Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon’s update to the five-year-old 7D offers a new image sensor, Full HD video and an enticing 65-point autofocus system

ive years after the EOS 7D, Canon has introduced its update. The EOS 7D Mark II has 10fps continuous shooting, 2fps faster than its predecessor; a new 20.2MP sensor; and a sophisticated 65-point (all cross-type) autofocus system. The EOS 7D Mark II also uses Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology to provide faster, more decisive autofocus in Live View mode than you can get from regular contrast-detection AF systems.

This will be especially useful for movies – and the EOS 7D Mark II gets a boost here, too. It can shoot Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) footage at frame rates up to 60p, and it offers uncompressed 4:2:2 HDMI output to external recorders. There’s also an external mic socket and a headphone socket.

While some may be disappointed that the 7D Mark II only raises the pixel count from 18

Fmillion to 20.2 million, it’s worth remembering that the new sensor is much more modern and has improved light capturing power. The new sensor also brings a much higher maximum sensitivity than the original 7D, up from ISO 6,400 to ISO 16,000 – though this can be expanded to ISO 51,200 if required.

The weatherproof EOS 7D Mark II looks and feels very impressive. The only disappointment is that Canon has not included Wi-Fi connectivity. Canon claims the camera’s metal construction would hamper Wi-Fi performance.

That 65-point AF system looks the business; there’s a useful boost in video-capture capabilities.

No Wi-Fi for wireless remote control – although at least Canon is offering an excuse.