# 7D Mark II Firmware update??



## Rook (Mar 3, 2015)

Anybody know if there are any plans for a firmware update to address the focusing issues for the 7D Mark II? I recently upgraded and my images are just ok. Far from tack sharp. It seems Canon has sacrificed some image quality for speed :-\ I am trying to figure out if I want to sell and get the 5D Mark III or hold out for a firmware update. Kinda Bummed out as I waited so long for this camera.

Thanks!


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## jasonsim (Mar 3, 2015)

Have you already tried doing a micro focus adjustment on your 7D MKII and lens combo? Do all your lenses seem soft? What camera body were you using before? 

Can you sharpen the photos some in post? Something such as Lightroom.

I would explorer some of the above before getting rid of the 7D MK II. It is a great camera and is tack sharp for me. 

Kind regards,
Jason


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## DJD (Mar 3, 2015)

Are you using AI Servo or One Shot auto focus mode? If you're using AI Servo make sure you set "AI Servo 1st image priority" and "AI Servo 2nd image priority" to Focus priority. 

[EDIT] There is also a One-Shot AF release priority setting that can be set to "Focus priority"

Cheers,
Doug


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## ReggieABrown (Mar 3, 2015)

Maybe I got extremely lucky with the 7d mark ii I received because mine is track sharp! So sharp in fact I have to reduce the sharpening in post. I'm curious to what lens you're having a problem with sharpness with...?


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## weixing (Mar 3, 2015)

Hi,


Rook said:


> Anybody know if there are any plans for a firmware update to address the focusing issues for the 7D Mark II? I recently upgraded and my images are just ok. Far from tack sharp. It seems Canon has sacrificed some image quality for speed :-\ I am trying to figure out if I want to sell and get the 5D Mark III or hold out for a firmware update. Kinda Bummed out as I waited so long for this camera.
> 
> Thanks!


 Have you compare the sharpness of Live View AF and normal viewfinder AF by shooting same object? May be you can post some images, so that some of us can help you take a look.

Have a nice day.


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## monkey44 (Mar 3, 2015)

I keep reading about lack of "sharp" in the 7D2, and I'm not experiencing that at all, not even a little. Shooting it with the 100-400 v1 earlier, now the 100-400 v2, and 70-200 f4 IS ... nothing but sharp images. 

Of course, individual shots lack 'sharp', but when the set-up and timing and "me" are right, it blows images out of the water. I'm not so sure it's all about the camera design and technology as much as it may be about individual camera and assembly or manufacturing differences which occasionally happen in mass production -- and the complex nature of that camera itself and getting use to how it operates.

I have no doubt some of your got a camera that is 'out of spec', it happens. But I'm not ready to believe yet it's a design flaw. I can't imagine that I can be so lucky as to get the one of the few 7D2's that shoots sharp, and get the only lenses that fit well with it. Makes little sense to believe that.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 3, 2015)

Every time a new higher MP camera arrives, we see posts about poor resolution. In some cases, the cameras will have issues, and in some cases, its a learning curve.

I've taken to making my first shots with a new camera using a tripod and carefully controlled conditions so that I can see what performance and sharpness the camera is capable of getting. I learned to do this many years back when I bought one of the first 7D's. My first shots were awful, so I spent a few hours reading and taking controlled shots, then went back to the same location the following week, and images were suddenly great.

So, first use a tripod, turn off IS, have good lighting and take some shots using live view and live autofocus of a object 7-15 ft away using a 30mm more or less focal length.

If the images are sharp then vary the settings one thing at a time. If not, I'd send the camera back for a exchange. 

Assuming the image is sharp, turn off liveview, but leave the camera on the tripod with the same settings and compare. If images are poorer, than you need to use AFMA. 

You can keep changing settings until you understand what is the cause of your issue.

In most, but not all, its just a matter of learning to use a new camera with much more complex options.

I have purchased many used DSLR's that were virtually unused from locals who switched from P&S bodies to DSLR and expected images to be perfectly in focus at all distances just like their old camera. They said the camera image is not sharp!


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## Camerajah (Mar 4, 2015)

The 7D both versions demand good glass.


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 4, 2015)

monkey44 said:


> I keep reading about lack of "sharp" in the 7D2, and I'm not experiencing that at all, not even a little. Shooting it with the 100-400 v1 earlier, now the 100-400 v2, and 70-200 f4 IS ... nothing but sharp images.
> 
> Of course, individual shots lack 'sharp', but when the set-up and timing and "me" are right, it blows images out of the water. I'm not so sure it's all about the camera design and technology as much as it may be about individual camera and assembly or manufacturing differences which occasionally happen in mass production -- and the complex nature of that camera itself and getting use to how it operates.
> 
> I have no doubt some of your got a camera that is 'out of spec', it happens. But I'm not ready to believe yet it's a design flaw. I can't imagine that I can be so lucky as to get the one of the few 7D2's that shoots sharp, and get the only lenses that fit well with it. Makes little sense to believe that.



Those that are saying images are not sharp fall into several categories. 

1) they need to make afma adjustments to match the lens to the body
2) are experiencing a hardware or firmware issue (fairly common)
3) are used to the image quality of 1dx or 5d3 and notice the faults with the 7d2.

Some people who are experienced with what it SHOULD deliver never know that the camera is not performing as it should. 

The 7d2 is a complex camera with a steep learning curve. But it is evident that there are some that are just flat out bad and only produce about 5 to 10% keepers at a purely technical level. If you are happy with your model, feel lucky as there are plenty out here that are not happy with it.


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## takesome1 (Mar 4, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> monkey44 said:
> 
> 
> > I keep reading about lack of "sharp" in the 7D2, and I'm not experiencing that at all, not even a little. Shooting it with the 100-400 v1 earlier, now the 100-400 v2, and 70-200 f4 IS ... nothing but sharp images.
> ...



The 7D II is very sharp when it hits. It isn't soft. This is the only reason I am still using mine on the 500mm.

Mine required a AFMA, from what I have read from others I think that is a common theme. Many might think the camera is soft because of this.

The 7D II AF system is not as precise as expected, that is why some may feel it is soft. This lowers your critically sharp keeper rate. The tests I have done so far with FoCal and Lens Align show my copies precision is on par with the original 7D and 5D II. My keeper rate is on par with the 5D II and the 7D as well, and precision and keeper rate are below the 1D IV. 

I think if a person is moving from a 7D or 5D II you wouldn't think much about it at all. If you own a 1 series body or the 5D III the performance wouldn't feel right.


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## AlanF (Mar 4, 2015)

Takesomeone1, you are unlucky - my 7DII is just so much better than my former 7D with a very high keeper rate.


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## Northbird (Mar 4, 2015)

AlanF said:


> Takesomeone1, you are unlucky - my 7DII is just so much better than my former 7D with a very high keeper rate.



+1 my experience exactly.


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## Rahul (Mar 4, 2015)

Northbird said:


> AlanF said:
> 
> 
> > Takesomeone1, you are unlucky - my 7DII is just so much better than my former 7D with a very high keeper rate.
> ...



Mine too


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## takesome1 (Mar 4, 2015)

Rahul said:


> Northbird said:
> 
> 
> > AlanF said:
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I am going to send mine in to be checked out.


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 4, 2015)

takesome1 said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > monkey44 said:
> ...



I suppose, based on all of the reports here, that we are just part of the too exacting crowd and expect our 7D2 to act like a 1DX. 

Seriously, all I have been saying is that there is a large contingent of owners that have experienced issues so severe that even after AFMA, the technical keeper rate is on par with 5%. 10% max if you lump in one shot AF which seems pretty decent after AFMA. However drop into AF Servo and the keeper rate goes down to 5% and sometimes the camera never gets a proper AF lock.

One of the really serious issues I've found and reported to canon is that even with 1st and 2nd shot AF priority has been selected, the camera will still fire on an out of focus image (incorrectly believes the subject is in focus) in fact NOTHING in the image is in focus. Further Zone AF is supposed to lock on the closest subject. This is not always the case. If there is sufficient background the camera will lose lock on the subject and lock solidly on the background.

These are not AFMA issues and there are numerous similar reports of the same. I sent mine into Canon with very detailed reports of the issues and still waiting for their evaluation. They have been closed a lot due to weather and cannot honor the CPS turn around times 

I'm very happy that some of the units are working flawlessly. That gives the rest of us hope that there is a solution and we are not stuck with a badly designed camera body.


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 4, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> takesome1 said:
> 
> 
> > East Wind Photography said:
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Just a follow up. Found out from canon today that they replaced the mirror box, AF sensor, and recalibrated everything back to factory specifications.

Here's hoping for success.


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## kristianlund (Mar 5, 2015)

Hi all of my L lensens needed some corrections, and they are on focus almost every time.. but my sigma 50mm 1.4 art is pretty much useless on the 7d mkii.. the AF is very unstabile... I already had it look at where they corrected it + 11 in the micro adjustment. Plus i also have it on +10 in camera... but the focus jumps around if i take the same picture.. anyone else have the 50 mm 1.4 art on the 7dmkii?


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## Danzq (Mar 5, 2015)

I love my 7d2! But coming from a 350d I think I'd love a faulty 7d2 too! 

I feel like my keeper rate has increased quite alot but I suppose that should be the case compared to 350d.

However Im not getting THAT much more sharper pictures I imagined and the keeper rate is not something one might assume after getting one of the best AF systems Canon has to offer.

Anyway - Im happy with my money spend! At the beginning I found myself looking for softness in my pictures but luckily my good friends told me not to pixel peep and now it's all good!

