To 7D or 7D Two?

For many years the Canon 7D has been the de facto choice for sports, action, and wildlife shooters in the Canon system who are on a budget. State of the art at the time of its release in 2009, it boasts build quality, weather sealing, video features, image quality, autofocus, and continuous shooting performance that is all still very relevant today. Now available for as little as $500 with a battery grip on the second hand market (at the time of writing), it is perhaps the best bargain in high-performance DRSLs.





With the arrival of the 7D Mark II in 2015 many have wondered or continue to wonder if the new camera is a worthwhile purchase relative to the original model. For reference, at present the new model retails for $1799 before tax and can be bought used for approximately $1500. I made the decision to upgrade to the Mark II and now, having owned and shot both cameras for a fair amount of time, hopefully I can help make that decision a little more clear for you.

Some might say I would be remiss for excluding the plucky 70D from this conversation and their criticisms would not be without merit. I have spent some time shooting with the 70D and it is a fine camera. Its specifications slot very nicely between the 7D and its successor. The reason I ultimately decided not include it in this discussion is because for many it is not a viable substitute for the 7D. The build quality and weather sealing of the 7D is in a different league from the 70D and the dual processors working in tandem with a larger buffer means the 7D cameras can sustain a high frame rate for a more meaningful length of time.

While penning this article the 70D's successor, the 80D, has been announced, bringing with it a whole slew of upgrades that further complicate the issue. Since this camera is not yet available on the market I cannot comment on it and will therefore exclude it from this discussion.


In my opinion, here are the 5 most important questions that you need to ask yourself to decide if the Mark II might be worth it for you:

1. Do you shoot a lot of video?  If you do, choosing the 7D Mark II over the original is really a no-brainer. The upgrades to the video feature set are perhaps the most significant and the reason that I upgraded. Canon's dual-pixel phase detection autofocus technology really is as good as everyone says it is and enables a total noob to shoot DSLR video in a variety of situations with good results. I love to take short videos while on vacation as well as to create the occasional vlogging-type content and with this camera I can get in-focus footage leaving the camera on a tripod or handing it to another person. Having a headphone jack means you can monitor the audio, which to me sounds slightly nicer in the new camera due to what seem like a better pre-amp for the input. For the serious hybrid shooter, the camera offers higher bitrate compression as well as a choice of frame rates including the elusive 1080/60. The footage seems a little nicer to me but it's not revolutionary. The major point to keep in mind is that the video specs are excellent for someone who primarily wants a high-performance DSLR for stills and also shoots some video. There are better video-focused cameras out there for at the price point of the 7D Mark II. If you intend to focus manually the original 7D is still a very capable video camera as well.

2. Do you need (and can you afford) dual card slots? No one can deny the many virtues of having two memory card slots in your camera, most important of which is making two copies of each photo for mission critical shooting occasions. If you aren't paying the bills with your camera, the importance of dual card slots becomes more debatable. The 7D Mark II has a CF and an SD card slot so depending on what camera you owned previously you may need to buy a whole new type of media to utilize both slots. To get the most out of your high-performance DSLR you need to buy the fastest cards available so that the dual Digic processors in the camera can efficiently write to the media and clear the buffer, preserving your ability to burst-capture. Upgrading to the Mark II means buying two expensive cards instead of one. In virtually all cameras with dual card slots the writing performance is limited by the speed of the slower card so there is no point in pairing faster cards with slower ones. As some food for thought, my completely unscientific testing tells me the difference between using a 600X and a 1000X card win the 7D Mark II is a whole second more of continuous shooting.

3. How often do you rely on the weather sealing of the camera in extreme conditions? The weather sealing of the 7D is very good and, paired with a weather sealed lens, I have used it in heavy snowstorms as well as light rain quite a few times without ill-effect to the camera. The Mark II supposedly employs weather sealing comparable to that of the 1D series cameras, which is a significant step up. The Lensrentals.com blog has a great article on just how good the weather sealing is on the 7D Mark II. Personally, I don't stay out long in heavy rain with my camera, but I do love to do street photography in the winter during heavy snowfalls. I found the weather sealing of the original to be sufficient for my purposes, but if you are hardcore with your outdoor photography you may benefit from more weather sealing. If you don't photograph in inclement weather at all or don't own weather sealed lenses this should make no difference to you at all.

