# Scott Kelby Does a Field Report on the EOS 7D Mark II



## Canon Rumors Guy (Oct 8, 2014)

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<p>Scott Kelby has done a field report for the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Scott took the camera to the football field to see how it held up.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CAckPcKK76U?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p><strong><strong>Canon EOS 7D Mark II $1799: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081808-REG/canon_9128b002_eos_7d_mark_ii.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA7DM2.html?KBID=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NEWZDRG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00NEWZDRG&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=4IHYPE3ZKJN5VL4X" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.cameracanada.com/enet-cart/product.asp?pid=7dmarkii" target="_blank">Camera Canada</a></strong></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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## unfocused (Oct 8, 2014)

I watched almost all of this video last night.

Here is my takeaway.

I truly admire Canon's ability to target products to specific audiences. Regardless of how you might feel about specific features, etc., I can't see how anyone could disagree that Canon is absolutely the best at researching the market and bringing products to market that actually SELL.

I first noticed this with the 5DIII. When it was first released, there was a lot of criticism. Mostly about the price because it was higher than the D800 and also that it had fewer megapixels than the D800. 

But, in following this forum and the reaction elsewhere it soon became apparent that wedding and event photographers loved this new body. Some of the comments on this forum were positively glowing about the camera and it's clean, high ISO performance. What I saw was that Canon had targeted the camera to a specific market and the market responded positively.

On the other hand, I was never able to figure out what large market Nikon was targeting. 

I'm seeing the same thing with the 7DII. What really struck me was when Kelby was talking about how the 7DII allows parents and others to take pictures at a high school football game and get very similar results to what he gets when he shoots pro football, at a $4,000 price difference. 

Lightbulb goes off: Wow! How many helicopter parents out there will gladly buy a 7DII in order to get pictures of their kids at the height of their athletic careers (most won't go on to play college or professional sports). A chance to capture a great picture of their kid playing high school sports. 

Then, I think, what about every high school yearbook adviser in every high school in the country who will go to their principal or school board and say, "we need to have this camera to get better pictures of our school teams."

Now, that's a market.

As I said, I don't think anyone can deny that Canon is the best at targeting and marketing their products.


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## Crapking (Oct 8, 2014)

Typical Kelby fluff with little stuff, but nonetheless a reassuring overview for those of us who pre-ordered. Which btw I just received notification that release date is now Oct 30th - just in time for Halloween and High School Fall Championships.


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## faidwen (Oct 8, 2014)

Crapking said:


> Typical Kelby fluff with little stuff, but nonetheless a reassuring overview for those of us who pre-ordered. Which btw I just received notification that release date is now Oct 30th - just in time for Halloween and High School Fall Championships.



It was extremely reassuring and touched on almost all of the marks I required. I do agree that there was a lot of fluff and comparison to the 1dx, but overall, it set my mind at ease.

OCT 30th, SERIOUSLY!! WOOT! YAY!


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## Crapking (Oct 8, 2014)

faidwen said:


> Crapking said:
> 
> 
> > Typical Kelby fluff with little stuff, but nonetheless a reassuring overview for those of us who pre-ordered. Which btw I just received notification that release date is now Oct 30th - just in time for Halloween and High School Fall Championships.
> ...



I concur with 1Dx 'big little brother' excessive comparisons, and lack of comparison / noted improvements over the original 7D - you would have thought at least a superficial "Is it worth upgrading" would have been included. 

Also they started to discuss / compare with 1dMark IV, but never addressed it directly - I actually have owned both, but recently sold my 7D this spring in anticipation of upgrading, and am trying to sell my 1d Mark IV but having trouble now that the spec's on the 7D II are out....
If I was limited to just one (the 7D II or the 1D IV), that would be difficult, I was hoping to be reassured that my decision to go with the 7D II (as my primary backup to the 1Dx) was going to be addressed, but ... alas, since I will have both for awhile, I will be able to directly compare and then sell off the 'loser'


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## Camerasheik (Oct 8, 2014)

One small thing struck me. He stated twice that it was a 24mp camera. I've read a couple of other pre release users mention 24mp specs, rather than the announced 20.2mp.

