[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I would have except I found out right as the deal was ending. Most folks who ordered when I did or shortly after had their orders cancelled. I'm still half-waiting for a cancellation notice myself.

Ahh. That makes sense then. I've never heard of Canon's pricing issues. What is the normal price of a refurbed 7Dii?

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Ahh. That makes sense then. I've never heard of Canon's pricing issues. What is the normal price of a refurbed 7Dii?

That's the other side of this. Some folks have been saying Canon jacked up the prices of refurbs just before this "sale." A new 7D MkII is $1499. A refurb was listed last night at $1439. Not much of a discount. Today they've knocked off another $96 or thereabouts, so the price is down to $1342, plus you get to use one of the discount codes to knock off a little more, I think.

Canon Price Watch (CPW) has them new for $1349.99 as their street price.

[M_Six]

Got my 7D MkII today. Looks flawless. Shutter count of 1424. For $925, I have no complaints.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Got my 7D MkII today. Looks flawless. Shutter count of 1424. For $925, I have no complaints.

That's basically brand new!

[Itsed65]

I do more than 1400 in any weekend. Great deal!

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

That's basically brand new!

Originally Posted by Itsed65

I do more than 1400 in any weekend. Great deal!

I'm happy with the deal. That 10FPS is awesome sounding.

They come with a 12 month warranty plus the new Spills and Drops coverage. Got to love Canon Price Watch. (CPW)

[M_Six]

Refurbed 7D MkII from the Canon Store. $999

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...dy-refurbished

[dcstep]

We've got a great photo contest at:

http://www.6post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1191868

All the entrants have voted, but it'd be great to get more participation from non-entrants.

Dave

[M_Six]

Was not a good day. Brought my new 7D MkII and Siggy 120-300 with the 2x TC to the lake today looking for eagles. I swept the treeline with binoculars and found a bald eagle way on the other side. I grabbed the camera and took a few shots just to check settings. When I looked again, the eagle was gone. Then I saw him flying right toward me. He (or she) flew directly overhead at low altitude, so I was almost able to fill the frame. I took dozens of shots as he flew by.

Not one of them is usable.

The "sharpest" were, at best, good enough for small FB images. But anything larger than 800x600 will be useless. So then I tried shooting static objects and realized nothing was sharp, even though the image in my VF was sharp. Seems I have a lot of corrections to apply using the USB dock.

Such a shame. That was the closest an eagle has ever flown by me.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Was not a good day. Brought my new 7D MkII and Siggy 120-300 with the 2x TC to the lake today looking for eagles. I swept the treeline with binoculars and found a bald eagle way on the other side. I grabbed the camera and took a few shots just to check settings. When I looked again, the eagle was gone. Then I saw him flying right toward me. He (or she) flew directly overhead at low altitude, so I was almost able to fill the frame. I took dozens of shots as he flew by.

Not one of them is usable.

The "sharpest" were, at best, good enough for small FB images. But anything larger than 800x600 will be useless. So then I tried shooting static objects and realized nothing was sharp, even though the image in my VF was sharp. Seems I have a lot of corrections to apply using the USB dock.

Such a shame. That was the closest an eagle has ever flown by me.

A bird flying directly at you is the hardest shot there is. You made it twice as hard with the 2x TC, slowing the AF.

Even with my f/4 500, I NEVER use the 2x TC when shooting birds. The 1.4x performs well, but that's only f/5.6, you were down at f/8, maybe smaller.

Of course, the static shots should be in focus. Try without the TC and work from there.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Was not a good day. Brought my new 7D MkII and Siggy 120-300 with the 2x TC to the lake today looking for eagles. I swept the treeline with binoculars and found a bald eagle way on the other side. I grabbed the camera and took a few shots just to check settings. When I looked again, the eagle was gone. Then I saw him flying right toward me. He (or she) flew directly overhead at low altitude, so I was almost able to fill the frame. I took dozens of shots as he flew by.

Not one of them is usable.

The "sharpest" were, at best, good enough for small FB images. But anything larger than 800x600 will be useless. So then I tried shooting static objects and realized nothing was sharp, even though the image in my VF was sharp. Seems I have a lot of corrections to apply using the USB dock.

Such a shame. That was the closest an eagle has ever flown by me.

