Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II

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Canon 7D MII

20 MP | APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7 II

24 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Canon 7D MII, which was introduced in September 2014 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 20.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Sony A7 II, which was introduced in November 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 24.0MP Full frame sensor. There is only 2 months difference between 7D MII and A7 II so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 7D MII Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-09-15

20MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 16000 ( expands to 51200)

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

3 Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

10.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in GPS

910g. 149 x 112 x 78 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Canon EOS 7D Compare

Sony A7 II Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-11-20

24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 50-51200)

Sony E (NEX) Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

599g. 127 x 96 x 60 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Replaced Sony Alpha 7 Compare

Sony A7 II was replaced by Sony Alpha A7 III. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7 III vs Sony Alpha A7 II
Sony Alpha A7 III vs Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 7D Mark II over Sony Alpha A7 II

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
GPS	BuiltIn vs None	track your location
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 5.0fps	5 fps faster
Battery Life	670 shots vs 350 shots	320 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs With optional app	creative shooting
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	Center point vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters
Webcam Function	Yes vs No	Use your camera as a Webcam

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7 II over Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs None	Better connectivity
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	All the lenses are stabilized
Articulating Screen	Yes vs No	Flexible shooting positions
Max Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 16.000	60% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	117 vs 65	52 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 1.040k dots	18% higher resolution screen
Weight	599 g vs 910 g	311 g lighter
Color Depth	24.9 vs 22.4	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.6 vs 11.8	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	2449 vs 1082	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	35.65µm² vs 16.83µm²	111% larger pixel area
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote Control	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Sony Alpha A7 II

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.230k dots	High resolution screens
Microphone Port	Yes vs Yes	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs Yes	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs Yes	shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Dual-axis Electronic Level	Yes vs Yes	Level the camera easily in two axis
Support for UHS Memory Cards	UHS-I vs UHS-I	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Sony Alpha A7 II

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II. Sony A7 II is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 22mm narrower, 16mm shorter and 18mm thinner than Canon 7D MII.

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II.

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7 II is significantly lighter (311g ) than the Canon 7D MII which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A7 II has a Full frame sensor and Canon 7D MII has a smaller APS-C sensor, Canon 7D MII's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7 II lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

7D MII

A7 II

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

7D MII

A7 II

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Both 7D MII and A7 II have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II: Sensor Comparison

Canon 7D MII has a 20.0MP APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DIGIC 6 (dual) processor. On the other hand, Sony A7 II has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Below you can see the 7D MII and A7 II sensor size comparison.

As seen above, Sony A7 II has a 2.5x Larger sensor area than Canon 7D MII. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A7 II has a better overall score of 90, 20 points higher compared to 7D MII's score of 70.

What types of Photography are Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 7D MII for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7 II for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Canon 7D MII for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7 II for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Canon 7D MII for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A7 II for Sports Photography

GOOD

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
65 Cross Type Focus sensors
65 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 670 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
117 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Read the details

Canon 7D MII for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7 II for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Large APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
910g
Body Thickness 78mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
599g
Body Thickness 60mm
Read the details

Canon 7D MII for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A7 II for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.4 x 15 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Built-in GPS
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7 II vs Canon 7D MII Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon 7D MII has an advantage over Sony A7 II. There are 324 lenses for Canon 7D MII's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 121 lenses for Sony A7 II's Sony E (NEX) lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7 II has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Canon 7D MII doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 112 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type	# of Canon 7D MII Lenses	# of Sony A7 II Lenses
Standard Zoom	40	11 (8 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	19	18 (9 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	36	7 (6 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	49	39 (23 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	58	9 (7 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	42	17 (13 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	28	8 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	7	2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	28	8 (7 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	16	2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	324	121 (76 Full Frame)

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II scores compare:

Canon 7D MII

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #37 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #136 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Sony A7 II

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #18 out of 66 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #30 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Sony A7 II is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon 7D MII in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Canon 7D MII

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Sony A7 II

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Sony A7 II vs Canon 7D MII Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 7D Mark II	Sony Alpha A7 II
Brand	Canon	Sony
Announced	2014-09-15	2014-11-20
Body Type	Mid-size SLR	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	APS-C	Full frame
Dimensions	22.4 x 15 mm	35.8 x 23.9 mm
Area	336.00mm²	855.62mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5472 x 3648	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	16,000 ISO	25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	51200 ISO	51200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	65	117
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	Sony E (NEX)
Number of Available Lenses	324	121
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Tilting
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentaprism)	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.63	0.71
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m	no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync	1/250s	no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	10.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	910g	599g
Dimensions	149 x 112 x 78mm	127 x 96 x 60mm
Battery Life	670 shots	350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording		With Downloadable App
GPS	BuiltIn	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	70	90
DxO Color Depth	22.4	24.9
DxO Dynamic Range	11.8	13.6
DxO Low Light ISO	1082	2449
	Report a correction	Report a correction