4. Do you often shoot in low light or with teleconverters? Perhaps the most significant feature for telephoto shooters is the new camera's ability to autofocus using the center autofocus point with lens and teleconverter combinations with a maximum aperture of f/8. Such autofocus sensitivity was previously only available on 1D series cameras and represents a huge advantage in getting closer, especially for those on a budget. This means that the relatively affordable super telephoto staple lenses of the Canon system, namely the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (original or version II), EF 300 f/4L IS USM, and EF 400mm f/5.6L, can be used with a 1.4X or a 2X teleconverter to achieve combinations capable of up to 600mm, which is effectively 960mm on the 7D. This magnificent dual cross-type center autofocus sensor also focuses down to -3EV (candle light) and focuses more confidently in reasonable low-light situations. If you shoot events or anywhere the light is often low this will be very useful to you. The autofocus sensor of of the original 7D is no slouch either. Its centre autofocus point is dual cross-type with lenses who's maximum aperture is f/2.8 or faster, providing capable autofocus in low light.

5. Do you see yourself using the advanced capabilities of the autofocus system of the new camera? There is no doubt that the autofocus system on the 7D Mark II is far more advanced than the system on the original camera. Not only does it have more than three times as many focus points, but it also inherits from the 1D series its very technical autofocus customization options and iTR tracking using the metering sensor. What you need to ask yourself is if you are willing to pay for the extra features. In this case more really is better and even if you do not currently use all the features of the new camera, you can grow to learn the more advanced features in time. On the other hand, if you find you can get good results with the very capable autofocus system on the 7D, you can save a lot of money over the Mark II.


There are of course many other advantages to the new camera versus the old but I personally don't find these as important as the points discussed above. 10 Frames per second versus 8 is not a meaningful difference for most outside of impressing your fellow photo geeks by holding the shutter down until you get weak in the knees. The bump in image quality with the new camera is itself not enough in my mind to justify upgrading. The image quality of the original 7D is in step with modern DSLRs, producing beautiful colours and very fine gradations in tones. In my opinion the noise performance of the Mark II is slightly improved, offering a marginally cleaner file at ISO 3200 than the original did at ISO 1600. I found noise performance of the original 7D to be quite good up to ISO 800, while 1600 was perfectly usable. Neither of these cameras are excellent when it comes to pushing RAW files more than approximately 1 stop, where shadow noise becomes a problem. There is some improvement in shadow noise and banding in the 7D Mark II, but it's nothing to write home about. GPS is useful to some and a non-issue to others. Neither camera has native wifi or a touch screen. The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with either camera if you are looking for a rugged APS-C body with a machine-gun burst rate.


Here are a few more useful links to research these two fine camera bodies:

• Digital Photography Review on the Canon 7D
• Digital Photography Review on the Canon 7D Mark II
• The Digital Picture review of the 7D
• The Digital Picture review of the 7D Mark II

Made for Climbing

In an effort to spur myself to greater levels of creative output in 2016 I have committed myself to a 52-week project. For the uninitiated, a 52-week project is loosely defined as committing to make and post and image every week for a year. Because of my atrocious schedule I have limited my commitment to posting a new photo on my Flickr every week for the year in order to preserve the option to shoot and store images for those times when I know I will not be able to make images. This somewhat defeats the goal of the project, which is to force myself to make photographs regularly, but it is a step in the right direction.

This brings me to the subject of the article, a photo of a dirty old pair of boots that someone tossed out in a parking garage. I call this masterpiece 'These Boots.' There I was with my camera tucked in the bottom of my bag, on my way to the library with my partner for a study-date and desperately in need of a photo for my project. Emerging from my car I was immediately confronted with the sight of these sublime sabots. Their previous owner had perched them on an elevated ledge illuminated by a gorgeous mélange of different reflections from the various angled surfaces of the concrete parking structure. I decided that the play of light and textures will do for a filler shot and snapped a dozen or so images working the composition towards what you see here. Never would I have guessed that this would become my most successful image on Flickr to date, having over 9000 view, 233 favourites, and 15 comments at the time of this writing. Beyond the statistics, what made this significant to me is that this image was picked up by Flickr's algorithms and posted on the front page of the site, known to Flickr users as 'Explore.' This was the first time one of my images was so selected by the site for exhibition and, now having gone through it, I can share with you my experience should you wish to see one of your images similarly displayed.