2X TC only works properly with the 5D and 1D lines. With My MK i 7D a 2x TC wont ever focus lock, it just constantly hunts.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

2X TC only works properly with the 5D and 1D lines. With My MK i 7D a 2x TC wont ever focus lock, it just constantly hunts.

Actually, the latest 1D, 5D and 7D bodies now all have the same AF system, with minor differences in the number AF points, X-points, etc.. The 1D X will manhandle a 2X TC better because of its higher voltage battery. Mark's Siggy is f/2.8, so a 2x TC will only change that to f/5.6, which the last two or three generations of bodies have been able to manage. However, that doesn't mean that its response will not slow down.

Dave

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Actually, the latest 1D, 5D and 7D bodies now all have the same AF system, with minor differences in the number AF points, X-points, etc.. The 1D X will manhandle a 2X TC better because of its higher voltage battery. Mark's Siggy is f/2.8, so a 2x TC will only change that to f/5.6, which the last two or three generations of bodies have been able to manage. However, that doesn't mean that its response will not slow down.

Dave

I didn't know that Canon brought the 2X functionality downrange. This is the first i'm hearing of it.

[M_Six]

The 2x TC does slow AF a bit. I bought a Canon grip for it, but it won't be here until Tuesday. I'm hoping the extra battery helps a bit. Still, there is clearly a focus issue with even static objects. I'll put the USB dock to work this week and dial it in. I can walk over to the football field and have a ready-made focus scale to figure out if it's front or back focusing.

DC, those hummer pics I got in Colorado were with the 2x TC, but on my 5D MkIII body. They were pretty sharp even with a hefty crop. But the Siggy was tuned to that body. Now I need to re-tune it to the 7D MkII, which I'd like to be my dedicated birding and sports rig.

[Weebl]

Did you ever micro adjust it

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by M_Six

The 2x TC does slow AF a bit. I bought a Canon grip for it, but it won't be here until Tuesday. I'm hoping the extra battery helps a bit. Still, there is clearly a focus issue with even static objects. I'll put the USB dock to work this week and dial it in. I can walk over to the football field and have a ready-made focus scale to figure out if it's front or back focusing.

DC, those hummer pics I got in Colorado were with the 2x TC, but on my 5D MkIII body. They were pretty sharp even with a hefty crop. But the Siggy was tuned to that body. Now I need to re-tune it to the 7D MkII, which I'd like to be my dedicated birding and sports rig.

I read somewhere that the battery grip does not improve things. The voltage is the same, so I can understand why it wouldn't help.

Hummers are easy vs. raptors flying straight at you. Still, you have to optimize it for that camera to have any hope.

Looking forward to the results.


Dave

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Weebl

Did you ever micro adjust it

I tried fiddling with it at the lake, but it's hard to do on the fly. The USB dock software will improve things, I hope. Although other folks on POTN are saying they've had issues with the Siggy and 7D MkII as well.

[Weebl]

I guess one of the "benefits"of having a superzoom.
You should see a difference with the higher current available in the grip.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Weebl

I guess one of the "benefits"of having a superzoom.
You should see a difference with the higher current available in the grip.

I'm no electrical engineer, but I don't think that additional current is going to improve the ability to manhandle the motors that drive the AF system.

[M_Six]

I don't know if the problem was a lack of power anyway. It locked on very quickly to static objects and they still weren't in focus. Due to steady rain here the first few days of this week, I won't get a chance to get out to the football field. But I've been thinking about it and I'm pretty sure the problem is caused by my tuning the lens to the 5D MkIII. The lens is adjusted to work with that camera and it may be way off now for the 7D MkII. I'll reset the lens to factory specs and re-tune it for the 7D MkII.

I'm also going to try the 400 f5.6 with the 1.4x TC III. That will give me 560mm at f8, which also happens to be the best aperture setting for the Siggy with a 2x TC. I'll give up ~40mm in FL, but I'll gain a sharper image (I think) and lose a *ton* of lens weight in the process.

[Weebl]

Originally Posted by dcstep

I'm no electrical engineer, but I don't think that additional current is going to improve the ability to manhandle the motors that drive the AF system.

Which is why I'm a electrician.
Power is power. Either you increase the voltage per the pro bodies or you increase the available current. Either way the available power goes up unless the lenses do operate at multiple voltages and I've never seen anything to indicate so.

[druu]

Just impulsed bought a 5Ds + grip for 2,999 shipped. Pretty stoked.