Dunno if I see or should see any difference between my shots with the 350d and 7d2. 7d2 just makes everything easier and gives me more of those keeper shots! Feel free to take a look at my photostream if you can pick the difference! https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

-Dan


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## Rook (Mar 6, 2015)

Hi, thank you all for the great response. I am pretty much a novice but learning fast. I have tried many different lenses with all kinds of settings. I am learning to do dog photography at dog shows and portraits. It seems on movement shots I am getting maybe 1 out of 4 sharp images outside. Inside forget about it. When I try a still shot you would think all images would be in focus but they are not. Very inconsistent. I shoot mainly on AV but get the same results on full auto and others. I am mostly shooting with a 50mm 1.4f USM and a 100mm 2.0f USM and on occasion a 70-200 2.8f IS. This weekend I am going to reset the camera back to factory specs and start over. I have talked to Canon and am probably going to send the camera back to get checked out. 

I moved up from a Rebel T2i, lol

Thanks again!


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 6, 2015)

I would send it in. I got mine back a couple of days ago. Seems a lot better behaved and seems to take and hold AFMA now. They replaced the mirror box and AF sensor. I think they are integrated. 

Hopefully this weekend I can give it a shake down on some flying birds. Shots of the dog are not a real test.

However just based on shooting a spider lens call, it is very stable in its lock. Even with servo AF. No jumping around on a static target. I'm cautiously optimistic. 

So don't fret too much. Seems maybe some of these issues might be bad mirror boxes.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 6, 2015)

Danzq said:


> I love my 7d2! But coming from a 350d I think I'd love a faulty 7d2 too!
> 
> I feel like my keeper rate has increased quite alot but I suppose that should be the case compared to 350d.
> 
> ...



The slight difference in the MP of the sensor will not make a image sharper, but you should be able to pixel peep and not see a blurry mess. I would expect to be able to crop a image and still have it sharp.

The extra $$ is for the dual processors, the fancy autofocus, and for the $$$$ spent on development. Once Canon has recovered their initial cost of tooling and development, the price can easily drop to $1300 and they will still be making a big profit. 

I have not bought one, even though its a good camera because I know that I'd be disappointed with a crop sensor at the current price. I may go for one this fall, depending on what other new bodies we see.


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## Rook (Mar 6, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> I would send it in. I got mine back a couple of days ago. Seems a lot better behaved and seems to take and hold AFMA now. They replaced the mirror box and AF sensor. I think they are integrated.
> 
> Hopefully this weekend I can give it a shake down on some flying birds. Shots of the dog are not a real test.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I'm going to send it in and let them check it out.


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## nschearer (Mar 6, 2015)

kristianlund said:


> Hi all of my L lensens needed some corrections, and they are on focus almost every time.. but my sigma 50mm 1.4 art is pretty much useless on the 7d mkii.. the AF is very unstabile... I already had it look at where they corrected it + 11 in the micro adjustment. Plus i also have it on +10 in camera... but the focus jumps around if i take the same picture.. anyone else have the 50 mm 1.4 art on the 7dmkii?



I just upgraded to the 7D MII from the 7D and have used it with my Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 Art and 50mm f1.4 Art, as well as the Canon 24mm f2.8 Pancake. I've personally found the AF to be performing better than on the original 7D. I've always had issues with AF on the Sigma 50 f1.4 Art, but it's such a beautiful lens that I still use it anyways...sometimes manual focus is just the way to go. I just ordered the Sigma USB hub which will hopefully improve things a bit. I did have very good success with my Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 Art however (photo below), much better than with my original 7D.


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## Ruined (Mar 9, 2015)

I'll be honest I am highly interested in the 7DII but unless Canon officially acknowledges some of the AF issues that some users have been experiencing on certain bodies and/or releases a firmware update, the very earliest I will even consider buying one is Q4 2015 in case there is a "silent" hardware update/fix. Or at a minimum until the problematic cameras have been sold.


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 9, 2015)

Got my first real test since getting my 7d2 back from canon. They replaced the mirror box and AF sensor. The major issues have been fixed. Afma seems to be holding now and it is performing much better in zone AF mode. No new firmware.

Previously my keeper rate was about 5%. I'd say it's now about 50%. Still not as good as the 5d3 or 1dx but better than the old 7d. RAW images are still soft out of the camera but sharpen up well with significant post processing.

I took about 50 shots of a static osprey in both servo and one shot AF. Images were 50/50 in/out of focus. That's still a bit disappointing. I was able to mask some of that by using F10 and greater. However that pretty much only works for you in full sun and when you are willing to sacrifice a little IQ with higher ISO. Still, with DXO Prime you can correct for some of that.

Due to the Lack of AF accuracy, AfMA is extremely difficult to nail down. You really need to have a large sample size to determine which setting produces the most in focus shots. You won't have an absolute value that gives you 90% success. If that is what you need then sell it and buy the 1dx and deal with the full frame sensor.

I'll keep fiddling with settings and report back anything that improves the success rate.


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## Rook (Mar 20, 2015)

My 7D Mark II came back from Canon Repair Center yesterday. Going out this weekend to test it out. 

Canon Repair Center "Your product has been examined and it was found that the adjustment of the AF assembly was incorrect causing the focus to operate improperly. electrical adjustments were carried out on the AF assembly. Product functions were confirmed.11846"

Hopefully this solves the issues with my camera. I'll post an update after the weekend once we test it out. Thanks again to all that responded. Maybe this tread will help those who are having the same issues.

Peace, Rook


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## East Wind Photography (Mar 20, 2015)

I have been using mine extensively since the repair and I can now say the AF is about as good as the 5d3. The images are coming out quite better with a close to 80% Technical keeper rate. Still have low pass filter effects but they seem to sharpen very well in post without much increase in noise.


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## Rahul (Mar 21, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> I have been using mine extensively since the repair and I can now say the AF is about as good as the 5d3. The images are coming out quite better with a close to 80% Technical keeper rate. Still have low pass filter effects but they seem to sharpen very well in post without much increase in noise.



Glad to hear that finally, the 7D2 is working well for you.


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## Northbird (Mar 21, 2015)

ReggieABrown said:


> Maybe I got extremely lucky with the 7d mark ii I received because mine is track sharp! So sharp in fact I have to reduce the sharpening in post. I'm curious to what lens you're having a problem with sharpness with...?



+1 my experience as well.


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## Big_Ant_TV_Media (Mar 22, 2015)

if i sent mine in too be checked how long would it take too hear from canon i live in nyc/nj area


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## monkey44 (Mar 22, 2015)

BigAntTVProductions said:


> if i sent mine in too be checked how long would it take too hear from canon i live in nyc/nj area



I sent my 7D in once -- was less than ten days from my door to return to my door. I sent it to the NC store as it's the closest - I live in Florida. I heard two days after Canon received it ... and it took one day to fix. More than half the time was on-the-road in a UPS truck.


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## Big_Ant_TV_Media (Mar 23, 2015)

huh i didnt understand what u wrote lol




monkey44 said:


> BigAntTVProductions said:
> 
> 
> > if i sent mine in too be checked how long would it take too hear from canon i live in nyc/nj area
> ...


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## Rook (Mar 27, 2015)

BigAntTVProductions said:


> if i sent mine in too be checked how long would it take too hear from canon i live in nyc/nj area



It took about 10 days door to door to get mine repaired. Very glad I sent it in. So far no issues with the AF. Much sharper images as a whole.


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## Danzq (Apr 2, 2015)

I've sent mine in and it took Canon 2 weeks to even try to fix it. They had to order 7d2 specific calibration tools 'cause they had not delt with one before. 

Got a call today (2 and a half weeks from sending it) that there's something really wrong with my camera and after 4 hours of calibration they just couldnt make any sense of it. AF was all over the place and all the parts seemed fine. They ordered some parts (new mirror box and main sensor) and have a go at it again next week. 

Im just happy they see the problem I had and are determined to fix it. 

-Dan


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## DWM (Apr 6, 2015)

I also sent mine in and received it back in 9 days. Service details state "the adjustment of the AF assembly was incorrect causing the 
auto focus to operate improperly. Electrical adjustments were carried out on the AF assembly". My first thought was they didn't do much 
but after a weekend of shooting at an eagle nest I find it is way better. Went from less than 10% keeper rate before to above 90% now. 
AI servo will stay locked on and doesn't hunt for focus like before. I suggest anybody with similar problems send it in and not wait for a 
new firmware. My guess is it is a calibration that must be done by Canon and not a firmware fix.


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## Danzq (Apr 23, 2015)

Quick update:

5 weeks have passed and my 7d2 is still being fixed at Canon. Called them today to ask what's up and got a fairly intresting update: They have changed the mirror box and AF sensor and are still not happy how it performs. They have also narrowed that it is not anything physical that's causing the AF issues. So right now they are waiting for a data sheet (?free translate?) from Canon factory. I asked if it was a new firmware and they said that it in fact is a new firmware and it should come in early next week.

Im a bit sceptic if it was just another way to buy some more time. We'll see once I get my precious back.

-Dan


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## Big_Ant_TV_Media (Apr 23, 2015)

Danzq said:


> Quick update:
> 
> 5 weeks have passed and my 7d2 is still being fixed at Canon. Called them today to ask what's up and got a fairly intresting update: They have changed the mirror box and AF sensor and are still not happy how it performs. They have also narrowed that it is not anything physical that's causing the AF issues. So right now they are waiting for a data sheet (?free translate from finnish?) from Canon factory. I asked if it was a new firmware and they said that it in fact is a new firmware and it should come in early next week.
> 
> ...




