markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

You might try Klostermann, Douglas - Kindle Edition. "Canon 7D Mark II Experience - The Still Photography Guide to Operation and Image Creation with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II" Kindle is a free download from Amazon. The download for the book is not expensive. I found it very helpful with my 7D MII.
Mark

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

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.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

The advantages the 7DII, and most other current crop sensors have over the 1DXII for wildlife, BIF, etc is in the crop factor and the resulting angle of view. That and better image quality when cropping are important factors. Pixel density of the sensor makes a big difference. My 7DII has 20mp. My 5DIV has 30mp. Uncropped, give me the 5DIV every time, but if I crop the 5DIV image to replicate the coverage of the 7DII the IQ drops off noticeably. If I crop the 7DII shot, such as you would do for many wildlife shots, and try to crop the 5DIV even further to match it, there is no comparison. The 7DII has the advantage. The 1DXII, with it's 20mp sensor would be at even more of a disadvantage. That's lens for lens. Put a longer lens on the ff and the equation changes. It has nothing to do with a particular camera. It's about the difference between two different size sensors with similar pixel counts. For enlargements it works the other way and I would take the 1DXII every time.

davyboy Loc: Anoka Mn.

Costco sells the 80D with 18-55 lens for $1400 l believe

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Start with a single focus point and master that. Many action shooters I know use a single focus point most of the time. Also knowing the subject and how it might move can help in many cases. I read once that birds always take off and land into the wind. Dot shoot BIF and don't know if that is true. But it seems logical for larger birds...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Thanks for sharing your experiences and reasoning!!!

Best,
Todd Ferguson

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

take a look at this...


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=understanding+autofocus+on+canon+7DII

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Costco typically only offers the cheapest possible kits. The EF-S 18-55mm STM IS is okay... and inexpensive. But the EF-S 18-135mm IS USM is a MUCH better lens in almost all respects. Better build, better image quality, wider range of focal lengths, and 2X to 4X faster USM autofocus.

80D in kit with 18-135mm USM is $1500 at B&H in NYC.
80D in kit with 18-55mm STM and EF-S 55-250mm is $1400 at B&H ($1250 with only the 18-55mm). I haven't looked but suspect it's a similar 2-lens kit at Costco, too, for the same price. For birding, the 55-250mm would come up short and it's STM might struggle to track moving subjects.

The EF-S 15-85mm IS USM lens would be a step up from the 18-135mm USM, but the 15-85mm isn't offered in kit with any camera, so the overall cost would be higher.

If wanting a larger aperture lens, the EF-S 17-55mm IS USM is a top choice, but again it's not offered in kit with any camera and the cost will be higher.

For landscape photography, the 15-85mm might serve... but the compact, lightweight and inexpensive EF-S 10-18mm IS STM ($300) or the somewhat better built EF-S 10-22mm USM ($600) might be even better.

For birding, the EF 100-400mm IS USM "II" is hard to beat for it's versatility. It costs about $2050. On 7DII and especially on 80D, it works well with 1.4X teleconverter, too. Canon's 1.4X III is rather pricey at about $425. The Kenko MC-4 1.4X for about $100 is also quite good on a crop sensor camera (I'm not 100% sure it will enable all 27 f/8-capable AF points to be used in the 80D, the way the the Canon 1.4X III will... I use the older Canon 1.4X II, also quite good on various lenses).

Of course there are also the Sigma 100-400mm ($800, but no tripod mounting ring), the new Tamron 100-400mm (price unknown, tripod ring optional), Tamron 150-600mm (original version, $870), Sigma 150-600mm "Contemporary" ($990), Tamron 150-600mm "G2" ($1400) and Sigma 150-600mm "Sports" ($1800).

whitehall Loc: Canada

While on topic, would you HH prefer a Tamron 150-600 G2 or canon 100-400 with or without a 1.4 TC coupled with the 7D mkii for BIF

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I have not used the Tamron G2...

The Canon 100-400mm II that I use is an extremely sharp, very well built and fast focusing lens. Of all the above listed tele-zooms, only the Canon lens uses a fluorite element, which is important on telephotos for superior image quality and to minimize chromatic aberrations. Canon uses FL in a lot of their telephotos and has done so for decades. Nikon just revamped many of their teles to use it, too (and charges quite a premium for them). Sigma and Tamron don't use fluorite in any lenses. Sigma claims their "FLD" elements have "fluorite-like" properties.

I also haven't done much shooting using the 100-400mm with 1.4X... just haven't needed the "extra reach". Reportedly it works very well, but I probably should do some tests to see for myself.

The Villages Loc: The Villages, Florida

amfoto1 = Great analysis of the 2 cameras. Glad you provided, as I have been considering a Canon purchase.

Thanks, The Villages

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Don't know anything about the 80D BUT I do know the 7D II is great for wildlife!

bwa

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

OP,

I'm not sure why you're contemplating Canon gear. In your previous posts, it appears you have Nikon D5300.

An upgrade to a D7200 (24MP) or D500 (21MP) would serve you well, too... and allow you to use lenses and accessories you already have, plus keep your D5300 for backup... or for times you want to use two cameras.

And the Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm VC f/5.6 would be great for birding ($1500?). The Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm VC is pretty darned good, too ($2000?).

Plus Nikon has recently introduced a low-cost AF-P 10-20mm VC ultrawide, around $300, which would be great for landscape shots, if you don't already have a good lens for that purpose.

Hey, I'm a Canon user and am happy to recommend the system. But Nikon are fine and very capable, too... and switching brands or maintaining parallel, but largely incompatible systems can be pretty costly.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I had to make the same choice. I was upgrading from a T2i. I wound up choosing the 80D: newer sensor, fully articulated touchscreen, wi-fi, slightly less weight. Almost as fast (7 fps for up to 110 JPEGs). I'm happy with the choice.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

For comparison https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Canon_80D_vs_Canon_7D_Mark_II/BHitems/1225875-REG_1081808-DEMO