Buying a new camera is so difficult... at first i couldn't decide between this camera, or taking the plunge and going full-frame with the only slightly more expensive 6D, or just waiting for the oft-rumored but finally (apparently) confirmed 7D mark II... but i went with the 70D, and I am happy with my decision, here's why:
Although i do shoot a decent amount of still photography, I mainly wanted a dslr for filmmaking and videography. If you're reading this review, you already know about the 70D's insanely cool autofocusing technology. Let me tell you this.. it is worth the hype! it definitely works. Whether you're focusing on the foreground, background, or anything in between, with just a tap of the touchscreen the 70D will smoothly and decisively pull focus right to where you want it, every time, without the nasty searching/bouncing back and forth that made autofocus infamously unusable on older cameras/autofocus systems. I think that lots of filmmakers are so used to pulling focus manually that they scoff at the idea of an autofocus system doing the work for them, but it makes nailing the shot so much faster/easier, so why not?! It has facial tracking, so you can really just set the camera up, frame your scene and roll, and have all the confidence in the world that whether your talents are approaching or moving away from the camera or whatever, they will stay in perfect, crisp focus. This allows me to shoot faster lenses at really wide apertures for that glorious shallow depth of field all dslr filmmakers lust after, and not worry about the talent's face going out of focus with the slightest head bob.
I bought the 70D body only without the STM kit lenses most are shipping with. On my nifty fifty canon 50mm 1.8 i get fantastic image quality, but the lens motor does make a bit of noise, that can sometimes be noticeable. This is the same with my Tamron 28-75 f2.8 (fantastic lens for the 70D, by the way)(<-- SAD DAY!It's actually not, see edit below) but it doesn't matter much to me since i record audio separately away from the camera with a zoom recorder anyway, and just sync later in post, but apparently these new STM lenses are whisper quiet, so they would take care of that focusing noise, if it mattered to me. At some point i plan on purchasing the 40mm 2.8 STM pancake lens, because i hear it's a great bargain lens for this camera, and it wouldn't hurt to have that silent shooting option if needs be, but for now the main lenses that i use, the 50mm and 28-75mm, are just fine on the 70D.
I also really like the articulated touch screen, it is so convenient! My first night of shooting with the 70D i had to stand on a rickety ladder and hold the camera up above my head to get the shot that i wanted. On a normal camera this would have been impossible as i couldn't see the screen, but not on the 70D! it was a cinch to simply flip out the screen and rotate it down to easily pull focus and see what i was filming. It can also be very useful when you have to be in front of the camera, and are still trying to control what goes on behind it, as you can just rotate the screen all the way forward, and not to have to pester whatever unlucky friend you roped into helping you film your project every five seconds about what the shot looks like, lighting, focus, etc.
I have read several reviews making the bold claim that the 70D is in fact the greatest APS-C sensor camera...ever. I have to say that from the little time i've owned it, i can see why. In the past i have mostly shot on on an older 7D. Head to head, the 70D barely edges out the 7D, but yet the 7D is still like four or five hundred dollars more! The 70D gets you 2 more megapixels, the articulated touch screen, wifi onboard (which i have yet to use, but still) and of course the wondrous video autofocus, as well as the ability to shoot stills in live mode, which is very cool. Both cameras are weather sealed, so there's that. I do miss the solid built-like-a-tank magnesium body of the 7D, but the 70D is simply a better camera all around, and as it should be, it's like 5 years newer!
Some reviewers have mentioned that the quick control wheel/dial thing feels cheap and rather chintzy, and i have to concur, it's definitely the 'cheapest' feeling part of the 70d, but with the the other dial on the front near the shutter button as well the touch screen i never really have to use that dial anyway, so it's not really a big deal.
Photography wise, i am getting fantastic photos, as i expected. A nice fast frames per second shooting speed and a large enough buffer make shooting lots of pictures very quickly in RAW a breeze, and thus far the camera has performed very well in low light conditions. I have yet to really test the high iso-to-noise ratios, but i expect to perform decently in this aspect as well.
Overall, i am very, very pleased with my purchase of this camera. If you're into filmmaking and can't afford a full frame camera, this is the one for you. The autofocus makes everything very easy, and i have heard of filmmakers that prefer this camera over their 5D Mark III. Now I'm just waiting for MagicLantern to get updated for the 70D's firmware and I will be a very happy man.
Edit:
A word to the wise: There are well-documented problems with 3rd party lenses (i.e Tamron, Sigma, etc.) functioning properly while recording video on the 70D. I have to return my new Tamron 24-75mm lens because of this problem. It shoots stills just fine, but the moment i try and shoot video, after a very brief period of time (like maybe 30 seconds to a minute) the camera will stop recording and display the dreaded error message "please ensure that lens is properly attached". While this seems like it's more the lens manufacturer's fault than canon's, all the same, if you have pricey, high quality 3rd party lenses, or are thinking of purchasing some for this camera (let's be honest, so much cheaper than canon's own lenses, it's really hard not to) just don't be surprised if they don't play nice while shooting video on the 70D. :(
Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
4.6 | 1,188 ratings
Price: 1199.99
Last update: 10-01-2024
About this item
20.2 MP APS C CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 plus
19 point cross type AF System. Up to 7 fps shooting
AF Assist Beam: Effective range: Approx. 13.1 ft. by 4.0m at center, approx. 11.5 ft. by 3.5m at periphery
ISO 100 12800, expandable to 25600
Dual Pixel CMOS AF for fast focus in live view and video
3 inches articulating touch panel LCD screen with 1,040,000 dots
Built in flash with integrated speedlite transmitter and hot shoe
Intelligent viewfinder with electronic overlay
1080 (30, 25, 24 fps) and 720 (60, 50 fps) HD video (H.264/MPEG 4/MOV)
Instant sharing and remote control with built in Wi Fi and EOS Remote app
19 point cross type AF System. Up to 7 fps shooting
AF Assist Beam: Effective range: Approx. 13.1 ft. by 4.0m at center, approx. 11.5 ft. by 3.5m at periphery
ISO 100 12800, expandable to 25600
Dual Pixel CMOS AF for fast focus in live view and video
3 inches articulating touch panel LCD screen with 1,040,000 dots
Built in flash with integrated speedlite transmitter and hot shoe
Intelligent viewfinder with electronic overlay
1080 (30, 25, 24 fps) and 720 (60, 50 fps) HD video (H.264/MPEG 4/MOV)
Instant sharing and remote control with built in Wi Fi and EOS Remote app
Product information
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Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
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Top reviews from the United States
Parker
I love this camera!* (But it doesn't play nice with 3rd party lenses!)
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2014Chris P. OConnell
Unbelievable camera, the best I've ever owned!
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2013