COOL IF IT FIXES AF PROBLEMS AND INCREASES OUR KEEPER RATES AND FIXES NOISE PROBLEMS EVEN BETTER ALSO COULD U EMAIL THEM AND HAVE THEM ADD THE 24-105MM STM LENS PROFILE TOO THE CAMERA


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## Lee Jay (Apr 23, 2015)

Well, I'm having a very strange AF problem with my 7DII + 18-135 STM. Check this out:

I did AFMA, and it was already pretty close (+3, -2).
With center point, it nails focus in both portrait and landscape.
With side points (left and right), in front focuses in landscape.
In normal portrait (right hand on top), it dramatically front focuses with an edge (top) point.
In reverse portrait (right hand on bottom) it dramatically back focuses with an edge (top) point.

Canon thinks is a decentering problem with the lens. They may be right since it nails focus with my 70-200II in all orientations with all points. But I don't understand how a decentering problem would manifest differently based on orientation and why it's sharp across the frame with the center point.

Is that strange or what?


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## takesome1 (Apr 23, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> Is that strange or what?



It will be strange that after Canon identified it as a lens problem you still think it is a body problem.
Send the lens to Canon.


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## AshtonNekolah (Apr 23, 2015)

monkey44 said:


> I keep reading about lack of "sharp" in the 7D2, and I'm not experiencing that at all, not even a little. Shooting it with the 100-400 v1 earlier, now the 100-400 v2, and 70-200 f4 IS ... nothing but sharp images.
> 
> Of course, individual shots lack 'sharp', but when the set-up and timing and "me" are right, it blows images out of the water. I'm not so sure it's all about the camera design and technology as much as it may be about individual camera and assembly or manufacturing differences which occasionally happen in mass production -- and the complex nature of that camera itself and getting use to how it operates.
> 
> I have no doubt some of your got a camera that is 'out of spec', it happens. But I'm not ready to believe yet it's a design flaw. I can't imagine that I can be so lucky as to get the one of the few 7D2's that shoots sharp, and get the only lenses that fit well with it. Makes little sense to believe that.



I have no problems either, when people see the images right off the bad they say its sharper than my FF, I dont really care about all the sharpness talk thou but it's interesting to hear about this dealio.


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## dolina (Apr 23, 2015)

Sent in my 7D Mark II for service connected to the AF early two weekends ago. This may mark my third weekend without it.


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## Lee Jay (Apr 23, 2015)

takesome1 said:


> Lee Jay said:
> 
> 
> > Is that strange or what?
> ...



I want to do some more testing first (IS on/off, and a third lens - the 24-105). They only told me this yesterday and today I'm sick, so I'm not losing any time yet.

Man, when this camera nails focus on a good lens (which is basically always except for the condition I described above), it's sharp and very low in noise. I'm incredibly pleased with this thing except for this one problem and some stupid software decisions I hope they'll eventually fix.


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## ronaldbyram (Apr 23, 2015)

Does anyone have any proper procedures to do a AFMA ? is it complicated?


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## Lee Jay (Apr 23, 2015)

ronaldbyram said:


> Does anyone have any proper procedures to do a AFMA ? is it complicated?



There are many ways. A simple one is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zE50jCUPhM


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## takesome1 (Apr 23, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> takesome1 said:
> 
> 
> > Lee Jay said:
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Is the lens under warrant?

I sent my 7D II in for service, returned it in 7 days. 
No problems at all now.

For peace of mind if the lens is under warranty ship them both off.


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## RodS57 (Apr 23, 2015)

I contacted canon Canada about my camera in early March and sent in the requested pictures. None of the shots were in focus but they said nothing was wrong with my camera. In the course of the correspondence they never suggested I should send it in to be checked. Due to possible time frame for repair and upcoming trip I will wait until probably this fall to send it in. Trying to give this camera every chance to prove I am the problem. Not impressed with camera or canon so far.

Rod


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## Lee Jay (Apr 23, 2015)

takesome1 said:


> Lee Jay said:
> 
> 
> > takesome1 said:
> ...



Yeah...they're a month old.


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## takesome1 (Apr 23, 2015)

RodS57 said:


> I contacted canon Canada about my camera in early March and sent in the requested pictures. None of the shots were in focus but they said nothing was wrong with my camera. In the course of the correspondence they never suggested I should send it in to be checked. Due to possible time frame for repair and upcoming trip I will wait until probably this fall to send it in. Trying to give this camera every chance to prove I am the problem. Not impressed with camera or canon so far.
> 
> Rod



This is what I see with your statement.
I contacted Canon and told them there was an AF issue and I was sending it back for warranty. Clear directions, no questions, box it up and send it is the response I got.
It appears you called Canon and tried to resolve your issue remotely.
Perhaps it is the business I am in that has taught me to be demanding and specific. But in general when you tell someone a specific action you want and the course you want them to take you will not get run in circles as much because you are guiding the direction.

When you contacted them they didn't want to take ownership of the problem. Bad customer service sure, but typical of many customer service departments.


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## takesome1 (Apr 23, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> takesome1 said:
> 
> 
> > Lee Jay said:
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Peace of mind I would.

If your in the US you can go to Canon USA's website and print out a service ticket with shipping instructions. You do not even need to talk to any one if you so desire. The biggest pain was packing it up and going to Fed-x.


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## Keith_Reeder (Apr 23, 2015)

ReggieABrown said:


> Maybe I got extremely lucky with the 7d mark ii I received because mine is track sharp! So sharp in fact I have to reduce the sharpening in post.



Yep, same here.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 23, 2015)

Keith_Reeder said:


> ReggieABrown said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe I got extremely lucky with the 7d mark ii I received because mine is track sharp! So sharp in fact I have to reduce the sharpening in post.
> ...



Some definitely have had issues, its hard to gage just how many. I've held off on it simply because I think its over priced.


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (Apr 23, 2015)

Just sold my 7D to purchase the 7D2. It is very soft and inconsistent. I have used it with my 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM II, 24-70 f/2.8L USM, 24-105 f/4L IS USM and more recently my new Tamron 150-600.... and have had very inconsistent results. My 7D performed better, quite honestly.

I will stick with my 5D2, 5D3 and hope the firmware helps on the 7D2.


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## weixing (Apr 23, 2015)

Hi,


Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Keith_Reeder said:
> 
> 
> > ReggieABrown said:
> ...


 Yes, it's expensive, but base on the build and performance, I don't consider it's over-priced.

Have a nice day.


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## weixing (Apr 23, 2015)

Hi,


DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> Just sold my 7D to purchase the 7D2. It is very soft and inconsistent. I have used it with my 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM II, 24-70 f/2.8L USM, 24-105 f/4L IS USM and more recently my new Tamron 150-600.... and have had very inconsistent results. My 7D performed better, quite honestly.
> 
> I will stick with my 5D2, 5D3 and hope the firmware helps on the 7D2.


 I use it on both 400mm F5.6L and Tamron 150-600mm. Not much problem with 400mm F5.6L. 

But when use with my first copy of Tamron 150-600mm, the AF is quite inconsistent and the lens will hang in live view AF at minimum focusing distance. With the second copy of the Tamron 150-600mm, it is more consistent and do not have the above live view issue (but live view AF is very, very slow).

Anyway, had a strange issue when use with my Kenko Pro 300 DG 1.4x TC:
The 7D2 will hang when use the Kenko 1.4x TC with my 400mm F5.6L, but work normally when use the Kenko 1.4x TC with my Tamron 150-600mm... hmm... 

Have a nice day.


----------



## candc (Apr 23, 2015)

I know that there are problems with some 7dii's. I can understand a faulty part in those cameras but if its a firmware issue then all the cameras should have problems and they don't.


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## JimKarczewski (Apr 23, 2015)

Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???

This was an example from today, but sometimes it's a person standing on base talking to the coach and I'm not switching to single shot to get a standing still person just to switch back to servo..

And then there are shots in focus in the same series. So nothing moved, but the camera went from in focus to out and then back in again. Frustrating as all hell.


----------



## Keith_Reeder (Apr 23, 2015)

Well, 1/1600 shutter speed or not, there's definite motion blur going on there - look at the word "Whiting" on the central red banner, in the large image: _very_ clear "smearing".

What AF mode are you using?

Here's what life with my 7D Mk II typically looks like:












Panning here (low shutter speeds) too.

Brilliant camera.


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## DJD (Apr 23, 2015)

JimKarczewski said:


> Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> 
> This was an example from today, but sometimes it's a person standing on base talking to the coach and I'm not switching to single shot to get a standing still person just to switch back to servo..
> 
> And then there are shots in focus in the same series. So nothing moved, but the camera went from in focus to out and then back in again. Frustrating as all hell.



Jim,
When I take a close look at your example picture it looks like camera motion blur to me (look at the edges of the sign boards). Nothing is in focus. Is there any chance the camera did move during this shot?
Cheers,
djd


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## machx0r (Apr 23, 2015)

I just opened a service request today regarding the soft images and inconsistent focus I've been getting with my 7D Mark II. Using the same lenses I end up with more sharp keepers on both the T1i and T5i than I do with the 7D Mark II. Hopefully this update will resolve my issues.


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## Act444 (Apr 23, 2015)

JimKarczewski said:


> Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> 
> This was an example from today, but sometimes it's a person standing on base talking to the coach and I'm not switching to single shot to get a standing still person just to switch back to servo..
> 
> And then there are shots in focus in the same series. So nothing moved, but the camera went from in focus to out and then back in again. Frustrating as all hell.



