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Monday, July 7, 2014

Canon EOS-7D Mk II Announcement - First week of September






I am back from my photo shoot in the high Arctic. It is not the best Arctic shoot I had but such is the vicissitudes of wildlife photography. Just trying to get back to my normal routine and catch up on some of the latest photography developments while I was away and process some new photos.

The announcement of the Canon EOS-7D Mk II is fast approaching, perhaps not fast enough for some, after almost 5 years of waiting. I have checked with my sources again upon my return and they have further informal 'chats' with photographers using the test cameras. Although the testers do not have access to all the specs of the prototypes, they are not 'disagreeing' too much with the specs I have speculated on my previous posts.

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

  • 20+ MP APS-C Sensor ( With new, breakthrough technology. Stay tuned )
  • Advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology
  • Dual DIGIC 5+ processors ( Excellent for speed processing )
  • 8 - 10 fps ( Most welcomed by me ) 
  • Dual Memory Card Slots ( One CF and one SD. I prefer 2 CF slots )
  • 45 -61 AF Points ( Perhaps similar to EOS-1D Mk IV and X )
  • 3.2″ LCD monitor ( Excellent for reviewing images )
  • 100% coverage viewfinder. Magnification 1.15
  • Similar build quality as the EOS-5D Mk III with improved weather proofing
  • Comes with GPS and WiFi ( Not necessary, in my opinion ) 
  • ISO Performance may equal EOS-5D Mk III ( Most welcomed by me )
  • Latest video features similar but more advanced than EOS-70D 
  • Selling price between $2,000 to $2,199. Not finalized yet
  • May be announced with EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens

As reported in my earlier posts, the new camera may look a 'baby' EOS-1. The mode dial found on all non EOS-1 DSLR bodies may be gone, replaced by a top plate, with a bigger bump than the current EOS-7D and similar to the EOS-1D X.

The current EOS-7D is an excellent piece of equipment and my pick, four years in a row as the best value in APS-C camera. I am most interested in the Mk II's new sensor and AF system plus high ISO capability. The EOS-7D Mk II will be Canon's most important camera announcement this year and they are pulling out all the stops. The photographers who are using the test cameras at the World's Cup have all signed Non Disclosure Agreements but the expiration date will be the first week of September. This means the people who have tested the camera are not bound by the 'secrecy act' any more and can freely discuss and divulge all they know about the new camera. The best guess of the expected release date of the EOS-7D Mk II will be the end of the first week of September, possibly together with another highly anticipated announcement, the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens.

This will give Canon and their surrogates plenty of time to gear up for the big marketing blitz leading up to the Photokina Show on September 12 in Cologne, Germany. You can see my works with the present camera from worldwide photo shoots on MichaelDanielHo.com. Keep checking back for the latest info and development.

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