Quite a lot has changed since Canon first debuted its budget-oriented full frame option, the EOS 6D, back in 2012. Five years later its successor, the 6D Mark II is here, and with a lot to offer including an updated AF system, vari-angle touchscreen and 1080/60p video capture. But is the update worth the wait? Watch our video to find out.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Canon’s latest DSLR is one of its smallest ever. The new EOS Rebel SL2 (EOS 200D outside of North America) DSLR on the market. The SL1 was a likable, if rather limited camera in its day, and we’re pleased to see that Canon hasn’t abandoned the idea of an ultra-portable entry-level Rebel.
We had the chance recently to handle the SL2, and get a feel for what’s changed, and what remains the same.
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One thing that hasn’t changed significantly is the SL2’s size, compared to its predecessor. Although the new camera is in fact slightly bigger, the difference is very subtle (122.4 x 92.6 x 69.8mm compared to 117 x 91 x 69mm, if you were curious). The SL2 is bundled with the same slower 18-55mm F4-5.6 kit zoom that was introduced alongside the Rebel T7i.
A more welcome change compared to the SL1 is the SL2’s sensor. We’re told that the 24MP APS-C sensor in the new camera is essentially the same as the one used in the EOS 77D. Capable of shooting from ISO 100-25,600 there’s no reason not to expect excellent low and medium ISO image quality from the SL2.
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My hands are pretty average-sized. As you can see, the SL2 really is pretty tiny. This view shows off the minimal top-mounted controls, which include the standard Canon EOS exposure mode dial, and front control dial, just behind the shutter release. This dial has been redesigned, from the plastic ‘cog’ we’ve been used to for years, to a high-end PowerShot-style knurled metal finish. Also new is the combined movie mode / on / off toggle switch, just to the right of the exposure mode dial.
On the far left of the SL2’s top plate is a dedicated Wi-Fi button, which indicates Canon’s intended user base of smartphone and compact camera upgraders.
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As we’d expect, the rear of the SL2 is dominated by a large, 3″ touch-sensitive LCD. Despite its entry-level positioning, Canon hasn’t skimped on specifications – this appears to be the same 1040k-dot display offered on the full-frame EOS 6D Mark II. Note the indent at the upper right, so you can get your finger in there to grab the screen.
The SL2’s viewfinder is unremarkable (it’s the typical lower cost pentamirror design, with 95% frame coverage) and its conventional autofocus system is pretty basic (9-points, covering the central portion of the frame). But impressively, in live view and movie modes the SL2 offers the same excellent Dual Pixel AF system as the EOS 80D. That means fast and accurate AF for still and moving subjects, with none of the ‘hunting’ typical of more basic contrast-detection live view AF systems.
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This alone is a huge selling point over the original SL1, and made even mode useful by the fact that the Rebel SL2’s rear screen can be fully articulated for live view and movie shooting. Arguments will continue over whether a tilting screen or flip-out type is superior, but the flip-out design is certainly better when shooting vertically.
Like its close-relation the Rebel T7i, the SL2 features a simplified screen interface in PASM modes, intended to educate beginners about the effect of using certain exposure variables.
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Another view of the top of the camera, highlighting again the small, compact body of the Rebel SL2. Despite its low-end positioning, the general fit and finish of control points is of a high standard.
The SL2 is predominantly made from polycarbonate, and Canon makes no claims about environmental sealing, but there’s no creak or give in the body seams.
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Despite its entry-level positioning, the SL2 is an impressively fast camera. Claimed startup time is a respectable 0.2 sec (which is the same as the EOS 6D Mark II), and the SL2 features a maximum continuous shooting rate of 5 fps. It’s reasonably customizable, too. Although it (obviously) can’t hold a candle to Canon’s professional DSLRs, 11 custom functions do allow for a decent amount of fine-tuning of the camera’s operation.
A small built-in flash pops up when required in fully automatic shooting, and can be activated manually in PASM modes. You can expect 650 shots per charge from the LP-E17 with 50% flash use, increasing to more than 800 with no flash (CIPA).
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A nice deep handgrip makes the SL2 easy and comfortable to hold and use, despite its small size.