This happened with my old 7D. It's the only camera I've had that would rack back and forth that severely. Unfortunately I have not had the chance to shoot extensively enough with the 7D2 to know if it's been fixed...but that was my NUMBER ONE beef with the original.


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 23, 2015)

Act444 said:


> JimKarczewski said:
> 
> 
> > Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> ...



This was the case with mine until they replaced the mirror box and AF sensor. It is rock solid now in ai servo. All as good as my 5d3. In fact the only time I use one shot now is when I'm shooting in low light.


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## machx0r (Apr 23, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> Act444 said:
> 
> 
> > JimKarczewski said:
> ...



This is what concerns me. I'm hopeful that a firmware update improves my situation but I keep hearing stories of replaced mirror boxes which a firmware update certainly could not fix.

I wouldn't be able to ship my camera for the warranty service until Tuesday anyway so maybe I'll get lucky and the new firmware will come out before then giving me a little bit of time to better decide if I should ship it off or not...


----------



## RodS57 (Apr 23, 2015)

takesome1 said:


> RodS57 said:
> 
> 
> > I contacted canon Canada about my camera in early March and sent in the requested pictures. None of the shots were in focus but they said nothing was wrong with my camera. In the course of the correspondence they never suggested I should send it in to be checked. Due to possible time frame for repair and upcoming trip I will wait until probably this fall to send it in. Trying to give this camera every chance to prove I am the problem. Not impressed with camera or canon so far.
> ...



I think they could have met me half way by saying we don't think there is anything wrong but please send it in if you feel there is a problem. They are not admitting to an issue but are offering something to the customer. Right now it is more like, "We got your money, go away!"

Rod


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## JimKarczewski (Apr 24, 2015)

DJD said:


> JimKarczewski said:
> 
> 
> > Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> ...


----------



## Act444 (Apr 24, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> Act444 said:
> 
> 
> > JimKarczewski said:
> ...



Well, all this talk convinced me to pull out the 7D2 and fire off some test Servo shots (I just haven't really got a chance to put it to much real world use yet, although with the weather improving, I expect that to change). It was not perfect every time, but the variation seemed to be within the tolerances of the system...In other words, it's DEFINITELY more consistent than my old 7D was. MUCH more so. In fact it is pretty close to my 5D3, or so it seems. 

Sorry to hear that's not the case for everyone... :-\


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## Canon1 (Apr 24, 2015)

JimKarczewski said:


> Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> 
> This was an example from today, but sometimes it's a person standing on base talking to the coach and I'm not switching to single shot to get a standing still person just to switch back to servo..
> 
> And then there are shots in focus in the same series. So nothing moved, but the camera went from in focus to out and then back in again. Frustrating as all hell.



Jim,

What was your shutter speed? You mentioned that you were sitting in a car at a redlight. There is a ton of vibration to contend with when shooting from within a running vehicle. Also, there is the potential for heat shimmer. A lot of variables going against you with this situation, and can explain why some shots in aburst are better than others. 

I don't doubt that you are having problems with the camera. I think mine has issues, and it is at CPS right now. Hopefully there is something they can do to improve the image quality... otherwise I'll let it go. I have owned mine for 5 months, and never use it because the IQ is lousy. Hoping it's not the norm. 

Good luck with yours and I'll update once I hear from CPS...

Happy Shooting.


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## hd02fatboy (Apr 24, 2015)

I purchased mine mid January. I had a indoor college track and field event to shot about two weeks after receiving the new camera. This gave me time to do a micro adjust between the camera and the lens. I was excited to use the new 7D II. That was until I got home and downloaded the photos. It was pretty much a disaster with only very few keepers. The lighting in the arena was bad and didn't help matters. I was not allow to use strobes or flash. I shot with the Sigma 120-300 2.8 Sport lens. I have not complained or posted anything until I seen this post about a possible firmware upgrade. I have only used the camera a few times since then for non sport type of photos. The inital results left me a bit frustrated, but with a busy schedule there was hasn't been time to dig into it. I finally have time this weekend to take it out and do some shots outside and recheck my micro adjustment settings on the camera as well as the Sigma lens. I am hoping its just a micro adjust/configuration issue on my part. Thanks for all the insight to what you've run into with this camera model. In the end, if I am facing the same focus problem when using the AI Servo, I would welcome a firmware upgrade.


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## MichaelTheMaven (Apr 24, 2015)

I had to replace two 7Diis before I got a good copy. No issues since. Glad to see it is being addressed by firmware. 

Michael


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## belopar8 (Apr 24, 2015)

I've never posted here, but I have to chime in on this one. For the past 6 weeks I've been pulling my hair out trying to get this 7D2 to focus correctly. The Canon support people have been frustratingly difficult to deal with...not at all what I've experienced on the rare instances I've ever used them, and not exactly the level of service I expect after plunking down $300 for the "Platinum" CPS level. 

After several weeks of playing with this thing and using AFMA on every piece of glass I own my frustration level reached the point where I took a Diet Dr. Pepper can outside in the bright light and shot a tripod mounted series of shots with the 7D2 and my 10 year old's Rebel XSI. The XSI blew them out of the water. I burned that set and an extensive set with a LensAlign and boxed everything up and sent it to Canon.

My 7D2 is just back from it's 3rd trip to Virginia or wherever they shipped it. It's had a new mirror box and AF assembly (whatever that is, exactly) because according to them the original was installed incorrectly.

My images were (some still are) incredibly soft, particularly in Servo. At this point a moving subject seems to have a much greater chance of being sharp and in focus than a stationary one shot in Servo. To get the best AF results in a variety of situations I have re-programmed the DOF preview button to the right of the mount to toggle between One Shot and Servo. If my subject is momentarily stationary, I hold the button down switch to ONE SHOT, then release and go back to Servo if it starts moving again.

The results are better, but still not where they should be. I'm just curious here...what's the firmware version your cameras shipped with? My 7D2 is showing Firmware version 1.0.2 I was curious as to whether they might have slipped the new firmware in there and not mentioned it.


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 24, 2015)

Canon1 said:


> JimKarczewski said:
> 
> 
> > Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> ...



It's not the norm. CPS fixed mine and replaced the mirror box and AF sensor then recalibrated everything back to factory spec. I've been using it almost exclusively now shooting soccer and rarely get an out of focus image. I still have to apply a decent amount of post sharpening but that is due to the low pass filter on this model. Images are tack sharp one after another now.


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Apr 24, 2015)

belopar8 said:


> At this point a moving subject seems to have a much greater chance of being sharp and in focus than a stationary one shot in Servo.



Curiously I noticed that my 5D3 has always seemed a bit similar. It would nail soccer players charging down the field, spinning and leaping and turning and so on, but then try to get a shot of the goalie slowly walking the ball out and 50% would be OOF, sometimes, despite center cluster 100% within the players body and on defined markings, it would leap a shot or two back to something 100 yards away before instantly getting back close to target.

The same scenario for birds on the ground. They constantly move about just enough one shot isn't so hot, but AI servo seems unstable, worse than my 7D was (although for sports, other than for surfing where it did at least as well, the 7D was generally much worse, for some soccer games I'd just give up and quickly put it away and go 5D3 all the way as it would be doing no better than an old 50D, at best).


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Apr 24, 2015)

MichaelTheMaven said:


> I had to replace two 7Diis before I got a good copy. No issues since. Glad to see it is being addressed by firmware.
> 
> Michael



The thing is all three copies had the same firmware and yet you found two to be poor and one fine so I wonder about a firmware fix. Perhaps it's to deal with troubles if there is any slight imperfection to AF sensor or something? Or maybe just an additional stability fix, but you still need solid HW.


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## JimKarczewski (Apr 24, 2015)

Canon1 said:


> JimKarczewski said:
> 
> 
> > Same here, I rarely use my 7DII unless absolutely necessary. People STANDING STILL in AI-Servo are severely out of focus???
> ...



1/1600 @ f4, ISO 160.


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## justaCanonuser (Apr 24, 2015)

Thx for this important info and the very interesting thread. I got my new 7D2 just yesterday and will try it today afternoon for the first time (birding with 500mm tele w/o TC) and check its AF performance. I will use the same settings I discovered to be the best with my 5D3 for birding, and I may not have the time to do a proper AF micro adjustment of my lens(es) before. Look forward to the first results with the 7D2 just out of the box.


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 24, 2015)

With the 500 f4 you will at least need to check afma and adjust first before making any claims about af performance.



justaCanonuser said:


> Thx for this important info and the very interesting thread. I got my new 7D2 just yesterday and will try it today afternoon for the first time (birding with 500mm tele w/o TC) and check its AF performance. I will use the same settings I discovered to be the best with my 5D3 for birding, and I may not have the time to do a proper AF micro adjustment of my lens(es) before. Look forward to the first results with the 7D2 just out of the box.


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## dolina (Apr 24, 2015)

Got my 7D2 from the Canon Service Center. I can confirm the firmware will be out next week. Everyone who complained about the AF were bird photogs and the adjustments made was purely software.

I will test tomorrow if the improvements stuck.


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## Lee Jay (Apr 24, 2015)

dolina said:


> Got my 7D2 from the Canon Service Center. I can confirm the firmware will be out next week. Everyone who complained about the AF were bird photogs and the adjustments made was purely software.
> 
> I will test tomorrow if the improvements stuck.



What's the new firmware version number?


----------



## dolina (Apr 24, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> dolina said:
> 
> 
> > Got my 7D2 from the Canon Service Center. I can confirm the firmware will be out next week. Everyone who complained about the AF were bird photogs and the adjustments made was purely software.
> ...


