The glorious Canon EOS 7D – to be replaced soon – will Canon surprise us??

Time to put order in the rumors I got in the last days (1 | 2). To remind you and to have a starting point, these are the specs I got so far:

• the EOS 7D replacement will feature a 24MP sensor (no mention if it is a new sensor tech, or not)
• a new generation of Dual Pixel CMOS AF is implemented thru the sensor and via the increased CPU power of the EOS 7D replacement
• auto-focus system similar to the EOS 5D Mark III’s AF will be on board
• GPS and WiFi will be on board
• still not sure if it will be named “EOS 7D Mark II”
• very high build quality and weather sealing, but not EOS-1 series level

Not very much, and contrasting with another spec list that appeared on another rumor site (listed below). Before you start sending me hate-mails, please remember that our commitment at CW is to report all rumors, those coming from our own sources as well as those showing up on other sites.

Ok, I got some new tidbits. Not much, but it’s for one part clarifying some things and for the other part adding something new, and some things are starting to be similar to the other specs list that’s circulating.

Let’s start with the corrections. We wrote “auto-focus system similar to the 5D3”. The EOS 5D Mark III has a 61 point AF with up to 41 cross-type AF sensors. So, we are expecting an AF system that’s comparable to the 5D3’s AF for the points and the features/performance. Not the same AF but an AF system that comes close to the 5D3’s one. Btw, this is pretty close to what others have reported, i.e. a 65 all-cross points AF system (see below).

Next, our source told us that the EOS 7D replacement “will have 10fps”. That’s another spec that was mentioned in the other spec list I linked above and that’s listed below.

Finally, we also heard that the EOS 7D replacement will have an optical viewfinder with 100% coverage, which was also mentioned before. No more mentions of a hybrid viewfinder.

I am still trying to get information about the LCD, which is rumored to be fixed and not to be a touch-screen. Hopefully I will soon know more (and hopefully it will be tilt-able and touch-screen)

To sum up, these are the (possible) EOS 7D replacement specs I got so far:

• 24MP sensor (no mention if it is a new sensor tech, or not)
• New generation of Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• High performance Auto-Focus system, with similar point count and features as the 5D3
• GPS and WiFi
• Very high build quality and weather sealing, not EOS-1 series level (but new materials used for weather sealing)
• 10 fps
• 100% OVF
• Still not sure if it will be named “EOS 7D Mark II”

For the sake of clarity, this is the other rumored spec list (coming via CR):

• Kit lenses: 18-135 IS STM and a supposed new 15-85 IS STM
• CF, UDMA mode 7 + SD, UHS-I
• No GPS or WiFi
• Fixed LCD, with no touch function.
• 20.2MP “Fine Detail” CMOS  Sensor
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Dual DIGIC 6 Processors
• 65 AF points “All Cross-type”. Dual cross on the center point.
• 10fps
• ISO 100-12800, ISO Boost mode 25600 and 51200
• 1080p/720p both get 60fps
• Servo AF for video shooting.
• Anti-flicker mode, eliminates flickers under flickering lights (e.g. fluorescent lamps).
• Spot metering size 1.8%
• Built-in flash with radio trigger function.
• Mic and headphones connectors
• Can sync time between 7D II cameras.
• Lens electronic MF
• About 100% coverage OVF

CW’s take:

These are rumors. I want to state this since I got a lot of nasty emails in the past days, all pointing to the fact that these are just…rumors. So, take all this with a reasonable grain of salt. I mean both spec lists. And remember that Canon is very good in keeping their affairs secretive.

The “5D3-similar” AF is rather plausible. It’s a tradition by Canon to put features from higher models in a new model. For instance, the 70D got a “7d-similar” AF.

The 10 fps sound just reasonable. It’s not earth-shaking, but it is decent.

The 24MP sensor also sounds rather plausible (and not earth-shaking at all, for the time being). Still no reliable information if it will be a new sensor technology (as rumored since long) or Canon’s current sensor tech with a higher MP count.

I am pretty sure that the rumored “new generation of Dual Pixel AF” is reliable. The 70D was just the beginning. There is a lot to come from this amazing technology. See also this patent.

However, both specification lists are far from being exciting. All in all, so far these spec lists point to a very classic upgrade from the EOS 7D. I hope Canon will really surprise us. Please do!

A note to the sources: please let me know if you have additional information, or information that corrects the lists above. You can communicate with me anonymously via this form. Thanks!

Fake EOS 7D Mark II (mock-up)

More came in. The same source that sent me the EOS 7D replacement specs of my previous post, had something to say also on the build quality.

The EOS 7D replacement will have a very high build quality, but nothing that comes close to the EOS-1 series. The EOS 7D Mark II (if it is going to have this moniker) will have a build quality comparable to the venerable EOS 7D with some enhancements due to new materials that are used for the weather sealing.

The update EOS 7D replacement spec list is:

• the EOS 7D replacement will feature a 24MP sensor (no mention if it is a new sensor tech, or not)
• a new generation of Dual Pixel CMOS AF is implemented thru the sensor and via the increased CPU power of the EOS 7D replacement
• auto-focus system similar to the EOS 5D Mark III’s AF will be on board
• GPS and WiFi will be on board
• still not sure if it will be named “EOS 7D Mark II”
• very high build quality and weather sealing, but not EOS-1 series level

Stay tuned, there is more to come…

Another email from a good source. The rumor contradicts parts of the latest supposed spec list that surfaced a few days ago.