What do you make of the new Rebel SL2? Let us know in the comments.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Just shy of its fifth birthday, the Canon EOS 6D was ripe for replacement. Its successor will ship in August, but we had a chance just a few weeks ago to put it to work photographing some of the most stunning landscapes in the US.
Take a look at how the Canon EOS 6D Mark II fared on a recent Canon-organized trip to Yellowstone, and stay tuned for a full gallery once we’re able to get our hands on a full-production model.
See our Canon EOS 6D Mark II
pre-production sample gallery
Please note that the samples in this gallery were shot with a pre-production camera. As such, image quality may not be representative of final shipping cameras (although it is likely to be extremely close), and at Canon’s request, Raw files are not available for download.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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| Spot the difference: on the outside, the Canon EOS 6D Mark II looks a lot like its predecessor, but it’s a considerably more powerful camera. |
The Canon EOS 6D is something of an oddity in digital camera terms, having been in continuous production for almost five years. But finally, the time has come for an update to one of Canon’s most popular models, and it has arrived in the shape of the EOS 6D Mark II.
Unusually for a new Canon product, we had the chance earlier this month to use a late pre-production EOS 6D Mark II ahead of its official announcement. What follows is a first take on how the camera performs, based on a two-day shooting excursion, organized by Canon, to the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
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Detail is rendered well by the 6D Mark II’s new 26MP sensor, and Raw files sharpen up nicely. EF 24-70mm F2.8 II | 1/400 sec | F8 | ISO 100 |
The first thing that struck me about the EOS 6D Mark II is how similar it feels to the original 6D. Ergonomically, Canon really hasn’t changed the basic recipe much. When the two cameras are compared side by side, it’s pretty hard to tell them apart from a moderate distance and even in use, there are more similarities between the models than there are differences.
The major operational difference is also the most obvious. The 6D Mark II’s rear LCD is fully articulating, and touch-sensitive, in line with recent Canon DSLRs like the EOS 80D. In fact, the 6D Mark II handles a lot like a slightly up-sized 80D in general. It also shares a lot of the same technology, in particular the same 45-point PDAF system and Dual Pixel autofocus in live view and movie modes.
As such, for 80D users looking to make the jump into full-frame, the 6D Mark II would be a very sensible upgrade – aside from the lack of a built-in flash on the 6D, there’s virtually no learning curve.
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| From behind, you can see that the 6D Mark II offers almost exactly the same control layout as the original 6D. There’s no dedicated AF joystick, but the rear 8-way controller can be configured for direct control over AF point positioning via a custom function. |
The 6D Mark II incorporates a latest-generation Digic 7 processor, which enables an impressively fast continuous shooting rate of 6.5 fps. I haven’t had a chance to shoot any action with the 6D II yet, but even during extended shooting of bracketed Raw images it didn’t keep me waiting. Canon claims a burst depth of 25 Raw + JPEG Fine shots at 6.5fps with a fast UHS-I card and this seems accurate, based on my experience.
The 6D Mark II’s viewfinder experience is pleasant, thanks to a magnification of 0.71x and 98% coverage vertically and laterally. Sub-100% viewfinder coverage is just one of several differentiators that Canon uses to distinguish its non-professional models (a single card slot being another) but the loss of that 2% is unlikely to cause any problems in normal photography.
Autofocus response in one-shot mode is fast and positive, but the downside of adopting the 80D’s PDAF autofocus system is obvious when you put your eye to the viewfinder. Because it is inherited from a cropped-sensor camera, the AF array occupies a comparatively small, central area of the 6D II’s frame. The relative lack of lateral AF coverage means that the 6D Mark II won’t be particularly versatile when it comes to off-center compositions or tracking, but to be quite honest, I suspect that most potential buyers won’t care.
If you really need super-accurate AF tracking from a Canon DSLR, you’ll need to save up for an EOS-1D X Mark II. But based on our experience of the closely-related 80D, the 6D II’s 45-point cross-type AF system, coupled with the 7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor is likely to be more than adequate for everyday shooting of mostly static subjects.
