OFFICIAL: Canon EOS 70D User Thread


Probably I be the first few people to buy Canon EOS 70D after the release date just like my Canon EOS 650D.
I only hope that for first batches there won't be any problems as my Canon EOS 650D was the early batches and I had the rubbery grip problem which I need to send in.
Now I'm wondering whether to get:
Canon EOS 70D kit II 18-135mm STM or
Canon EOS 70D body with Canon EF-S 15 -85mm.

The Canon 15-85 is the better of the two lenses and for that reason more costly.

Its IQ is on par with the King of Crops... the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. The major difference between the 17-55 and 15-85 is the fact the 17-55 is better for low light photography. These two lenses mirror the full frame equivalents... the 24-105 f/4 IS and the 24-70 f/2.8.
 

And I have this nagging feeling that 7DmkII/ 8D might lose the vari-angle LCD (so as to cut down weigh, improve weathersealing, make the whole body smaller, etc etc), and I have this nagging feeling that we will not be seeing dual card slot too.

In my opinion, it would be nice if the 7D Mk II came with the vari-angle LCD display. It would be the first time Canon put one on its professional cameras.

I would also like to see dual card slots... even dual CF card slots.
 

The Canon 15-85 is the better of the two lenses and for that reason more costly.

Its IQ is on par with the King of Crops... the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. The major difference between the 17-55 and 15-85 is the fact the 17-55 is better for low light photography. These two lenses mirror the full frame equivalents... the 24-105 f/4 IS and the 24-70 f/2.8.

Ok so, if I want to get which one would be better 15 -85 or 17 -55? I normally shoot people, landscape and sometimes night shot.
Can you also recommend telephone for crop bodies?
 

Ef-s 15-85mm is wider.... 24mm
EF-S 17-55mm is narrower....27.2mm
The built in flash will cast a deep shadow using filter diameter bigger than 72mm.
15-85mm got better weight and balance.
Used mainly for general purpose shooting.
No need to use f2.8 all the time...for low light scene. With the new Digic 5+. Noise is history.

Canon best walk about lens is EF-S 15-85mm.
 

In my opinion, it would be nice if the 7D Mk II came with the vari-angle LCD display. It would be the first time Canon put one on its professional cameras.

I would also like to see dual card slots... even dual CF card slots.

Yes... that would be nice... so would adding 5DmkIII AF system into 7DmkII. However, I don't like to hold my hope too high up... then when the camera was finally announced, down came my hope crashing... Like when Nikon announced their D600... I am hoping that Canon would at least matched the D600 with the 6D (on paper), but at the announcement of 6D... I almost drop my glasses... WTF with that spec.

Anyway, 6D turned out okay in field test... but frankly... I have hoped for something like the D600 features. So now... I am not holding too high a hope for 7DmkII, in case of too big a disappointment... especially after I have waited for so long.
 

Ok so, if I want to get which one would be better 15 -85 or 17 -55? I normally shoot people, landscape and sometimes night shot.
Can you also recommend telephone for crop bodies?

There really is no 'better'. It is more a personal preference. People who own one or the other will beat their chest and say that theirs is better. But in reality, both produce about the same IQ.

The biggest difference between the 15-85 and 17-55 is the focal range and low light capability. Beyond that, both are very good lenses.

For your usage which includes people, landscape and (some) night shots... both will do the job. To get sharp photos at night, a tripod is necessary.

Personally, when I used to own a crop camera, I owned the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. The 15-85 didn't exist at the time. I would have been happy with either but I likely would have leaned towards the 17-55 because of the larger f/2.8 aperture. Regardless, the skill of the photographer is more important than the size or capabilities of the lenses used. Photos with either lenses can potentially produce award winning shots. It all depends on the skill of the person behind the lens.
 

Last edited:
Yes... that would be nice... so would adding 5DmkIII AF system into 7DmkII. However, I don't like to hold my hope too high up... then when the camera was finally announced, down came my hope crashing... Like when Nikon announced their D600... I am hoping that Canon would at least matched the D600 with the 6D (on paper), but at the announcement of 6D... I almost drop my glasses... WTF with that spec.

Anyway, 6D turned out okay in field test... but frankly... I have hoped for something like the D600 features. So now... I am not holding too high a hope for 7DmkII, in case of too big a disappointment... especially after I have waited for so long.

Holding ones expectations is good practice to be sure!

I agree that the 6D feature set may have been lacking when compared to the D600 on paper. But in reality the D600 has been plagued with oil splattered sensors making the experience of owning one terribly horrible for many of our dear Nikon brothers and sisters. The 6D experience in comparison has been a charm from day one.

All Canon DSLR product launches have been relatively defect free for about 3 to 4 years [knock on wood]. There have been no major or even minor issues. I hope that this trend will continue well into the future.

I trust that the 7D Mk II will be a pleasant surprise for you and for many. Indeed the specs of the 70D were quite refreshing.
 

Last edited:
There really is no 'better'. It is more a personal preference. People who own one or the other will beat their chest and say that theirs is better. But in reality, both produce about the same IQ.

The biggest difference between the 15-85 and 17-55 is the focal range and low light capability. Beyond that, both are very good lenses.

For your usage which includes people, landscape and (some) night shots... both will do the job. To get sharp photos at night, a tripod is necessary.

