Canon EOS 80D-Best Wild Life DSLR Camera Review
Canon EOS 80D is an enthusiast-level and best digital SLR camera and the successor to 70D. It uses a new 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, like the 70D, it provides a phase detection autofocus system on Canon's Dual Pixel sensor. 80D also received a new 45-point hybrid autofocus system, all points are cross-shaped. This is an improvement over the 70D's 19-point autofocus system, although it is not exactly the same as the 65-point coverage provided by the professional-oriented 7D Mark II.
Best Dslr 80D has a sealed, dust-proof, and moisture-proof body, with a polycarbonate shell and a magnesium alloy chassis. Its design is almost the same as its predecessor, most of the controls can be accessed through the articulated rear touch screen and physical control points. Video is the main part of the 80D total package. Although it cannot shoot in 4K, it does provide 1080/60p capture and continuous autofocus during video. A headphone jack has been added to complement its microphone port.
- The main features of Canon EOS 80D:
- 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor with dual pixel AF
- 45-point autofocus system with all cross-shaped points
- 3-inch 1.04M point articulated touch screen
- 1080/60p video capture
- Use AF to shoot continuously at 7 fps
- Weather resistance
- 7560 pixel RGB + IR metering sensor
- Wi-Fi + NFC
Other improvements include a new mirror vibration control system (similar to 5DS and 7D Mark II), which should help reduce the blurring effect caused by shutter vibration. The 80D also gets the same 7560-pixel RGB + IR metering sensor found in the Rebel T6s and T6i, which is a significant improvement over the 63-area dual-layer sensor in the 70D. This new sensor allows the camera to have a certain degree of understanding of the human subject so that it can track the subject through the viewfinder. However, unlike the 7D Mark II, the 80D does not have Canon's "Intelligent Tracking and Recognition" (iTR) system, which uses a light-metering sensor and distance information to track the subject.
Canon EOS 80D Photography
New sensor
As we all know, as Sony’s sensor technology has taken the lead in dynamic range, some Canon shooters have been frustrated lately. Fortunately, the 80D marks an important step in the development of Canon's sensor, which provides a better DR than the 70D or 7D Mark II. However, the new sensor is not interesting because it can capture photos. Dual pixel autofocus can not only continuously focus during video shooting, but also continuous focus during still shooting (in live view mode). We first saw this feature in Rebel T6s, and the exciting thing is that it has now developed into an enthusiast camera in Canon’s food chain.
Compared with Sibling
Except for the Canon EOS 70D, the closest model to the 80D is the Canon EOS 7D Mark II for professionals. Compared with 80D, it uses a slightly lower resolution chip and provides a smaller dynamic range. Both share the same basic video specifications, and the 7D Mark II has better fast-action equipment, thanks to a larger AF point coverage, dedicated AF joystick, Canon iTR, and faster-shooting speed. On the other hand, 80D's touch focus function makes it a more attractive choice for video.
Of course, the full-frame Canon 6D is now in a similar price category to the 80D and 7D Mark II, so it is worth considering. Although still new compared to the 6D, despite its relatively simple AF system, it is still a solid and popular camera.
Body and design
Canon EOS 80D has almost the same control points as its predecessor EOS 70D. In fact, in addition to the changes in the physical shape of the "Q menu" and "Play" buttons, it is difficult to tell the difference between 80D and 70D in terms of physical design and button location.
There are some other subtle differences between the two, such as the addition of a headphone port on the 80D and the addition of a custom position on the mode dial ("effects" have also been added to the mode dial).
Top of camera
From the top, 80D looks just like 70D. On the left side of the camera is the mode dial, which has a locking mechanism to avoid accidental collisions. On the right side of the camera and on the LCD screen, you can directly access the autofocus mode, drive, ISO, and metering. None of these buttons can be reassigned, but given how EOS DSLR has evolved over the past few decades, we did not expect it to be so. On the right side, the metering mode button is the LCD panel illumination button.
The AF area selection button is located between the control dial and the shutter release. It is specially designed for use with the viewfinder. Tapping it allows the user to quickly switch between the four AF area modes (when the button is pressed, the mode will be displayed on the top of the viewfinder).
Among the buttons provided in the upper right corner of the camera, only the ISO and AF area selection buttons can be used on the viewfinder. For the rest, you need to check the LCD at the top to make changes.
If you consider upgrading the 80D to one of the Canon Rebel series cameras, then you will get more physical control points. Even if you upgrade from the current flagship Rebel T6s (with two control wheels), you can get the AF-On button, AF Mode button, Drive button, and Metering button. Upgrading from any other Rebel camera will double the number of control wheels.
Back of camera
From an ergonomic point of view, the main thing you will sacrifice if you choose 80D instead of 7D Mark II is the AF selection joystick. However, there are several methods that can be used to move points or areas on the frame. The default method is to click the "AF point selection" button, and then use the control dial and multi-function controller to move up/down and left/right. You can also reprogram the arrow keys of the multi-function controller to move the AF point, but that may be uncomfortable.
At the point when I began this survey, I additionally found that the area of the AF-On button was somewhat befuddling, particularly the two different catches of a similar size close to it. When I want to press AF-On, this often causes me to press the wrong button. This is especially true in my observation of the viewfinder.
Of course, in addition to the physical buttons, the 80D also has a touch screen, most of which can be adjusted with your fingers.
In your hands
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| Credit: Canon |
80D is specially designed for wildlife videography Canon EOS 80D are placed in appropriate positions, easy to operate, without too much trouble. However, if you choose to set the multi-function controller as the AF point selector, it will be difficult to access the viewfinder with the naked eye. It requires considerable movement of your thumb down.
Performance
The overall performance of the EOS 80D is excellent. The camera is responsive and can be started quickly. The position of the on/off switch also makes it easy to turn on the camera with one hand when holding the camera above the eyes. It’s just as convenient: the menu remembers the locations you visited before, so you can easily jump back and readjust the settings.
Canon EOS 80D is capable of continuous shooting at 7 fps, and its continuous shooting rate is the same as its predecessor EOS 70D. In contrast, the EOS 7D Mark II can shoot at 10 fps.
We decided to test the 80D's continuous shooting function through the viewfinder and live view shooting. The "buffer limit" in the table below refers to the number of images that can be expected before the camera starts to slow down the continuous shooting speed. All our tests are done using SDXC UHS-II/U3 cards.
Battery
Canon EOS 80D uses an LP-E6 rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is the standard configuration in most digital SLR cameras in the EOS system (excluding Rebels and flagship EOS-1D X and 1D X II). The device also comes with a dedicated LC-E6 wall charger.
According to the CIPA standard, on a fully charged LP-E6, users can expect at least 960 photos to be taken in the 80D. When shooting in the real world, I can easily exceed that number on a single charge. In fact, on the first day of using the camera, I took about 700 still images and 35 videos (up to 30 seconds), which only consumed 1/4 of the battery power indicated.
Canon EOS 80D final verdict
Canon has created an excellent camera for wildlife photography that can be a valuable upgrade from the 70D. It has a reasonable structure, reasonable layout of controls, good ergonomic design, and an extensive feature set, which can be set according to your shooting style. Most importantly, the image quality is high and the details are rich.