Lee and in_04 I do *not* have the new firmware.

Looking through the menu it states that I am using *1.0.2*

What CPS did was manually adjust my camera's firmware as the AF wasn't hitting it's mark.

I was told to expect the new firmware next week.

Amongst photojournalists who got the 7D2 none of them returned their units to CPS for error correction.

All of those who had their 7D2 serviced were bird photogs.


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## belopar8 (Apr 24, 2015)

dolina said:


> Lee Jay said:
> 
> 
> > dolina said:
> ...



Well they've had mine 3 times and I am a photojournalist. I got a new mirror box and AF assembly. It's better than it was, but if the new firmware doesn't fix the remaining servo problems I'm dumping this thing.


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## takesome1 (Apr 24, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> With the 500 f4 you will at least need to check afma and adjust first before making any claims about af performance.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Not so, if he takes it out and hits critical focus on the birds eye over and over no AFMA adjustment required.


----------



## Lee Jay (Apr 24, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> ronaldbyram said:
> 
> 
> > Does anyone have any proper procedures to do a AFMA ? is it complicated?
> ...



I've been doing some testing the last few days, and one conclusion I have is that I don't think dot-tune really works. The fundamental assumption behind dot-tune is that the scale is linear. There are really no good reasons to think that it is, and plenty of reasons to think that it isn't, and in fact when I did a more rigorous tuning I found that dot-tune was wrong, to the same direction, and by the same amount, on all my tests. Dot tune had me set the tuning closer (lower number) than actual tuning did, but about 4-6 counts or so.


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 24, 2015)

Lee Jay said:


> Lee Jay said:
> 
> 
> > ronaldbyram said:
> ...



It's not accurate at all. Only gets you in the ball park. In order to nail it down you need to review the results using something on the order of a spyder lens cal. Dot tune will also not account for position error in the AF system as well focus position feedback. If there is any slop in your lens af, dot tune won't account for that where a fully functioning af system will.

The short story is that if you don't have a means to verify the quality of the afma setting you are better off not even messing with it.


----------



## RGF (Apr 25, 2015)

I had problems with the 7DM2 and 200-400 for BIF. Static objects w/ 7D M2 and 100-400II were sharp.

Looking for new firmware


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 25, 2015)

I'm hoping a new firmware update will fix some of the iTR and AF tracking issues. 

ITR works but it does not work as they allude to. One would expect it to lock on say white jersey but it will switch to yellow rather easily. I've also noticed the some of the case mode settings have very little to no effect. One such is the AF tracking slider. With that slider turned all of the way down, one would expect the camera to stay locked on reasonably well when something or someone passes in front. No. It switches almost instantly as if the slider has no effect.

I've tried different AF modes as well, both zone modes and full 65 point AF. Room for improvement. While the 5d3 does not have iTR, the AF tracking locks like it should when set that way for well over one second.

I've been forced to use single point AF for almost everything which defeats the purpose of having a fancy AF system.

Overall though I am still very pleased with the 7d2 after it was repaired and recalibrated. None of the issues I have now are very serious and most should be firmware fixable.


----------



## Canon1 (Apr 25, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> Canon1 said:
> 
> 
> > JimKarczewski said:
> ...



That's encouraging. Fingers crossed...


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## candc (Apr 25, 2015)

I have had good success with the af on bif using various modes, mostly large zone and af point expansion. I will say that I think it is overly sensitive and "twitchy" with its default settings. I have all the sliders to the left You would think it would be sluggish but it is not. I think it has a tendency to overreact in an attempt to be predictive.Maybe part of this new firmware will adjust for this?


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## weixing (Apr 25, 2015)

Hi,
My 7D2 AF work most of the time, but there are some situation that the AF will miss focus. 

After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot. 

I perform the same test on my older 60D and although it'll also struggle to focus, but only will miss once in awhile... not as regularly as 7D2.

Have a nice day.


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## charlyw64 (Apr 25, 2015)

weixing said:


> After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot.


That's not a defect, that's a normal limitation of the way phase detection works - if there are adjacent similar contrast curves (remember the AF sensor doesn't see a picture, it only sees a single line out of this) then the calculated focus position may be calculated on the bases of two different elements of that grid - and thus be grossly off. No service and no algorithm improvement can remedy this. It is also listed under the topic of possible AF failure conditions in the manual.


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## weixing (Apr 25, 2015)

charlyw64 said:


> weixing said:
> 
> 
> > After some testing, I realized when AF subject with repeatably lines with certain spacing on it (not those test chart when the lines are very close together), the AF will think that it's in focus, but actually not... even in one-shot.
> ...


Hi,
I saw that in the manual, but I didn't expect it'll report "achieve focus" (AF beep sound) in One-Shot AF or stop hunting in AI Servo AF... my expectation of AF fail to achieve focus is that it'll keep hunting in AI-Servo or unable to report "achieve focus" in One-Shot... learn something today. ;D

Have a nice day.


----------



## Keith_Reeder (Apr 25, 2015)

candc said:


> I have had good success with the af on bif using various modes, mostly large zone and af point expansion.



Me too (mainly with "Zone") - these modes are better than the 7D and 70D incarnations, although they can be hard to use well. You have to be conscious of content between the camera and the subject, given that these modes are biased to focus on whatever's closest in the frame that has an AF point on it.



> I will say that I think it is overly sensitive and "twitchy" with its default settings. I have all the sliders to the left You would think it would be sluggish but it is not. I think it has a tendency to overreact in an attempt to be predictive.



Agreed again - Canon does seem to be determined to make AF responsiveness fast to the point of twitchiness, even in cases where it would be better _not_ so fast. I've complained about this since the 40D, and although they're heading in the right direction, Canon's not quite there yet.

That said, it's only very rarely a _problem_ for me. Back button focus, pumping the button where necessary, and I'm generally good.


----------



## pvalpha (Apr 25, 2015)

I bought my 7DmII on Monday. Been configuring it. I take photos indoors and out, but my old trusty 10D just couldn't keep up with the dogs when they're running in the fields. 

The one thing that caused me consternation in the first batch of pictures was the shutter release button. I had turned on the settings to always illuminate the AF point, and noticed that in one-shot sometimes if I changed pressure the slightest bit, the point would refocus in the middle of any composition change. (What can I say, cats don't stay still all the time, even if they are relaxing) - or worse, change focus on shutter depress. Since I got the 18-135 STM Kit (my widest glass was EF-28mm, which isn't quite wide enough for indoors on APS-C) I realized that the few soft-focus images I got must have been because it started to change focus after focus lock - which was easy to tell when I put a USM lens on that I could actually hear. 

So I changed everything I could to focus priority and used a firmer half-press and made sure that if I had to recompose significantly (move the camera a lot) I relocked the AF and took the picture right away. That seems to have dealt with soft focus in all the mostly-still cases. Mirror swing imparts one heck of a kick in this camera. Seems to have more kinetic energy than the 10d's mirror, too. I had to adjust my grip on the body to compensate for it - I did a couple bracketed photos and discovered I really needed to have a solid bracing otherwise the images moved quite a bit. For now I'm compensating by making sure I have a faster shutter speed than normal when hand holding. I still have some issues with the AF tracking, and I haven't tried Servo AI yet - didn't have decent weather to take the pups and let them run themselves ragged. But hopefully those issues will be solved when the time comes for the firmware. 

As for the video, it needs just a few more things to be good - including a fix to the phase-detect tracking - it tracks human beings fine for the most part, but does not like cats. Focus point slid around until it locked on to a background object and stayed there. I didn't buy this camera for video, but while it has all the physical tools to be a great video camera - the software lacks a lot.  

Preferably I'd like a raw mode, but I know Canon won't like their DSLRs competing with their C series. About the only saving grace is the clean HDMI outputting 4:2:2. Combine that with an external recorder, and that might be enough. It just burns a bit that the in-camera choices are so poor and it needs a ML firmware hack to use it to the hardware's ability. I haven't seen it yet, but maybe canon will allow AF control through an external touch-screen monitor for video and live view - or someone will make a hack to allow it. That would solve a host of focus control issues.


----------



## East Wind Photography (Apr 25, 2015)

pvalpha said:


> I bought my 7DmII on Monday. Been configuring it. I take photos indoors and out, but my old trusty 10D just couldn't keep up with the dogs when they're running in the fields.
> 
> The one thing that caused me consternation in the first batch of pictures was the shutter release button. I had turned on the settings to always illuminate the AF point, and noticed that in one-shot sometimes if I changed pressure the slightest bit, the point would refocus in the middle of any composition change. (What can I say, cats don't stay still all the time, even if they are relaxing) - or worse, change focus on shutter depress. Since I got the 18-135 STM Kit (my widest glass was EF-28mm, which isn't quite wide enough for indoors on APS-C) I realized that the few soft-focus images I got must have been because it started to change focus after focus lock - which was easy to tell when I put a USM lens on that I could actually hear.
> 
> ...



One of the things that I do is to configure the shutter button for metering only and then use the AF-on button to focus. It takes getting used to but once you get the focus where you want it, just take your finger off the back button and it's locked no matter what you do with the shutter button.

A variation is to configure the AF-on button to AF-off. Then just press and hold to stop the camera from refocusing.

The 7d2 also has a new feature that allows you to program other settings to one of the buttons such as shutter speed, ISO, AF mode, etc or any combination of the settings. I reprogrammed my AE lock button to instantly switch to spot AF mode and start AF and IS if enabled. I shoot a lot of birds and animals and this allows me to better stick pick when a bird goes from flight to landing. Also allows me to better lock AF on a subjects eye when needed. I can start in another mode and then quickly get a lock on an eye without fumbling with knobs or levers.


