But we don’t see the 7D Mark II as appealing to those who value filmmaking over still photography: there’s no 4K and cameras like the Panasonic Lumix GH4 offer more flexibility and performance in a smaller, cheaper body. The videos themselves are impressive, and we found the autofocus (should you leave it on) works nicely during filming.
Videos can be taken at 480p, 720p and 1080p quality at up to 60fps with stereo sound, and the camera has an external microphone port if you want clearer audio. In tricky lighting, with both bright and dark areas in the frame, you can use the decent built-in HDR mode that combines three shots to produce nicely exposed images. In good lighting photos are superbly detailed, with natural-looking colours, smooth gradations and no sign of noise. The 7D Mark II isn’t being billed as a low-light master, however, and if you want to shoot in the dark you’d be better served by a full-frame camera like the Sony A7R, Nikon D750 or Canon’s own 5D Mark III. Images look acceptably clean and crisp at up to ISO 6400, and straying above this setting will yield patchy, grain-laden photos. We used the camera with two high-quality Canon L lenses (a 30mm f/1.4 and a 24-70mm f/2.8) and found that we were able to get excellent results in very murky indoor conditions. The 7D Mark II has a new 20.2MP APS-C sensor and a much wider ISO range than its predecessor, going all the way up to ISO 51,200 in its extended mode. Thanks to the thoughtfully laid-out, plentiful controls, the huge, bright optical viewfinder, and nice touches like the locking mode dial and monochrome top-plate LCD (all of which are carried over from the 7D), the 7D Mark II feels like a DSLR that’ll won’t let down pros or enthusiastic amateurs on the design or construction front. The magnesium alloy body is reassuringly sturdy and weighty in your hands, and weather-sealing on the ports and buttons means you can use the 7D Mark II on a rainy or snowy day without fearing for its innards. The original 7D was a well-designed and very well-built camera, and that’s happily been carried over to its successor. None of these changes could be described as earth-shattering, but all are welcome. The rear LCD has been given a small quality bump to improve clarity and detail. Flip up the side flap and you’ll find a USB 3.0 port for faster image and video transfer (images are still stored on SD and/or CompactFlash card).
The 7D Mark II looks a lot like the original version, but there are a number of minor changes to the design: control-wise, there’s a new thumb-controlled dial slider on the back that can be customised to tweak manual shooting criteria, as well as a new Q Menu button on the right of the rear LCD.