When it came to sports and wildlife, the Canon 7D Mark II used to rule the roost for enthusiast shooters.
Its 20.2MP APS-C sensor didn't have the richest resolution, but it did have a 1.6x crop factor – the magic ingredient that made all your lenses even longer. Combined with the Canon 7D Mark II's 10fps burst shooting, weather sealing and dual memory card slots, this was an amazing camera for anyone shooting outdoor action without breaking the bank.
However, the Canon 7D Mark II is now a decade old. Launched in November 2014, it has been superseded twice – first indirectly by the Canon EOS 90D DSLR, then by the Canon EOS R7 mirrorless camera (which is its direct 7-series successor).
But does the little camera that could, still can?
I think this tried and tested DSLR still has a lot to offer. Obviously it's hard for ten-year-old tech to go toe-to-toe with today's cameras, where there have been enormous leaps in performance. Even the 90D gives you substantially more power, let alone the mirrorless R7 with its bleeding edge autofocus and blistering electronic shutter speed.
But the Canon 7D Mark II can be had for as little as 300 bucks at MPB.com in the UK and US. And while the tech is now very long in the tooth, you still get a lot of bang for those bucks.
In fact, one of the coolest things for me personally is that this is still a camera that has GPS – so you have a built-in compass and the ability to geotag your images (without the nonsense of pairing with your phone).
The autofocus system is comparatively primitive, with only 65 focus points, but it's still powered by Canon's excellent Dual Pixel AF. And I love the old-fashioned, chunky controls on Canon's old DSLR bodies – they just feel great in the hand when you're tracking animals outdoors.
If you're on a budget, or a beginner, or you've never tried sports and wildlife photography and you want to give it a go without breaking the bank, picking up a Canon 7D Mark II is a great value way to get into action shooting.
You might be interested in the best Canon cameras on the market today, or you could double down and check out the best cameras for sports photography and the best cameras for wildlife photography.