The reviewer seems really enthused and impressed by his camera's output. Some of the published images from the 20.2 release candidate seem a little less impressive.

Have Canon released a different spec to what he reviewed?


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## Frage (Oct 9, 2014)

Is it even legal the way these 3 treat their audience? 

Put a model in a white dress in a dark building under perfect controlled light conditions and say is great camera for wedding photography.

About WiFi: "You don´t have internet in your camera". WTFFF???

This "review" can´t be taken seriously.


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## cirkitdude (Oct 9, 2014)

Crapking said:


> Typical Kelby fluff with little stuff, but nonetheless a reassuring overview for those of us who pre-ordered. Which btw I just received notification that release date is now Oct 30th - just in time for Halloween and High School Fall Championships.



Who is quoting Oct 30th? I also pre-ordered, but had not heard that date.


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## skoobey (Oct 9, 2014)

I praise that guy. He has built an empire around being a lousy photographer, and even worse teacher.


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## coreyhkh (Oct 9, 2014)

Great review!!


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## SoullessPolack (Oct 9, 2014)

skoobey said:


> I praise that guy. He has built an empire around being a lousy photographer, and even worse teacher.



I wouldn't say that. Both things you stated are personal preferences. I'm not a huge fan of his photography, but I think it's definitely decent. Most people would be happy to be at his level. He may not be an Ansel Adams or Marc Adamus or Annie Leibovitz or etc, but he still does have enough skill to make photography which a lot (but by no means all) of people like.

A "bad" teacher also has to do with the students' learning styles. I've had many such discussions with my colleagues over the years. Some may perceive a teacher to be a horrible teacher, but that ties into how the student best learns and gains knowledge. I've had teachers I thought were bad, but others loved and learned a lot from. And vice versa.

Nevertheless, we appreciate you sharing your opinion on how you do not like his photography or his teaching method.


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## Crapking (Oct 9, 2014)

cirkitdude said:


> Crapking said:
> 
> 
> > Typical Kelby fluff with little stuff, but nonetheless a reassuring overview for those of us who pre-ordered. Which btw I just received notification that release date is now Oct 30th - just in time for Halloween and High School Fall Championships.
> ...



Bestbuy.com I pre-ordered a couple of weeks ago ( about 1 wk after announcement) and initially was told Nov 17th, then I just got an email saying Oct 30th....


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## jfl65 (Oct 9, 2014)

*INFOMERCIAL on the 7DII*

Is this a review or a Canon infomercial?

I painfully sat through several minutes of this and had to give up...does he ever get around to taking about the heart of the 7DII, the all important 7DII autofocus system and the AF Cases and AF Menu, and how he personally put the AF menus, settings, and customized controls to use while photographing sports?

So he didn't use the 7D, and yet he realizes that most every viewer wants to hear how it compares...so get someone on the show who can talk about that, rather than forcing us to sit through 10 minutes of RC reciting caveats and fine-print to try to ward off negative comments in advance.

While the 24MP vs 20MP error may be a small slip up, these kinds of basic mistakes happen on an alarmingly regular basis on his shows.


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## Eldar (Oct 9, 2014)

I am waiting to receive mine, so I have no argument in any direction. But from what we have seen and read so far, it does look very promising. 

American television, and this review has that form, is so stressed, loud and over enthusiastic that I get a little sea sick and my blood pressure goes through the roof just by looking. But I managed to listen through it and I think the high ISO noise part from the locker room was the most interesting part. And at this stage, we know that he was really shooting JPEGs. Properly processed RAW files should have potential. All the lower ISO and church images could have been shot with anything, given the resolution and quality of the presentation, so that did not tell me much.

But it really do look like a potent little brother to the 1DX, with the reach advantage. I´m really looking forward to try it out myself!


