<H1>Canon EOS-7D Mk II vs. Nikon D7100</H1>

Nikon announced their D7100 camera a few weeks ago and now it is in stock in many camera stores across the globe. A mid range, cropped frame camera for 'advanced enthusiasts' and is the flagship of their DX format DSLR lineup. The list price in the United States is $1,200 for the body and $1,600 when bundled with a 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.

Nikon D7100 key features :

• 24.1MP DX format CMOS sensor, with no OLPF
• EXPEED 3 processing
• ISO 100-6400 standard, up to 25600 expanded
• Max 6 fps continuous shooting in DX mode, 7 fps in 1.3X crop mode
• 51 point AF system, 15 sensors cross type
• 2016 pixel RGB metering sensor
• Two SD memory card slots
• Spot white balance in live view mode
• 1080 60i/30p video recording, built-in stereo mic, mic jack and audio monitoring jack
• Pentaprism with 100% coverage and 0.94X magnification
• 3.2", 1.2m-dot LCD screen (640 x 480 X RGBW)
• Front and rear IR receivers
• Equivalent water and dust resistance to D800/D300S

The current EOS-7D is over three years old and has been my pick as the best DSLR camera value on the market for years. You can read my review here but the camera's technology is getting old and its Achilles' heel is the mediocre high ISO performance. There are different prototypes of the EOS-7D Mk II out there and they have been spotted now and then. This is nothing unusual and Canon may not have finalized on which model to produce, including the exact specifications and the MP of the sensor. The EOS-7D Mk II will be the leader of the pack for Canon's APS-C lineup. It will borrow technologies from the unparalleled EOS-1D X camera and the EOS-6D.

Possible Specifications of the EOS-7D Mk II camera :

• 24 MP APS-C Sensor ( Too many, if true. I prefer 20 MP )
• Dual DIGIC 5+ processors ( Excellent for speed processing )
• 10 fps ( Most welcomed by me ) 
• Dual Memory Card Slots ( One CF and one SD. I prefer 2 CF slots )
• 61 AF Points ( Perhaps the same as the EOS-1D X )
• 3.2″ LCD monitor ( Excellent for viewing images )
• Similar build quality as the EOS-5D Mk III with much better weather proofing
• GPS and WiFi ( Not necessary, in my opinion ) 
• ISO Performance may equal EOS-5D Mk III ( Most welcomed by me )
• Plenty of latest video features borrowed from current Canon models
• List price around $2,000 in the United States. Not finalized yet

While the Canon EOS-7D Mk II should not be directly compared to the Nikon D7100 due to the expected difference in list prices, the two cameras will be similar in many other ways. Canon may choose to match the D7100 sensor and up the ante by adding GPS and WiFi to the EOS-7D Mk II to justify the higher price. I hope this will not happen. The EOS-7D is a fine camera by sticking to just the basics and providing great value to photographers. The Mk II model should improve on the Mk I's weakness, namely the high ISO performance and come with updated tweaks like the dual DIGIC 5 processors and 10 fps burst rate. 

We should hear more about the EOS-7D Mk II as the launch date approaches, should be some time in the early second half of the year. In the meantime, you can visit my website MichaelDanielHo.com to see travel and wildlife photos taken with the current EOS-7D camera.