Two Things I Do Not Like About the Canon EOS-7D Mark II

Important Note

My samandmayasgrandpa att e-mail account was suspended on 18 DEC. Those who tried to reach me by e-mail between then and yesterday had their mails bounced back. If you tried to reach me during that period please re-send any important e-mails. It was re-activated soon after I got back from my big trip to the Southern Ocean.

What’s Up?

Though I still have traces of my cold, I am finally feeling much better this morning. If you are one of the few who missed the Canon Digital Learning Center “Bird Photography with Arthur Morris” seven video series, be sure to click here for a link and the complete details. I still have many exciting new images, tales, and lessons from my recently-concluded trip to share with you here over the course of the next few weeks and am looking forward to doing just that.

Today’s blog post took about 2 1/2 hours to create. It was published at 5:05am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Today, I will continue to work on the upcoming 7D Mark II User’s Guide and get to work on Used Photography Gear e-mails. And watch the two NFL games. I am rooting for the Seahawks to beat the Packers and the Colts to dispatch the Patriots. Can my perfect losing streak continue?

Huge Thanks!

Though page views dropped by about 35% during my absence y’all did a great job of remembering to use my B&H affiliate links while I was on my busman’s holiday. We sold about ten each of the new 100-400 II L IS lenses and 7D Mark IIs. I should be getting my 100-400 from B&H in a few days and plan on bringing it to San Diego where I will be using it with both my 7D II and a 1D X. IAC, thanks a stack to all those who use the BAA affiliate links for their December and early January purchases. Readership is now back to normal levels at about 3,000 page views/day.

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

This shag image was created at 4:11pm on December 17, 2014 in cloudy bright conditions on New Island, the Falklands, with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the light blue sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo/Manual selection–single point/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version. The 7D II has a superb AF system. Here it tracked the incoming bird perfectly against a background other than sky.

From Ted Cheeseman via e-mail

I think that by the currently accepted taxonomy, the bird is a King Cormorant (aka White-bellied Shag), Phalacrocorax (atriceps) albiventer.

Note: Ted’s up to the minute knowledge of all things Southern Ocean borders on the super-natural.

From Cheesemans’ Expedition Leader/birding specialist Joe Kaplan via e-mail:

According to the current e-Bird listing this one goes as Imperial Cormorant (Phalacrocorax atriceps).

Note from artie: The scientists in charge change the species names of the Southern Ocean comorants (shags) about every to weeks…..

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II

I have championed this camera since the moment I first got my hands on it. And I still love it. How can you beat a lightweight relatively inexpensive body with superb AF, a fast frame rate, superb image files,and pretty darned good control of high ISO noise. There are, however, two things that bug me about the 7D II.

The Number One Thing That I Do Not Like About the 7D Mark II: the Almost Invisible vertically-oriented Exposure Scale in Manual Mode

When you are working with the 7D Mark II in an automatic mode like Program, Aperture value (aperture priority), or Time value (shutter priority), there are two analogue exposure scales in the viewfinder, a horizontal one at the bottom, and a vertically oriented one on the right side. When you are working in manual mode, the only analog scale on the 7D II is the vertically oriented one on the right side of the viewfinder. The problem is that the marks on the vertical scale are smaller and seem to be more dimly lit than the markings on the horizontal analog exposure scale that is easily seen when working in P, Av or Tv.

(Notes: In the official Canon nomenclature, the vertically oriented analogue scale is termed “Exposure level indicator (Metering/Flash metering).” The exposure compensation here is shown by the first mark just to the right of the scale. The flash exposure compensation is shown by a second mark, effectively just to the right of the first mark, only if the pop up flash is raised or an external Speedlight is in place and turned on.

In the official Canon nomenclature, the horizontally oriented analogue scale is termed “Exposure level indicator.” Relevant subheads include “Exposure compensation amount,” “AEB range,” and “Flash exposure compensation.”

The first two are straightforward. The amount of Flash ec is shown on the horizontal scale only after the Flash exposure compensation/ISO button on the top right of the camera has been pushed.)

I believe that the problems encountered when attempting to view the vertical analogue scale when working in Manual mode are compounded because the viewfinder box of the 7D II with its 1.6 crop factor is physically smaller than the viewfinder box on a pro body; unless you have your eye squarely in the dead center of the viewfinder either side of the box block your view of the scale. At times can be difficult at best to read the analog scale. The brighter the ambient light, the more difficult it can become to view the vertically oriented analogue exposure scale (when working in Manual mode).

You can demonstrate the problem by working in Manual mode and moving your eye slightly left and then slightly right in the viewfinder; for most of us the analogue scale will disappear and then appear and then disappear again.

Several times when photographing on the recently-concluded Southern Ocean trip I raised a lens with a 7D II attached and had great difficulty seeing the vertical analog scale (only of course when working in Manual mode). At this point my choices were either to opt to work in the dark (so to speak) by making an image and then checking the histogram or to switch to Av mode. Either is fine in most situations where the light is constant and the subject is not doing anything special. If you come upon a new exposure situation while you are working in Manual mode and the subject does something spectacular you will miss the action.

You can read more about this problem here in the Photography Gear forum on BirdPhotographers.Net. You can check out the honest critiques done gently in the Avian forum here.

Can the problem be solved by a firmware update? Possibly.

