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Archive 2015 · My 7DII is still a headache

  
 
thebmrust
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p.25 #1 · p.25 #1 · My 7DII is still a headache


The bottom line is:
You don't have MY 7DmkII body.

If you have a 7DmkII that works, FUC*IN' GREAT! Mine has issues.

I also have DM's from others that have very similar or exactly the same problems that I am having. There are others in the past 23 pages that ... wait for it ... have problems with their 7DmkII.

If you don't have problems with YOUR 7DmkII ... FUC*IN GREAT! But I do and so do others.



Jul 27, 2016 at 03:39 AM
charlyw
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p.25 #2 · p.25 #2 · My 7DII is still a headache


thebmrust wrote:
No, the biggest problem is the inconsistencies of this body.
I have 5 pages of notes for multiple combinations of case, MFA, and zone combinations.


It seems you are all over the place with your settings and have no clue where you want to be... It seems you are overwhelmed with the amount of possible combinations - and since you don't set up a specific test scenario you will get a lot of false results because with subject variation you also change settings in a haphazard type of frenzy... Why can't you simply take the camera, forget all about MFA, forget all about the more specialized cases (case 1 covers 95% of scenarios sufficiently well if you don't know where you need to go), forget all about the zone focusing modes (point extension is a safe bet as is all focusing points - zone is finicky as it doesn't allow to chose your subject actively, all focusing points in AI Servo does allow for that choice) and then chose something which will move in a predictable way (cars on a highway, or rides on a roller-coaster so that you get a feel for the camera behavior.

Most of your grief comes from not giving yourself the chance to learn the camera - based on previous experiences with other cameras you expect it to behave in a certain way - and yet it is documented to behave differently (case in point: you expect a certain tracking behavior in your shots with zone mode but zone mode doesn't behave like you expect. So you bump into issues that can be solved best by slowing down your own frantic pace and think before you get even more flustered...




Jul 27, 2016 at 03:47 AM
charlyw
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p.25 #3 · p.25 #3 · My 7DII is still a headache


Addendum: Your shots of the runner shows exactly how out of your comfort zone you already are - your choice of case 5 "for erratic subject movements in any direction" is the culprit of all of the failures in the series you showed. Why? Because the focus points in the chosen zone do pick up the hands of the runner and these suggest movement speeds of the subject which are incorrect which cause the focus position needed to be predicted wrongly (you know why it's called a predictive focusing system?). Your focus priority setting further magnifies the problem as that can be confused by subject movement itself to prevent the shot being taken, you might in fact have lost exactly the sharp shots just because of that as the hands, the focusing system is tracking, will have motion blur...


Jul 27, 2016 at 03:59 AM
uz2work
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p.25 #4 · p.25 #4 · My 7DII is still a headache


charlyw wrote:
It seems you are all over the place with your settings and have no clue where you want to be... It seems you are overwhelmed with the amount of possible combinations - and since you don't set up a specific test scenario you will get a lot of false results because with subject variation you also change settings in a haphazard type of frenzy... Why can't you simply take the camera, forget all about MFA, forget all about the more specialized cases (case 1 covers 95% of scenarios sufficiently well if you don't know where you need to go), forget
...Show more

For those who are inclined to make haphazard and inappropriate decisions with regard to how they are setting up the camera for particular shooting situations, there would be real advantages to using cameras like the 1D Mark II or other much simpler cameras. The 1D Mark II, for example, doesn't give you the opportunity to use cases that are inappropriate for the shooting situation. It doesn't give you the opportunity to change settings for sub parameters to ones that make the camera inacapable of focusing properly. It doesn't give you the opportunity to cause the camera to front focus or back focus by carelessly changing micro adjustment settings. It doesn't give you the opportunity to use things like zone focus when zone focus is totally inappropriate for the shooting situation, and it only gives limited opportunity to use other arrays of available focus points that are inappropriate for the shooting situation. In short, the 1D Mark II and other simpler cameras give the user significantly fewer opportunities to make inappropriate decisions that can turn a well-functioning AF system into one that is completely incapable of focusing properly.

