Canon EOS 7D Mark II vs Sony Alpha 7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and the Sony Alpha 7, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II was introduced in September 2014 and Sony Alpha 7 was introduced in January 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon EOS 7D Mark II over Sony Alpha 7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7 over Canon EOS 7D Mark II.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Sony Alpha 7 have 3.0" screens with 1,040k dot and 1,230k dot resolutions respectively. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a Fixed screen Sony Alpha 7 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderSony Alpha 7 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II features a 20.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 22.4 x 15 mm and a total area of 336 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000 and expands to 100 - 51,200 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 7 features a 24.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.8 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 50 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Canon EOS 7D Mark II is equipped with Dual DIGIC 6 processor and can take pictures up to 5472 x 3648 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4104 x 2736 (M-Raw), 3648 x 2432, 2736 x 1824, 1920 x 1080, 720 x 480 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 7 is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6000 x 3376, 3936 x 2624, 3936 x 2216, 3008 x 1688, 3008 x 2000 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Canon EF/EF-S lens mount and Sony Alpha 7 has Sony E lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Canon EOS 7D Mark II its crop factor is equal to 1.6x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.6. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sony Alpha 7 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Canon EOS 7D Mark II it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 7 nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 7 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Canon EOS 7D Mark II nothing can be done.

Built-in GPS on Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 7

Sony Alpha 7 has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 7

Sony Alpha 7 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a Mini HDMI and Sony Alpha 7 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Canon EOS 7D Mark II comes with LP-E6N battery pack with battery life of 670 shots and Sony Alpha 7 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 340 shots.

External Storage Slots

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and one for CompactFlash (UDMA 7). Sony Alpha 7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo card slot.

Shutter

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Electronically Controlled Vertical-travel Mechanical Focal-plane shutter. Sony Alpha 7 has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Canon EOS 7D Mark II, and up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7. Canon EOS 7D Mark II can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Sony Alpha 7 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has Dual Pixel CMOS AF system with 65 (65 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Alpha 7 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 117 (25 cross-type) focusing points. Canon EOS 7D Mark II has detection range from -3 to +18 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Canon EOS 7D Mark II ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon EOS 7D Mark II and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 7.

Flash

Canon EOS 7D Mark II has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. Sony Alpha 7 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on both cameras.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II body has dimensions of 149 x 112 x 78 mm (5.87 x 4.41 x 3.07") and Sony Alpha 7 body has dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89"). Canon EOS 7D Mark II weighs 910 g (2.01 lb / 32.10 oz) and Sony Alpha 7 weighs 474 g (1.04 lb / 16.72 oz).

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Sony Alpha 7

149 mm

112 mm

127 mm

94 mm

112 mm

94 mm

78 mm

48 mm