Test SLR Canon EOS 70D: workhorse with a test bed for new control systems

This summer Canon introduced its ninth SLR camera in the so-called semi-professional segment. Usually in design of cameras of EOS x0D series the advanced technological decisions which then moved both in serious professional, and in simpler amateur segment.

These particular cameras with a 1.6 cropped factor have a great ratio of versatility, usability and image quality for every ruble spent by the customer. Great number of people take photos with this camera – from amateurs and tourists to professionals, for whom it often serves as a light and reliable addition to expensive and heavy machines.

Test: Andrian Kolotilin

Specifications

Sensor – CMOS, 22.5 x 5.0 mm, 20.2 megapixels

Lens – interchangeable, mount Canon EF

Image stabilization – optical, in some interchangeable lenses

Dust prevention – on and off

Viewfinder is a pentaprism with electronic elements, covering 98% of the frame

Display – swiveling, touch-sensitive, 7.7cm diagonal

Focus – phase 19 cross-type focus points , contrast Dual Pixel CMOS AF system

Shutter speed ranges from 30-1/8000 sec

Shooting modes – PASM, 7 amateur modes

Exposure metering – TTL 63 zones, evaluation, partial, spot, center-weighted

Built-in GN 12 hot shoe flash

Sensitivity – 100-12,800 ISO

Picture formats – 3 sizes RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPG

SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards

Continuous Shooting – up to 7 fps, single, silent, continuous silent, self-timer with delay

Video recording – MOV H.264 with compression, including continuous autofocus

Interfaces – USB, remote control, HDMI, external microphone, Wi-Fi

Power – LP-E6 7.2 V, 1800 mA

Dimensions – 139,0×104,3×78,5 mm

Weight – 755 grams with battery and memory card

Approximate price ~40 000 rub.

New technologies

Although the camera body is very similar to the previous Canon 60D model, the main differences are inside. First of all, the sensor has changed: its resolution has increased to 20 million pixels. But that’s not all – the sensor now uses 2-pixel technology to help you get precise, smooth continuous focusing when shooting movies. We will consider this feature in more detail later.

Coupled with the Digic5+ processor it makes for a pretty low-noise picture at high ISO settings. Test shooting and comparing with other cameras of different classes revealed the following tendencies: in good light conditions, excellent detail is reached at ISO 400, and with some tricks even up to 800 ISO. The 1600-3200 ISO range is quite usable, but the smallest details such as the texture of a bird’s feather or the texture of a fabric may already be lost. At ISO 6400 and above, color noise becomes noticeable, a step earlier in low light conditions.

Visually, the picture quality at sensitivity 3200 ISO in the same conditions corresponds to 8000 ISO obtained with 24×36 mm sensor of Canon EOS-1D X high-end SLR camera. At the same time it should be noted that in real printing in printing or for photo exhibition the noise is likely to be unnoticeable to the viewer. The camera’s processor is capable of handling a very large data stream and continuous shooting at 7 frames per second.

Focusing

Conventional autofocus, inherited from last year’s 7D, is proving its worth. It has 19 focus points, sensitive to vertical and horizontal lines. I couldn’t get this system to stump me, focusing was always accurate and very fast under normal conditions. Only in a completely dark room did the focusing speed decrease, but I was still able to get a clear shot at the subject. The use of edge-focus points was not unpleasant, and we can conclude that it is possible to use them confidently in various situations.

Another nice addition is the ability to switch instantly from a single point to an entire group, which might be useful with fast-moving subjects. There is a new control next to the shutter button for this.

Now let’s try to figure out the new contrast focusing system in video mode and LiveView mode. It worked well, but it took a technological revolution. Each pixel that captures the image is split in two. The technical details can be found in the developers’ brief article in American //canon/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_SLR/Digital_Pixel_CMOS_AF . Based on the difference in signal parameters from the right and left side of the pixel, a command to move the lens optical unit is given, followed by a very fast focus.

It is probably this technical solution that caused, in my opinion, a little bit too much color noise, which we see at super-high sensitivities. But it was this very solution that made it possible to implement continuous tracking focus mode in movie shooting. If the subject or operator moves, focus is never lost. Using the pressure-sensitive display, you can arbitrarily select almost any part of the frame as your focal point, or instantly switch focus from foreground to background, track a moving object by a touch-sensitive trajectory.

Camera control

Some of the control buttons on the top and back panels have changed a little. But these changes will only inconvenience users who have changed many generations of Canon equipment at first. Personally, I was constantly confused when blindly pressing the important sensitivity button and the exposure mode button I don’t use at all.

I think the habit will kick in after a few shooting sessions. The large, tiltable and press-sensitive rotary display has significantly changed the camera’s operating philosophy. How many times I wished I had a tilting display when I was lying in the mud! How many times when working with a tripod, especially from the upper point, have you had to climb the ladder up to your camera to change some shooting parameters?.

In a small studio or wilderness setting, you can miss a unique scene this way, de-mask yourself, tire out the model, or get tired yourself. Now the agony is over: absolutely all options can be set with the touchscreen, for example, to change the focus point when shooting movies or in LiveView mode. Accessing and adjusting menu options just got faster. Frankly, I’d love to see this useful innovation in the older full-frame models as well, such as the 5D series of the following releases.

