Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm STM Lens

Before I review some of the features of this magnificent camera here is my background. I am an intermediate level family photographer with advanced knowledge of computer software and tech gadgets. Canon 70D is my first DSLR which I got about a week ago. Previously I had film SLR, several advanced digital cameras and camcorders. I needed a DSLR which can capture videos and take photos in low light. I have to say this is a wonderful camera which suits my needs. Every good thing you read regarding this camera's focusing ability, video capabilities, LiveView (LV) shooting is mostly true. There are a few shortcomings, most of which I think can be corrected with future firmware updates (if Canon wishes). 1. The Wi-Fi feature is great for sending photo to your phone or tablet or email or sharing on social media sites but it needs to be disabled manually for movie shooting and USB connection which is very annoying. Wi-Fi should automatically get disabled when switching to Movie mode or when USB cable is connected (with a pop-up message). 2. I miss the AF assist light. Good thing is the strobe flash AF assist has a good range and works with most lens but the strobe flash AF assist has some limitations as mentioned below (apart from startling your photographed subject). 3. LiveView (LV) focusing is absolutely brilliant with the touch to focus capability. But in low light AF assist strobe fires only in ViewFinder (VF) mode and not in LV mode. Hence in low light, in LV mode the camera will not focus at all! After communicating with Canon support, I tried the P mode and found in P-mode only if AF quick mode is selected, AF assist works. However in AF quick mode you cannot select a region to focus (tap to focus)! 4. The horizontal level indicator is a neat feature but in LV mode there is no way to show the level while shooting (as an overlay). 5. Also I didn't find a way to enable/disable flash using the "Quick Control" button in advanced modes such as P. It is however present in basic modes such as A+! 6. While capturing video if you want to take a still photo, there is quite a few frame drops (about 1 sec as mentioned in the manual) even when using SD card with 95mb/s speed. My old Canon camcorder has "Dual Shot" without any frame-drop. I wish Canon could implement "dual shot" in this camera as well. 7. In LV mode, when you are switching between still photo shooting modes using mode dial, LV switches off which is somewhat annoying. 8. The 19 cross-type AF points is more than what I need but there is no way to select the AF points in Basic modes (A+, No Flash, CA) when using VF. I think including this option (at least in the creative auto (CA) mode) would have been a good thing for novice users. 9. Lastly, I think it would be really convenient, if in VF mode, when you are switching shooting modes using mode dial, the LV panel could automatically show the information about that shooting mode. This will be really helpful if you are using SCN mode as there is no way to know what scene you have previously selected in the top LCD. In summary this is great camera for taking excellent quality photo and video in most situations (including low light). As Canon has incorporated so many features in this camera for the LiveView (LV) shooting, I think they need to include all the features of ViewFinder (VF) shooting in LV mode and tweak the firmware a little bit. Also I have to say, I am extremely glad I made this purchase. UPDATE (9/24/2013): Regarding electronic horizontal level indicator. It is possible to show it as overlay in Live View (LV) mode but only when you are not using "face detection + tracking"!!! Also when you are using continuous shooting in LV mode the screen becomes blank! The canon customer service said it is not possible to capture image and show the live view at the same time. This means continuous shoot is not useable in LV mode!

I bought this in December of 2013 but wanted to wait and spend some time with this before writing a review on it, pro or con. Back in the 80's I used to dabble in photography and darkroom work (mostly black & white darkroom) and it has been awhile since I shot manually/SLR. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH on this camera. Specifically focus issues. I'm by no means a pro but have am decent with a camera. I kept getting random out of focus pictures. I kept assuming it was me or possibly the lenses (all my three of my lenses are canon lenses recommended for this camera). I was on vacation with the family and took a bunch of pictures with great lighting, even tripod on some, etc... and over 50% were blurry. Was about to splurge on a new lens but decided to research issue thinking specific lens or tip would be out there. By the way I have bought a book and a dvd by two different professional photographers for basic and advanced photography for the 70D. When I googled 70D and focusing issues I was floored at the results. Even pros having the same issues. It's clear that there is an issue but it's also clear that it's not across the board. The folks who not have the issue will claim it's user error, but again do your research. Assuming the focusing issue is now resolved or your camera does not have it (odds are it won't) than for the advanced photographer, not quite pro, it would be a great camera. I'll update this when I have time to deal with Canon's customer service.