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A handheld shot at the long end of Canon’s latest 100-400mm telezoom, straight out of the camera. At ISO 1250, some noise is visible, but it’s not problematic. EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 II | 1/320 sec | F5.6 | ISO 1250 |
By contrast (no pun intended), autofocus in live view and movie modes is peerless, thanks to Canon’s Dual Pixel AF system. With 80% vertical and lateral coverage, and the option to set focus point by touch, the 6D II arguably offers better autofocus with the mirror locked up than it does in conventional viewfinder shooting mode.
I didn’t shoot much video in Yellowstone (certainly nothing good enough to include in this article) but the 6D Mark II’s video mode is essentially the same as other recent non-professional Canon DSLRs. That means 1080/60p with a familiar, standard feature set. No 4K, and nothing flashy. Sorry, videographers – the 6D Mark II isn’t the low-cost 4K B-camera you might have been hoping for.
Some people will be largely ambivalent about this. After all, this isn’t 2009 anymore and following the arrival of Sony’s a7-series there are plenty of other options out there for enthusiast videographers that want to shoot 4K video with Canon EF lenses. It’s a shame though, because an affordable 4K-capable camera with Dual Pixel AF really would be a wonderful thing. Maybe one day…
At any rate, I have no doubt that several video-dedicated sites are typing furious blog posts about it even as we speak.
Despite the unexciting video specification, Dual Pixel AF does makes the 6D Mark II a very simple, relatively versatile movie-shooting camera, and certainly an enjoyable one, especially for casual hand-held shooting.
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A big difference compared to the original 6D is the Mark II’s articulating screen. This is great for tripod-mounted shooting, and for grabbing low-angle stills. It’s useful in video mode, too, where setting focus by touch is especially handy. The 6D Mark II’s Dual Pixel AF system in live view and video is excellent. |
Even for stills, the articulating touch-sensitive LCD is extremely handy. The majority of my dawn and dusk shooting in Yellowstone was conducted with the 6D Mark II on a tripod, in live view mode with exposure simulation turned on. Compared to a fixed screen, the 6D II’s articulating LCD is a lot more useful, as well as being a lot more comfortable to use from waist height. And while some people will always make the case for tilting, as opposed to side-articulating displays, I came to really appreciate the ability to pop the screen out for vertical compositions, too.
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A tripod-mounted shot, taken at as long an exposure as I could manage without an ND filter. This image was composed vertically, in live view mode. Although the 6D Mark II doesn’t offer focus peaking, the magnification feature in live view mode provides a detailed enough on-screen image for accurate manual focus. EF 24-70mm F2.8 II | 0.3 sec | F14 | ISO 100 |
Canon’s live view implementation is pretty mature at this point, and features like a real-time histogram, and powerful magnification for accurate manual focus are very useful. I wish the electronic horizon could be overlaid on the live view display, but it’s not hard to work around. I also wish the 6D Mark II offered focus peaking, but in practice the 10X magnified live view display offered enough contrast for accurate focus, even in pre-dawn light. And of course Dual Pixel AF is so good that there’s less need for manual focus anyway.
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I don’t know what this insect is (perhaps a reader could tell me?)* but I think it enjoyed the 6D Mark II’s flip-out screen as much as I did. The 1.04 million dot LCD features an anti-smudge coating, but not an anti-reflective coating. As such, dirt and fingerprints clean off the screen very easily, but I did find myself increasing screen brightness for live view work in bright conditions. * UPDATE: A reader tells me that this is a Salmon Fly (Pteronarcys dorsata). That was quick! |
While I wasn’t able to perform any controlled testing, the 6D Mark II’s newly developed 26MP sensor appears to deliver excellent results across its native ISO sensitivity span. In good light, at low / medium ISO sensitivities, images look exactly as I’d expect from a modern Canon DSLR. I don’t really care for Canon’s default JPEG rendition, which tends towards rather mushy detail at a pixel level, but the colors are great and there’s a lot of detail in Raw files.
Because of the current lack of 3rd-party Raw support (and to honor a request from Canon) my workflow up to now has been to perform a basic tonal conversion in Canon’s bundled DPP software, before outputting files as 16-bit TIFFs to Photoshop for sharpening. While I’d probably never find myself shooting in the ‘Landscape’ Picture Style except by accident, I did find that applying (and then modifying) this profile in DPP gave pleasantly bright, vibrant images of the Yellowstone springs.
