Canon EOS 80D Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

The new Canon EOS 80D is an update to the 20.2 megapixel 70D DSLR, released back in 2013, and it features a new 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 6 processor, alongside a new 45 all cross-type point AF system and a 7fps shooting rate. As well as a new sensor, there are plenty of other improvements Canon has made to the new DSLR which updates the 70D and sits in the middle of Canon's DSLR lens line-up.  

The Canon EOS 80D, which Canon says is perfect for the enthusiast photographer or for those who are looking to make the step up from a camera such a 700D, is available for £999 body only.

Canon EOS 80D Features

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As mentioned, inside the camera body you'll find a new 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, a new 45 point AF system, and the camera can shoot at 7 frames per second, with a new mirror mechanism for improved noise and image quality. This includes a new compact motor, which has the characteristics of both a stepping motor and a DC motor, that's used to drive the mirror to reduce noise. A floating support and improved motor acceleration/deceleration control also reduces the mirror's rotation speed immediately before its up/down action. All of these improvements together reduce mechanical sound and camera vibration to improve the quality of images captured. 

The 80D has a native ISO range of ISO100 - ISO16,000, one stop higher than the 70D, and this can be expanded to ISO 25,600, which will be useful for low-light conditions. Plus, the AF system will also focus under moonlight at -3EV. Talking of the AF system, the 45 AF points can be individually selected or grouped which gives the user more control of composition, and they are all cross-type. 

The extra megapixels the new sensor brings means image resolution will be improved when compared to the 70D with its 20mp sensor and it's also smoother and quieter in use. Buffer rates for the 80D sit at 110 JPEG images and 25 RAW which is a vast improvement on the 70D which had a buffer rate of just 65 JPEG images and 16 RAW. 

Flicker Detection makes it easier to ensure exposure levels are consistent, even when working under flickering artificial lights and there's a 7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor that measures both visible light and invisible infrared light. 

If you're looking at the Canon EOS 80D, then it's likely that you're thinking about upgrading from the 60D, 70D, or Canon EOS 600D series, and want to see what the options are. We've compiled a comparison table with other similar priced DSLRs available, including the previous 70D, and the more expensive 7D Mark II: 

The Intelligent Viewfinder displays 100% of the frame as well as camera settings and there's also a 3" vari-angle LCD touch screen found on the back of the camera which comes in handy when shooting movie footage or working with Live View.

As you'd expect, the Canon EOS 80D captures Full HD movies and both AF speed and AF tracking sensitivity can be adjusted when capturing film footage. Users can also shoot at 60p in MP4 format and the EOS 80D features both a microphone socket and a new headphone socket, something that was requested by vloggers with whom the 70D was very popular. The EOS 80D also features a range of built-in timer shooting functions that enable photographers and videographers to control their camera over set lengths of time and to create time-lapse movies. 

Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity are built-in and the EOS 80D is compatible with Canon's Camera Connect app. 

Key Features

• 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• 3 inch Vari-angle LCD II Touch-screen, 1040K dots
• Viewfinder with 100% field of view and control overlay 
• DIGIC 6 image processor
• 45 all cross-type point AF system, AF system will continue to work at -3EV 
• 27 f/8 compatible AF points, when used with narrow aperture lenses 
• Flicker Detection for artificial lighting
• 7fps continuous shooting, 3fps quiet continuous shooting
• ISO100-16000, expands to ISO25,600
• Full HD movie shooting, with Dual Pixel CMOS AF
• AF speed and AF tracking sensitivity can be adjusted when capturing movies 
• Shoot at 60p in MP4 format 
• Headphone and microphone inputs

Canon EOS 80D Handling

The controls and buttons will be familiar to anyone who has used the previous version of this camera, with almost all of the buttons and controls matching. As well as having a good rubberised hand grip, the Canon EOS 80D is light, making it easy to support / hold when working hand-held. It actually weighs 730g making it around 20g lighter than the 70D at 755g. 

As the camera has a weather-sealed construction, the camera feels re-assuringly solid, and the battery and memory card compartments have padding to reduce or limit water ingress, which is nice to see.

The touch-screen on the back of the camera gives quick access to functions, and using the Q button gives you access to the most commonly used settings. There are a good number of button and controls on the camera, which gives quick access to settings, so you don't always have to go in to the menus, and it's quick and easy to change the ISO speed as it has a dedicated button. 

The optical viewfinder is large and clear and gives a good view of the scene, as well as useful shooting information, without the need to take the camera away from your eye. It clearly displays the focus point, which is helpful as there are 45 available, and these cover a good area of the frame. You can also focus in low light with the camera focusing down to -3 EV. In live view you can set the focus point to an even wider area of the screen, and focus is still rapid. 

