Canon 80D vs Canon 7D Mark 2

Dkt01 · Feb 21, 2017

Hello,

I need some help deciding between the Canon 80D and 7D Mark 2. I've been doing a lot of research and talked to a Canon representative, but I'm essentially treading water on the decision.

I plan to do most photography dealing with waterfowl on water and in flight, and retriever breeds working in water and on land. I need the camera to be capable of producing high quality (magazine quality) photos that are crystal clear and not blurry. I will be taking most photos in the middle of the day and morning light. I'm leaning towards the 7D Mark 2 but this is a lot of money and I want to get this purchase right on the first try. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks

So.....
80D vs 7D Mark 2

Megapixels: 24 vs 20
ISO: 100-25600 vs 100-51200
FPS: 7 vs 10
Focus points: 45 vs 65
Sensor Pixel Area: 14.06 vs 16.83
Storage slots: 1 vs 2
Shutter Life Expectancy:
100,000 vs 200,000
Color Depth: 23.6 vs 22.4
Dynamic Range: 13.2 vs 11.8
Low Light ISO: 1135 vs 1082

ronlane · Feb 21, 2017

The 7Dmkii is more of a wildlife/sports camera than the 80D just because of the FPS. I have owned mine for about a year now and I love the images that I get. The AF and tracking of the 7Dmkii are so much better than the 80D for stuff like this. As you may know the 7Dmkii's AF and tracking is more in line with the 1D series now.

Dkt01 · Feb 21, 2017

ronlane said:
The 7Dmkii is more of a wildlife/sports camera than the 80D just because of the FPS. I have owned mine for about a year now and I love the images that I get. The AF and tracking of the 7Dmkii are so much better than the 80D for stuff like this. As you may know the 7Dmkii's AF and tracking is more in line with the 1D series now.

OK thanks that really helps! Is there a particular type of lens that you'd recommend for birds?

ronlane · Feb 21, 2017

LONG primes but they are expensive. But I would say probably a good start would be the 400mm f/5.6 or the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 would be good starting points.

zombiesniper · Feb 21, 2017

Fully agree with Ron.

If you're shooting birds in flight the 7Dmk2 is only beat by the Nikon D500 in the APS-C world.
400mm F5.6 is a great lens as well @ZombiesniperJr uses that very lens on his T5I.

goodguy · Feb 22, 2017

For anything that isn't pure sports I would go with the Canon 80D.
Mind you for photography only you might find Nikon D7200 is potentially better as it has better dynamic range since its using Sony sensor and is lacking AA filter which means you can get with the right lenses sharper images, but the 80D is a very good camera too.

Dkt01 · Feb 22, 2017

ronlane said:
LONG primes but they are expensive. But I would say probably a good start would be the 400mm f/5.6 or the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 would be good starting points.

O ok. Would a 420mm-1600mm f8.3 HD telephoto lens work, or a 420-800 long zoom telephoto HD lens? Would both of these lenses do good or do I need something smaller? Also which would work best?
Thanks again everyone for all of the help.

Derrel · Feb 22, 2017

I think those are some of the Phoenix or other branded, inexpensive, internet-sold lenses of fairly low quality. I've seen similar long,long zooms with sloooooow max apertures, like in this case f/8.3. These lenses are really not very good, and you mentioned quality images and birds in flight. You would be better off with a good 300mm f/4 and a 1.4x teleconverter to get a 420mm f/5.6 lens; or get the Canon 400mm f/5.6 prime.

You need to spend at least $500 for any "decent lens", and the $500 decent lens would be a used, manual focus Nikon lens; realistically, the lens for birding will cost as much, or more than the camera. Birds in flight is demanding. Retrievers bringing back downed ducks is all pretty close-range, but you need at LEAST an f/5.6 lens. Your budget needs to be able to buy some serious equipment, and even then, the kinds of photos you want are not all that easy to make.