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| The 6D Mark II is dust and weather-sealed (but only with a lens attached). This view shows the remote control port, to the lower right of the lens mount, covered with a rubber cap. |
You’ll find plenty of images in our samples gallery, but I’m reserving judgement on exactly how well the files from the 6D Mark II compare to competitive cameras until we’ve received robust ACR support. According to Canon representatives, the 6D Mark II should outperform the original 6D (which it very evidently does) but may not offer the same kind of dynamic range and absolute resolution of the EOS 5D Mark IV.
I had the opportunity to accidentally run a kind of halfway test on the 6D Mark II’s shadow dynamic range when shooting bracketed images of a dawn eruption from Old Faithful, heavily backlit by the rising sun. When shadow areas are lifted by a couple of stops, there’s no obvious banding, but noise becomes prominent, suggesting that the 6D Mark II’s sensor probably isn’t ISO-invariant. This isn’t a surprise, but watch this space for confirmation from our lab testing once we receive a shipping sample.
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This shot was deliberately exposed for the highlighted vapor cloud of Old Faithful’s eruption, lit from behind by the rising sun. I adjusted the exposure in Canon’s DPP software to recover midtones and shadows. EF 24-70mm F2.8 II | 1/400 sec | F11 | ISO 100 |
Something that prospective 6D upgraders should be aware of is that the increase in resolution from 20MP to 26MP will show up flaws in cheaper lenses. I was mostly shooting with Canon’s excellent 16-35mm F4L and 24-70mm F2.8L II on the trip, both of which deliver very good edge-to-edge sharpness, but images from the cheaper 24-105mm F4L II don’t look great towards the edges. That said, I am probably more inclined towards pixel-peeping than the average 6D II buyer will be (certainly more than they should be) and at normal viewing distances, even a stickler like me wouldn’t know the difference.
Every new generation of cameras brings performance improvements, and after almost five years, it’s no surprise that the 6D Mark II is a considerably more powerful camera than its predecessor. It’s fast, very responsive, impressively easy to use, and offers a good balance of user-friendly ergonomics and customization options (28 in all), which should appeal to its intended user base.
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Another tripod-mounted shot, taken at sunset. Although I rarely shoot in anything other than default JPEG Picture Style, I found that applying the Landscape style to Raw files in DPP and then modifying the tones gave a good starting point for sunrise and sunset shots. EF 16-35mm F4 | 1/5 sec | F16 | ISO 100 |
Like the original 6D, the 6D Mark II is a solid, predictable, easy to use camera that appears to be capable of excellent image quality. It’s pretty compact, but impressively well built, too, including some degree of weather-sealing. As usual, we don’t know exactly what that means, but I can tell you that during the Yellowstone trip, my 6D II shrugged off a fairly good soaking in an unexpected downpour without any ill-effects.
The 6D II is unlikely to to be able to rival competitors like the venerable Nikon D750 when it comes to autofocus performance and Raw dynamic range, and I wish there was a dedicated AF positioning joystick, but for a lot of photographers these will count as minor complaints.
On the face of it then, the 6D Mark II makes an excellent lower-cost alternative for someone considering an EOS 5D Mark IV, and a sensible upgrade for 80D users looking to move up to full-frame.
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Please note that the samples in this gallery were shot with a pre-production camera. As such, image quality may not be representative of final shipping cameras (although it is likely to be extremely close), and at Canon’s request, Raw files are not available for download.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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If you were disappointed by reports that the Sony a9 struggles with long adapted Canon lenses, you might be able to take some comfort from Metabones’ latest firmware update. The update for EF-E Smart Adapter Mark IV/V and EF-E Speed Booster Ultra adds autofocus support for medium and high burst modes on the Sony a9. However, since adapted lens support maxes out at 10 fps with AF, high burst mode simply runs at medium speeds (10 fps electronic, 5 fps mechanical).
