a family and friends indoor soccer match as part of a recent Bat Mitzvah I shot using the 5DMKIII. That's the Bat Mitzvah girl going in for the kill shot in a crowded frame with everybody moving. Camera stayed dutifully locked onto to my target.
That's ISO6400 btw, on the 5DIII. The 7DII tracking should be even better!
Link to my Smugmug site
PS: I see how this is great for sports action, but I don't think it would be useful for BIF
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I have two 7D MkIIs ordered and 2 7Ds to sell.
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Yes ISO 4000 and the rgb panel sharpness was at 0 otherwise only brightness and that box that looks like a traditional levels adjustment were used. I did not adjust any other parameters.
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Matt, I've tried what you said to do on the 7d mkii and I can scroll from pic to pic while it was zoomed in but all the other photos have the zoomed in view also. Did I miss something.
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Link to my Smugmug site
Point 2: Enable ALL 65 AF points for AF tracking. That way your initial target can move anywhere in your field of AF and you can constantly adjust ur composition to say include the other players on the field, or to keep the bird in the sweet spot of the frame, etc. You have 65 AF points, use 'em! Forget all that zone stuff, at this point I really don't see a use for it. Now you may be thinking that with all those AF points enabled, that the camera will be making decisions for you that you don't want it to make. But read on to see why you can guide it to do precisely what you want it to do.
Point 3: Enable display of focus AF points. This is key. That way you can now *see* exactly where the focus AF points are and watch them dance on your subject as it moves around in the frame and also to see instantly if they wander off. If they wander off, then you simply reacquire your initial focus point and start tracking again. It's so fun to use, it feels like a video game.
Here are the settings.
- Use the buttons on your camera (not a menu) to set your AF area to 65 Point Auto. Page 79 of the manual.
- In the AF menu, set Selectable AF Point to 65 point (I believe that's the default).
- Set Initial Afpt to manual. This is crucial because it's what allows you to choose the initial focus target and not the camera. When this is enabled, you should be able to see that line around all the focus points in the viewfinder which shows you're in 65 point mode, but you should also see the square box around just the initial focus point. You can use the joy stick or other buttons to move that to any of the 65 points in the frame, just like you would in single-shot mode.
- Set Auto AF Pt Sel to "on". This enables the super tracking mode (color, shape, etc).
- Set AF point display during focus to "ALL (constant)".
- Use any AF "case" you want. Doesn't matter.
I highly recommend using the back-focus button and disable focus on the shutter button. Look through the viewfinder and place the initial focus point box on your subject, press and hold the af button with your thumb and watch the video game begin. You'll see any number of focus points dancing around on your subject. Then while still holding the af button with your thumb, just snap away with the shutter button to your hearts content.
Tried this but I guess I could not follow the directions.......need more help. Thanks for your efforts in this.
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