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Archive 2013 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP

  
 
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP

Bryan at The-Digital-Picture.com posted his review on the new Canon EOS 70D.

Here is an excerpt:
"Canon has made no claims for improved ISO noise performance from the 70D's new sensor, but it definitely appears that the higher resolution Dual Pixel CMOS gives up no ground to the other APS-C imaging sensors.

The 70D gets brand new technology and becomes what is arguably now the best all-purpose Canon DSLR camera available without facing the much bigger price required to step up to the full frame models which currently start at $1,999.00 USD. The 70D's reasonable price will have a big influence on its selection by many."
Read full review

The Canon EOS 70D is now in stock at B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.

Canon EOS 70D Body $1199
B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama

Canon EOS 70D with 18-55mm IS STM $1349
B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama

Canon EOS 70D with 18-135mm IS STM $1549
B&H Photo | Amazon | Adorama

___________

The review has an informative specification comparison for those considering between the Canon EOS 70D and 7D:
  • 20.2 vs. 18.0 megapixel sensor
  • ISO 100-12800, 25600 vs. 100-6400, 12800
  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF in Live View including Movie Servo AF vs. contrast-only Live View AF with no Movie Servo AF
  • DIGIC 5+ vs. Dual DIGIC 4 (17x faster than one DIGIC 4 processor)
  • Approx. 98% viewfinder coverage vs. 100%
  • Approx. 0.95x viewfinder magnification vs. 1.00x
  • Live View approx. coverage of 98% vs. 100%
  • Touch screen 3.0" (7.7cm) 3:2 Clear View II TFT, approx. 1040K dots vs. 3.0" (7.5cm) Clear View II TFT, approx. 920K dots
  • Single axis electronic level in viewfinder vs. dual
    Dedicated viewfinder level indicator vs. not dedicated
  • 7 fps for 40/15 (JPEG/RAW) frames vs. 8 fps vs. 130/25
  • Missing small RAW
  • SDHC vs. CompactFlash memory cards
  • 23 Custom Functions vs. 27
  • AFMA stored for 40 lenses vs. 20
  • aluminum and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber vs. magnesium alloy body covers
  • Slightly smaller: 5.5 x 4.1 x 3.1" vs. 5.8 x 4.4 x 2.9" (139.0 x 104.3 x 78.5mm vs. 148.2 x 110.7 x 73.5mm)
  • Slightly lighter: 26.7 oz vs. 32.2 oz (755g vs. 914g)
  • Built-in WiFi vs. expensive accessory
  • Has additional shooting modes, but 2 less Custom modes (1 vs. 3)
  • No joystick controller vs. has one
  • 100,000 actuation shutter durability vs. 150,000
  • No PC Terminal Port vs. has
  • Not compatible with N3-series Remotes vs. is
  • Missing Spot AF
  • Missing AF Expansion
  • Missing Auto LCD brightness



Sep 11, 2013 at 05:43 PM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Contrary to what I saw posted by an FM'er 70D owner, he does not seem to think the AF in AI Servo is any better than the 7D's:

I do think the 70D's AF system is at least as good as the 7D's AF system



Sep 11, 2013 at 06:31 PM
stevez32
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Imagemaster wrote:
Contrary to what I saw posted by an FM'er 70D owner, he does not seem to think the AF in AI Servo is any better than the 7D's:



I'm not seeing his statement as directly contrary? If something is "better" can still also be "at least as good."



Sep 11, 2013 at 06:50 PM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


stevez32 wrote:
I'm not seeing his statement as directly contrary? If something is "better" can still also be "at least as good."


Not contrary to what? An FM'er posted that the 70D's AF AI Servo was better than the 7D's. Saying it is "at least as good" is contrary to that.



Sep 11, 2013 at 09:28 PM
Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


No spot AF and no expansion AF, WTF were they thinking. I'd take expansion over zone or auto.

I wonder if ML could bring back spot AF



Sep 11, 2013 at 09:57 PM
Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


One thing I'm curious about is if the 70D dual pixel AF can create smooth panning videos with non-STM lenses. I've tried non-STM lenses with my SL1 and the AF during video is erratic. The DPR review points this out - that its smooth with STM and erratic without. I'll probably have to re-buy the 18-55 kit lens just for video. Has the 70D addressed this issue? There are no good STM lenses currently available. TDP says the 40 STM is too noisy.

Life would be good if Canon came out with a compact EFS 18 mm IS STM prime.



