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 have several Canon Cameras. I'm a pro. My specialty is product and jewelry photography, and some fashion. For Fashion I use Nikon D800, for everything else, Canons. Anyhow, we make promotional videos and have been using the 5D Mk ii and iii, and they are great, but auto focus is troublesome at best. So when I read about the 70D I decided to go for it with the 18-135 lens and a super fast 80mb/s transfer rate memory card, are real must for high end video. I chose the Wasabi spare batteries over Canon, always do because they are better than the original Canon Batteries and a lot more affordable, must have spares, and that was it for the purchase. When the camera arrived I jumped right in. If you have experience with Canon cameras it is easy to adapt. I went through everything without reading the manual, and then hit a snag with video audio levels, so then I went for the manual which was no help, so then to the info Disc that comes with all Canons. Ahhh, there it is. It is the single issue I have with the 70D... the audio control is buried and also not as flexible as it needs to be (NEEDS TO BE, hello Canon, READ THIS). Otherwise the video on the 70D is light years ahead of anyone else in DSLRs. The focusing system is killer, image quality is superb, and the audio, once found and set is sufficiently good, it is stereo. The still shots from the 70D are in line with a 5D mark ii. You can read the specs for the other features, that's not my job here. Some people said the camera feels cheap... not at all, not sure what crawled up their pipe to make them say that... you buy a 70D because you're not buying a 5D mk iii or 1DX. The one complaint I have of all Canon cameras is the software... it is lame compared to Nikon Software (they offer priced pro versions, Canon does not) you have to have PhotoShop when you have a Canon, and it makes no sense because I know Canon could easily enhance their editing software (NEEDS TO BE, hello Canon, READ THIS). Keep it in context and the 70D is the best all around camera Canon has ever made by far. I paid $1,199 on Amazon, look for that price, the package deals are not good deals yet, maybe in a year, but for now get the 70D with the 18-135mm STM lens and be super happy.

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.

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.

I am in Love with this Camera!!! I was given this Canon camera as a Christmas gift from my husband. I have never had a SLR camera before. My camera that I was using was a digital that I first got when digital was the new thing. So this was quite the upgrade for me!!! I was very intimidated at first not knowing if I would be able to use it or not. I can honestly say that if you know how to read instructions then just reading the instruction manual can really get you up and going. Just off of reading the instruction manual I was able to learn how to make the camera basically a point and shoot camera along with also being able to figure out how to start to use some special effects with the camera still auto focusing itself. The camera also takes videos and this was very simple to figure out how to do. It has lots of different modes and tons of options if you are camera savvy and know what you are doing to make some quality photos. When my husband wanted to get me a camera for Christmas he did tons of research. He is a computer guy so research is really his thing. He found this to be the best option out there for someone who is new to learning an SLR along with being one of the most sought after cameras from those who are well experienced with SLR cameras. So whether you are new to SLR or a pro, the photos I have seem come out of this camera are amazing. I will attach just a few of the photos this newbie took in my first week of learning this camera. It is a very pricey camera at $1200, but if you can swing the cost it is well worth it and I would highly recommend this camera!!!!!

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.

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.

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