Previously I had only used a Canon T3i and I was looking to upgrade to something that took better photos and video. This camera takes wonderful photos and the video is amazing as well. For myself, video is its primary function and photos second and the STM and image stabilization work wonderfully well. The focus is always spot on and you can even adjust the focus point by touching the touch screen to a certain point. There is very little noise as it auto focuses and as long as you stay smoothly moving, it automatically keeps up and in focus. I bought 2 extra batteries as sometimes while on the road I don't have access or time to charge them but the battery life is pretty good even when shooting video. The standard audio is well what you would expect so I also use a Rode external mic that runs off the battery. I had worried that the mic would be a big drain but that's not the case and the audio difference is drastically improved. It's noticeably larger and heavier than my T3i but you quickly get used to the added size and now the T3i seems almost small. The kit lens that came with it is relatively lightweight and takes great photos and video throughout its focal lengths. I also bought a 10-18mm to get some wider shots and between the two lens I can do a great deal of the shooting I need to accomplish. If you are looking to step up in cameras, this is a great choice in my opinion with much better results in video or photos than my T3i which has served me well and still is in use albeit a bit more limited these days. Depending on what you're going to be shooting the 18-135mm covers a lot of ground and is a good overall first lense. If you can afford it and need some wider shots check out the 10-18mm and with both you should be covered. I do wish it had come with a lens hood and lens cover but I guess Canon figures you'll buy them separately which I did. There's choices that are just as good as the Canon options and work just as well and they're worth the few extra bucks you'll spend to protect your lenses.

Please note that this review is just my personal opinion and I might be wrong. Also I have not compared it to any products by Nikon - the review below is only for Canon folks. I will start with the negatives first. The Ugly: Plasticky Dial :Canon- Please use metal for the heavily used parts. The Bad: Noise: There is considerable noise in low light both in photos and videos.(realistic low light conditions like indoors during evening time) . Not sure why canon is trading noise for megapixels.I am very disappointed with the amount of noise at this price point Moire: It was unbearable in some shots (especially the Ocean shots) LowLight Focus: Even with 50mm/1.4 the camera struggled to get focus of dimly lit subjects. Lemon: After using my camera for 10 days the buttons on the back (Menu/Playback/Q) stopped working. They worked again when I tilted the camera at an angle and this might be because of some loose contact . I am in the process of getting the device replaced as it is still within the return time-frame The Good: It has everything except a full framesensor. Video AF was excellent. (with decent light conditions) Color Saturation and Image quality were good (with decent light) 7fps was fast enough for me. Weather resistance was useful. Tilt screen was useful. 18-135 lens image stabilization seems to be good. during some video shots I didn't expect the video to be stable but i was surprised to see a decent shot. Pricing was good Conclusion: All the ugly and bad points (except for the lemon part) seems to be been done intentionally by cannon to balance their lineup. I was split between 6D and 70D and ended up buying 70D as I will be using all those bells and whistles than the full-frame. This is just my personal preference. In general Full-Frames are better. Most likely in a year or two we will see a full-frame from cannon having the same 70D features. that is a combination of 6d and 70d (today that is 5d, but expensive for non-professionals) Advice: For Families: if you are looking for a camera to get family photos(events and travel) and are trying to buy DSLR please do your self a favor and try the mirrorless cameras first (Cannon should be coming out with a new EOS-M soon) . DSLRs come with a lot of baggage. All the beautiful photos that u see online are not only using DSLR but have considerable stabilizing equipment and do not forget that the photographer has considerable experience. For Hobbyists/Enthusiasts/ Price Conscious: This is a good camera for us till a full-frame with Video-AF is released by Canon.

This is a great camera and the packaged kit lens is quite good if you get the 18-135mm. The price is a little high at $1500 but chances are you can snag it for $1200-1300 sometime. I thought strongly about buying this or the Nikon D7100. In terms of dynamic range and overall still quality/sharpness the 7100 is a little better. If pictures are really your only concern than you may be better off with that model. In terms of an overall package though - the 70D is hard to beat at this level. I give the final edge to the 70D based on the complete package you get. IQ - the 7100 is a touch ahead. The 70D is better in many areas though - namely usability. The 70D is so easy to use and change settings with, thanks to the capacitive touch screen which is just like the touch screen on a nice smartphone. The 70D has great high ISO performance with usable shots up to about 6400 ISO or maybe even a touch higher (personal use of course). The 70D is one of the best cameras when it comes to video as well. This is one area where the 70D beats the D7100 quite badly. Pair this camera with an STM lens and you've got camcorder like video on a DSLR. The 18-135mm kit lens gives you a great range as a walk around lens. For casual photographers this lens + a fast prime (50mm 1.8) will probably be all you'll ever need. If you're into other types of photography such as landscape photography then you'll want a 10-22, 11-16, or a long telephoto for wildlife like a 55-250 (budget option), etc. There's a good bit of distortion on the wide end, but if you're a casual photographer it doesn't matter much, and you can always fix it easily in lightroom or photoshop. The lens is relatively sharp, especially for a kit lens. Overall, if you think you might ever want to shoot video then I'd definitely take this over Nikon, Sony, or any other manufacturer's current offerings in the price range. If IQ in still photos is your only concern then you may be better off with an offering from Sony (such as the A77) or the D7100 from Nikon.