Anyone who chooses to go back and review the 25 pages of this thread or the other similar threads on this board or on other forums will notice that the bulk of the complaints about 7D Mark II focusing have been made by the same 4 or 5 people who keep posting over and over again. Of those 4 or 5 people, there are likely some who truly have cameras that haven't performed the way that they should perform, but there are also at least a couple whose poor AF performance very likely is the result of their haphazard and inappropriate decisions with regard to their use of micro adjustment, cases, AF mode choices, etc.

Further, because of the way that a couple of people have shown consistency in stubbornly refusing to accept any possibility that they might be doing something wrong and who have chosen to respond rudely to those who have tried to make suggestions, most of the the many who have had success with using the 7D Mark II have given up and have stopped posting what might otherwise have been useful suggestions in threads like this one. The combination of the fact that the same handful of people keep repeating the same complaints and the fact that most who have not had issues have stopped posting in threads like this distorts, I think, the reality with regard to the frequency of issues related to 7D Mark II focusing. And, when there are couple of people who stubbornly and consistently refuse to accept any possibility that they might be doing something wrong in the face of the fact that the pictures and words that they post show a clear likelihood that, in fact, they are experiencing user error, it severely diminishes the abilility of others to come across as credible even if they might truly have cameras that are not performing as they should be performing.





Jul 27, 2016 at 07:09 AM
thebmrust
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p.25 #5 · p.25 #5 · My 7DII is still a headache


Oh good golly. Yes, I'm a complete incompetent. Gosh, I need to inform my other cameras that work well without having to make adjustments (despite the fact they can't be adjusted) and discard 30 years of photography and 10 years in IT (customer support, networking, software and hardware testing) when the ABSOLUTLY PERFECT Canon 7DmkII is in my hands.

Thank you all for pointing it out that regardless of the mechanical and software combinations that we the users are really at fault. Canon cannot make a bad camera (the 1DmkIII was all fake reports as well as the issues with the 1Dx, nothing to see there).

A thousand thank you's for illuminating my inadequacies. Much love!



Jul 27, 2016 at 11:31 AM
ggreene
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p.25 #6 · p.25 #6 · My 7DII is still a headache


If you read the 1D3 threads it's a familiar refrain.

Hopefully the rumored FW has an AF component to it that helps. Since I shoot sports and need consistent frame to frame AF I had to move on. Too many missed peak action moments with the AF point right on the numbers.



Jul 27, 2016 at 01:07 PM
Kathy White
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p.25 #7 · p.25 #7 · My 7DII is still a headache


thebmrust wrote:
The bottom line is:
You don't have MY 7DmkII body.

If you have a 7DmkII that works, FUC*IN' GREAT! Mine has issues.

I also have DM's from others that have very similar or exactly the same problems that I am having. There are others in the past 23 pages that ... wait for it ... have problems with their 7DmkII.

If you don't have problems with YOUR 7DmkII ... FUC*IN GREAT! But I do and so do others.


+1 . I had 2 of them. One screwed up A! Servo and 1 screwed up one shot. I thought I was losing my mind on the oneshot one.

Third time was the charm for me. I feel badly for those still plagued by the problems and like you I think others should walk in your shoes before judging. Maybe they should just trade their good copy for yours if they think there is no difference in how they perform. Just sayin..... .



Jul 27, 2016 at 02:26 PM
charlyw
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p.25 #8 · p.25 #8 · My 7DII is still a headache


thebmrust wrote:
Oh good golly. Yes, I'm a complete incompetent. Gosh, I need to inform my other cameras that work well without having to make adjustments (despite the fact they can't be adjusted) and discard 30 years of photography and 10 years in IT (customer support, networking, software and hardware testing) when the ABSOLUTLY PERFECT Canon 7DmkII is in my hands.


Sorry, if you got that much ability - why don't you show even a smidgen of it? Instead you choose settings that look as if they were designed to make the AF system fail in the scenario chosen! Why?



Jul 27, 2016 at 05:44 PM
mitesh
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p.25 #9 · p.25 #9 · My 7DII is still a headache


Guys, maybe we should take a breather at this juncture. Nobody is going to convince anyone else and the tone is getting a bit snippier. It seems we can all agree that some people are satisfied with their 7D2, and others are not. It doesn't look like anyone is actually asking for advice or sharing new information in this thread anymore, so maybe it has run its course.

