Canon EOS 70D review – Our verdict
It seems that there used to be a wealth of high-end enthusiast DSLRs to choose from, but with a longer wait between updates it appears that choice is gradually being reduced. Whether or not the EOS 70D should be your next Canon DSLR depends on your existing camera. Based on image quality alone, it may not warrant an upgrade from the EOS 60D, or even the EOS 50D. However, the autofocus and viewfinder, combined with what is in fact slightly improved image quality, do make the EOS 70D a very compelling camera. Plus, it handles superbly.
I was a little disappointed by the amount of colour noise in JPEGs, but this is easily removed from raw images. The dynamic range is also a little restricted, but in practice I found that it didn’t really affect my photography. Overall, images produced by the EOS 70D are excellent, with superb colours straight from the camera.
The EOS 70D performs well across the board and this is reflected in its score. However, in use it feels quite workmanlike – in other words, it ‘puts in a shift’ but doesn’t make you think, ‘Wow!’
Canon EOS 70D – Key features
Viewfinder
The EOS 70D has a bright 98% coverage with a 0.95x magnification
Flash
The built-in pop-up flash has a guide number of 12m @ ISO 100, with a sync speed of 1/250sec
Quick menu
A press of this button displays the shooting and image settings shown in the screen image below. These can be changed using the touchscreen or the directional control on the rear of the camera
In-camera correction
Those who shoot JPEGs can take advantage of the fact that vignetting and chromatic aberrations can be corrected in-camera
Image rating
In the image playback menu, it is possible to rate images out of five stars. This information is saved to the image metadata and can be read by editing and catalogue software, such as Adobe Lightroom or Bridge, so you can start organising and sorting your images in-camera
Viewfinder level
As well as being able to view an on-screen level, an additional level display is available in the viewfinder. This is different from the previous level used in the EOS 60D, which relies on highlighting the AF points to indicate whether the camera is level