----------



## derrald (Apr 27, 2015)

For those that have not seen my post regarding my AF experiences with my 7D II - feel free to check it out at: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25534.msg508478#msg508478

After continuing to work with my 7D II, I'm not sure ultimately what fixed my AF issues, but I think it has to do with my further configuration of the AF type. I was using a modified type 4 and when I went back to defaults that seemed to work much better. 

I also recommend setting both 1st and 2nd shot priority to focus.

My 7D is working so well, in fact, that I am able to handhold my 7D + 500 f/4l II + 1.4tc at 1/1000 and get some wonderful in-focus shots.

I can see why people are frustrated. I was extremely frustrated for quite a long time until I changed my settings. In my estimation my settings should have worked, but perhaps they conflicted somehow. Maybe the Firmware will fix it.

Either way, I'm happier now.


----------



## Canon1 (Apr 28, 2015)

CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.

Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.


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## candc (Apr 28, 2015)

Canon1 said:


> CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.
> 
> Not sure what this means exactly, but apparently Canon found something they didn't quite like. Will get the camera back soon and do some testing.



Electrical adjustments? That sounds like some kind of smokescreen for "we fixed a known problem but don't want to tell you what it was"


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## East Wind Photography (Apr 28, 2015)

candc said:


> Canon1 said:
> 
> 
> > CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.
> ...



So cynical! Likely just the techs trying not to overly complicate the repair for the consumer. I have been in that situation before and getting too technical in the repair order not only wastes time, it also usually falls on deaf ears. Most consumers dont understand the technical jargon.


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## Canon1 (Apr 28, 2015)

candc said:


> Canon1 said:
> 
> 
> > CPS just shipped my camera back to me. They stated that there was a problem with the AF assembly that caused inaccurate focus from time to time and performed electrical adjustments to correct the issue. Product function was then confirmed.
> ...



Who knows. I have a pair of 5d3 and one of the bodies started producing very poor iq. Focal tests confirmed it was only about half as good as my other body. Sent it in to CPS and they performed "electrical adjustments" and it came back working better than it was when new! I guess I don't care what they do as long as it works. If there is a known error or malfunction that impacts many users I suspect canon will release a service announcement once the serial numbers affected have been identified.


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## RLJSlick (Apr 28, 2015)

So I noticed maybe 3 weeks ago, I was starting to have front or rear focusing issues with the Canon 7Dmk II, so I decided to send it into Canon repair to see what they find, and here is the results. So far the process has only taken a week. I can't post the doc here, but this is what it says:

"We have received your equipment for evaluation and repair. Based on our initial examination, we will begin the necessary repairs at no charge to you. You can expect the repairs to be completed and shipped back to you within approximately 7 business days* from the date shown above. There is no need to respond to this notice. 
........" 

*Description of Problem/Symptoms*

unit shows front, and back focus/check and repair all functions

In Warranty Standard Labor Charge $0.00 1 $0.00


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## pvalpha (Apr 28, 2015)

derrald said:


> For those that have not seen my post regarding my AF experiences with my 7D II - feel free to check it out at: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=25534.msg508478#msg508478
> 
> After continuing to work with my 7D II, I'm not sure ultimately what fixed my AF issues, but I think it has to do with my further configuration of the AF type. I was using a modified type 4 and when I went back to defaults that seemed to work much better.
> 
> ...



I wish that I had seen this before I took my dogs to the park to shoot them running this afternoon. *sigh* Focus is definitely related to the 10fps and AI Servo. Anything shot below 1/800 s feels like someone smeared Vaseline on my front element, and I had the minimum shutter set to 1/500. I searched the images for *anything* in the kind of focus I've experienced from this camera... couldn't find a thing (I guess its a positive thing that what I put the initial AF point on was in the clearest in the images). And I was very careful to shoot in short bursts and let up off the shutter the instant the AF track moved from where I wanted it to be, correct, and shoot again. 

Switched custom functions to my One Shot setup... Bang - razor sharp even at 1/250s, dead on whatever I put the AF point on. The only real differences were the FPS and AI Servo. 

I'll probably try again later this week and set the minimum shutter to 1/1000 and go from there. 

If it continues to be an issue after the Firmware update, it might be paying a visit to canon. :'(


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## Big_Ant_TV_Media (May 1, 2015)

So where's the new firmware it's been a week canon 
U guys are like chip kelly lol


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## ncmagee (May 1, 2015)

I was on the verge of sending mine in. Purchased it near the end of December, but didn't have a chance to really use it for action until March. Paired with me 70-200 f2.8 II I found it needed a mirco-adjustment of 5. Much the same as my 24-105. With a 50 f/1.4 I couldn't adjust it enough.
So I decided to contact Canon and send it in. They first had me reset to factory and that actually seemed to help and my focus test appear great. Nevertheless there is still some sort of anomaly....something still isn't quite right and the issue doesn't seem to be consistent. I am usually good at troubleshooting, but this has me baffled.
Luckily I heard about the upcoming firmware and decided to hang onto the body until I was able to try the update. Fingers crossed it comes out soon.

Right now a T3i is worth more to me than this $2000 paper weight.  Feeling buyers remorse and thinking the grass isn't greener with the Mark II. My 7D worked flawless. Could trust that when you got home you would have something of value.

Thank you Canon Rumors for bringing the latest info our way!!


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## East Wind Photography (May 1, 2015)

ncmagee said:


> I was on the verge of sending mine in. Purchased it near the end of December, but didn't have a chance to really use it for action until March. Paired with me 70-200 f2.8 II I found it needed a mirco-adjustment of 5. Much the same as my 24-105. With a 50 f/1.4 I couldn't adjust it enough.
> So I decided to contact Canon and send it in. They first had me reset to factory and that actually seemed to help and my focus test appear great. Nevertheless there is still some sort of anomaly....something still isn't quite right and the issue doesn't seem to be consistent. I am usually good at troubleshooting, but this has me baffled.
> Luckily I heard about the upcoming firmware and decided to hang onto the body until I was able to try the update. Fingers crossed it comes out soon.
> 
> ...



Don't hesitate to send it back to canon. I did and mine now works all as good as my 5d3. There is no reason for it to not work as expected or advertised. I can assure you it can be adjusted. Yes there are some minor firmware tweaks that have to be made but none of them are show stoppers in my opinion.

I still have to apply a great deal of post sharpening but that is not an AF problem and is due to the low pass filter used.


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## dslrdummy (May 4, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> ncmagee said:
> 
> 
> > I was on the verge of sending mine in. Purchased it near the end of December, but didn't have a chance to really use it for action until March. Paired with me 70-200 f2.8 II I found it needed a mirco-adjustment of 5. Much the same as my 24-105. With a 50 f/1.4 I couldn't adjust it enough.
> ...


Following your lead and sending mine in to be checked. Very inconsistent in AI Servo. Might be some user error at work but I don't seem to have the same problems with my 5Diii. No harm in having it checked out.


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (May 4, 2015)

So disappointed with Canon. I regret selling my 7D to purchase my 7D Mark II....at least at this point. I really expected better for the $1,700 cost of the 7D Mark II. My 7D was brilliant compared to my 7D Mark II.

Guess I have to send a brand new camera body back to the manufacturer to make it work the way its supposed to.

Two words (Regret and Canon) I never thought I'd hear myself say in the same sentence after being a loyal Canon shooter since the 1980's...

I have my fingers crossed they can make this thing right.

-- sigh --


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## East Wind Photography (May 4, 2015)

DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> So disappointed with Canon. I regret selling my 7D to purchase my 7D Mark II....at least at this point. I really expected better for the $1,700 cost of the 7D Mark II. My 7D was brilliant compared to my 7D Mark II.
> 
> Guess I have to send a brand new camera body back to the manufacturer to make it work the way its supposed to.
> 
> ...



I too started with that same sinking feeling. However in my case I never really liked the 7D too much and after sending my 7D2 back to Canon, was very happy it got a detailed examination, replaced AF sensor and mirror box, and a detailed recalibration across the board. 

It came back working all as good as my 5D3 and I don't think twice now about having to send it back.

Rest assured, Canon will make it work as it should and you will then wonder how you ever lived with that old 7D.


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## rshachar (May 4, 2015)

To all who replaced their AF sensor and mirror boxes: Sounds like open heart surgery to me  
Weren't you worried they'll do more damage than harm? (I've read lots of replies from satisfied customer at the forum and yet...)


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## Pixel (May 4, 2015)

Driving mine up to Chicago for the AF fix on Wednesday. Hoping to solve some things!


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## Pixel (May 4, 2015)

Canon just emailed me asking me to bring images with me. Hmm?


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## East Wind Photography (May 5, 2015)

rshachar said:


> To all who replaced their AF sensor and mirror boxes: Sounds like open heart surgery to me
> Weren't you worried they'll do more damage than harm? (I've read lots of replies from satisfied customer at the forum and yet...)



Nope. In the state it was in it was pretty much useless. Only 10% Technical success rate. Apparently there is a batch of 7d2 bodies with incorrectly installed mirror boxes. After use, they can be damaged to the point they cannot just be remounted and put back into operation. The mirror box and AF sensor are one unit so both have to be replaced.

Based on what I know from the tech, the mirror box is not too bad of a replacement. It is a single unit. I have had nothing but great service from Canon new port news over the years. I would trust them to service any of my equipment and return it in perfect working condition.