Personally, when I used to own a crop camera, I owned the 17-55 f/2.8 IS. The 15-85 didn't exist at the time. I would have been happy with either but I likely would have leaned towards the 17-55 because of the larger f/2.8 aperture. Regardless, the skill of the photographer is more important than the size or capabilities of the lenses used. Photos with either lenses can potentially produce award winning shots. It all depends on the skill of the person behind the lens.

Most likely I would get EOS 70D and 17 -55 as I shoot at night sometimes. But I need a telephoto lens to cover beyond 55 so do you have opinions for efs 55 -250mm or any lens?
 

Most likely I would get EOS 70D and 17 -55 as I shoot at night sometimes. But I need a telephoto lens to cover beyond 55 so do you have opinions for efs 55 -250mm or any lens?

The EF-S 55-250 is regarded as a consumer lens but has the reputation of being very sharp. I have never used it so I cannot comment any further other than to say that I've heard very good things about it. The only experience I've had in this focal range has been with the 70-200 L IS. Perhaps someone with more experience with the 55-250 can comment further to help you.
 

Most likely I would get EOS 70D and 17 -55 as I shoot at night sometimes. But I need a telephoto lens to cover beyond 55 so do you have opinions for efs 55 -250mm or any lens?

55-250mm is a very nice lens. Small enough, light enough, very good image quality and very effective Image Stabilizer... well worth every cents. I know... because I used one for a long time before hand ichy (and after a big bonus by my company) I upgraded to a 70-200mm f4L.
 

55-250mm is a very nice lens. Small enough, light enough, very good image quality and very effective Image Stabilizer... well worth every cents. I know... because I used one for a long time before hand ichy (and after a big bonus by my company) I upgraded to a 70-200mm f4L.

Thanks as I see the price is quite cheap so was wondering whether the image quality is good or not.
Anyway more or less I know what lens to get but those kit lens I will not get personally I don't like them.
General purpose - Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8
Telephoto - Canon EF-S 55 -250mm - Cover anything beyond 55mm
Macro - Canon EF-S 60mm
Wide - Canon EF-S 10-12mm

Tentatively would be like this and I will get the Canon EOS 70D body only with 17-55 and 55-250mm lens first.
 

Good plan. Now is to wait for the 70D release in the market. :)
 

Most likely I would get EOS 70D and 17 -55 as I shoot at night sometimes. But I need a telephoto lens to cover beyond 55 so do you have opinions for efs 55 -250mm or any lens?

55-250 does the job well in covering telephoto range in good light. It's like Rhino said, small, light, cheap, optically decent. But due to it's f5.6, at the tele end, I find it abit hard to use for low light events where usually lighting is poor. But, if you are using 55-250 for night landscapes, on tripod, it shouldn't be an issue.

I've used it for about 2 years till I got so poisoned deep deep by the participants of CB9 when I finally pulled the trigger on 70-200 f2.8 IS II.
 

Thanks as I see the price is quite cheap so was wondering whether the image quality is good or not.
Anyway more or less I know what lens to get but those kit lens I will not get personally I don't like them.
General purpose - Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8
Telephoto - Canon EF-S 55 -250mm - Cover anything beyond 55mm
Macro - Canon EF-S 60mm
Wide - Canon EF-S 10-12mm

Tentatively would be like this and I will get the Canon EOS 70D body only with 17-55 and 55-250mm lens first.

Sounds like a very good plan. Just two comments:

i) Macro -I used to own the 60mm macro. I think that I used it less than 5 times. I sold it last year. I found the focal range too short to be useful. I had to get very close to the subject (mostly insects). I bought a 100mm macro and this has become one of my favourite lenses. I used it for portraits too. Very good lens and highly recommended.

ii) Wide - I think you meant the Canon EF-S 10-22 (not 12). Regardless, the Canon is an excellent lens. Also consider the Tokina 11-16, Sigma 8-16 or Sigma 10-20. All are very good lenses. I used to own the Sigma 10-20 and it also became one of my favourites. The thing about wide angle lenses is that you can be very creative with them.

Good luck with your new purchases.
 

Tentatively would be like this and I will get the Canon EOS 70D body only with 17-55 and 55-250mm lens first.

I using 55-250mm and i can say image is quite good, but the long end will hunt during low light. Just get the 55-250 first, only if you feel that you are using more of that range, then buy the better 70-200.

I sticking with the cheap 55-250 because seldom use that range.
 

Thanks as I see the price is quite cheap so was wondering whether the image quality is good or not.
Anyway more or less I know what lens to get but those kit lens I will not get personally I don't like them.
General purpose - Canon EF-S 17-55mm F2.8
Telephoto - Canon EF-S 55 -250mm - Cover anything beyond 55mm
Macro - Canon EF-S 60mm
Wide - Canon EF-S 10-12mm

Tentatively would be like this and I will get the Canon EOS 70D body only with 17-55 and 55-250mm lens first.

I was more or less on this setup (minus the Macro lens) for a period of time, It will really serve you well. for macro, I was using 50mm f1.8 + Raynox 250 (this setup is not true macro, but sufficient for my use for still life and flower shoots). At the same time, the 50mm can act as my portrait lens too. (80mm on crop).

50mm still is one of my favt lens even with my FF now when shooting portraits.
 

Guys, can we keep this to 70D discussion rather than lens?

Does anyone know usually how long does it takes to launch it in SG after the announcement.
 

I think it was mentioned in DPReview that it will be available from end August. So I guess we can safely say by September it should in our local shops.
 

Price of new EOS 60D collapses below $1000. Canon is clearing stocks now before the launch of EOS 70D.
 

Back
Top