We’ve have had a chance to give this update a go with a number of Canon mount lenses (including Sigma lenses), and are impressed with the results: with wider lenses (85mm and wider), you get phase-detect AF over most of the frame at 10 fps in Wide and Flexible Spot modes. With longer lenses (70-200/2.8, 100-400/4.5-5.6), focus starts to falter outside of the central region – something that doesn’t happen with native E-mount lenses. In L drive mode (3 fps), the camera opens up the aperture in between shots – both for adapted and E-mount lenses, allowing the camera to continue focusing beyond F11 (at frame rates higher than 3 fps, the camera reverts to manual focus at apertures smaller than F11 – with both adapted and native lenses).
In manual focus mode, you can shoot up to 20 fps with adapted lenses. This is quite an impressive update for the Metabones adapter, and we’ve confirmed it to function significantly better with the a9 than the Sigma adapter (which has yet to issue a firmware update for the a9).
The firmware is available for download now from Metabones.
RELEVANT PRODUCTS
This information is for the following models:
ABOUT THIS DOWNLOAD
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Sports shooters considering Sony’s speedy a9 have one major hurdle to overcome: glass. There’s a dearth of long, fast primes available to Sony FE shooters, and it seems like using off-brand glass while you wait for Sony to catch up just isn’t a great option.
In this video, photographer Dan Watson of Learning Cameras tried both the Sigma MC-11 and Metabones Mark IV lens adapters to test how well the a9 worked when attached to the Canon EF 300mm F2.8L IS II USM and Canon EF 400mm F2.8L IS II USM.
Watson mainly wanted to test the focusing capabilities, and unfortunately, the results were somewhat disappointing.
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Before you dive into the video, it’s worth pointing a few things out. Our own Rishi Sanyal has tested the focus capability of the a9 with adapted lens, and points out a couple of caveats to Watson’s otherwise solid points:
First, the performance of far off-center AF points depends on the lens. While Watson is correct in pointing out that they don’t perform well with long lenses (despite working astonishingly fast with Sony’s own 100-400 F4.5-5.6), they do work well with shorter focal lengths (we’ve had success with a Sigma 85/1.4, Canon 35/1.4, 24-70/2.8, etc.). With these wider lenses, ‘Wide’ area mode will continue tracking subjects to the extremes of the frame.
Second, Sony A-mount lenses adapted with the LA-EA3 adapter do shoot at an impressive 10 fps with autofocus, something we confirmed with the 50/1.4 (as long as you’ve updated the firmware of the adapter).* With the Metabones and Sigma adapters though, as with all Sony FE bodies, only the L drive mode offers continuous focus. And it’s actually only 2.5 fps, not the 5 fps Watson mentions (technically L is 3 fps, but it slows to 2-3 fps with continuous focus).
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With that out of the way, Watson’s video is a great resource for seeing how well (or not) the a9 performs when attached to the long, fast Canon primes sports shooters love. And while single-shot focus with central points is speedy and almost 100% accurate with long adapted lenses, the lack of true subject tracking (Lock-on AF modes) or continuous focus at speeds higher than ~2.5 fps (or in video) will probably be a deal breaker for many fast-action photographers.
Once you’ve lost the impressive high speed shooting advantages Sony baked into the a9, you might as well be shooting with any other camera. Moral of the story: stick to Sony glass and hope they keep churning out new lenses at break-neck pace.
You can watch the full demo for yourself up top. And if you’re considering jumping ship from Canon to Sony, keep this information in mind – like all previous Sony bodies, you’ll only have access to the a9’s slowest continuous drive mode when you’re adapting your own glass.
* We’ve not yet confirmed the performance of off-center points with long A-mount glass.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Zeiss has launched a new lens for full-frame DSLRs with Canon and Nikon mount, the Milvus 1.4/35. The new model is the tenth lens in the Milvus series and according to Zeiss, thanks to its fast aperture, particularly suited for portrait photography. That said, its 35mm focal length also makes it a good all-rounder and useful in landscape photography and even filming.
“The high maximum aperture enables the subject to stand out clearly against the background, and the photographer can achieve creative combinations of focus and blur,” says Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at Zeiss.
