Canon EOS 70D

Another new camera from Canon. This is a replacement for the 60D. I still have a 20D in a cupboard somewhere, it was state of the art at the time, now I could barely give it away!

Here is a decent review fro the ever excellent DP Review

The EOS 70D is a mid-range SLR for enthusiast photographers that from the outside looks like a sensible, indeed desirable upgrade to the EOS 60D. It borrows many of the best bits from Canon’s existing SLRs, including the autofocus sensor from the EOS 7D, the fully articulated touchscreen from the EOS 700D (Rebel T5i), and built-in Wi-Fi from the EOS 6D. But on the inside it sports an entirely new sensor that is, potentially, revolutionary. It offers 20.2MP resolution, but uses a ‘Dual Pixel CMOS AF’ design in which every single pixel is split into two separately-readable photodiodes, facing left and right. This means that in principle they are all capable of phase detection autofocus in live view and movie mode.

During the early days of digital SLRs, Canon was pretty much the undisputed leader in CMOS image sensor technology. Almost every new EOS model came with an increase in resolution and high ISO range, and when the EOS 7D appeared in late 2009, the company had progressed from 3MP to 18MP, and ISO 1600 to ISO 12800, in just over nine years. But since then Canon’s APS-C cameras have all sported variants on the same basic sensor design, to the extent that you could be forgiven for wondering what on earth their engineers were doing all day. Now we know.

Canon EOS 70D key features

• 20.2MP APS-C ‘Dual Pixel CMOS AF’ sensor
• DIGIC 5+ image processor
• ISO 100-12800 standard, 25600 expanded
• 7fps continuous shooting, burst depth 65 JPEG / 16 RAW
• ‘Silent’ shutter mode
• 1080p30 video recording, stereo sound via external mic
• 19-point AF system, all points cross-type, sensitive to -0.5 EV
• 63-zone iFCL metering system
• 98% viewfinder coverage, 0.95x magnification, switchable gridlines and electronic level display
• Fully-articulated touchscreen, 1040k dot 3″ ClearView II LCD, 3:2 aspect ratio
• Single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Single-axis electronic level
• Built-in flash works as off-camera remote flash controller
• AF microadjustment (can be set individually for up to 40 lenses, remembered by lens serial number)
• In-camera High Dynamic Range and Multiple Exposure modes (JPEG-only)
• ‘Creative Filter’ image processing styles, previewed in live view

• Key specs compared

  In the table below we see how some of the EOS 70D’s key specs measure up against its more expensive big brother, the EOS 7D, and its main rival, the Nikon D7100. What’s interesting here is just how close the 70D is to the 7D in terms of spec – in much the same way as Nikon’s D7000 made the D300S look almost redundant, it’s quite difficult to see why most Canon users would now choose the top-end APS-C model.

  	Canon EOS 70D	Canon EOS 7D	Nikon D7100
  Effective Pixels	• 20.2 MP	• 18.0 MP	• 24.1 MP
  ISO Range	• 100-12800 standard • 25600 expanded	• 100-6400 standard • 12800 expanded	• 100-6400 standard • 50-25600 expanded
  No of AF points	• 19	• 19	• 51
  AF in live view	• Phase detection	• Contrast detection	• Contrast detection
  Screen	• 3.0″ • 1,040,000 dots • Fully-articulated • Touch sensitive	• 3.0″ • 920,000 dots • Fixed	• 3.2″ • 1,228,800 dots • Fixed
  Viewfinder	• 98% coverage • 0.95x magnification	• 100% coverage • 1.0x magnification	• 100% coverage • 0.94x magnification
  Continuous drive	• 7 fps	• 8 fps	• 6 fps
  Storage	• SD/SDHC/SDXC	• Compact flash	• SD/SDHC/SDXC • 2 slots
  Weight (inc batteries)	• 755g (1.7 lb)	• 860g (1.9 lb)	• 765g (1.7 lb)
  Dimensions	• 139 x 104 x 79 mm (5.5 x 4.1 x 3.1″)	• 148 x 111 x 74 mm (5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9″)	• 136 x 107 x 76 mm (5.4 x 4.2 x 3.0″)
  Wi-Fi	•  Built-in	•  Optional	•  Optional

• Read the full review with all the specs and details here

Currently the 70D can be bought on Amazon for  under £800 with a kit lens