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## jasonsim (Oct 9, 2014)

I really hope they start shipping Oct. 30th. I ordered mine a few hours after the announcement from B&H, but have not heard squat from them.


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## chitownjeff (Oct 9, 2014)

Is there a light leak issue?

:


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## jfl65 (Oct 10, 2014)

*Re: Scott Kelby Does an Infomercial for Canon*



Eldar said:


> I am waiting to receive mine, so I have no argument in any direction. But from what we have seen and read so far, it does look very promising.
> 
> American television, and this review has that form, is so stressed, loud and over enthusiastic that I get a little sea sick and my blood pressure goes through the roof just by looking.
> 
> But it really do look like a potent little brother to the 1DX, with the reach advantage. I´m really looking forward to try it out myself!



I too finally managed to sit through the whole thing because his website promised some "important" findings...which it turns out could have been summed up in 2 sentences, making the substance of that entire 1 hour presentation fit into 4 sentences. I am truly ashamed I sat through that entire infomercial. While some of what he said will be true in the end, it is hard to take anything from it seriously based on all the other non-content it included. He enthusiastically boasts about detail while he shows an out of focus face? He doesn't even *mention* the most important elements of the 7DII - the aspects that differentiate it from the 70D and the D7100 - which are the AF system and it's AF Area Modes, AF menus, AF Cases menus, and ability to extensively customize all of it. Did he even make use of any of that while shooting football? 

He complains about a "lock button," confusing an entire segment of photographers who are now going to ask their teachers or camera store guys about a "lock button," ...which everyone else in the Canon world would consider to be either the AF-ON Button or the AE Lock Button.. when he actually means the "Protect" button. He repeatedly debates the purchase of the 7DII vs the 1D, a debate that applies to approximately 3 buyers, while 3 million other buyers are concerned about cameras in their price range - the 7DII vs the 7D, vs. the 70D, vs the D7100.

If he is going to go through all this effort and ask people to dedicate an hour of their time, he should have offered *considerably* more substance and information. If you have not watched it, I recommend that you skip it and devote an hour to something productive. Heck, spend the time and read a Ken Rockwell post and you will still learn less nonsense than this video.

We all know he is now sponsored by Canon, but this was absurd. He should at least ask Canon for some articulate talking points the next time he does this.


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## CaptainZero (Oct 11, 2014)

> I concur with 1Dx 'big little brother' excessive comparisons, and lack of comparison / noted improvements over the original 7D - you would have thought at least a superficial "Is it worth upgrading" would have been included.



He did do that. He said absolutely! (not a quote, but you get the idea). 

Wow. Lot's of hate here for Scott Kelby. : Sure there is some fluff (he's not a technical guy). There is also some humor, which is lacking in most reviews. Someone said he didn't touch on the autofocus, which he did. He said the didn't think it was quite as fast as the 1Dx, but pretty close. 

All in all, I would prefer a review like this (keeping in mind, he's probably paid by Canon), and I'll agree completely with his downsides of the camera too. I hate trying to have to quickly delete photos by pressing an extra button when shooting sports.


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## Steve (Oct 11, 2014)

CaptainZero said:


> Wow. Lot's of hate here for Scott Kelby. Someone said he didn't touch on the autofocus, which he did. He said the didn't think it was quite as fast as the 1Dx, but pretty close.



He mentioned it as an afterthought in response to a facebook comment. I guess it could be considered praise that he didn't hate the AF coming from the 1Dx? But he didn't talk about the different modes and how well they work, he barely mentioned the toggle by the joystick and admitted he didn't use it. He didn't even talk about which mode he _did_ use as far as I can remember. The AF system and RAW sensor performance are the two major things that people who are interested in this camera want to know about and they are two things he didn't or, in the case of RAW, couldn't talk about. So instead he spent 20 minutes telling everyone that hey, did you know crop sensors give you more reach?

