Today’s issue of The West Australian has an advertisement from Camera Electronic with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II body at $1,988 (amongst other Canon specials) until 30 April 2015. This is $100 to $200 cheaper than most other major retailers in Perth currently. The 7D Mk II is one of the two main bodies I’d currently recommend for anyone looking to start in low light action photography—the other body would be the Nikon D7200. Out of these two bodies, the 7D Mk II is the more capable than the D7200 (particularly with regard to buffer memory and frame rate), but also the more expensive by around $500.
There are several comparisons between the Nikon D7200 and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II available on-line, but be aware that not all of them are necessarily useful. For example, I saw one comparison where the D7200’s built-in autofocus motor (needed to drive the Nikkor AF series lenses, but not the AF-S series lenses) was counted as an ‘advantage’ over the EOS 7D Mk II, which does not have a built-in autofocus motor. But wait a moment—none of Canon’s DSLR bodies have a built-in autofocus motor, because all of Canon’s autofocus lenses have the autofocus motor built into the lens itself. An autofocus motor in the body is only important for Nikon bodies, in this context, and cannot be counted as a mark against Canon.
Without having shot with either body myself, a glance through the material on-line suggests that the EOS 7D Mk II is probably the better body for sports photography, but the D7200 is probably better value for money—it seems at least as capable as the Canon in several areas, and costs significantly less. As always, if you’ve already invested in either a Canon or Nikon system already, it probably makes most sense to stay with the same system.