Canon Announces the EOS 7D Mark II â” Sports and Wildlife Photographers Hold on to Your Hats (ya know, if we actually wore hats)
First, watch that video above (it's got all the major specs, and we deliver them short and sweet!), then come on back down to find out why I think the just-announced Canon EOS 7D Mark II is literally going to shake up the entire sports and wildlife photography world (hint: we've never seen a camera with these specs, at this low a price â” ever!)
OK, thanks for watching the video â” what you just saw was literally the little brother to Canon's flagship 1DX, but for nearly $5,000 LESS!!!
The reason why this is such a game changer is that when it came to seriously shooting sports and wildlife so many people were literally left out of the game because of the cost of the type of camera you need to shoot at that level, but with Canon putting a camera out there with these specs, at just $1,799 â” today all that changed and the playing field has been leveled (no pun intended). Hey, before we get deep into this, I just want to throw out one spec that blew my mind. 10-frames-per-second! (Drops the mic. Walks off stage). ;-)
I think one of the biggest advantages this new camera has (and a lot of folks might not realize this at first), is that it's a crop-sensor camera, so it brings you 60% closer to the action than a similar full-frame camera. This allows us to use less expensive lenses and still get in really tight, so the 7D Mark II doesn't just change the equation for the body; it lets you get closer to the action with less expensive lenses. I think not making this a full frame camera may have been Canon's most brilliant move.
Sports photography legend Peter Read Miller, renowned wildlife photographer Adam Jones, and I were all I lucky to have had a chance to spend some serious time with this camera before its release and it's everything they say it is (and then some). We were all just blown away. These guys totally knew how this was going to change the game for sports and wildlife shooters, and they were just as amazed as I was at the specs and price point. I take my hat off to Canon for taking the risk and doing what needed to be done, in releasing the 7D Mark II with these specs at this price.
Canon's got all the detailed specs (and is taking preorders) over at their site.
Also B&H Photo (I buy all my gear there) is taking pre-orders starting today (the camera is set to ship in early November). Here's that link. If you want a complete list of Canon's authorized dealers that sell the camera, go to this link (I’m very linky today).
Well, that's the big news from here â” hope you all have a game-changing Monday and we'll see you back here tomorrow!
Best,
-Scott
P.S. Although I know Canon aimed the specs of the 7D Mark II at the sports and wildlife crowd, it'll take a photo of whatever you point it at. I did a bridal shoot with it (you can see some of my bridal shots in that video at the :56 mark and around 2:30) and it absolutely rocked! A lot of folks outside of sports/wildlife fields will fall in love with this camera big time.