dyximan wrote:
I have been a Nikon shooter for a while but I'm looking into all options. And I am looking for something that's good for birding as well as landscape etc. Of these two cannons, from experienced canon users. Which would be the best for birding, and or are there other options. May eventually consider a full frame but appreciate the FPS, and the lens conversion given a crop sensor at this time. Any advice from EXPERIANCED Canon users would be appreciated.
The 7D Mark II is the slightly older model of the two and has the most responsive and fast acting autofocus system of any Canon APS-C camera. While it uses a different 65-point array, it has a discrete chip to run AF... the same way the 1D-series cameras do (all recent models of which use a 61-point array). The 7DII also has slight faster frame rate at up to 10 frames per second which is supported by dual processors. And it has higher durability rating (200,000 shutter actuations) and a magnesium shell with enhanced sealing.
But the 80D's 45-point AF system is no slouch and it has the "latest and greatest" APS-C sensor from Canon with a bit higher resolution (24MP versus 20MP in the 7DII) and slightly wider dynamic range.... that might be good for landscapes, in particular... but also fine for birding. It's up to 7 frames per second continuous shooting shooting speed is fine for most things, too (and is faster than many APS-C models and nearly a match for the original 7D's 8 fps). I haven't seen an "official" rating for 80D durability, but around 100,000 clicks is typical for Canon at this level.
Both cameras have "f/8 capable" autofocus.... which allows for more teleconverter/lens combos to be used. On the 7DII, only the center AF point is f/8 capable. On the 80D, up to 27 points in the AF array are f/8 capable.
The autofocus of both cameras use all "cross type" dual axis AF sensors (45 on 80D, 65 on 7DII). Both systems are -3EV low light capable.
The 80D has four user selectable autofocus "patterns": All Points (auto selection), Single Point (manual selection), Large Zone and Small Zone. The 7D Mark II has those same four, plus three more: 4-Point Expansion, 8-Point Expansion and Spot Focus Single Point. This last one I sometimes call the "Birds in Trees" pattern, since it's good when trying to shoot through a tangle of branches or other situations where high precision is needed. In addition to the 500+ page user manualthere's a separate 50 page manual just for the 7DII's AF system (both are downloadable PDFs.... the supplied, printed manual is only about 150 pages).
Just because these cameras have fairly sophisticated and customizable AF systems, doesn't mean you have to use all those different patterns! Personally I use my 7DII set up with Single Point most of the time. There are a few situations where I'll switch to other patterns, when I know they'll be helpful (after many years using 7D series models).
Both cameras have 100% viewfinders... the 7DII's has 1.0X magnification, but that's only slightly better than the 80D's 0.95X.
7DII has dual memory card slots: 1 Compact Flash, 1 SD. 80D has just one SD slot.
80D has an articulated, Touch Screen LCD. The 7DII's LCD is fixed and is not a Touch Screen.
80D is slightly smaller and about 20% lighter weight... partly accomplished by using more plastic outer body panels. It doesn't "feel" plasticky, though. And it has pretty good sealing for weather resistance, though not quite up to the same standards as the 7DII.
The controls are slightly different... 7DII has a "joystick" that's primarily used for AF points selection, while the 80D uses a multi-button selector. Both cameras allow for a lot of user-customization of the controls.
Both cameras have Dual Pixel Auto Focus in Live View mode. This is much faster than older models' contrast detection method of autofocus used in Live View. The 80D's Touch Screen also can be useful in conjunction with Live View.
The 80D has built in WiFi capability. The 7DII doesn't, but there is a WiFi module available for use with it (using the SD memory card slot).
Both cameras use the same LP-E6N batteries. The 80D makes more efficient use of them, getting approx. 35% or 40% more shots per charge. (But using some simple power saving methods with my 7DIIs, I get around 2X the number of shots per charge they are rated to be able to do.)
Right now, the price isn't all that different... Body only, 80D sells for $1100 and 7DII for $1350. Partly this is because the "street price" of the 7DII has settled down a bit, after three years on the market.... When intro'd it was around $1700 or $1800. I think the 80D is still selling for about what it did when new.
With either camera, the EF-S 18-135mm IS USM lens can be a good "kit" option. Normally that lens sells for $600, but in kit with the 80D it can be purchased for $400. I imagine similar is possible with the 7DII. Note that this is the "USM" model, which is faster focusing than the somewhat less expensive "STM" model. If interested in shooting video, both are good for that too, but the USM model of this lens can optionally be fitted with a PZ-E1 Power Zoom module (separately sold for about $100).
For your purposes, in some respects the 2-year-newer 80D (2016) has the edge... While in other ways the 7D Mark II (2014) might be slightly superior. But both should meet your needs well.... While I use a pair of 7DII (mostly shooting action/sports with them), the 80D would be a fine choice both for birding and landscape photography, too.