That’s what I have been told:

• the EOS 7D replacement will feature a 24MP sensor (no mention if it is a new sensor tech, or not)
• a new generation of Dual Pixel CMOS AF is implemented thru the sensor and via the increased CPU power of the EOS 7D replacement
• auto-focus system similar to the EOS 5D Mark III’s AF will be on board
• GPS and WiFi will be on board
• still not sure if it will be named “EOS 7D Mark II”

Thanks to the source, please send in more information if you can!

The glorious Canon EOS 7D – to be replaced soon – will Canon surprise us??

After the rumor I posted earlier this day, another set of possible specifications of the soon to be announced EOS 7D replacement immediately surfaced on the web. It comes from Canon Rumors, they are guessing these might be the EOS 7D Mark II specs and give the following list a 90% accuracy:

• Kit lenses: 18-135 IS STM and a supposed new 15-85 IS STM
• CF, UDMA mode 7 + SD, UHS-I
• No GPS or WiFi
• Fixed LCD, with no touch function.
• 20.2MP “Fine Detail” CMOS  Sensor
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• Dual DIGIC 6 Processors
• 65 AF points “All Cross-type”. Dual cross on the center point.
• 10fps
• ISO 100-12800, ISO Boost mode 25600 and 51200
• 1080p/720p both get 60fps
• Servo AF for video shooting.
• Anti-flicker mode, eliminates flickers under flickering lights (e.g. fluorescent lamps).
• Spot metering size 1.8%
• Built-in flash with radio trigger function.
• Mic and headphones connectors
• Can sync time between 7D II cameras.
• Lens electronic MF
• About 100% coverage OVF

I can not yet confirm these specs. But it’s good to see that the rumor I reported got confirmed for some of the things I wrote (build quality, sensor), and since we are hungry for the EOS 7D Mark II specs, it’s good to see that a new spec list surfaced so soon after the rumor I posted. However, it is a boring one. Let’s hope Canon has more to offer.

CW’s take:

Take it with a grain of salt. Canon is very good in keeping their engineering achievement and strategic plans secretive until the very last moment (no one knew they would announce new printers, with cloud connectivity, NFC and Apple Air print support). It’s not like Sony or Fuji, they really love to stray rumors to get the hype.

All in all, the spec list above is pretty lame and not what I am expecting Canon will announce. C’mon, no WiFi and GPS? These spec list looks like the Canon EOS 70D with some push-up (minus the WiFi).

As far as I can tell and have been told, the sensor will feature Dual Pixel CMOS AF, but with a new level of performance above the EOS 70D. Which is due to the increased CPU power of the EOS 7D replacement.

The sensor is the real guess. All agree that Canon is going to introduce a new sensor technology, unfortunately no one knows what’s coming. Based on what I have been told, it seems that Canon is still not playing the high megapixel game, but I have also been told (all new sources) that it will be a sensor with very good low light/high ISO performance and dynamic range above the concurrence competition at ISO above 1600.

We are close to see what’s coming. Stay tuned. And feel free to express your opinion in the comments.

The glorious Canon EOS 7D – to be replaced soon

This comes from a source that got it close to right in the past. That’s why I agreed to post it.

I have been told (thanks) that almost none of the so far leaked specs concerning the replacement for the Canon EOS 7D are reliable. Canon will “announce something big and innovative” but “it’s far from what you think”, the source wrote. The announcement is expected in September, a week or 2 before Photokina 2014.

The source confirmed that the EOS 7D replacement will be build like a tank (“extremely robust and durable body”), that there will be a new sensor technology (but no multilayered sensor), and that the EOS 7D replacement will feature a new generation of Dual Pixel CMOS AF. But that’s all I have been told, and it’s nothing really unheard. Unfortunately the source did not send any detailed specs, so we are still in the stadium of pure guessing.

Just to remind you, these are the latest, rumored specs for the EOS 7D replacement, the specs the source said are not the real ones (except for what is listed above):

• Alloy body – Same as EOS 1 series DSLRs
• EOS-1 style top plate
• 24MP
• Hybrid Sensor – Multilayer + Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• No Wifi built-in
• Not touch screen, super durable LCD cover
• 12fps shooting (or faster)
• New AF system

According to the rumor I got, most of what is listed above will not find it’s way into the EOS 7D replacement. My take is that the new generation of Dual Pixel AF might be the most reliable of all rumored specs (there has been a pertinent patent I reported about), followed by the new sensor tech. I am still somewhat sceptical about the rumored high build quality.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II mock-up

We are getting closer to the announcement! While very few information has leaked so far, some bits managed to surface on the web [via The New Camera]. For the time being the following specifications can be considered at least as plausible:

• Alloy body – Same as EOS 1 series DSLRs
• EOS-1 style top plate
• 24MP
• Hybrid Sensor – Multilayer + Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• No Wifi built-in
• Not touch screen, super durable LCD cover
• 12fps shooting (or faster)
• New AF system

The fact that the EOS 7D replacement might not feature WiFi puzzles me a bit. Other sites were saying that it is due to the full metal body, but it’s hard to figure out (at least for me) that Canon has not the skills to make WiFi work in a full metal body. It’s just a matter of placement of the antenna.

There are at least 3 patents filed by Canon that may refer to 3 of the features in the list above. A patent for a multi-layer sensor, a patent for a new generation of Dual Pixel AF, and a patent for high frame rates for continuous shooting.