Another forehead slapper for this review is that he had two comments with, imo, completely valid questions - can you compare the 7DII to the 7D and/or 1DIV - and he was all "nope". Dude knows a zillion photographers and couldn't wrangle up a 7D or 1DIV for a comparison? He owns a 70D and he didn't even bother to compare it to that. Why would I buy a 7DII that's twice the price of a 70D if they have basically the same sensor and the AF of the 7DII wasn't even worth mentioning or testing out in the review?

Its not hating on Scott Kelby, its just criticism of the video. Those guys seem like they're good dudes and they are trying to have a little fun with the review but it all came off like a sales pitch, which is weird if he's not actually paid/sponsored by Canon. Also some of the dumb brotographer crap about how manly it is in the photo pit and you better have a grip on your cam or else was pretty :


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## weixing (Oct 11, 2014)

Steve said:


> CaptainZero said:
> 
> 
> > Wow. Lot's of hate here for Scott Kelby. Someone said he didn't touch on the autofocus, which he did. He said the didn't think it was quite as fast as the 1Dx, but pretty close.
> ...


Hi,
Just wonder does anyone look at his video title?? It's "Real World Field Report" meaning it just how he feel about the 7D2 in real world use... it's not a review and it's not a tutorial on how to use the camera. 

This camera is target at those who want to shoot sports and wildlife and the most importance thing that we all want to know is: does the AF performance and speed of the camera as good as Canon claim in real world use?? His video did give us the answer... if you want to shoot sports and wildlife and can't afford the 1DX, this is the camera that you should consider.

Anyway, I'm not sure what did you guys expected from this camera? Given the pricing, I expected that this is basically a 70D with excellent build, faster and better AF performance and faster frame rate.

By the way, I'm buying this camera only because the AF performance, speed and build of the camera... I assume the IQ is basically same as 70D... if the IQ is better than 70D, then it's a bonus.

Have a nice day.


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## Sabaki (Oct 11, 2014)

Uhm, Kelby owns a 70D. He also says that the image quality and noise performance is the best he's ever experienced on a crop body. 

'Nuff said...


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## skoobey (Oct 11, 2014)

I love it! Guy speaks to amateurs who know less then he does. That is a huge market.


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## Marsu42 (Oct 11, 2014)

weixing said:


> if you want to shoot sports and wildlife and can't afford the 1DX, this is the camera that you should consider



To reach that conclusion, it probably doesn't require a review by a renowned photog


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## weixing (Oct 11, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> weixing said:
> 
> 
> > if you want to shoot sports and wildlife and can't afford the 1DX, this is the camera that you should consider
> ...


Hi,
But the problem is the camera is not out yet, so most of us won't know does the camera work as good as Canon claim?? Specification is one thing, does it work well is another thing. He had use the camera and he is an experience sports shooter, so basically his video is to tell us that how he feel about the camera (such as build, AF performance, battery life and etc) and with his experience on shooting sports, is the camera suitable for shooting sports.

Have a nice day.


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## Random Orbits (Oct 11, 2014)

Marsu42 said:


> weixing said:
> 
> 
> > if you want to shoot sports and wildlife and can't afford the 1DX, this is the camera that you should consider
> ...



Right... and Canon is just going to let no-name people evaluate their preproduction units...


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## Don Haines (Oct 11, 2014)

You all seem to be making the same mistake.... You are confusing an in-depth review with advertising...... This is advertising.... Of course it is fluff and no critical information.....


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## Marsu42 (Oct 11, 2014)

Random Orbits said:


> Marsu42 said:
> 
> 
> > weixing said:
> ...



Ok, let me clarify: To reach that conclusion it doesn't require a review at all, it's really rather advertising.


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## jaayres20 (Oct 11, 2014)

Don Haines said:


> You all seem to be making the same mistake.... You are confusing an in-depth review with advertising...... This is advertising.... Of course it is fluff and no critical information.....



