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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

Canon 7D MII
$1028.00

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Sony A7 II

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

Sony A7 II
$898.00

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
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 Semi-Pro 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
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
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
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 Higher 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
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.

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II Camera Size Comparison - Front View


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

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon 7D MII and Sony A7 II.
Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Canon 7D MII vs Sony A7 II Detailed Size Comparison

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.

Canon 7D MII vs Sony 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

EXCELLENT
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

EXCELLENT
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

GOOD
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 319 lenses for Canon 7D MII's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 115 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 107 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 10 (7 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 18 17 (8 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 35 6 (5 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 48 37 (22 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 58 9 (7 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime 41 16 (12 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 28 8 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 7 2 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime 27 8 (7 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime 16 2 (2 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 319 115 (71 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 #139 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Sony A7 II
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #17 out of 68 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #29 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
Canon 7D MII
$1028.00

Sony A7 II
Sony A7 II
$898.00

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 319 115
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 Shutter Speed 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
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