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## dslrdummy (May 5, 2015)

Just dropped mine off to the retailer for warranty repair. Detailed the focus issues in AI servo. Might be a test of Canon AU's approach to these things.


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## ancientone80 (May 5, 2015)

dslrdummy said:


> Just dropped mine off to the retailer for warranty repair. Detailed the focus issues in AI servo. Might be a test of Canon AU's approach to these things.



Will watch with interest to see how you go as I am thinking mine also needs a visit to Canon AU.


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## digital paradise (May 5, 2015)

RodS57 said:


> I contacted canon Canada about my camera in early March and sent in the requested pictures. None of the shots were in focus but they said nothing was wrong with my camera. In the course of the correspondence they never suggested I should send it in to be checked. Due to possible time frame for repair and upcoming trip I will wait until probably this fall to send it in. Trying to give this camera every chance to prove I am the problem. Not impressed with camera or canon so far.
> 
> Rod



I love my country but if Canon Canada was a auto repair facility I would not let them put air in my tires. They always want pictures, they are difficult to talk to and generally not interested in fixing your camera, particularly when on warranty. They automatically assume it is your fault and treat you like a 5 year old. I would not even think of sending mine without CPS due to the embarrassing turn around. As a CPS member the turn around is faster but all the other things I mentioned still happen. I cancelled my CPS membership.

As for the 7D2. I have read about how complex it is and the learning curve required. While it is complex when you look a the the big picture it really isn't. We make it complex for ourselves. Based on reading multiple forums IMO the Case numbers made this camera more confusing that it needs to be. I'm not saying that they are not a good thing. They are very valuable but tend to be over analyzed and often blamed for poor performance. If you think about it what did people do before Case numbers?

We as users have actually have limited control. Our biggest part is selecting appropriate camera settings like shutter speeds and correct technique when tracking moving objects.

Either the system works or it doesn't. 

AF lock. We have some control over this with 1st and 2nd image priority but all this does is control how many times the system will recheck AF before locking. It has nothing to do with the actual focus acquisition and lock. The system and the algorithms do this behind the scenes which is the bulk of work. If you have tried changing those settings yo will notice this camera is so fast it is difficult to tell the difference. Even if you set it t release instead of focus the system does one quick AF check before firing. I just set mine to release and moved the camera around and AF still works, it just does reconfirm AF lock several times like when in Focus which I would never be able to tell if it is doing this. So in conclusion we really have no control over AF acquisition and lock, we can only tweak it's performance a bit.

AI Servo. Once AF locks then regardless which case number you are in the system is tracking and applying it's predictive focusing algorithms. Again as users we have no control over that. We can only tweak to optimize how the predictive AF reacts for the situation we are shooting. I had my 7D MK1 parameters set to the same settings as Case 2 so as to ignore background objects. I shot like that for 5 years. Could I have changed the parameters? Sure but unless you have a photographic memory you need too experiment and write it down on a note pad. Who actually does this? This is the beauty of Case numbers. You can quickly and easily tweak in the field and markers indicate the factory settings if you want to go back. Now these settings are permanent and easily accessed.

Even Canon says this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sgRZBo-WKI 

I sent my 7D2 to Canon USA in December because it was awful in AI Servo. We went in a vacation in January and I was supposed to go to a bird preserve south of Albuquerque but got hit by those winter storms. Back home I was frustrated and got tired standing outside in freezing weather hoping for a bird fly by so I shelved it until a few days ago. I finally got out and whatever adjustments Canon made worked well. I did not shoot BIF for 4 months, I was rusty and did well. Tried different Case numbers, single point, expanded, zone and did pretty good in all of them. Most OOF shots were my fault. Before shooting I was prepared to send it back but I'm not done testing yet. 

There is no reason a person who has some experience shooting in AI Servo cannot put a lens on, select an appropriate shutter speed, single point focus and nail images right out of the box with factory settings. 1st and 2nd priority in equal and case 1 for most situations and get a high keeper rate. Of course if you are trying to shoot small fast birds or fast sports with many directional changes you will to work at it. A larger slow moving bird, etc should be a cakewalk with factory settings. 

Case numbers tweak and optimize and it takes time to experiment and learn but otherwise the system either works or it doesn't. There is no grey area. However I am anticipating the FM update. Anything that helps performance is a good thing.


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## East Wind Photography (May 5, 2015)

Canon USA Newport News also requested pictures but I did not send them. I did give them detailed descriptions of all of the AF faults I found. They never came back for photos, just repaired it. It was pretty obvious it was not working as it should.


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (May 6, 2015)

I guess I am just going to have to send mine in.

I was on the phone with Derrick of Technical Support for quite a while today and he was unaware of any pending firmware updates for the 7D Mark II. Guess that doesn't really mean anything though.

He had me do a few resets, and asked me to try some more shots.

I am pretty certain I will be shipping mine out on Thursday.


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## pvalpha (May 7, 2015)

DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> I guess I am just going to have to send mine in.
> 
> I was on the phone with Derrick of Technical Support for quite a while today and he was unaware of any pending firmware updates for the 7D Mark II. Guess that doesn't really mean anything though.
> 
> ...



Don't hesitate. I took my body back to the store I bought it from for an exchange today (under 30 days and they'll replace no questions asked.)

The new body shocked the heck out of me. Razor sharp without me having to do *anything* with it. Precisely what I expected from this AF system when I first got it. I took a few shots... I got birds, with actual feathers... not blobs of muddy flying objects in the general shape of something with feathers. With the kit lens. 

I almost broke down in tears with relief after I opened the first few raw files in ACR. It was that much better.


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## belopar8 (May 7, 2015)

Well, mine is back in Virginia...again. 4th time, I think. Mirror Box/AF assembly replaced the first trip. Still having SERVO issues. This time I have a loaner and was able to send in images with my camera vs those with the CPS loaner. I had both at the same time so I shot the identical subjects with identical settings and the same lens. The CPS camera's images look sharp. My camera's images look like crap. This needs to be fixed. Like yesterday.


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (May 7, 2015)

pvalpha said:


> DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> 
> 
> > I guess I am just going to have to send mine in.
> ...



Well my 7D Mark II is on its way to Canon in NJ
Lets see if they do anything.
Fingers are crossed! ???


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## ncmagee (May 8, 2015)

Well, 2 weeks and no sign of a new *firmware*. ???


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (May 9, 2015)

pvalpha said:


> DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> 
> 
> > I guess I am just going to have to send mine in.
> ...



Got an email from Canon this afternoon. They confirmed the camera was not focusing properly and were in the process of repairing or replacing it. Should have it back within a week.

Fingers are crossed.


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## m3photo (May 9, 2015)

ncmagee said:


> Well, 2 weeks and no sign of a new *firmware*. ???


I understand this thread is mainly about AF issues, however there's another aspect that needs seen to by Canon:
I worked last year with a 7D Mark 1 with the external GPS unit on the hotshoe. The camera itself was in dire need of an update (thank you Canon) but the GPS unit worked fine. Now we have a wonderful camera in the Mark 2 but the GPS is too unreliable and there's no option to fit an external one. At least 20-40% of the time it doesn't register readings. I'm on a helicopter with positioning set to very second and I rely on this information for my work. Resetting the camera so the Menu allows attachment of the external unit in lieu of the onboard unit would be welcomed as part of a firmware update.
Canon please solve this glitch on an otherwise excellent camera.


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## digital paradise (May 9, 2015)

DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> pvalpha said:
> 
> 
> > DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> ...



Good News.


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## Big_Ant_TV_Media (May 9, 2015)

u sending yours too jamesburg nj good luck 
so far i had mine since oct and no real problems i had noisy images but lately my photos have got better and my iso has been 6400 and lower



DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> pvalpha said:
> 
> 
> > DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> ...


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## digital paradise (May 10, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> Canon USA Newport News also requested pictures but I did not send them. I did give them detailed descriptions of all of the AF faults I found. They never came back for photos, just repaired it. It was pretty obvious it was not working as it should.



Well actually it has been a long time since I called them before I sent anything. I just usually send it with their on one service PDF. They may ask for pictures now but I don't recall them asking at other times but that was a while ago. 

I sent in my brand new 70-200 MKII to Newport in December of last year after a lengthy conversation with a rep. Before that I sent it Canon Canada while on warranty. It was @ 0 at 70mm and needed +15 at 200mm. They told me that it was fine because it went to +20 and basically avoided taking a good look at it. Newport found a mis-calibrated board. They never asked for pictures but mind you it was off warranty at that point. I escalated it telling them it did go in during the warranty period (it is a North American warranty) so they gave me a really good price for the tune up. I guess they had to charge something. It is top drawer now. 

As for pictures. They are subjective IMO. One persons view of sharp is completely different to another. I guess if there is an obvious user error that can be spotted. Unless you can display where the AF points hit and camera settings there is just someone sitting there judging your image. What happens if they are month away getting their eyes checked and will need a new prescription? IMO putting the gear on the correct testing equipment is the way to go. As long as it is within spec then you are good to go. 

Sending digital images ahead of time with EXIF and AF points would make far more sense to me except for the subjective part. Easier and faster. They could suggest some things to try before a person needs to send it in.


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## East Wind Photography (May 11, 2015)

digital paradise said:


> East Wind Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Canon USA Newport News also requested pictures but I did not send them. I did give them detailed descriptions of all of the AF faults I found. They never came back for photos, just repaired it. It was pretty obvious it was not working as it should.
> ...