Relax, enjoy the wonderful weather, and have a great evening !



Jul 27, 2016 at 06:41 PM
uz2work
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p.25 #10 · p.25 #10 · My 7DII is still a headache


Kathy White wrote:
+1 . I had 2 of them. One screwed up A! Servo and 1 screwed up one shot. I thought I was losing my mind on the oneshot one.

Third time was the charm for me. I feel badly for those still plagued by the problems and like you I think others should walk in your shoes before judging. Maybe they should just trade their good copy for yours if they think there is no difference in how they perform. Just sayin..... .


I think that it is important to note that some of us who have looked at complaints about 7D Mark II auto focus are not lumping all of those who have complained into the same group.

There are some who have established credibility for their complaints. They have shown that they have attempted to do everything properly with regard to setting up their cameras, and they have still been unable to get consistently satisfactory results. For those people, I do have sympathy, and I am willing to "walk in their shoes".

There are, however, at least a few others who have consistently, over a period of many months, demonstrated a stubborn insistence on haphazardly changing the settings on their cameras and who have regularly posted pictures for which they have clearly used focus modes, cases, etc. that are completely inappropriate for the situations in which they are taking pictures. Then, they stubbornly refuse to accept any possibility that they might be doing something wrong, and they respond with hostility to anyone who might suggest that they might be doing something wrong and to those who might offer what should be useful suggestions as to how they might try to do things differently. For them, I have little interest in "walking in their shoes", and, as I said earlier, their complaints diminish the ability of those who might well have non-performing cameras to establish credibility for their assertions that there might be a problem with their cameras.




Jul 27, 2016 at 06:44 PM
RobertCB
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p.25 #11 · p.25 #11 · My 7DII is still a headache


Enjoyed reading all these posts, good and bad, and still pulled the trigger on a 7D MKII this afternoon. Hopefully I receive a good copy and enjoy the camera for some time. And hopefully the new firmware brings all of us some new goodies.


Jul 27, 2016 at 06:53 PM
Dpedraza
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p.25 #12 · p.25 #12 · My 7DII is still a headache


I decided to give a 7dmII a go. I put a rental that will come next week. I'll have it for about 2 weeks or so. I read through this thread about 3 times. I've wanted to add an APS-C body after shooting with a D500 a few months back. We shall see if i get a decent copy from lens rentals if I do might purchase it.


I'll be shooting it with my 600mm f4 and 300mm 2.8



Aug 26, 2016 at 12:26 PM
Methodical
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p.25 #13 · p.25 #13 · My 7DII is still a headache


mitesh wrote:
Guys, maybe we should take a breather at this juncture. Nobody is going to convince anyone else and the tone is getting a bit snippier. It seems we can all agree that some people are satisfied with their 7D2, and others are not. It doesn't look like anyone is actually asking for advice or sharing new information in this thread anymore, so maybe it has run its course.

Relax, enjoy the wonderful weather, and have a great evening !


That happened back at page 2.



Aug 27, 2016 at 12:12 PM
JohnBrose
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p.25 #14 · p.25 #14 · My 7DII is still a headache


I haven't posted for a while, but have had issues with both of my 7dii's. The older of the bodies i've sent to CPS about 4 times and it still will jump out of focus as it's tracking a subject. I decided not to send it in any more because Canon doesn't do anything about it other than printing pages of the manual out and mailing them back to me. My 2nd body, i just sent in for focus issues-pretty similar to 1st body and they said the focus system was adjusted wrong so i'll see if it has improved. I did shoot a football game last night with it and on at least two occasions it failed to wake up from sleep mode in the normal time and i missed two receptions-so that's not a good problem either. I'm sure people with no problems say it's user error, but until you have a problem it's difficult to empathise with that person. I'm sure it's a very small percentage of bodies that have a problem and also a small percentage of bodies get used in situations that actually taxes the focusing system.


