The 80D is an upgraded version of the 70D. It is considered mid-to-high-end in APS-C, and is currently second only to the 7D Mark II. This upgrade has many highlights, and video recording has become one of the best in the EOS series. Many video capture features that were previously unique to the 7D Mark II have been added to the 1DX Mark II and 80D. Secondly, this upgrade also uses a new 45-point full cross focus and 24.2 million CMOS. Buy Authentic on Amazon
Video Recording
There are no new advanced features, all of which have been there before, or are minor software upgrades.
Optional New Features - Short Film Creative Filters
Of course, the computer can do it later.
With the video creative filter function, you can shoot short videos with special filter effects added. This is due to the continuous evolution of image processors. Including the original miniature landscape effect short film, there are 5 filter effects to choose from: Memories, Dreams, Old Movies, and Black and White.
Video Time Lapse
It is to take multiple photos and automatically compose a video. As far as I understand, it should be electronic shutter every time, which can greatly save shutter life and battery life. And because the automatic synthesis is 1080p video, it is also very space-saving, this function should support manual mode.
A time-lapse movie is a form of movie in which still images shot at regular intervals are stitched together and fast-forwarded. You can give full play to the image quality advantages of EOS 80D still images, and get high-quality MOV full HD movies (about 30p, 25p). It is suitable for shooting the flow of clouds or the movement of stars in the sky, etc. Compared with ordinary short films, the changes of the subject are concentrated in a short time, and the effect is more impressive. The shooting interval can be set from 1 second to 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, and the number of shots can be set from 2 to 3600 shots.
But is this kidding me? Why are the composite clips in Full HD instead of 4K? It has to be said that the above two functions are only software upgrades, and other EOS cameras may also have these functions in the form of software upgrades in the future. The other functions listed below are hardware upgrades.
Other Functions
These features are already available in other EOS cameras, but they were once features that the 70D didn’t have.
- Supports 60fps at 1080p
- Short HDR
- AF speed can be set during Movie Servo AF
- Also has a headphone monitor port and a microphone port
New Focus System
The new 45-point full-cross focus has been improved a lot compared to the 70D’s 19-point focus, but from a digital point of view, it does not seem to be as good as the 65-point full-cross focus on the originally released 7D Mark II, but the actual Is that so?
The full 45-point cross-type AF sensor is an AF system that can correspond to F2.8, F4, and F5.6 beams, and some AF points are compatible with F8 beams. When using a lens with a maximum aperture of F5.6 and a brighter large aperture, focusing can be performed using up to 45 cross-type AF points. Depending on the maximum aperture of the lens used, the nature of the AF point will also change. When using different lenses or setting different aspect ratios, the number of available focusing points and focusing methods will be different.
After some research, I found an amazing new feature: 27 AF points (9 of which are cross focus) even at F8, which is the second most AF point in the EOS series at F8. (second only to the 1DX Mark II), so even if the telephoto lens is equipped with an extender, the aperture becomes very small, and it is convenient to focus.
Install the extender EF 1.4X III on the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, and there are 27 focus points that can be used when the maximum aperture at the telephoto end is reduced to F8.
Compare the focusing capabilities of different focusing systems under F8:
wow! The 80D is amazing, but which lenses support its Group G autofocus?
- EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM + Extender EF 1.4X III
- EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4X + Extender EF 2X III
Um, I feel cheated. How many focusing points do the unsupported lenses have under F8?
One, only one, not even a secondary focus point, but at least it’s better than the 70D. In addition, the new 45-point full-cross focus should be inferior to the 65-point full-cross focus in all aspects.
“New” CMOS
The EOS 80D is equipped with a new CMOS image sensor independently developed and manufactured by Canon, with an effective pixel of about 24.2 million. The CMOS semiconductor manufacturing project introduces a new refinement process, and uses a gapless microlens, which shortens the distance between the microlens and the photodiode and improves the light gathering rate. And the pixel structure is optimized to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Linked with the DIGIC 6 digital image processor, high-resolution can be obtained even in low-light scenes, and fine performance can be achieved.
This pixel is already considered high in APS-C cameras. However, this time, the upper limit of ISO has not been increased. If the pixel upgrade is not done, the upper limit of ISO can be doubled to 51200. However, this CMOS is exactly the same as the 760D. Why do you say they are the same? Because from here it seems to be the same:
- It’s all “7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor”
- Full support for short HDR
- Pixels, the same sensitivity that can be extended
- All are triple dust removal system
However, there are two differences:
- The 80D is equipped with Dual Pixel CMOS AF, but the 760D is Hybrid CMOS AF III.
- The common sensitivity on the 80D is one stop higher
It is worth noting that the focusing system, Hybrid CMOS AF III has only appeared on the 750/760D, and its performance is excellent, maybe it is the limited Dual Pixel CMOS AF. See the test on YouTube for details
Other Improvements
100% Optical Viewfinder
Canon is equipped with an optical viewfinder with a field of view of about 100% for the first time on the EOS 2-digit model, and this function is still very important. And the 80D viewfinder has some new elements, which I call a “(pseudo) electronic level”
Why is it fake? Because of its limited capabilities:
The original version is like this, do you see the level above it? biaxial.
Special Scene Mode
When I saw this mode, I laughed, once again confirming that the 80D will not be a professional or quasi-professional camera.
Some representative shooting scenes are collected in the special scene mode, and the camera can make corresponding shooting settings according to the specific scenes. There are 10 optional scenes, including handheld night scene, candlelight, and children. The operation during shooting is simple. Just like using a smartphone, slide your finger on the LCD monitor and touch the selection icon, and the camera can find the appropriate settings according to the characteristics of the subject and shooting environment to take good photos.
Buying Advice
If you are a non-professional and choosing between the 7D Mark II and the 80D, I recommend the 80D, which has a touchscreen and Wi-Fi, which is really convenient. The 7D Mark II is better than the 80D in focus, continuous shooting, and durability, but it is not necessarily much stronger than it in other aspects, and the pixels are lower. If you are choosing between the 5D Mark III, 6D and 80D, and you have a low budget and need to record video, I would recommend the 80D, which has better focus and shutter speed than the first two. As for full-frame or APS-C, that’s another question worth discussing. For more information on the 80D, please refer to Canon’s official press release