Like all lenses in the Milvus line the 1.4/35 comes with a robust metal barrel and is protected against dust and splashes and therefore suitable for working in adverse weather conditions. Zeiss says a new optical design with aspherical lens elements, special glass materials and advanced correction means photos taken with the Milvus are practically free from chromatic aberrations. The Zeiss Milvus 1.4/35 will be available from specialist dealers and in the ZEISS Online Shop from July 2017. The recommended retail price is 1,999 Euros ($ 2,228). More information is available on the Zeiss website.
Press Release:
OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 2017-06-21.
ZEISS has launched a new lens for full-frame DSLR cameras from Canon1 and Nikon2 on the market: the ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35. Now the tenth lens in the Milvus family, the ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 is particularly suitable for portrait photography thanks to its speed. “The high maximum aperture enables the subject to stand out clearly against the background, and the photographer can achieve creative combinations of focus and blur,” says Christophe Casenave, Product Manager at ZEISS. “The manual focus enables very exact focusing, and the creamy bokeh provides an excellent image look. And even at full aperture the image quality leaves nothing to be desired.” The ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 is also perfectly at home in landscape photography: “The 35-millimeter focal length is a genuine all-rounder.” Like all lenses in the ZEISS Milvus family, it is protected against dust and splashes and, according to Casenave, even bad weather is no problem. The metal barrel gives the lens its robust and durable character.
With aspherical lens elements, special glass materials and advanced correction, ZEISS has given the lens a completely new optical design. “This means the photos are practically free from chromatic aberrations,” says Casenave. Thanks to their excellent edge-to-edge imagery the ZEISS Milvus lenses are designed for high-performance digital cameras. “The resolutions of camera sensors are constantly becoming higher, and this also increases the demands made on the lenses. For ZEISS Milvus lenses this is no problem. They are a solid investment in the future.”
The ten lenses in the ZEISS Milvus family, ranging between 15 and 135 millimeters, are also suitable for film productions: the manual focus with a large rotation angle can be operated with the aid of a ZEISS Lens Gear with a follow-focus system. The de-click function allows the aperture to be set continuously in the version for Nikon3 cameras. A further benefit for filming: ZEISS has matched the color characteristics of the ten lenses. Filmmakers can therefore switch between the focal lengths and still have a uniform color look. “This facilitates editing enormously,” says Casenave.
The ZEISS Milvus 1.4/35 will be available from specialist dealers and in the ZEISS Online Shop from July 2017. The recommended retail price is 1,999 euros.
You can find further information at www.zeiss.com/photo/milvus1435
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Canon has released firmware version 1.1.1 for its EOS 5DS and 5DS R full-frame DSLR models. The new firmware fixes a number of user-reported bugs, including an issue in HDR mode that prevents the camera from completing a full bracket with certain settings.
Other fixes include:
You can download firmware version 1.1.1 for the Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R now on the Canon website.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
This short video does an excellent job explaining how autofocus systems work, without over-complicating the subject matter. It touches on the various types of autofocus systems in Canon cameras as well as specific features like subject tracking and Dual Pixel AF.
It starts with the dawn of autofocus and moves on to modern day from there. And though it is marketing material from Canon USA, it’s still worth a watch. In fact, it got us thinking about how incredibly far AF technologies have come in just about 30 years. Imagine where we’ll be in another 30.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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We’ve already looked at how the Nikon D7500 fits into Nikon’s lineup, and how it compares to the more expensive D500 and its outgoing predecessor, the D7200.
But now, we’re going to look at how it compares with Canon’s EOS 80D.
The EOS 80D is older, admittedly, launching in February 2016 with an MSRP of $ 1199, though it currently sells for $ 1099. The D7500 was announced in April of this year, and its MSRP and selling price are currently both $ 1299. So you pay a little more, and get a newer camera with the D7500, but what does that actually translate to? Let’s find out.
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The D7500 has inherited a new 20MP sensor from its high-end brother, the D500, which might look at first like a downgrade next to the 24MP unit in the EOS 80D. But while we haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test the D7500 just yet, It’s image quality is likely to be extremely similar to the D500, with that camera offering a bit better high ISO performance in Raw mode compared to the EOS 80D, and JPEG noise reduction that retains detail and eliminates noise just a little better as well.