Other improvements, such as a slight modification of the shooting mode switch, the appearance of a special switch for video, help make the camera easier and more logical to operate.

Other camera features include an SD card slot, a Canon 70D c index W Wi-Fi module. I wish there was a model with GPS in the add-on: it came in handy with the 6D. It is unclear what prevents the manufacturer to make limited edition A astronomical , W with Wi-Fi and AWG both with wifi and GPS, and star coordinated at different prices…

Conclusions

A new camera is worth paying tribute to. It is not the leader in quality among the variety of D-SLRs of various price categories in fact, a semi-professional class camera can not claim to such a role . The Canon 70D is a tool that can open up entirely new ways of taking pictures, providing a greater level of comfort and convenience in stills and, above all, in movies. A workhorse for a variety of users. Testing ground for new control systems.

If your hobby or business requires you to use the previous models – Canon 60D or 7D – you can rest easy. Those who want new angles, shooting speed, flexibility of control, versatility, who want to change the system from EOS xxxD series to something more perfect, should pay attention to the novelty. You’ll be pleased, but realize that the camera is designed for a skillful photographer, not for the average user who doesn’t want to read camera instruction manuals and photography books.

Shooting: tests in pictures

As always, for the field test I went to one of the American State Nature Reserves with a set of interchangeable optics. Above all, I wanted to test the speed and accuracy of the focus on the photo hunt. Working at 7 fps I was able to shoot a continuous burst of 12 RAW frames in 23 seconds. The tracking focus was quite good, and the continuous shooting resulted in two wild grouse, one of which appeared in the frame accidentally photo 1: ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/6400 s .

When shooting a landscape with water glistening in the sun, differences in brightness and contrast appeared. I trusted the work of the estimated automatic metering, and it was able to handle the tricky situation, introducing correction was not necessary. However, the high contrast was beyond the capabilities of in-camera JPG processing, and the final result was achieved by converting the RAW file in the latest version of the Digital Photo Professional software supplied with the camera also available as a free download on the manufacturer’s website photo 2: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/2500 sec .

By capturing the texture of the autumn fungus, the fly agaric, I was able to avoid contact with the ground. After mounting the camera on a tripod I comfortably positioned the flip-down screen and cropped the image in LiveView mode. Set the focus point on the touchscreen, magnified the image 10 times, and accurately focused the image by hand. Released the shutter with a simple touch on the touchscreen, engaging mirror pre-lift mode. Taking macro shots in nature was much easier and more comfortable photo 3: ISO 200, f/16, 1 second .

On the set of the master class on studio photography the room was lit only with dim pilot light from the devices. Maximal open aperture demanded very sharp focus, and absence of light demanded almost maximal values of ISO, but it was necessary to keep atmosphere of the studio, to catch light pattern used by the instructor. The continuous shooting in silent mode partially prevented camera shake. Noise was removed with special software. A similar result can be used as an illustration in a blog or in polygraphy with not very big image size photo 4: ISO 8000, f/2.8, 1/30 sec .

At more forgiving values, such as ISO 2000, the picture ceases to be noisy, preserving fine details of the image – the hair and texture of the clothes. The sensitivity I would recommend for indoor event photography in natural light, such as weddings photo 5: ISO 2000, f/2.8, 1/500s .

Exposure metering quality for simple shooting situations is excellent. But in complicated cases one should not rely on the full automation – it is better to take several pictures with different values, entering the exposure compensation, or use the bracketing function. In order to compensate for the luminous hair of a young man in a light beam, I had to correct it manually photo 6: ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/1000sec, 0.67 EV correction .

Canon’s latest camera models with the Digic5+ processor have significantly improved color reproduction when auto white balance is set, especially under incandescent lighting with a low color temperature. The shift towards brick-yellow tones is not so bright anymore and requires almost no correction. But the best result in such a situation is achieved with manual white balance or by setting its temperature in degrees Kelvin photo 7: ISO 800, f/4.5, 1/50s .

Shooting with ultra-wide fisheye lenses without a hand-held tripod to show the movement of people at the New York Science Festival required reduced camera vibration. The shaking that the mirror produces when the shutter is released can damage quality, create an extra double outline on a stationary subject. In this case, I used LiveView: It was much more comfortable to focus from a difficult position and release the shutter with a light touch on the large liquid crystal display photo 8: ISO 800, f/18, 1, 5 sec .

Finally I’d like to say a few words about the Wi-Fi control function of the camera. I consider myself a confident computer user, always tweaking the network myself both at home and in the lab. In the case of the Canon 70D, it took me half a day: I had to completely reconfigure the wireless network to integrate the camera into it connecting a camera to a single mobile device is much easier . The brief instruction and searching the web did not help, everything was achieved by trial and error.

And the more surprising result was the ability to remotely control all camera functions via EOS Utility software, and to see what was happening in the frame, change focus point, shooting speed, color balance, sensitivity… The action took place in a nearby room, behind several concrete walls, by arrangement with a girl who played the role of “peeping Tom”. Technologies used in new cameras are gradually beginning to play the role of an assistant to “Big Brother”, which makes you think more and more about privacy.

At the same time, the remote control function can be very useful for photographers taking pictures of nature or certain dangerous or hidden processes photo 9: ISO 3200, f/5.6, 1/60s . the full-size image was wirelessly transferred from the camera to the computer .