Canon 7D Mark II Field review Bird photography with Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS Lens

As soon as I came to know that Adobe had updated Lightroom (LR) with raw support for Canon 7D Mark II, I updated my LR to version 5.7 and picked up a new 7D Mark II body on Friday so I could get to know it and  play with it over the weekend. 

My previous body was the original 7D. I am not a technical person but I was eager to test the body with my Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS lens.  First thing I plugged the battery into the charger and went through the Basic Manual that comes in the box. 
 [Detailed manual is on the CD as a pdf file].I decided to go out and try the camera - lens combination with the camera as it comes out of the box [settings at factory default]. 
 Once I had a look at the results and went through the F setting guide book I would tweak the settings to my liking. Saturday turned out to be busy and it was late afternoon by the time I could go out with the Camera & lens along with the monopod. I didn't want to shoot the obligatory duck shots so the nearest water body was out of question. 

I headed to a reserve in Brisbane which I knew held a pair of Bush stone-curlews (Burhinus grallarius) also known as Bush thick knees.It was nearing sunset and these birds being nocturnal would be getting ready to venture out for the night. Sure enough they had come out of the bushes but still on the fringes, waiting for sunset and pedestrian traffic to subside.The birds were in shade, The sun was behind some trees about to set. This was a good chance to test high ISO and the cameras focusing ability.I got within range and with the monopod set as low as possible started shooting. ISO I used was 800 & 1600. The close ups are with the 1.4x converter engaged and the full birds shot at 400mm. I think I got some pretty good shots even with the shutter speed as low as 1/160. Highest shutter speed I got @ 560 mm & 1600 ISO was 1/500 sec. Remember I was using just a monopod and the camera at factory settings.

 [ More photos at the bottom]

The results were not bad for for my first attempt. That night I went through the AF setting guide and the basic manual again. I set some of the menu items to my liking and on Sunday morning set out to look for shore birds. I found a few oystercatchers on the rocks by the seaside at high tide. The birds, oystercatchers, pelicans, gulls etc. always roost on these rocks at high tide and consequently the rocks have now turned white with accumulated droppings. This morning there were only a few oystercatchers around.
I walked carefully over the big boulders with the camera mounted on the monopod and started shooting using ISO 200 & 400. It was partly cloudy and I tried shooting in both conditions - when the sun was out and even when it was covered.
It was a bit hard to single out a bird as it is a communal roost, but I did manage find some birds on the edges.
The focus locked quickly and positively, exposures were great. I was surprised by the silent shutter [ even in normal mode]. All photos without any MFA [micro focus adjustment] I am happy with the IQ [Image Quality]. It will continue to improve as I get more familiar with the camera.  The keeper rate was high. I am not a fan of 10 fps though it will come in handy in certain situations. Today I just used one shot and AI Focus.  
I didn’t get any action shots. I have still not finalised my settings for action. It will take a bit of experimenting.
Even with  this limited testing I am of the opinion that the new Canon 7D mk ii drives my Canon EF 200-400 F4 IS lens better than the original 7D.
There is definitely an upgrade in IQ and AF, & High ISO ability besides other features. I found it worth upgrading even if it was for just these features. If anyone still undecided whether to upgrade from their 7D to 7D mk ii, I would suggest “ go for it”. Christmas is round the corner and there’s no reason why you can’t be your own Santa.

No, I don’t get any money from Canon. These are just my humble findings. 
Hopefully I should be able to give the 7 d mk ii a better workout. Watch this space.

Any questions? I will try to find answers for you.