We’re also a big fan of Nikon’s JPEG color rendition, with warm, saturated yellows and reds and vibrant – yet neutral – greens. So while it’s too early for us to make a definitive call on overall image quality, the D7500’s imaging pipeline certainly looks competitive, despite the (small) resolution advantage of the EOS 80D.
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Switch the Nikon D7500 into ‘Continuous High’ shooting mode and you’ll be greeted with a solid 8fps burst speed, while the EOS 80D tops out at 7. It’s not a huge disparity to be sure, but it’s when you hold that shutter button down that you’ll really notice a difference.
The EOS 80D’s buffer is capable of holding 110 JPEG or 25 Raw images, while the D7500 allows for an infinite amount of JPEG shooting as well as 50 uncompressed 14-bit Raw files.
For those that need to shoot either long bursts or several successive short bursts of fast action, the D7500 pulls ahead handily.
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Both the D7500 and 80D have screens that are 3.0″ diagonal and offer touch functionality. The 80D’s is marginally higher in resolution, and comes with a more standard (for this sensor format) 3:2 aspect ratio, but it is a fully-articulating design, while the D7500’s is a tilt-only design.
The tilting design on the D7500 offers more unobtrusive from-the-hip street shooting, without a big screen flipped out to the side, but the 80D allows for shooting from high-and-low angles in both portrait and landscape orientation.
Keeping a hand on the EOS 80D’s fully articulating screen may also help stabilize the camera, but on the other hand, flipping the screen out will impede usage of the HDMI and USB ports. This is a problem for those using an external video recorder, or those who are want to shoot tethered in a studio. The tilt-only screen on the D7500 won’t present a problem in either of those situations.
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But what if you’re venturing outdoors, into potentially rainy or adverse conditions? Neither of these cameras offers an all-metal body but both are reassuringly well-made.
The D7500 is constructed with a combination of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermo Plastic (CFRTP) and magnesium alloy, while the EOS 80D is made from polycarbonate plastic, and both are weather-sealed, to some extent. The D7500 feels a little more solid in the hand, but unless you’re heading into a war zone or are very hard on your cameras, build quality shouldn’t play too heavily into your choosing one of these cameras over the other.
Both cameras offer two control dials for easy manipulation of manual camera settings, have an abundance of external buttons and switches and offer a reasonable level of customization. Each offers a single SD card slot, and the EOS 80D is CIPA-rated to 960 shots on a full battery, while the D7500 is rated to 950 shots. Both offer 100% coverage viewfinders, though the D7500’s is marginally bigger in terms of magnification.
The question of whether Canon’s ergonomics and controls versus are superior to Nikon’s is highly subjective. It’s best, if you can, to just pick each one up and see how they each feel for yourself.
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At first glance, the D7500 might appear to be the more ‘serious’ video camera. Both cameras offer headphone and microphone ports, HDMI out and have touchscreens for placing focus, but while the 80D offers a maximum video recording resolution of HD 60p, the D7500 can shoot 4K. But there’s more to it than that.
The 4K video mode on the D7500 comes with an additional 1.5x focal length crop over the existing 1.5x crop from using an APS-C sensor, meaning a full 2.25x crop relative to the focal length printed on your lens. This means even at the 18mm wide-angle setting of the D7500’s kit lens, you’ll be getting a 40.5mm-equivalent field of view when you shoot 4K video. On the other hand, the D7500 has no crop factor when shooting Full HD, just like the EOS 80D, so you could argue that having 4K at all is a nice bonus.
The D7500 also comes with zebra highlight warnings and a flat(ish) picture profile, so it should be easier to keep highlight clipping in check than on the EOS 80D. Neither camera offers sensor-shift or digital image stabilization, so it’s best to make sure you’ve got stabilization built in to your lens for handheld video shooting.
So yes, so far it seems like the D7500 is the one to get for video shooting. But not so fast.