Menus – The menus are clearly laid out with colour coded sections, and will be immediately familiar to anyone who has recently used a Canon camera. You can quickly change settings with the Q button and the touch screen, and you can also use the touch screen to scroll through options in the menus as well as change settings. This makes it very easy and quick to change settings, particularly if you are familiar with using touch-screens. 

There are a number of advanced focus options available in the Custom menus, along with AF fine tuning, and to understand these fully, study of the manual is recommended. The My Menu section lets you add a "my menu tab" and you can setup your own list of favourite settings.

With the camera featuring built-in Wi-Fi and NFC it's particularly easy to setup a connection to a compatible (Android) smartphone with NFC built-in. Using Canon's Camera Connect app, which is available for Android and iOS devices, you can view and transfer images on the camera, shoot remotely as well as change camera settings. 

Battery life - Battery life is rated at 960 shots according to Canon / CIPA test results, which is very good, and a slight improvement over the 920 shots offered by the EOS 70D.

Canon EOS 80D Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

The camera gives impressively quick focus and shutter response, whether shooting normally or when shooting using live view, and live view is quicker than the previous camera. We were able to take 56 JPEG shots and 18 raw shots before the camera slowed, although Canon say you can shoot at 7fps for up to 110 images (JPEG) with UHS-I card, and 25 images (RAW), which is an improvement of the Canon EOS 70D.

Canon EOS 80D Sample Photos

Sample Photos - Colour is very good, with particularly pleasing skin tones, and reliable focus as well. Exposure is reliable and dynamic range is good. To expand dynamic range there are options for "Auto Lighting Optimisation" (ALO Off, Low, Mid, High), there is also the highlight tone priority option, or you can use the cameras built in HDR mode. It's also possible to recover underexposed photos without too much noise being an issue. The picture styles give you options for sharpness (strength, fineness, threashold), contrast, saturation and colour tone. 

Canon EOS 80D Lens test images

Lens Performance - The Canon EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lens we used with the camera performs well, as we found out in our review, and focus was rapid and also reliable. We were impressed with the camera's focus performance, even when shooting wide-open with bright primes. There are a number of excellent value, bright prime lenses available for Canon cameras, including the 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8, and 100mm f/2.0, to name a few. Lens correction options (for supported Canon lenses) includes peripheral illumination (vignetting), chromatic aberration, and distortion. We left chromatic aberration on for our shots, but left the other options off. Detail is good in photos, and there are a good number of options to get sharper images straight from the camera, something that used to be a concern on Canon DSLRs.

Canon EOS 80D ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - The camera gives good levels of detail and low noise from ISO100 until ISO1600 where noise starts to reduce the level of detail recorded slightly. However ISO3200, and ISO6400 still produce usable results, depending on your needs. Noise becomes stronger at ISO12800, and there is a slight drop in colour saturation. ISO25600 is probably best avoided, but could still be useful if you process the images further or resize them. 

Noise performance is improved over the Canon EOS 70D, with less chroma noise (coloured splotches of noise in flat areas) from ISO800 onwards, and continues to be better. Noise options include Off, Low, Standard (we used this), High, plus Multi-shot Noise Reduction (like the Sony series).

Canon EOS 80D White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Like other recent Canon EOS cameras, the 80D features a new "white priority" auto white balance option, which means you can get excellent, accurate white balance with this switched on, which is great for product shots, or you can leave it on normal settings and get warm white balance results, which is great for portraits or other general photography. It's also nice to see that this feature is available in all new Canon EOS cameras, from the entry level Canon EOS 1300D, all the way up to the professional Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. This option is designed to work under Tungsten lighting, but it also works under fluorescent and mixed lighting. This makes it possible to get good results in a variety of lighting conditions and means you shouldn't need to use the white balance presets, and as you can see above has worked well under both tungsten and fluorescent lighting. 

Canon EOS 80D Digital filters

Digital Filters - Creative auto has options for Vivid, Soft, Warm, Intense, Cool, Brighter, Darker, and Monochrome, with options for each of these letting you set how strong the effect is. Like the Canon EOS 1300D there is a Food scene mode. There are a number of digital effects available including miniature, water painting, HDR art (standard, vivid, bold, embossed), Grainy Black and White, Soft focus, fish-eye effect, and toy camera effect. You can edit raw images in camera from the playback view and there are options to use the shot settings, or customise settings. You can also apply a number of effects in playback. The camera doesn't feature a panoramic mode. 

Video - FullHD video is recorded at up to 60fps with 24, 25, 30, 50 fps also available, and you can use up to ISO25600 in video mode for low light situations. With phase detection pixels built in to the CMOS sensor, the focus performance during video recording is excellent. You have the option of MOV or MP4 recording, and you can adjust the audio level manually. Video quality is good, and if you are recording hand-held then you will benefit from using a lens with built in optical image stabilisation. A video recorded at ISO12800 in low-light can be found on the ePHOTOzine Youtube Channel.