Like every Internet popularity contest, there are pages upon pages of advice, rumours, discussions, and misdirection available with a quick Google search. Having observed my own image get selected and then having myself been inducted into 'invitation only' groups for those who have made it to Explore, I can share with you these important insights:

• There are no human beings involved in the selection process. Explorer displays 500 images a day and Flickr users upload 5000 images a minute according to the latest stats. Suffice to say an algorithm is picking the photos.
• The algorithm selecting the photos does not analyze the photo itself, but instead looks at how the community interacts with the photo. Do you ever wonder why some amazing photos are featured in Explore beside some less than stellar work? What matters is how many favourites and comments your photo generates within a certain timeframe from when it is uploaded. These, along with some other possibly less important interactions, make up what Flickr called an 'interestingness' score. If your image hits a certain percentile of interestingness within its eligible lifetime it is featured in Explore. This means there are two possible routes to being featured: produce phenomenal work and get it out in front of many viewers, or have tons of friends/followers on Flickr to support you in the popularity contest. Ideally you would do both but if you are, like me, trying to build a following you will have to rely more on the former. 
• The number of likes and comments you need to be picked up on Explore is actually not very high. It will of course vary with what else is generating a buzz on that day but this photo was picked up after twenty-something favourites and less than half a dozen comments. If the number is so low, why is it that all the photos on explore have hundreds of favourites and dozens of comments? Once the photo gets displayed in Explore the exposure it gets is mind boggling, even if it's at the bottom of the page. This practically assures it will accumulate many more favourites and comments. 

How then, did I get the initial likes necessary to be picked up by Explore? The two most accessible sources of traffic to an image in my opinion are Flickr groups and social media. If you are a Flickr user hopefully you are already enjoying various Flickr groups. Flickr groups center around different things, be it a certain subject matter, a location, an aesthetic, a location, a community, a camera system, etc. In these groups users have access to streams of content curated by the group rules and its users. You should join and participate in as many groups as possible in order to post your own images in the appropriate groups. Be sure to actually participate in the groups as this is not only a great way to be inspired by others' images and interact with the community, but also to familiarize yourself with the group's tastes. Do not forget to spread a few favourites around yourself. They are free to you and they really inspire your fellow photographers to continue to hone their craft by showing them that their images are appreciated.

I may not be the greatest photographer on the planet but I have a university degree in marketing and worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant for years with my professor of e-marketing after my undergrad. Suffice to say I know how to promote my images well beyond my natural audience using social media. The aim of the game is to direct as much traffic to the image to fill your 'sales-funnel.' Of all the traffic you direct there, only a small portion will be Flickr users, so you need to generate significant numbers. It is worth bearing in mind that photographers are more likely to have Flickr accounts so anything you can do to specifically target them will yield a higher percentage of conversions. I use the following platforms, listed in order of importance according to my experience:

• Facebook: Of course this is the big one. Depending on how you use Facebook you may be able to leverage a ton of reach. You will need to share the photo from Flickr's web page or ap. The trouble is that not everyone will click it, so it is worth adding a one liner to the post in Facebook asking people to click through and view the full image. Make sure you join photography groups so you can post your image there and drum up traffic that is more likely to want to view your work and have Flickr accounts.
• Reddit: Reddit is either feast or famine. Your best bet here is to find a very specific niche subreddit that your image fits in. Posting in general image subs like r/pics, or photography related subs like r/itap or r/photocritique will likely see your post buried unless your picture contains cats or young women. The SFW Porn Network is a great place to start (I promise it is not what it sounds like) as it spans dozens of clearly defined topics and high quality images are generally appreciated. If you get this right you can generate tens of thousands of views in a very short time. 
• Twitter: Twitter's popularity is waning a bit but there are still plenty of active users and if you already have a following or participate in the community you may be able to leverage it in order to drive traffic to your image. I try to mix photography-specific and non-photography hash tags to broaden the reach of my post. 
• Pinterest: I am new at Pinterest but I have not been successful at leveraging it to drive traffic to Flickr yet. Come to think of it I have not been successful at doing much with Pinterest and I need to learn to use it more effectively. 
• Instagram: For this purpose Instagram is useless. Flickr's mobile app offers an option to copy the image to Instagram but it does not link back. Post. Enjoy the love. That is all. 