This is the layout of the 1D X AF grid. It is the same on the 5D III. Note that the central block is 3 X 7 and that the two outer blocks of sensors are 4 across X 5 tall. More importantly note the relatively narrow gap between the central block and the two outer blocks. Compare with the 7D II AF grid in the next illustration.

The Number Two Thing That I Do Not Like About the 7D Mark II: the AF Grid Void

This is the one–that to my knowledge–has never been mentioned before. Except by me in various personal conversations with other photographers….

On previous EOS digital camera bodies with similar layouts the left, center, and right AF arrays were closer together. In addition, when you worked in either Expand AF area (the selected sensor plus as many as four surrounding AF points) or in Expand AF area: Surround (the selected sensor plus as many as eight surrounding AF points) and move the selected arrays of sensors across the boundary between the three AF arrays (left, center, and right) the transitions are seamless. For example, if you are in Expand AF area: Surround with the central sensor selected with a 1D X or a 5d III and you move the selected array of eight centers one click to the left you will still have nine active sensors, six in the central array and 3 in the left hand array.

This is the layout of the 7D II AF grid. Note that the central block is 5 X 5 and that the two outer blocks of sensors are 4 across X 5 tall. More importantly note the relatively wide gap between the central block and the two outer blocks. There-in lies the problem.

That does not happen with the 7D II; the transitions are not seamless.. You are fine when you move the selected block of sensors one click to the left (because the center block is wider at 5 X 5 with the 7D II than with either the 1D X or the 5D III where the center block of AF points is 3 across X 7 tall). But when you move the selected block of sensors two clicks to the left you will find yourself only with a 3 tall X 2 wide block of six active sensors. The block does not cross over to the left hand (4 X 5) array. One more click to the left and you again find yourself with a 2 X 3 block of of active sensors, this time in the left hand array.

With the widest-ever gap between the central block and the two outer blocks of sensors you are often left wanting. The exact spot that I want to put my array on is often in the void between the central block and one of the two outer blocks. For those who take great care as I do as to exactly where they place the array of active sensors, this often makes getting the exact composition that you want either more difficult or impossible.

Important note: the “AF grid void” problem that I detail immediately above is usually only encountered when you are tracking a slowly moving subject or when you are hand holding and need to keep AF active at the moment of exposure. If you are on a tripod working with a static subject then either One-Shot or Rear Button focus will enable you to come up with the exact composition that you want.

I am hoping that the “AF grid void” problem might one day be solved with a firmware update so that a 5-sensor array stays a 5-sensor array when you cross the void and a 9-sensor array stays a 9-sensor array when you go from the center array to one of the outer arrays….

When folks on IPTs ask, What is the big secret to success in bird and nature photography my answer is always the same. “Paying attention to the small details….”

Do consider joining me for a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos archipelago in July, 2015.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 14-28, 2015 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $12,499. Limit 14 including the leader:/Openings: 2.

My two-week Galapagos Photo-Cruises are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with eight Galapagos cruises under his belt. Pre-trip and pre-landing location-specific gear advice. In-the-field photo instruction and guidance. Jeez, I almost forgot: fine dining at sea!

The great spots that we will visit include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway. We will also visit Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour and Isla Lobos for nesting Blue-footed Booby (most years), South Plaza, Floreana, and Urbina Bay, all spectacular in their own right. We visit every great spot on a single trip. Plus tons more. And there will he lots of opportunities to snorkel on sunny mid-days for those like me who wish to partake.

We will be the first boat on each island in the morning and the last boat to leave each island every afternoon. If we are blessed with overcast weather, we will often spend 5-6 hours at the best sites. And as noted above, mid-day snorkeling is an option on most sunny days depending on location. Note: some of the walks are a bit strenuous. Great images are possible on all landings with a hand held 70-200mm lens and a 1.4X teleconverter. I bring a longer lens ashore on most landings as that fits my style. I generally work with either the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS or the Canon 200-400mm f/4 L IS with Internal Extender.

Do know that there is a NatureScapes Galapagos trip: one week for $8495. Thus, my trip represents a tremendous value; why go all that way and miss half of the great photographic locations?

The Logistics

Fly to Guayacil, Ecuador on July 12, 2015. Travel insurance/rest day: July 13 (We may or may not offer a photo outing on the 13th). Fly to the archipelago on July 14 and board the Samba. Get off the boat on July 28. Fly to Guayacil that afternoon. Fly home on the early morning of July 29 unless you are staying on or going elsewhere (or catching a red-eye flight on the evening of the 28th).

$12,499 includes just about everything: all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, transfers and ground transportation, your flights to the archipelago, and three nights (double occupancy) in a top notch hotel in Guayacil. If you are good to go, a non-refundable deposit of $5,000 per person is due immediately. The second payment of $4,000 is not due until 11/1/14. The final payment of $3449 per person will be due on 2/1/15. A $200 discount will be applied to each of the balances for couples or friends who register at the same time.

Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On my past two cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.

Not included: your round trip airfare from your home to and from Guayacil, beverages on the boat, phone calls, your meals in Guayacil, personal items, and a $600/person cash tip for the crew and the guide—this works out to roughly $40/day to be shared by the 7 folks who will be waiting on us hand and foot every day for two weeks. The service is so wonderful that many folks choose to tip extra.

Please e-mail for the complete itinerary and for additional info and images. Please cut and paste “Galapagos 2015 Info Please) into the Subject line.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).