Another advantage of calling first or opening a ticket online is they may send you a FedEx Shipping label. They did for me.


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## digital paradise (May 11, 2015)

People are getting camera's with 1.0.4. Lets hope this is what it is about. No one really knows for sure until Canon puts it on their site and explains what the update/s are about. 

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=17551835


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## [email protected] (May 11, 2015)

What is the "grey market" anyway??


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## East Wind Photography (May 11, 2015)

[email protected] said:


> What is the "grey market" anyway??



They are cameras made for sale in other countries. Often without a USA warranty. Sometimes they have specific changes to address legal issues in that other country...such as different wifi frequencies or GPS disabled.

Those are extreme cases though. Usually you get the same camera just with a non USA warranty. Meaning canon USA may or may not fix it if it breaks.


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## [email protected] (May 12, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> [email protected] said:
> 
> 
> > What is the "grey market" anyway??
> ...




Thank you, East Wind Photography, for the information.
So, it's like Japanese 7DII product sold in U.S. right?

Every time I see the term "gray market", I go like, "What is it? Something illegal?".
Problem solved. Thank you again. (^o^)


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## digital paradise (May 12, 2015)

This site just posted we are getting it tomorrow.


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## jeffa4444 (May 12, 2015)

I never really felt my 7D was tack sharp and it could well have been the AF system which generally I leave in One Shot. When I manually focused which I regularly do in landscape the success was better but even then never perfect. Contrast this to the 6D (admittedly larger sensor) and its like night & day I rarely have out of focus shots and when I do its definately user error.


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## neuroanatomist (May 12, 2015)

fserrajana said:


> 1. Ha solucionado el fenómeno por el cual la función AF de la cámara no siempre funcionaba correctamente a distancias focales de aproximadamente 100 mm al usarse con el objetivo EF 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM.



Bueno. I wonder...are all those people reporting buggy AF on the 7DII using a 70-200 II at ~100mm?


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## arbitrage (May 12, 2015)

Here is the link to the mac version of the firmware. No mention of AF fix except for the 70-200 at 100mm???

http://support-ph.canon-asia.com/contents/PH/EN/0400206302.html

Firmware Version 1.0.4 incorporates the following fixes:

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the camera's AF function may not operate properly at a focal length of approximately 100mm when used with the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens.
2. Fixes a phenomenon in which, in rare instances, the reduction of the flicker effect cannot be achieved when in AI servo AF mode, despite the "Anti-flicker shoot" function being set to "Enable".
3. Fixes a phenomenon in which the Picture Style settings may not be applied to the captured image when the camera is set to custom shooting mode C1, C2 or C3.
4. Fixes a phenomenon in which, in very rare cases, the first still image captured in live view mode may not record the correct date and time.
5. Fixes a phenomenon in which, in very rare cases, image noise may appear in JPEG images when brightness or contrast is corrected by the Auto Lighting Optimizer function.


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## East Wind Photography (May 13, 2015)

jeffa4444 said:


> I never really felt my 7D was tack sharp and it could well have been the AF system which generally I leave in One Shot. When I manually focused which I regularly do in landscape the success was better but even then never perfect. Contrast this to the 6D (admittedly larger sensor) and its like night & day I rarely have out of focus shots and when I do its definately user error.



The difference between the two bodies is night and day. It's like comparing a volt to a tesla. The 6D will beat an original 7D in pretty much all areas, even with the basic AF system.


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## Keith_Reeder (May 15, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> The 6D will beat an original 7D in pretty much all areas, even with the basic AF system.



Heh! good one!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 15, 2015)

East Wind Photography said:


> jeffa4444 said:
> 
> 
> > I never really felt my 7D was tack sharp and it could well have been the AF system which generally I leave in One Shot. When I manually focused which I regularly do in landscape the success was better but even then never perfect. Contrast this to the 6D (admittedly larger sensor) and its like night & day I rarely have out of focus shots and when I do its definately user error.
> ...



How does AFMA work on your 60D??


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (May 18, 2015)

pvalpha said:


> DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> 
> 
> > I guess I am just going to have to send mine in.
> ...



Got my 7D2 back from Canon on Friday evening. I don't know what they did to the camera other than load the new firmware on it (funny how they never tell you what they do during repairs). Anyway, focus is now corrected and images are sharp as a tack. I had the body paired with my 24-105 f/4L and was shooting an event for our fire department. Camera locked up twice. Had to power cycle it to get it to fire again. Hasn't locked up since. Fingers are crossed....although I will be contacting Canon about the lock up issue.


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## pvalpha (May 18, 2015)

DigitalEdgePhotography said:


> pvalpha said:
> 
> 
> > DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> ...


I hope I don't encounter the 1.0.4 firmware issue. So far the camera has been solid as a rock and I've had the new firmware on there since it was posted on the Canon USA site. I shot 450 pictures yesterday and not a single lockup or freeze, and I had the settings right for what I was shooting so I got a lot of amazing pictures - including a few that had no right to be in focus that were. But I don't run settings too far from defaults and haven't AFMA'ed my lenses, which I assume you did. (I also cleared my settings before flashing) 

I'd say the camera gets better every time I take it out, but the truth is I'm probably just adapting to it and its requirements. I'd like to think I'm capable of a little improvement from time to time.  No where near enough to quit my day job though.


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## digital paradise (May 18, 2015)

Not that it should make any difference but a whole whack of people were downloading from the Canon Asia before the NA version was released.


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## Pixel (May 25, 2015)

Take this for what it's worth, but I spent a considerable amount of time talking to a Canon repair technician today at the Indy 500 about a number of things among them was the 7D2 "issues." This man is from Japan and is in a leadership role among Canon technicians in the New Jersey facility. He had NO knowledge of any firmware problems with the 7D2. He was very curious about the reports and practically insisted that I show him the Canon Rumors story. I pulled up the story and he basically brushed it off as just "internet rumors." He also addressed focusing problems mostly as "user error" and insisted that the camera does not have any widespread manufacturing defects.
FYI


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## pvalpha (May 25, 2015)

Pixel said:


> Take this for what it's worth, but I spent a considerable amount of time talking to a Canon repair technician today at the Indy 500 about a number of things among them was the 7D2 "issues." This man is from Japan and is in a leadership role among Canon technicians in the New Jersey facility. He had NO knowledge of any firmware problems with the 7D2. He was very curious about the reports and practically insisted that I show him the Canon Rumors story. I pulled up the story and he basically brushed it off as just "internet rumors." He also addressed focusing problems mostly as "user error" and insisted that the camera does not have any widespread manufacturing defects.
> FYI


Hum. So my experience was user error. I'm satisfied with my second body very much. The first one was unusable. If I can figure out how I became such a better photographer in the span of the 15 minutes it took me to exchange my old camera body for a new camera body, I shall distill it into a book and use the revenues from it to buy even better glass for my now magically improved skills.


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## candc (May 25, 2015)

> Quote from: Pixel on May 24, 2015, 08:48:19 PM
> 
> Take this for what it's worth, but I spent a considerable amount of time talking to a Canon repair technician today at the Indy 500 about a number of things among them was the 7D2 "issues." This man is from Japan and is in a leadership role among Canon technicians in the New Jersey facility. He had NO knowledge of any firmware problems with the 7D2. He was very curious about the reports and practically insisted that I show him the Canon Rumors story. I pulled up the story and he basically brushed it off as just "internet rumors." He also addressed focusing problems mostly as "user error" and insisted that the camera does not have any widespread manufacturing defects.
> FYI
> ...


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## pvalpha (May 25, 2015)

candc said:


> > Quote from: Pixel on May 24, 2015, 08:48:19 PM
> >
> > Take this for what it's worth, but I spent a considerable amount of time talking to a Canon repair technician today at the Indy 500 about a number of things among them was the 7D2 "issues." This man is from Japan and is in a leadership role among Canon technicians in the New Jersey facility. He had NO knowledge of any firmware problems with the 7D2. He was very curious about the reports and practically insisted that I show him the Canon Rumors story. I pulled up the story and he basically brushed it off as just "internet rumors." He also addressed focusing problems mostly as "user error" and insisted that the camera does not have any widespread manufacturing defects.
> > FYI
> > ...


It was meant as a joke and a touch of sarcasm.  I forgot to put the smiley face and /sarcasm tag at the end. My apologies.


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## Act444 (May 28, 2015)

Updated to 1.0.4 before shooting with the 7D2 this weekend. Everything appeared to be fine (although the AF didn't seem to be as reliable as the 5D3, which is a bit of a surprise to me)


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## DigitalEdgePhotography (Jun 1, 2015)

So I have had my 7D MKII back from support for a couple of weeks now. The lock up issue with 1.04 seems to have gone away. I have not had that problem since the one event I shot.

Having said that, I am completely disappointed with my 7D MKII. The focus, while it seems to be better, still isn't 
spot on. I have gone through and did macro adjustment for all my lenses (24-70 f/2.8), 24-105 f/4, 70-200 f/2.8 II and 100-400 f4.5-5.6

The focus is just not able to lock on to subjects. It constantly hunts, and frankly, the images coming out of this camera are absolutely useless to me.

I purchased this body specifically for an upcoming trip to Alaska. Unfortunately I will be leaving the 7D MKII at home and will take my 5D MKIII and 5D MKII. I cannot take a chance with this body, and will likely be selling it when I get back from my trip, unless Canon gets its act together and replaces it.

But I refuse to pay for shipping to get any further warranty work done on it.




pvalpha said:


> DigitalEdgePhotography said:
> 
> 
> > pvalpha said:
> ...


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