Sep 12, 2013 at 09:45 AM
garyvot
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


What's interesting to me are Bryan's observations that the 70D delivers generally sharper results without increasing noise levels. His tests seem to bear that out too. Check this comparison vs. the 7D. Canon seems to have made significant progress with this new sensor.


Sep 12, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Sjjindra
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Jeff Nolten wrote:
One thing I'm curious about is if the 70D dual pixel AF can create smooth panning videos with non-STM lenses. I've tried non-STM lenses with my SL1 and the AF during video is erratic. The DPR review points this out - that its smooth with STM and erratic without. I'll probably have to re-buy the 18-55 kit lens just for video. Has the 70D addressed this issue? There are no good STM lenses currently available. TDP says the 40 STM is too noisy.

Life would be good if Canon came out with a compact EFS 18 mm IS STM prime.


Sounds like you need to purchase the EOS-M with 18-55 STM (and maybe 22mm too) primarily for your video. At $399 for the M, kit lens, and EX90 flash (or $342 w/o flash), it's not much more than a new lens. You'll want to get an extra battery too.

Steve



Sep 12, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Jeff Nolten
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Sjjindra wrote:
Sounds like you need to purchase the EOS-M with 18-55 STM (and maybe 22mm too) primarily for your video. Steve


Thanks Steve. The M might make a nice video kit but the last thing I need right now is another camera system. I'm pretty well settled into a pair of 5Ds with a G1X as my P&S alternate. The SL1 is really my wife's camera for when she wants to play with an SLR instead of her P&S. She doesn't like my cameras 'cause they have no P&S settings and they are too big.

For the M's sake, I hope the EF-M 18-55 is better than the EF-S 18-55. The S version didn't compare well to the 15-85 so I gave it away. Another 18-55 is about $120, but it'd just be for video. I'm curious if the 70D's AF approach cures this video issue with USM lenses.



Sep 12, 2013 at 01:15 PM
stevez32
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Imagemaster wrote:
Not contrary to what? An FM'er posted that the 70D's AF AI Servo was better than the 7D's. Saying it is "at least as good" is contrary to that.



I still don't follow. The AF can be better than the 7D and also be at least as good (i.e., greater than or equal to). Contrary means "opposite in nature, direction, or meaning." Better and at least as good are not opposite, they can be complementary.

Not that I care if the AF is any better or not, but I don't see how this line in the review goes towards one side or another



Sep 12, 2013 at 03:14 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Pretty sure every video I've seen with an IS USM lens (L or not), was stupid smooth on the 70D. Even the 85L II was smooth in one video. The 24-70/2.8L II, 70-200/2.8L IS II, and 100L have all been shown to work exceptionally well, along with the STM lenses.

Really, 'STM' is turning out to just be 'cheap USM', where you have to put up with 85L-like focus-by-wire, but otherwise get every major benefit of full USM, like non-rotating front elements, quiet operation (barring the pancakes), stupid accurate and quicker AF, and so on.

And overall, for an STM lens for video, look closer at the 18-135 IS STM if you can. The 18-55 IS STM really is just another bottom-barrel kit lens, while the new mid-range super-zoom performs quite well in it's bracket. If Canon doesn't put out an 18-200 IS STM by the time I get around to picking up a 70D kit (and it's looking like I'll be doing that instead of waiting for a 7D II, much as I'd like the greater FPS and superior phase AF), the 18-135 STM is the lens to get.

Hell, I hope they put the DPAF sensor in the SL1 update (SL2?), and bundle that with the 18-135. Not sure if I'd go for it given the smaller battery and lack of articulating screen and AFMA, but it would be a killer compact DSLR video kit.



Sep 12, 2013 at 03:22 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


stevez32 wrote:
I still don't follow. The AF can be better than the 7D and also be at least as good (i.e., greater than or equal to). Contrary means "opposite in nature, direction, or meaning." Better and at least as good are not opposite, they can be complementary.

Not that I care if the AF is any better or not, but I don't see how this line in the review goes towards one side or another


Let's try not to argue over semantics, shall we .

I read the comment on the comparison between the 70D's phase AF setup versus the 7D's phase AF setup as that they were using the same hardware but configured differently, in such a way that the 70D while inferior in available options was actually as good or better in real world usage.



Sep 12, 2013 at 03:24 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


garyvot wrote:
What's interesting to me are Bryan's observations that the 70D delivers generally sharper results without increasing noise levels. His tests seem to bear that out too. Check this comparison vs. the 7D. Canon seems to have made significant progress with this new sensor.


