Canon EOS 70D: Canon’s Newest DSLR Game Changer

ShutterStoppers think this new Canon released in the summer has some important new features.

The 70D isn’t called the game changer without merit, and you’ll quickly discover why. Intelligently engineered as a more refined replacement to the successful Canon EOS 60D, the 70D has a few new tricks up its sleeves. It is made for enthusiastic photographers, and comes with a variety of improvements that will create a buzz. The legendary Canon EOS is all grown up…

Canon EOS 70D: Canon’s Newest DSLR Game ChangerThe 70D improves from the 60D in many ways, a major one being within the sensor. It comes with the newest Dual Pixel CMOS sensor which is capable of capturing 20.2 MP images. The technology behind the sensor allows for a faster focusing during both Live View and video mode. 70D also has 19 cross-type AF points which is similar to the one present in the more expensive 7D. READ MORE HERE

 

for a more in depth consideration of this latest mid range Canon DSLR DP Review adds this

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.

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.

On-chip phase detection is nothing new – we first saw it in the Fujifilm F300EXR back in 2010. Since then it’s been adopted in one form or another by most manufacturers, with arguably its most successful implementation coming in Nikon’s 1 System mirrorless models. But because until now it’s used relatively few active pixels scattered sparsely across the sensor, it’s had practical limitations, often only covering a restricted area of the frame and struggling once the light drops below outdoor daylight levels. Canon says that its Dual Pixel AF system, in contrast, works across an area 80% of the frame width and height, in light levels as low as 0 EV, and at apertures down to F11. This means it could well be the most capable live view autofocus system we’ve yet seen on any type of camera.

We’ll look at the technology behind the EOS 70D’s live view AF in more detail later, but let’s not forget that it has to work as a conventional SLR too. To this end it uses the same 19-point AF sensor as the EOS 7D for viewfinder shooting, but with slightly simplified control options in firmware. It can rattle shots off at 7fps for up to 65 frames in JPEG or 16 in RAW, and its standard ISO range covers 100-12800, with ISO 25600 as an expanded option. Image processing is via the DIGIC 5+ processor first seen in the EOS 5D Mark III.

In terms of control layout the EOS 70D is a logical evolution of the EOS 60D, adopting many of Canon’s intervening updates and improvements. So it offers a full set of external controls to operate most key functions, and Canon’s well-designed Quick Control screen to cover pretty much everything else. It also adopts the superb touchscreen interface that debuted on the EOS 650D (Rebel T4i), which we’ve found to be more useful than you might at first think. The 70D also regains an array of features that disappeared between the EOS 50D and 60D, such as AF microadjustment.

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

 

Currently Amazon have this for a shade under £999

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

 

Canon EOS 5D MkIII Hands-on Review

From Photo.net by Bob Atkins, comes this in depth review of the Canon 5DM3.

On March 2nd 2012 Canon announced the Canon EOS 5D MkIII, (compare prices) as an upgrade of – but not a replacement for – the EOS 5D MkII. Among the major new features of the EOS 5D MkIII are:

• A new 22.3MP CMOS sensor with a gapless microlens, 8 channel readout and low noise
• A new 61 point AF system with 41 cross sensors (same as EOS 1D X) with AF to -2EV
• A 63 Zone iFCL metering (same as EOS 7D)
• Native ISO settings of 100-25600 with expansion to 50-102400
• A new Digic 5+ processor (30% faster than Digic 5, 17x faster than Digic 4)
• 6fps continuous shooting
• In-camera HDR. 3 images taken at +/- 3 stop intervals with in-camera image alignment

Currently (July 2012), the EOS 5D MkIII sells for around $3450 and the EOS 5D MkII sells for around $2100

There were a host of other features that were upgraded or added, but the new sensor, new AF system and new processor are the major advances which enable many of the other upgrades such as faster shooting (6 fps vs 3.9 fps) and more extensive in-camera processing. With a processor 17x faster than that in the EOS 5D MkII, real time chromatic aberration correction is now available for JPEGs, and in video modes the extra processing power enables better moire fringing correction.

Bob Atkins

Outwardly the EOS 5D MkIII resembles the EOS 5D MkII quite closely, but the user interface is closer to that found on the Canon EOS 7D, with a similar menu structure and control layout….MORE of this extensive review here

and for comparison here is the review on the DP Review site

 

Canon EOS 7D Firmware update

If you own a Canon 7D you need to update it’s firmware, detail have just been announced by Canon and they promise enhanced features.

 On the CPN website you can find out all about a new firmware update – 7D Firmware Version 2 – that will add a raft of new features to the EOS 7D DSLR. There’s also a technical article that explains all of the features of the EOS 7D, plus full information on all the key specifications, technologies and benefits of Canon’s flagship APS-C format DSLR. To read CPN’s latest EOS 7D articles, watch films, and view images shot with the 18 Megapixel SLR, just click here