Canon Fell off the wagon...

ajramirez

Hall of Famer
Location
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Name
Antonio
As of last week, it had been two years and seven months since I bought my last digital camera (the Leica M9P). It is with some regret (well, not really) that I confess to having fallen off that wagon, as I have not only bought a new camera, but a DSLR at that. I am now the proud owner of a shiny new Canon EOS 7D Mk. II.

While I have been mostly a mirror-less user for the last four years (and a Leica M user for the last three), I always kept my Canon EOS 50D, particularly for work I do for the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art. The 50D has been a trusted companion for six (6) years, but I became increasingly concerned about its low light performance, and was keen to try out a more robust autofocus system for dance and theater photography. After much deliberation about whether I should go full frame or not, or whether I should switch to Nikon (had the D750 and a set of lenses in the B&H cart for a few days), I decided to go for the 7D Mk. II.

I received the camera last Thursday and took it out for its maiden voyage yesterday. I was able to put the camera through its paces in various shooting environments: street, landscape (seascape, actually), at the Museum, and at a theater troupe rehearsal.

The day started with a trip to Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Cabo Rojo is a town in the Southwestern tip of Puerto Rico, and Boquerón is a fisherman´s village in the town. I walked around for a bit, and got a few shots (all with the 17-40mm 4.0L):

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JDP
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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JDP
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Boquerón
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Boquerón
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Boquerón
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

I then returned to San Juan to photograph some art pieces, and some exhibition hall photos, at the Museum of Contemporary Art for a book. I apologize for not being able to show you those shots.

Afterwards, the youth theater troupe ¨Jóvenes del 98¨ had a rehearsal at the Museum's courtyard, and I stayed and photographed it. Here are some sample shots (mostly with the 70-200mm 4.0L IS):

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

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Jóvenes del 98
by ramirezaponte, on Flickr

About the 7D Mk. II, I can say the following. The good: (1) The camera is extremely fast and responsive; (2) the shutter is very quiet (for a DSLR); (3) autofocus is extremely quick (near instant) and, dare I say, almost foolproof; (4) the live view implementation is light years ahead of the 50D; the dual pixel technology makes for very quick and responsive AF during live view; (5) image quality is very good; high ISO is quite a bit better than the 50D.

The bad: (1) the 10-22 EF-S (which is my only ultra-wide solution at this time) is nowhere near the quality of my 18mm ZM Distagon; it's quite soft and smeary at the corners at any aperture; (2) it's big, which shouldn't come as a surprise, but walking around with a 17-40mm mounted (which is my standard zoom lens) feels quite different from walking around with the M9P and a 35mm or 50mm. However, this is not likely to be a problem for the intended use of the camera.

All in all, I am quite happy with the purchase, and expect to get from it at least the six (6) years I got from the 50D.

Cheers,

Antonio
 
I saw some of these on Flickr this morning. Nice shooting. DSLRs aren't the bogeyman - the only downside I can find is the size and weight and if you can keep that within reason with your choice of body and lenses, no reason not to have one...

Enjoy!

-Ray
 
Nice work, and nothing wrong wit a dslr, all cameras are just tools to get the job done and sometimes the dslr is the right tool other jobs may call for a better light super 10k scanning back on an arca swiss (I should be so fortunate to have that kind of money :) )
the only reason I sold off my DSLR stuff was the Fuji could fill the same spot for me and most of it had been stolen in any case
 
I spent just over half my photographic life shooting with a Canon digital SLR of some description. I miss the chunky yet oh-so-comfy handling of the bigger x0D bodies, those lovely Canon sensors, and certainly the places that I travelled to with them alongside. For my uses though, mirrorless ILCs had me at hello.
 
Th big bodies certainly feel steady. My problem is that most of my photos are taken while I am supposed to be doing something else. That's why I often like to use Disney as a camera test. It's a target rich environment with a wide range of exposure and FL needs, but shooting comes on top of the serious business of fun.
 
I spent just over half my photographic life shooting with a Canon digital SLR of some description. I miss the chunky yet oh-so-comfy handling of the bigger x0D bodies, those lovely Canon sensors, and certainly the places that I travelled to with them alongside. For my uses though, mirrorless ILCs had me at hello.

Even though I have only had "a cup of coffee" with them, Canon DSLRs also have noticeably quick autofocus.

Cheers, Jock
 
I too have been shooting mirrorless for the last 7 years or so. I've had everything from an M9, an RX1r and everything in-between by every manufacturer. Well I'm delving into photography as a business and traded all my mirrors away (for now, I'll probably pick up an X100s), all I have now is my trusty 1D Mkiii It's a rig I can still have fun with too. Here are a few pre-Spring shots I'm hoping will encourage the seasons here to change a bit faster.
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Ok, now I see how to upload a photo... (duh) very easy, MUCH better.
 
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