Aug 27, 2016 at 12:44 PM
Dpedraza
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p.25 #15 · p.25 #15 · My 7DII is still a headache


rental body is here, initial thoughts I like it but haven't tried any tracking. I did miss some shots with my 600mm on static objects which I might need to Microadjust on this body. I was able to hit some smaller birds. I'll be out of town this weekend which the camera will still be home. I'll try to shoot some more monday.
I'm in no rush to replace the mark IV right now I think if i did I'd skip the 7dii and try 1dx



Sep 01, 2016 at 03:53 PM
mogud
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p.25 #16 · p.25 #16 · My 7DII is still a headache


Zenon Char wrote:
Zone AF tends to focus on the closest object? That is what it is supposed to do. I use it quite often for the correct situation. I have a been goofing around with 12 point zone AF. The cluster is smaller and it works very well. An alternative to expansion. At least I can see the AF points working


Sorry for the late response.

I'm well aware that's how the camera works in Zone and all points focusing. I dont want the camera to make focus point decisions for me. If something comes into the frame that is closer than the subject I am tracking, I want the 7D2 to stay on the subject I am shooting. As a result, I back off Tracking Sensitivity to -1 or even -2 depending how busy the background is. I don't use the suggested Cases at all.




Sep 01, 2016 at 04:46 PM
Zenon Char
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p.25 #17 · p.25 #17 · My 7DII is still a headache


mogud wrote:
Sorry for the late response.

I'm well aware that's how the camera works in Zone and all points focusing. I dont want the camera to make focus point decisions for me. If something comes into the frame that is closer than the subject I am tracking, I want the 7D2 to stay on the subject I am shooting. As a result, I back off Tracking Sensitivity to -1 or even -2 depending how busy the background is. I don't use the suggested Cases at all.



NP. It defiantly has specific uses. I would not use it in a busy situation. I do what you do if I want to be in control but for BIF with just open sky or the single target that well in front it works well.



Sep 01, 2016 at 08:20 PM
Alan321
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p.25 #18 · p.25 #18 · My 7DII is still a headache


Years ago I had three Canon cameras in a row with major AF problems (1D2, 1Ds2, 40D) and so I certainly feel for those of you who are suffering with their 7D2.

I got the distinct impression that there is actually no way for Canon technicians to test AF in AI Servo mode short of going outside and photographing birds or cars. I think their test gear is all about testing focus on static subjects. Unless they can test it and measure it they can never know that they've fixed it, and they probably can't justify replacing it either.

Just imagine how Rob Galbraith felt when he revealed the 1D3 AF problems and got shat on in great lumps for his efforts by Canon and many FMers and others - but he was eventually vindicated by three 1D3 product service advisories intended to fix the same problem that many people insisted did not exist on any 1D3 simply because they did not notice it on their own 1D3. Obviously the flagship pro camera got a bit more attention from Canon back then than the 7D2 is getting now.

My solution was to start buying Nikon gear, but now I want a 5D4 to let me get some use out of my Canon lens collection. Your 7D2 stories have served to remind me to not buy in the first six months after release if it can be avoided, so that any horror stories have a chance to surface.

- Alan



Sep 02, 2016 at 02:55 PM
Dpedraza
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p.25 #19 · p.25 #19 · My 7DII is still a headache


Alan321 wrote:
My solution was to start buying Nikon gear, but now I want a 5D4 to let me get some use out of my Canon lens collection. Your 7D2 stories have served to remind me to not buy in the first six months after release if it can be avoided, so that any horror stories have a chance to surface.

- Alan

This part made me laugh. I'm yet to try my rental camera on anything of substance a few static objects which has been hit or miss. I might take it with me and my 300 to the air show tomorrow.

Too bad the d500 can't accept canon lenses.




Sep 02, 2016 at 03:08 PM
Alan321
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p.25 #20 · p.25 #20 · My 7DII is still a headache


For those of you with the AI Servo AF problems, have you tried using a slightly slower frame rate to give the camera more focus time between shots ? and have you tried using spot mode AF or whatever they call it when the camera only uses the middle parts of each AF sensor ?




Sep 02, 2016 at 03:14 PM
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