Reading this you would think that I have this down to a science and I can repeatably and reliably propel my work to Flickr greatness. Unfortunately this is not the case and I have yet to repeat this success. What is important is that I am, like you, now aware of the formula. To me this is half the battle. Hopefully I will soon see your images on Explore if I have not already, and you will see mine.

Capturing Creativity - A Photoshoot with Brett Caron

For years I have been telling Brett Caron that he needs to freshen up his social media photos and to calendar some time with me for a shoot. Brett is a freelance writer, blogger, screenwriter, content whiz, and all around multi-talented creative professional with a huge personality that begs to be photographed. Coincidentally he is also a very close friend of mine, but that alone was not getting me on his schedule so a little persuasion was in order. In fact there was nothing wrong with his photos. They were actually quite good, but that truth was rather inconvenient when it came to getting him in front of my camera.

Brett had just come back from meeting with some game publishers in the U.S. where he was working on a deal to collaborate on a new role playing game source book as a contributing editor. He and I played many pen & paper style role playing games growing up and still do every now and again. Some of my favourites among Brett's creations are delightfully roguish characters who sow fear and folly with equal effect. Because each of these scoundrels captured some small part of Brett, when it came to photographing him I couldn't help but see some of these personalities overlaid on my vision.

Knowing that he had some publications coming up I wanted to get a 'book jacket' style high-key image on white seamless. We were working at Studio Cozy in Toronto where they have a vintage Norman pack and head strobe system with enough firepower to light high key backgrounds with ease. I asked Brett to repeat different motions that might be 'tells' one would express when bluffing, such as scratching his chin, fiddling with his glasses, or straightening the collar of his jacket. This technique, which I learned from Gina Milicia's So you Want to be a Photographer podcast, let me really hone in on the decisive moment since the motions were being repeated in a more or less predictable fashion. I was able to get quite a few cheeky and expressive images that were professional enough for a promo image of a writer yet really let the rogue shine through.

After working the white seamless for a while with a few different wardrobe variations I decided to do an about face and shoot on a black background for a darker and moodier low-key look. At first I went for a very traditional pose seated on a stool with hands in the lap. I love the strong expression which draws attention to the eyes and face. Hopefully you cannot tell too readily that this image was my first attempt at using frequency separation for retouching skin. During this setup I had repositioned my lights in such a way that I was having a tougher time getting enough side fill from the reflector on camera left so I flipped the board over from the white side to the silver side for the slight bump in reflective power. In the past I have worked with silver umbrella diffusers and they gave a more contrasty light that brought out textures much more than the white shoot-through variety and I was curious to see if the same was true of reflectors when the key light being reflected is was a big ol' soft box. 

After shooting a few images with the reflector flipped, I stopped to review them to find out my suspicions were confirmed. There was a clear difference in the quality of light coming off the reflector, especially in the parts of the face closest to the silvered surface. It was certainly more contrasty, but also surprisingly cooler than the source. After stopping to consider the effect for a moment, it seemed to me to evoked a sense of mystery, reminiscent of moonlight coming through an open door or window. 

With this happy discovery, formal style went out the window and I repositioned my strobes for side lighting coming from just slightly behind Brett, reflected off the silver board on camera left and filed with a small umbrella on axis. I wanted to exaggerate the contrast between the key and the reflector as much as possible while adding a dark shadow down the centre of the face to impart a sinister quality. Brett has a knack for writing compelling bad guys and I felt this lighting really gave the photos a big-screen scoundrel sort of look. Needless to say we had a lot of fun working this setup and I feel we got some great images. 

While I find it important to concentrate one the fundamentals during a shoot to make sure I am meeting my own technical quality standards, experimentation is what really gives me inspiration. Going forward I feel I will focus a bit less on (over)planning the technical aspects and spend a little more time dedicated to working out the looks and exercises I want to focus on ahead of time. It was truly a riot to shoot with Brett and I can say with certainty that interesting images is an order of magnitude easier when you put someone interesting in front of your camera. 

To find out more about Brett and his work check out www.rottencrab.com. 

PS. On this photo shoot I discovered that a Canon EOS 7D Mark II can almost pull off a complete flash sync at 1/320. The shutter won't be visible in the shot but there will be a a slight yet not opaque dark gradation in the very bottom of the frame. It could come in handy if you really need the extra speed and are willing to recover it in post.