I wasn't overly excited with the 7D release, other then the AF system and some of the other new features may eventually work there way down to a full frame body.

The early reviews seem very positive. However, if I got this camera it would be predominantly to use with my 85L II or possibly to get a bit more reach at times with the 70-200 2.8L IS lens.

The main reason though would be to a camera that can focus better then my 5D MkII's can with the 85L. I find aside from the centre AF points, the outer AF points on the 5D MkII are pretty useless and shooting at wide apertures focus and recompose is really not a very suitable option with the 85L. I also suppose, that it would be nice to have two options with my 24 TSE when I want a TSE at 38mm. But aside from that I'd rather stick to full frame, unless there is a significant upgrade in the AF performance of my 85L with the 7D.

ANyone with the 85L and the 7D, care to share their experiences on how well the AF works with this combo

The other question I have is with regard to the weather sealing - just how much better is the new sealing when compared to the 5D mkII

I was really hoping Canon would surprise me and release a 1D1V that has full frame and a 1.3 crop mode, but of course they stuck to their usual game plan and also didn't seem to think it worthwhile to let some of the newer features in the 7D to trickle into the 1DIV.

I'm one of the early 1DIII adopters who had a lot of issues that weren't resolved and finally ended up selling my camera prior to the final fix Canon had last February, so I'm not all that interested in even considering the 1DIV until its been thoroughly reviewed and tested. Even then, I still don't think I want to spend $5k+ on a non-full frame camera.

Just a thought - the money spent on 7D + 5D2 is essentially equal to price of used a 1Ds3. Have you considered one? That buys better focus, weather sealing and arguably better image quality (ie - the 5D2 vs 1Ds3 image quality threads).

I didn't think the 85II was weather sealed. . . .

m00g wrote:
I didn't think the 85II was weather sealed. . . .

It isn't, at least not fully, due to the extending front element. It is dust-resistant but not moisture-resistant. But the OP was talking about the 7D weather sealing, and how it compares against the 5D2.

John Black wrote:
Just a thought - the money spent on 7D + 5D2 is essentially equal to price of used a 1Ds3. Have you considered one? That buys better focus, weather sealing and arguably better image quality (ie - the 5D2 vs 1Ds3 image quality threads).
I need, or I guess I should say, I like working with two bodies. In the past I've worked with a 5D/1d2n and 5d/1d3 combo.

Now I'm working with two 5d2's.

If I was two go with the 7d, I'd probably unload one of my 5d2's.

wickerprints wrote:
m00g wrote:
I didn't think the 85II was weather sealed. . . .

It isn't, at least not fully, due to the extending front element. It is dust-resistant but not moisture-resistant. But the OP was talking about the 7D weather sealing, and how it compares against the 5D2.
Correct. If the 7d is better weather sealed then the 5d2, that would add another incentive to use the 7d when focal length permits. The only thing is that I'm really not interested in investing in any EF-S lenses. And I'm not to keen about the focal length's I'd get with the 7d with my 16-35L or 24-105L lenses. However, the 70-200 2.8L IS may benefit by the extra reach when needed.

My ideAl situation of course would be canon finally releasing the fabled full frame 3d at I der $4k cdn.

wickerprints wrote:
m00g wrote:
I didn't think the 85II was weather sealed. . . .

It isn't, at least not fully, due to the extending front element. It is dust-resistant but not moisture-resistant. But the OP was talking about the 7D weather sealing, and how it compares against the 5D2.

Correct. I'm mainly interested in the 7D if the AF performance with the 85L would be improved. However, it would be another plus if the camera also does have better weather sealing then the 5DII - not just canon's claims, but real world performance (given the negative reviews the 5DII's weather sealing received during Michael Reichmann's Antarctica workshop last winter).

For me the negative of going with the 7D and a 5DII in place of using two 5DII's is that currently I like being able to work in the field with two bodies ready to go with a 16-35 and 24-105 lenses, particuarly in conditions like I experienced during my southwest trip, when you really don't want to change lenses. however, both of these lenses would really have lousy focal ranges with a crop sensor and I have no interest in investing in any EF-S lenses. So me, the weather sealing advantage would only really be a benefit in situations where my current lens lineup could still be used.

My ideAl situation of course would be canon finally releasing the fabled full frame 3d at I der $4k cdn.

That is exactly why you should consider used 1ds III. They are coming down in price, and there were couple good ones that have traded here under $4k, and probably when mk4 is announced you will be able to get one no problem.

I have the 85L and find that (as well as with other lenses) the best way to assure focus for critical applications is to shoot a lot of exposures. One way to subtly shift the focus with a wide open 85L is to sway a bit while shooting while in AF lock.

AF is really a statistical anomaly (the AF method is to average down from front and rear focus to approach ultimate focus). I find that one or two shots among many will often be much sharper than the others. This morning I was taking pictures of a sunrise with the 5D MK II. Single shots were not achieving critical focus so I took them 3-5 at a time zoomed in to the LCD and kept the best ones and deleted the OOFs.

I have both a 5D Mk II for utility and a 1Ds Mk III which is still the cheapest (less than a D3x) FF body with accurate focus. I would like to sell the 1Ds but find that, as you do, I cannot rely on the 5D Mk II (as well as the Mk I, 50D etc) for much of my critical focus work.

when I want to go with just prime,
I stick 35L on my 5DII and 85L II on my 7D.
I barely use 5DII's outer focusing points when using 85LII except under very bright light.. almost only center point was reliable with this lens.

on past sunday at church in cafeteria, I shot about couple hundreds frames of the little kids with 7D & 85LII using the random outer focusing points.. 90% of the pictures were dead on sharp @ f1.2!! i could never done it with 5D..
85L was extremely difficult lens to use @ wide open.. but with 7D, it's joy to use because I don't have to focus with center point and recompose.
(I haven't tried AI servo though)

as far as weather sealing is concerned.. I have no idea... on paper 7D is supposed to be better but.. to me.. honestly... I see no difference on the built quality.. others might disagree.. (I don't shoot under rain, desert, jungle, etc..)

However, my 7D has worse creaky cf door than my 5DII.
7D rear dial isn't so securely attached..5DII is better at this..
and others might disagree with this also but 5DII feels better in my hands... lol.. yes it does..

over all, 7D focusing ability is very trusty over 5D.. exposures are more consistent & accurate..

^^ Wow creaky CF card and wheel issue on 7D ?. Mine is rock solid..it was on 5D II it creaks on 2 areas .

kewlcanon wrote:
^^ Wow creaky CF card and wheel issue on 7D ?. Mine is rock solid..it was on 5D II it creaks on 2 areas .

lol.. yes... I guess I had better luck with 5DII..
but it dont matter...