The camera is nice and good, but over rated. It has many cons, some are serious, example: 1.Build quality, no way close to a $1000 camera. In fact the poor build quality affects the controls, like the rear wheel, it's so cheap plastic that it's difficult to turn. 2.Focus: With the kit lens(I have the 18-135mm) is good and accurate, but forget about it if you will use most other lenses. I tried the 50mm 1.4, the 50mm 1.8 and the 85mm 1.8, and with all of them the camera can not focus except in live view. I tried 3 cameras and all have the same problem. I was wondering how canon would release a camera with major defect like this. The dpreview web site noticed the same thing. Read their review. They were polite and blamed them selves not the canon. Surprising! 3.The video: While many say it's great, it's no way compared to the Sony cameras. Also the canon is sticking to the 30p. No 60p. 4.Custumization: poor for a 1K camera. Example: you can not assign the buttons you like. No comparison to other offerings from Olympus, Panasonic or Sony. I wish I can assign the WB to a button, but you can not. The Sony RX10 has 3 custom WB and the 70D has just one. 5.WB: if you want to chance the custom WB, you have to go and dig into the main menu. A 4 or 5 steps. Coupled with the fact you have just 1 custom WB, is a difficult job. 6.Program shift: you have to do it for every single shot if you shoot in P mood. It does not remember it. And so many cons. 7.Focus, for the second time: Only good for stationary subject. Regardless of the focus mode you use, none works well for moving subjects. The camera takes nice pictures, but there are many better options, and with the release of the new Sony A6000, this camera is good only if you already invested in canon glass, and sadly most of it won't work with this camera.

Second Update (3/15): I tried another sample and phase detection autofocus works a lot better on this one. Maybe not as good as I would expect, but the keeper rate is considerably higher. If this would have been my first copy, I probably would have never noticed (as I would not have looked at it that critically). The noise is surprisingly a little worse than on my first copy and matches that of my T2i exactly. So I bumped it up a star, but not back to the original 4 stars, given the existence of QC problems and lack of improvement in sensor performance. =========================================================================================================================== Update: While I was able to get some nice shots in earlier sessions (primarily with the 400mm lens), I did encounter the autofocus problem now that others have noticed with faster lenses. It seems to be limited to the center autofocus point, but in certain shooting situations, it missed focus in about 30-50% of my shots. In comparison, my old T2i, while not perfect, missed only 3% with the same shots and lens and the 6D was perfect. I wanted to like it and gave it a few more tries and chances, but the results were consistent (in a bad way). Not acceptable in my book. =========================================================================================================================== I understand that the "game changing" capabilities of this camera are on the video side, but I don't shoot a lot of video and there are plenty reviews out there on that topic. Just briefly, I did try it out and it is a tremendous step up. I was able to take well focused and shake-free footage with both the 18-135mm STM kit lens as well as my 24-105mm L lens, without really trying much... My main review though is for the still image use and comparing it to my aging T2i (which this will replace) and my Canon 6D. I have not had the camera for long, so I'm not covering close to all features, but focus on the primary ones (80/20 rule). It was between the T5i, 60D and the 70D for me, prior to picking the 70D. Pros: - While just a bit smaller, the body is almost identical to the 6D, with similar layout and pretty much the same feel (which I love). For some, who want more ruggedness, such as found in the 7D or 5D's, this might be a negative. However, if I look at my trusty Rebel T2i, which has been used in rain, on the beach, thrown in the backpack on many bike rides and abused in hours and hours of astrophotography sessions (usually covered in frozen dew), it still looks and behaves almost like new. So I think the 70D will do just fine. - Touch flip screen. I like my buttons and I am slow to adjust to what the touch screen offers, but I am catching on. Especially selecting the focus point by touch is a nice feature. Responsiveness is just as good as on my iPod Touch. - Auto-focus. I have not explored it in detail, but out of the box it works great. I often take photos of birds in flight and I got a lot more keepers compared to my other bodies. The camera was tracking nicely when shooting a low flying eagle against the background of trees and fields. - 7 fps. Works like a charm (after I got used to the somewhat tinny sound of the shutter). - Good kit lens. Comes surprisingly close to the 24-105mm L lens, but with a wider range and a lot lower price. I posted a separate review under the individual lens item on Amazon. In summary, well worth it the extra money. - Wireless. Same as the 6D. Using your smart phone or iPad/iPod as a remote, without much complications, is something that I got hooked on with the 6D. - Long exposure behavior (I use it for astro pictures at 2-5 minute exposure) is really no difference to the already great T2i. Some stated concerns that the new sensor design (with the split photodiodes per pixel) might have a negative impact here. But based on first tests, it does not. Cons: - Image quality is pretty much the same as with the T2i. Now, the T2i has great image quality (especially based on the year when it came out), but noise and dynamic range are practically the same. In fact, I can't tell the difference between unprocessed results from both sensors, even at 100%, for ISO 800 and below. Only for higher ISO and longer exposures one can see a little improvement (but not much more than you can expect in variances from the same sensor model). The only significant difference is that DPP takes a lot longer to generate the high definition view... Now, in a way, that still justifies having a full frame camera (and I prefer the smaller APS-C sensor for astrophotography and wild life), the 6D is just an order of magnitude better when it comes to image quality, but one could have hoped for some improvements over the last 4-5 years here. Others have done it. Note: Some report significant low light performance improvements over the older 18 MP sensor, but you might want to check the noise reduction settings in DPP. For the same camera settings, the 70D produces much more aggressive image settings than my T2i, which makes the 70D performance look much better at first glance. Setting noise reduction to 0 (or the same value) for both, will make such differences mostly go away... Overall, the additional features (such as wireless, better auto-focus, better body, LCD display) make it worth the higher price compared to the T5i and 60D (at least the first two here) to me, but ultimately, you can probably take the same quality still pictures with all three (at least if the subject is not moving too fast...).