Some very critical info I gathered from the review:
-Great buffer
-AF almost as fast as the 1DX
-AF points very near the edge of the sensor
-Amazing ISO performance for a crop sensor
-Scott Kelby doesn't care as much about DR as everyone else on this fourm!


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## Don Haines (Oct 11, 2014)

jaayres20 said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > You all seem to be making the same mistake.... You are confusing an in-depth review with advertising...... This is advertising.... Of course it is fluff and no critical information.....
> ...


My comment was aimed at the people bashing Scott Kelby 

I watched the "interview" with the attitude that it was an infomercial and thought that it was well done as a selling tool for the 7D2.... It certainly highlighted the reasons to buy it instead of a 70D.... The AF system, the almost endless buffer, and the ISO performance. The infomercial will help sell cameras, and isn't that the reason it was made  I already have my preorder in, but if I was sitting on the fence this would have helped convince me.

It was certainly NOT the place to delve into tech details like full well capacity and read noise


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## Random Orbits (Oct 11, 2014)

jaayres20 said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > You all seem to be making the same mistake.... You are confusing an in-depth review with advertising...... This is advertising.... Of course it is fluff and no critical information.....
> ...



+1. One person doing one review or giving experiences from using something over a short period of time is not going to satisfy all the "review points" for all the critics of this forum. None of us have access to it, so this is what we have. But instead of treating it as some information/experience from someone who has used multiple lenses/cameras in advance of it becoming generally available, it's being discounted as worthless. I didn't have any interest in a 7DII, but I miss frames because of the slower framerate and smaller buffer of the 5DIII. Now I'll consider it once it's out a while and I get to have a chance to play with one.


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## Steve (Oct 11, 2014)

Random Orbits said:


> +1. One person doing one review or giving experiences from using something over a short period of time is not going to satisfy all the "review points" for all the critics of this forum.



The problem is that he had the camera for like a week? more? and did an _hour long video_ on the camera but didn't say anything of substance. Its actually kind of amazing how little he was able to convey in such a long period of time. I guess the soothing, melodious voice of marketing and vague reassurances that everything is totally great guys just trust me is all people really need. Be sure to get your pre-orders in!


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## DominoDude (Oct 11, 2014)

Steve said:


> Random Orbits said:
> 
> 
> > +1. One person doing one review or giving experiences from using something over a short period of time is not going to satisfy all the "review points" for all the critics of this forum.
> ...



It's been a few days since I watched the video, but as I remember it he had 2 for 36 hours each. One of them had already been returned, the other one (the one he waves around and demonstrates in the video) was to be returned immediately afterwards.


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## Random Orbits (Oct 12, 2014)

Steve said:


> Random Orbits said:
> 
> 
> > +1. One person doing one review or giving experiences from using something over a short period of time is not going to satisfy all the "review points" for all the critics of this forum.
> ...



He's used to using a 1DX and has a 70D. He says it's little brother to the 1DX but is an older brother than he thought it would be. ACR and DPP don't support it yet, so what is the point of comparing RAWs? Noise looks better than 70D but it doesn't match FF. It has a deep buffer. What else are you expecting? And you've found some other source that played with a preproduction model and got all the info you wanted? I don't think so...

which led to my second sentence which you didn't quote "But instead of treating it as some information/experience from someone who has used multiple lenses/cameras in advance of it becoming generally available, it's being discounted as worthless."


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## Nethawk (Oct 12, 2014)

I finally watched this video last night. I don't get the hate or the criticism, honestly. This was not a review. If you think it was you are probably the type to have bought the next iPhone because Steve Jobs proclaimed it to be "magical, innovative, Apple". It was an informative hands-on account that turns out to be decent marketing material. We won't see full reviews until after the camera has been released. For those who want/need the upgrades in the 7D2 a review probably won't change things, most have already pre-ordered. If you expected huge differences in DR and usable .jpgs at 16k ISO, then by all means continue to lament the lack of technical details, or just wait for a review. Then your complaints have merit.


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