Canon 70D

Article by Stu Maschwitz

Canon has announced the Canon 70D, availble for pre-order at Amazon and B&H for $1,199.

On one hand, this camera, with its flip-out LCD, new sensor technology that allows better live-view autofocus, and built-in WiFi, seems to be the heir apparent to the APSC HDSLR throne.

On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel that Canon is updating their DSLR line as slowly as they feel they can get away with.

I like what Mike and Jason had to say on the RC podcast #132—essentially, one has to hope that we’re nearing the end of hoping for accidental improvements to the video capabilities of low-cost stills cameras.

The Canon 70D looks to be the best camera you can buy for DSLR video, and yet it’s impossible to get to excited about it.
- - - - -
Article Source

Canon reinvents video focusing

Review from Engadget - Looking to capture professional-quality video on the cheap? You've probably considered a DSLR, but for many users, an interchangeable-lens camera might not be the best pick. Camcorders and higher-end video rigs typically offer far more powerful autofocus capabilities, and while Digital SLR footage can look great, if you're not tweaking the lens manually, things might not go as smoothly as you'd hope. Canon's setting out to change that, with its brilliant new EOS 70D. On the surface, this 20.2-megapixel camera doesn't venture far from its 60D roots, but internally, it's an entirely different ballgame.

At the core of the 70D's modifications is what Canon's calling Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Essentially, the sensor includes twice the number of pixels in an (very successful) attempt to improve focusing. There are 40.3 million photodiodes on the sensor, and when they're all working together, "it's like 20 million people tracking the focus with both eyes," as Canon explains. The result is camcorder-like focusing for both stills and video, when you're shooting in live view mode. During our test with a pre-production sample, the device performed phenomenally, adjusting focus instantaneously when snapping stills, and quickly but gradually when recording video.

Canon's expected to ship the EOS 70D for an estimated $1,199 in September, body only. It'll also be available with two lens options: an 18-55mm STM kit will likely retail for $1,349, while an 18-135mm STM version should come along with a $1,549 MSRP. Pricing is unconfirmed at this point, hence the noncommittal phrasing, but reps seemed fairly confident in those figures. The 60D will be discontinued, but the 7D will remain on the market -- for a while longer, at least. Still, if you're looking for a DSLR primarily for shooting video, the 70D is where it's at.
....click here to read the full Engadget article.