Alongside their new 18-135mm lens and power zoom adapter, Canon also introduced a new camera today – the EOS 80D. The XXD line of cameras have always been popular with budget-conscious shooters who want to bring the APS-C (near Super35) look to their work, and the 80D looks very much like an evolution of the 70D.
That’s no bad thing of course, and there’s a lot to like: a new APS-C sized 24MP sensor, improved AF for stills shooters and an ISO range that expands up to 25,600 (for stills, at least). The viewfinder is optical and covers the whole frame, and there’s also an articulating 1.04m dot LCD screen.
Canon also haven’t skimped on the video features: there are both headphone and mic jacks, a 60P mode for slow motion recording, and an improved version of the company’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. When paired with a compatible lens this will allow you to follow faces and tap the touchscreen to focus, in much the same way as the company’s flagship 1DX MkII.
We haven’t tried an 80D yet but when combined with the new 18-135 lens and the power zoom module it sounds like a package that has a lot of potential for lone shooters, although the lens’s variable aperture isn’t ideal for video work. It doesn’t look like the 80D is going to challenge the Sony A7 range of cameras either for resolution (no 4K here) or quality – no word on bitrates but we’re not expecting ‘broadcast-quality’ from the 80D. Still it’s about half the price of a Sony A7s II and arguably Canon still have a better lineup of compatible lenses than Sony.
In a first for Canon there’s also a ‘directional stereo’ microphone, the DM-E1, to clip to the camera’s hotshoe. It’s got a shockmount, is powered by a single CR2032 watch-style battery and will sell for $149 US. The 80D itself will be priced at $1,199 US body-only or $1,799 US as a bundle with the new 18-135 lens.
