Apparently we are only days away from Canon announcing the successor to the Canon 7D, the Canon 7D Mark II. At Perform Video we’re eager to see what it has in store in terms of video features, with the big question around 4K or not.
The Canon 7D played a huge part in changing the way we think about video production. Back in 2009 it was amongst a new generation of DSLRs to offer full 1080p HD capture at a fraction of the price of the “professional” cameras. The 7D was a door opener for many budding filmmakers to a world of “film look” and super shallow DOF. For the first time almost anyone could capture shots previously reserved only for the big screen or those with big wallets.
The combination of a large sensor, 24fps HD and photographic glass made a winning combination that took even Canon by surprise in terms of its success. Many would argue that the video features of the 7D even out performed the more expensive 5d Mark II.
Now, in 2014 the world is eagerly awaiting the announcement of the successor to the Canon 7D, the Canon 7D Mark II. Where as the first 7D slipped perfectly into an almost untapped market, the MkII is entering a very different space. On one hand the lower end of the 7D’s market is being catered for by brands like GoPro, and the top end now has a wide choice of dedicated video cameras that don’t require any of the annoying work arounds of shooting video with a stills camera.
So the big elephant in the room is 4K. The 7 MKII’s main competitors now have it. Namely, the Blackmagic Production Camera and soon to be released Panasonic GH4. So will Canon address 4K or will they leave it out in order to protect it’s high end professional line, like the 1D-C?
The next big question is around the supported video formats. Shooting with the 7D’s compressed H264 is a big cause of headache in terms of picture quality, edit workflow and when facing broadcast tech specs. Many of the 7D’s competitors now support better video formats including RAW and Prores with much higher data rates. It remains to be seen how Canon will address this with the 7D MKII.
Other points the critics will be looking out for are…
- Improvements to the rolling shutter, or “jello effect” that dogged the original 7D.
- More connectivity (Clean HDMI Out, Audio I/O)
- Noise improvements at High Iso
Word is that Canon will make an announcement on February 25th. For now we’ll leave you with some rumoured specs, although mainly on the stills functionality.
- 20MP sensor
- ISO 100-12,800 (25600 extended)
- 1/8000 shutter
- Quiet shutter mode
- Phase detect AF, 19 area
- 8fps continuous shooting
- Buffer size – 15 raw, 126 JPEG
- 3.0″ 1040k dot LCD (touch screen) – not articulated
- Weather sealed (as original 7D)
- 910g weight
Canon 7D Mark II – 4K video?
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