PHOTO QUALITY. This 20-megapixel SLR camera captured images with very good quality. Pictures were very sharp, which means you can see even tiny details and very subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations without a flash, pictures were sharp. We judged this model excellent for outdoor performance, such as shooting landscapes in the daytime; very good for indoor performance, such as photographing a well-lit basketball game in a gym. And very good for low-light performance without a flash, such as capturing a birthday party. Photos taken in our low-light performance tests displayed very little image noise; subjects retained correct detail and color.
FLASH. The EOS 7D Mark II w/ EF 50mm 1.8 STM with the 50mm kit lens captured flash shots that were excellent. In our distance test, we found the camera's flash could illuminate subjects very well, both near and far. The flash also has excellent, very even coverage.
LENS. The lens has a fixed focal length; it has no zoom capability.
IMAGE STABILIZATION. Although this model doesn't have an image stabilizer, it did a fair job of minimizing the effects of camera shake in our tests. Shooting with digital telephoto in well-lit scenes, this model did a good job of minimizing the effects of camera shake. In low-light settings, its performance was fair and often produced blurry photos. Overall, the shake reduction results from our tests were fair.
SPEED. In terms of performance, the Canon EOS 7D Mark II w/ EF 50mm 1.8 STM powers up instantly.
VIDEO. The Canon EOS 7D Mark II w/ EF 50mm 1.8 STM takes very good video. It captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 60p. As for sound, it captures excellent audio in mono.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. Like all SLRs, it also includes a through-the-lens viewfinder, helpful when composing in bright light; this viewfinder has excellent quality. This SLR is much bigger and heavier than most in its class. Although this model has many features and controls, this SLR is bulky and heavy, which may not make it the best model if you travel a lot.
