Canon 7D Mk II officially announced with 65-point AF, overhauled 20-megapixel sensor
A whole host of improvements make the Mk II look like a worthy successor to the original 7D
The announcement might have been spoilt by a last minute leak late last week, but that didn’t stop Canon from using its Photokina press conference to officially reveal the 7D Mk II – a new high-end digital SLR designed with wildlife and sports photographers in mind.
Built to replace the ageing EOS 7D, which first went on sale in 2009, the Mk II has a slew of upgrades, including a brand new 65-point autofocus system paired with a 20.2-megapixel APS-C format CMOS sensor and dual DIGIC6 image processors. It might have the same number of pixels as the 70D, but Canon says it’s an entirely new sensor, to which it has added a 150k pixel RGB and IR metering sensor.
All combined, you’ll be able to shoot full resolution bursts at 10fps, either up to 31 RAW captures or until you fill the memory card when shooting in JPEG. That’s across an ISO range of 100-16,000 (extendable all the way up to 51,200) – the highest non-expanded range of any existing Canon digital SLR.
Considering the outgoing model makes do with an 18-megapixel sensor, 19-point autofocus, 8fps continuous shooting and 6,400 native ISO, the Mk II is a serious upgrade.
The company has paid close attention to video with the Mk II, so you’ll be able to shoot Full HD footage in MOV or MP4 formats, at up to 60p in NTSC mode or 50p in PAL. There are microphone and headphone ports, plus you can use the HDMI port to send an uncompressed 4:2:2 feed to an external recorder.
Canon has also squeezed in a GPS module for geo-tagging your shots, a new 100% coverage viewfinder and an integrated Speedlite transmitter for controlling external flashes in-camera.
Canon says the 7D Mk II should be going on sale in the UK from November, with an RRP of around £1599.99 for the body only. There’s currently no word on whether official lens bundles are also on their way.
We’re planning to get a more hands-on impression of the camera when Photokina kicks off tomorrow, so be sure to check back for our first look.