7D Mk 2 + 400mm F5.6L USM or 7200D + 200-500mm F5.6 ED VR

[maheel sirisoma]

I was planning to buy Canon 7D mk 2 + 400mm F5.6L USM or Nikon 7200D + 200-500mm f5.6 ED VR. But recently I fond many bad user reviews about 7D mk 2 and Nikkor 200-500mm lens. so now I have ended up with a mess. I can't figure out now what to buy. I got a very tight budget. That was nearly enough to buy one of above combinations. Please help me to choose new combination.
Now I'm using Canon SX50 HS for about nearly 2.5 years and now I want take my next step.

[John Hackney]

The 7D mark 2 is no where near as bad as the reviews. Those were from the first run which has long since been sold off and a lot were user error. The AF system on the 7D2 is based on the 1DX and is very similar. There were problems with user learning the the AF system in the 1DX too. The 5D mk III also has the a similar AF system and users had troubles learning it. As for the Nikkor I can not provide any help there.

[maheel sirisoma]

thank you John,
I also felt in love with 7DM2 since I first heard about it. And dreaming to buy it. But I read some review regarding some power failure like overheating on video mode and battery draining on power off mode. So that broke my heart.

[Diane Miller]

You can find bad reviews about any camera and it is good to be cautious. I have had nothing but a great experience with my 7D2. I got a very early one and have had no problems or issues at all, and it has been heavily used. The autofocus is wonderful! I can't compare it to any Nikon products, but the only thing I see as a weakness is that it has more noise than I would prefer at about ISO 1600 and up. It isn't competitive with a 1DX, but neither it its price.

If you leave GPS on it will use batteries much faster. I haven't shot enough video to notice any overheating but if that is important to you, it would certainly pay to look into it further. Maybe other here can comment on that.

Best wishes for making a choice that will help you explore further with photography!

[Karl Egressy]

My personal experience has been not so good with the 7D/7D Mark II.
I always missed the opportunity to be able to use higher ISO. So I sold two 7D and one 7D Mark II cameras throughout the years.
The 400 f5.6 L lens is good, the 100-400 f5.6 L IS Mark II lens is great.
About the Nikon package.
I'm a lifetime Canon user but now I'm contemplating on saving up some money and buy the lens and a
1.5 crop Nikon body.
Why, because I hope I can find a body that performs well at higher ISO and the 200-500 range would be perfect for
most of the shootings I do.

[dankearl]

I am not sure why Canon is still so popular here.... They had a advantage in lens for a long time but Nikon has closed the gap and Nikon's cameras have been ahead of Canon
for several years.
Here is an example of Nikon low light capabilities, the 1DX may be good but it is 3 times the price. The other Canon cameras are not close in low light situations.

nikon D610, iso10000
No NR applied to the bird.

610_4611bpn2.jpg

[William Dickson]

I'm with Karl, on this one, I also sold my 7D Mk2 and got myself a good used 1D Mk4, and I am glad I did. I use the f/4 500mm lens.

[Karl Egressy]

I am not sure why Canon is still so popular here.... They had a advantage in lens for a long time but Nikon has closed the gap and Nikon's cameras have been ahead of Canon
for several years.
Here is an example of Nikon low light capabilities, the 1DX may be good but it is 3 times the price. The other Canon cameras are not close in low light situations.

nikon D610, iso10000
No NR applied to the bird.

610_4611bpn2.jpg

Hi Dan,

How is BIF shooting with the D610.
IS it true that if you add a battery grip it increases the frame rate from 6 fps to 8 fps?

Thanks.
Karl.

[dankearl]

Karl, the 610 has the same AF as the D7000, so not really that great. The D800 is better and the D750 has the best Nikon state of the art AF.
All of the Nikon bodies are excellent low light though, the 610 is remarkable, lower noise than the D800.
If I were to get a new Nikon body for BIF, I would get the 750 because I am partial to Full frame.

[Karl Egressy]

Karl, the 610 has the same AF as the D7000, so not really that great. The D800 is better and the D750 has the best Nikon state of the art AF.
All of the Nikon bodies are excellent low light though, the 610 is remarkable, lower noise than the D800.
If I were to get a new Nikon body for BIF, I would get the 750 because I am partial to Full frame.

Thanks for the info Dan. The D610 is on sale here at a very attractive price.

[maheel sirisoma]

I fond another choice Canon 70D + 100-400mm IS ii. does anybody using this combination for bird photography?

[David Stephens]

I fond another choice Canon 70D + 100-400mm IS ii. does anybody using this combination for bird photography?

What makes you think that a 70D will be superior to a 7D MkII, for BIF and wildlife? If video is your priority, then what are you doing looking at 400mm lenses? Great video can be taken with a DSLR, but if video is your goal, buy a video camera.

The 7D MkII and 100-400/SII is an incredible combination. The AF will run circles around a 70D and is superior to the D7200.

All cameras have bad reviews, but the 7D MkII has had more than it's share of bad reviews. I've owned a 5D MkIi, a 7D, a 5D MkIII, a 7D MkII and a 5DsR and all have performed well, right out of their boxes. Some of the problem may be the complexity of the 7D2's AF system, with lots of ways to screw up, but lots of ways to get it exactly right, if you know what you're doing.

[Geoff Newhouse]

I am not sure why Canon is still so popular here.... They had a advantage in lens for a long time but Nikon has closed the gap and Nikon's cameras have been ahead of Canon
for several years.
Here is an example of Nikon low light capabilities, the 1DX may be good but it is 3 times the price. The other Canon cameras are not close in low light situations.

nikon D610, iso10000
No NR applied to the bird.

610_4611bpn2.jpg

The reason is that a lot of people on here do own big expensive white lenses and up until a few months ago Nikon was far behind with their 500 and 600 lenses. They now are equal to Canon's 2011 options but pricier than the Canons. The Nikon 800 and 400 f/2.8 have been more up to date for a while longer but those aren't used as much for birds. Well the 800 is but it is sooooo expensive on the Nikon side.

I agree Nikon has better camera's except the 7D2 (vs 7200) and the 1DX (vs D4s), I would like to try a D810 and Nikon 500f/4E with TCs as needed but the cost of entry is so high that for now I'm sticking to my large collection of Canon gear. Canon just has a larger market share and I don't think it will ever change that much. However, with Nikon's newest offerings they have everything equal or better than Canon but the price is ridiculous (especially in Canada where I can buy Canon L at dealer prices through CPS).....

[David Stephens]

The reason is that a lot of people on here do own big expensive white lenses and up until a few months ago Nikon was far behind with their 500 and 600 lenses. They now are equal to Canon's 2011 options but pricier than the Canons. The Nikon 800 and 400 f/2.8 have been more up to date for a while longer but those aren't used as much for birds. Well the 800 is but it is sooooo expensive on the Nikon side.

.

Don't feed the troll. He's just trying to stir things up.