We’ve found that Dual Pixel Autofocus gives Canon cameras an incredible advantage when it comes to autofocus in video. The D7500 is still stuck with plain-old contrast-detect AF, which means lots of hunting, whereas the EOS 80D will stick to subjects or people’s faces reliably, and makes for easy focus racking and run-and-gun shooting.
In the end, despite the relatively pedestrian HD video spec, we think that Dual Pixel AF alone is enough of a reason to recommend the EOS 80D to those that are interested in shooting video, even above and beyond the D7500’s 4K capability and additional capture aids. It really is that good.
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The D7500 has a carryover 51-point (15 cross-type) autofocus system from the D7200 (and the D750), but now includes the D500’s 180k-pixel metering sensor for more accurate subject tracking (which Nikon calls 3D Tracking) through the viewfinder. In our initial testing, the new metering sensor makes a noticeably positive difference.
The EOS 80D, meanwhile, has a 45-point system where all points are cross-type, and uses a 7560-pixel RGB + IR metering sensor to help drive its iTR (Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) subject tracking.
When shooting through the viewfinder, the D7500’s subject tracking wins handily, sticking reliably to subjects more reliably than the 80D as they move about the frame. It also offers Auto AF Fine Tune, first seen on the D5 and D500, to help you calibrate your specific lenses to your specific D7500 for the best possible results.
However, Canon’s Dual Pixel AF isn’t done yet. When shooting in Live View, the D7500 feels absolutely prehistoric compared to to the EOS 80D. While you can tap to move your focus point on the D7500, you’re still greeted by a series of pronounced hunts before the camera settles into critical focus. On the 80D, just tap, and watch the camera smoothly rack focus, lock on and track.
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In terms of wireless transfer, whether to your phone, a laptop, the cloud or elsewhere, there’s not between these two cameras. The D7500 gains Bluetooth LE to (hopefully) help make the pairing process easier, but if you’re an Android user, you may find NFC on the EOS 80D to be more convenient.
Lastly, for those needing extended stamina, there is a first-party battery grip option for the EOS 80D, while Nikon doesn’t have one for the D7500.
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Well, of course it depends.
For those who are shooting fast action and stills and primarily use the optical viewfinder, the D7500 is a better bet, with its faster burst speed, deeper buffer and better (likely class-leading) phase-detection autofocus system, with 3D AF tracking.
For those who have a greater emphasis on video and don’t necessarily need 4K (or just don’t want it at a 2.25x crop), the EOS 80D is hard to beat, due in no small part to Canon’s Dual Pixel AF. It just makes it so easy to shoot video that’s properly focused, allowing for dependable face detection and subject tracking as well as precise focus racking.
But wait, we’re not done yet…
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There’s another camera in Canon’s roster that to some degree also competes with the D7500 – the more pro-oriented EOS 7D Mark II.
The 7D Mark II came out back in September of 2014, so while it’s a little long-in-the-tooth, it remains Canon’s APS-C flagship. While it was released with an MSRP of $ 1799, it currently sells for around $ 1499, so about $ 200 more than the Nikon D7500.
While they both have sensors with similar resolution, the D7500 is almost certain to have notably better dynamic range and improved high ISO performance thanks to its newer, D500-inherited sensor. The 7D Mark II does have dual card slots (one CF and one SD), but the D7500’s buffer still allows for longer burst shooting in Raw. In the name of outright durability, the 7D II’s screen is fixed, though it is touch-enabled, just like the D7500.
The viewfinders and level of external controls are also comparable, though the the 7D II is made from a heftier magnesium alloy body. To go with its 65 all cross-type point AF system, the 7D Mark II comes with an AF joystick to make AF selection easier, though Nikon’s 3D Tracking will still handily outperform Canon’s older implementation of iTR. On the other hand, while the 7D II comes with an older processor, it still comes with Dual Pixel AF, and as such, it should offer a better live view experience than the D7500.
Lastly, connectivity on the 7D II comes with an optional Wi-Fi SD card, while it’s built in on the D7500.
Overall, the EOS 7D Mark II is still a dependable, durable workhorse that is serving seasoned pros well – but if you’re looking at getting a new camera or are just considering moving into the enthusiast DSLR segment, we can’t help but feel the Nikon D7500 is a better choice.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)