What the hell is with the framing in that shot? I expected to see a difference in sharpness, but the perspective changes much more than I imagine would be representative of an exactly replicated setup.



Sep 12, 2013 at 03:28 PM
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


stevez32 wrote:
I still don't follow. The AF can be better than the 7D and also be at least as good (i.e., greater than or equal to). Contrary means "opposite in nature, direction, or meaning." Better and at least as good are not opposite, they can be complementary.

Not that I care if the AF is any better or not, but I don't see how this line in the review goes towards one side or another


Well how about if I simplify it? A person who owns a 70D posted that he thought the AF AI Servo was better than that of the 7D.

The reviewer I quoted said, I do think the 70D's AF system is at least as good as the 7D's AF system.

Now you may think that "at least as good" can mean "better than", but I certainly don't. It is either not as good, as good as, or better than. Why on earth would a reviewer say "as good as" if he meant "better than"

As for the meaning of contrary: synonyms: opposite, opposing, opposed, contradictory, clashing, conflicting,antithetical, incompatible, irreconcilable

Meaning of contradictory: mutually opposed or inconsistent

In other words, someone's remark that the 70D has better AF than the 7D, is inconsistent with someone saying the 70D's AF is at least as good as the 7D's. IMO

As for do I care if the 70D does not AF better than the 7D? Of course I do.

And I am talking about AF in AI Servo mode, not in Video mode.




Sep 12, 2013 at 03:54 PM
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


johnctharp wrote:
I read the comment on the comparison between the 70D's phase AF setup versus the 7D's phase AF setup as that they were using the same hardware but configured differently, in such a way that the 70D while inferior in available options was actually as good or better in real world usage.



I am not sure on how exactly the phase AF works in the 70D, but from comments like the following, it seems that it does not improve AF in AI Servo mode:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/07/02/canon-announces-eos-70d-mid-range-SLR-with-dual-pixel-cmos-af-on-chip-phase-detection

Canon has announced the EOS 70D, a mid-range SLR for enthusiast photographers. Its headline feature is a brand-new 20.2MP 'Dual Pixel CMOS AF' sensor which splits every single pixel into two photodiodes for on-chip phase detection, promising vastly improved autofocus performance in live view and movie mode.

Otherwise why do they say just promising AF improvement in live view and movie mode only?



Sep 12, 2013 at 04:11 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


I should have stated it better- when I say 'phase AF' above, I mean the traditional AF through the viewfinder with the mirror down. Not even sure how to differentiate that anymore now that the sensor has phase AF as well- except to refer to on-sensor phase AF in the 70D as DPAF, for Dual-Pixel AF.


Sep 12, 2013 at 04:57 PM
stevez32
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP



In other words, someone's remark that the 70D has better AF than the 7D, is inconsistent with someone saying the 70D's AF is at least as good as the 7D's. IMO



I suppose we will have to agree to disagree about them being inconsistent

A statement "X is at least as fast as Y" does not tell the reader if X or Y is faster only that X is not slower than Y.

IMHO it seems the reviewer didn't detail any AF comparisons between the two cameras so I (personally) wouldn't use that one line as a reason for or against the viability of the AF.




Sep 12, 2013 at 05:55 PM
dthrog00
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


johnctharp wrote:
What the hell is with the framing in that shot? I expected to see a difference in sharpness, but the perspective changes much more than I imagine would be representative of an exactly replicated setup.


I think it is a 1:1 crop. Higher resolution cameras always have the larger images in his ISO crops.

Dave



Sep 12, 2013 at 06:36 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


Thinking about it, the shot might be representative of the difference in resolution- it just seemed like the difference was being exaggerated.


Sep 12, 2013 at 07:16 PM
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Canon EOS 70D Reviewed by Bryan at TDP


stevez32 wrote:
I suppose we will have to agree to disagree about them being inconsistent




A statement "X is at least as fast as Y" does not tell the reader if X or Y is faster only that X is not slower than Y.

Pretty sure I have not disagreed with that.

IMHO it seems the reviewer didn't detail any AF comparisons between the two cameras so I (personally) wouldn't use that one line as a reason for or against the viability of the AF.

Right, he just made the vague statement that one was as good as the other. And by the way, I have been discussing how good the AF is, not how fast it is. Accuracy of AF is also involved.





Sep 12, 2013 at 07:18 PM





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