Update: More about the issue here.

This is a pretty weird rumor, but since it comes from a good source I decided to post it anyway. The source stated that Canon will not replace the EOS 7D with a new model, i.e. with the long rumored EOS 7D Mark II. This rumor goes against what we and others have posted in the past months about the 7D Mark II (all 7D2 rumors here).

Not replacing the 7D, according to the source, appears to be part of a general revamping of Canon’s DSLR line-up, the source stated it is “the biggest change in Canon’s history“. To me this rumor comes as a surprise and I can’t yet say if it is plausible or not. I do also not have any cue what the revamping of the line-up may imply. The only thing that comes to my mind is that the Canon EOS 70D is so feature-packed that it could be hard to beat it as Canon’s APS-C flagship. The 20MP sensor featured on the 70D is Canon’s most advanced APS-C sensor so far and it could be difficult for a 7D Mark II to offer something that is or has much more than the 70D’s sensor. I doubt that the rumored 4MP more resolution (24MP) would be enough to make a 7D2 attractive compared to the 70D.

As for the revamping, that’s what puzzles me most. It is true that Canon introduced the 7D as the APS-C flagship while moving the xxD line-up from the semi-pro segment to a more Rebel-like marketing segment (when they introduced the EOS 60D, which lacked the build quality and advanced feature set of the predecessors). With the 70D Canon moved the xxD line-up back to the semi-pro level. That could mean there is no place/no need for a 7D2. Another thing: the entry-level, full-frame EOS 6D saw a price drop in the last weeks and appears now to be stable at $1499 at all major retailers (final price after having added to cart: Amazon  | B&H | Adorama). For the time being the price difference between the 70D and the 6D is around $500 (the 70D also saw a price drop to $950). If the price difference between the 70D and the 6D gets even more reduced then I wonder where and how the 7D2 will find its own place between the other two. Just my 2 cents.

What do you think, isn’t that a weird rumour…?

Not big news to be honest, just another confirmation that the EOS 7D Mark II is set to be announced around Summer 2014, or “in the first half” of 2014. The 7D II is said to be a “pro-oriented” APS-C DSLR – that’s quite straightforward since the EOS 70D covers most (if not all) aspects a semi-pro or enthusiasts photog needs. The new sensor we reported gets also confirmed. According to my sources Canon is prototyping two kinds of sensors, a 20MP and a 24MP, both will have Dual Pixel AF. The only real news is this: the EOS 7D Mark II could feature a new variation of auto-focus system, an AF system it will share with an upcoming, new EOS-1 body. Finally. the EOS 7D Mark II is said to come with WiFi, GPS and the largest LCD screen seen so far on a Canon DSLR.

[via CR]

 

Fake EOS 7D Mark II (mock-up)

We got a first candidate date (thanks) for the announcement of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, and some specs confirmation too. According to our source Canon is set to announce the successor of the EOS 7D in March 2014. We didn’t get an exact date, but according to our source it should happen somewhen in the mid of March.

No concrete news about the specs. Rumors still suggest Canon is prototyping two different sensor (though both will have Dual Pixel AF), a 20MP and a 24MP sensor. Which one will do it into the 7D Mark II is still uncertain. However, all rumours suggest the 7D Mark II will not have the same sensor as the Canon EOS 70D. That looks a bit weird to me. If the 7D Mark II gets a 20MP sensor I can hardly figure out why and how it should be a different sensor than the one featured on the 70D. Maybe different aliasing filters or other very small differences in the engineering of the sensor.

For the time being the following sill is the most credited specification list:

• ~20MP or ~24MP sensor with Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Auto-Focus system similar to the EOS 5D Mark III (61 points), possibly the same as 5D3
• High frame rate, 10-12 fps
• “high grade” weather sealing, like Canon’s professional DSLRs
• Dual Digic V+ processor
• Single card slot
• WiFi & GPS
• Innovative video features
• Price around $2000
• Very good ISO performance

That’s all for now. Have a great day.

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II hasn’t been announced so far but you can already buy accessories that are optimised for the 7D Mark II. B&H has a video rig on sale that is touted as “Versatile Video Rig for Canon 7D Mark II“. Just a typo or does it mean the EOS 7D Mark II is close to be announced? :)

Latest rumors had it that there will not be an EOS 7D Mark II announcement this year. But then: who knows?

[via eattheblinds]

 

I got word that Canon is testing two different sensor configurations for the upcoming EOS 7D Mark II. As previously murmured there is a 20MP sensor as a possible candidate, and also a 24MP sensor that is undergoing field testing. Both sensors have the Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology Canon introduced with the Canon EOS 70D. The source said that Canon wants to step up resolution for the 7D Mark II to distinguish it from the feature-rich EOS 70D, but that low light/high ISO performance is a priority. This spec list was given to me:

• ~24MP sensor with Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Auto-Focus system similar to the EOS 5D Mark III (61 points), possibly the same as 5D3
• High frame rate, 10-12 fps
• “high grade” weather sealing, like Canon’s professional DSLRs
• Dual Digic V+ processor
• Single card slot
• WiFi & GPS
• Innovative video features
• Price around $2000
• Very good ISO performance

As for the last point of the list above, the ISO performance: I heard from different sources that ISO performance is a priority issue for Canon, and that they aim to make an APS-C DSLR that sets a new quality standard in the industry. ISO performance on the 7D Mark II could thus be on the same level as Canon’s full-frame DSLRs. And it is not the first time that a 24MP sensor is rumored. As mentioned earlier, the EOS 7D Mark II will not be released in 2013, one of the reasons being that Canon wants to see how well the EOS 70D will get accepted by the market.

All this is very interesting. The EOS 70D is Canon’s new APS-C flagship, a camera with features that easily surpass the previous flagship, the EOS 7D. If Canon aims to establish the EOS 7D Mark II as the new APC-S flagship, then they will have to pack features in it, features that change things in real world. As much as we always have to take rumors with a grain of salt, the spec list above makes sense to me. I think Canon can not avoid to pack a higher resolution sensor in the EOS 7D Mark II if they want to establish it in its own category. A more sophisticated AF system, weather sealing, high fps, and WiFi and/or GPS functionality are all more than welcome, but without a new sensor a lot of people might question if they should go for a 7D2 instead of the 70D.