This Camera has been with me for the almost two years it's been out. I've aimed to take my photography seriously and professionally and let me just say - Jumping in head first instead of taking baby steps with a t3i series camera seemed to do the trick. I've studied, I've worked hard and I've gotten better and better at my photography. This camera has easily became more of a life-long soul partner with the experiences of everything I've learned with it. Between learning the white balance, mainly using manual (Aperture control or Bulb in a few other cases.) and learning how to quickly get in and out of focus, I've really gotten to experience what it is to be a competent photographer and don't have a thing to complain about when using my 70D. Infact the only issue I have now is that I wish Canon would send me more of those expensive lens for free so I can get a chance to experience faster shutter speeds, but alas this is not a perfect world. I've gotten a chance to use both photo and video side of things and both work exceedingly well without need for editing. Using lightroom or final cut for the photos/videos only make the photos turn out exceptionally amazing from what they already are. The flow of being able to switch my white balance, aperture, iso and etc. easily from the quick view makes it an enjoyable experience and having a favorite menu list only makes accessing more extensive stuff smoother when I'm in the middle of serious shoots. It gets even better knowing that I can easily make composite photos or take some unedited photos and just toss them on my phone easily due to the cellphone app and wireless feature of the camera. This thing is a beast and adding better lens/flashes to said beast only makes it unleash a grizzlier beast. I may be rambling, but trust and believe that this camera is worth the money and that the lens is a decent starter lens to go with. I've read before that some had issues with their AF features on first purchases, but I was fortunate enough to not experience that issue, so for someone who got a fully capable working 70D - my say is to go ahead and get it unless you're wealthy enough to get yourself a 5DS R.

Extremely great DSLR ! I have not had the chance to really try it on the field, but so far I am excited with the 70D. The shipping was extremely fast and reliable. Actually, I received the package 2 weeks prior to the expected time of arrival ! Wi-Fi feature is handy, especially for remote control with a smartphone, but it is not necessary. The 18-135 IS STM is great too. The STM is just breathtaking ! Not a noise comes out the lens when focusing and it is extremelly fast. I am more used to low-end DSLR, thus maybe not very objective regarding the performances and features :)

De las mejores compras que he hecho en Amazon. Cumple todas las espectativas. La he usado ya bastante tiempo, no soy fotógrafo profesional y no necesitas serlo para usarla. Definitivamente la calidad es excelente. Todos los modos son muy útiles y puedes hacer maravillas con el modo manual. La imagen es muy fiel, si no cambias el modo o lo configuras a tu modo. La estabilidad del video que trae es muy buena. La calidad de la inagen muchas veces depende también del lente. Considero que el lente que ya venía con la cámara es excelente para casi todo tipo de ocasión, es muy cómodo y silencioso. Si buscas una cámara no tan profesional pero acercándose a ese tipo de calidad, esta es una excelente opción.

es lo que esperaba excelente compra un muy buen precio vale la pena comprar y mas no le pide nada a sus hermana mayores

Very nice camera. Can take really good pictures with it. Nice step up from a canon rebel

Excellent achat à prix doux