Canon EOS 80D review

Canon delivers a decent update to its popular prosumer action-capable camera, the EOS 70D. The 80D gets a new version of the company's Dual Pixel CMOS sensor with a faster on-sensor autofocus system, plus some minor additions. It has some notable improvements over the 70D, including much better Live View performance; it's not as fast as a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, but it's finally usable for subjects in motion. And the generally improved performance will resonate with the typical action-shooting enthusiast who buys this class of dSLR. But if you're persnickety about color, you'll have to do some tweaking.

It costs $1,200 (£1,030, AU$1,880) for the body and $1,600 (£1,380, AU$2,400) for a kit with the updated EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 USM lens that supports new the power zoom adapter.

Good photos, but change the defaults

The 80D is capable of producing excellent photos -- as long as you either shoot raw or change many of the default JPEG settings. The camera's automatic white balance isn't very good. Under our lab lights, the only way I could get anything I could compare to other cameras was by using manual white balance; I've had similar issues with the Nikon D7200 and other Canons, but the 80D's is pretty bad. In real daylight it's better, but still has problems -- among other things, it turns blue flowers purple. I couldn't find a white-balance preset that produced accurate colors. On the flip side, though, the cast keeps its low-light photos from shifting too far to yellow.

Complicating the issue is Canon's Auto Picture Style, which pushes the saturation and contrast way too much, plus overprocesses edges, making them look too heavy. The new Fine Detail option is much better at edge processing, delivering results comparable to using raw up to about ISO 1600, and delivers sharpness on thin lines comparable to other APS-C-sensor cameras. It should really be the default. You can get pretty good results processing raw through ISO 6400, though beyond ISO 1600 there isn't a lot of dynamic range available to recover.

The slightly higher-resolution sensor plus Fine Detail mode allows the 80D to produce noticeably better JPEGs than the 70D, though the latter's auto-white balance is more accurate. The 80D also has a far cleaner noise profile in general across ISO sensitivities.

The video still looks good, not much different than the 70D's, though with the same caveats about the color and image settings. Now it also supports 1080/60p, though.

Conclusion

While the Canon EOS 80D is a definite improvement over the 70D, it's not without its drawbacks. It's fast, and you can get much better photos and video out of it as long as you don't leave it on the defaults. But if you're into filters, want in-body image stabilization for greater lens-choice flexibility or want sharper 4K video, there are less expensive but still good mirrorless interchangeable-lens options.
Comparative specifications

Canon EOS 70DCanon EOS 80DNikon D7200Sensor effective resolution20.2MP Dual Pixel CMOS24.2MP Dual Pixel CMOS24.2MP CMOSSensor size22.5 x 15 mm22.5 x 15 mm23.5 x 15.6 mmFocal-length multiplier1.6x1.6x1.5xOLPFYesYesNoSensitivity rangeISO 100 - ISO 12800/ISO 25600 (exp)ISO 100 - ISO 16000/ISO 25600 (exp)ISO 100 - ISO 25600
(up to ISO 102,400 in black and white)Burst shooting7fps
40 JPEG/15 raw7fps
110 JPEG/25 raw6fps
100 JPEG (Normal quality)/27 raw (12-bit)Viewfinder
(mag/ effective mag)Optical
98% coverage
0.95x/0.59xOptical
100% coverage
0.95x/0.59xOptical
100% coverage
0.94x/0.63 xHot ShoeYesYesYesAutofocus19-point phase-detection AF
all cross-type
center dual cross to f2.845-point phase-detection
all cross-type
27 to f8, 9 cross-type
1 to f2.851-point phase-detection AF
15 cross-type
center to f8AF sensitivity-0.5 - 18 EV-3 to 18 EV-3 - 19 EVShutter speed1/8,000 to 30 sec.; bulb; 1/250 sec. x-sync1/8,000 to 30 sec.; bulb; 1/250 sec. x-sync1/8,000 to 30 sec.; bulb; 1/250 sec. x-sync, 1/320 sec. x-sync at reduced flash output, 1/8,000 sec. FP x-syncShutter durability100,000 cycles100,000 cycles150,000 cyclesMetering63 zone7,560-pixel RGB+IR, 63 zones2,016-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering IIMetering sensitivity1 - 20 EV1 - 20 EV0 - 20 EVBest videoH.264 QuickTime MOV
1080/30p, 25p, 24p; 720/60pH.264 QuickTime MOV
1080/30p, 25p, 24p; MP4: 720/60p, 1080/60p, 30pH.264 QuickTime MOV
1080/60p, 50p @ 1.3x crop; 1080/30p, 25p, 24pAudioStereo, mic inputStereo, mic input,headphone jackStereo, mic input, headphone jackManual aperture and shutter in videoYesYesYesMaximum best-quality recording time per clip4GB4GB/29:59 mins10 minsClean HDMI outNoNoYesISOpticalOpticalOpticalDisplay3 in./7.7cm
Articulated touchscreen
1.04m dots3 in./7.7cm
Articulated touchscreen
1.04m dots3.2 in./8 cm
Fixed
921,600 dots
(plus extra set of white)Memory slots1 x SDXC1 x SDXC2 x SDXCWireless connectionNoneWi-Fi, NFCWi-Fi, NFCFlashYesYesYesWireless flashYesYesYesBattery life (CIPA rating)800 shots
(2,600 mAh)960 (VF); 300 (LV)
(2,600 mAh)1,100 shots
(1,900 mAh)Size (WHD)5.5 x 4.1 x 3.1 in.
139.0 x 104.3 x 78.5 mm5.5 x 4.1 x 3.1 in.
139.0 x 105 x 79 mm5.3 x 4.2 x 3.0 in.
135.5 x 106.5 x 76 mmBody operating weight27.2 oz.
771.1 g26.4 oz.
748 g26.9 oz.
762 gMfr. price (body only)$900
£730
AU$1,240$1,200
£1,030
AU$1,880$1,050
£870
AU$1,300 (est.)Primary kit$1,200
£1,060
AU$1,620
(with 18-135mm STM lens)$1,600
£1,380
AU$2,400
(with 18-135mm USM lens)$1,350
AU$1,800 (est.)
(with 18-140mm lens)
£1,070
AU$1,750 (est.)
(with 18-105mm lens)

Release dateAugust 2013March 2016April 2015