I bought the Canon in early 2014, a few months after it was released. I had been using an old 350D that I bought on eBay previously and I was reaching the limitations of that camera, so I upgraded to the 70D as a birthday present to myself.

The 70D is an enthusiast level body with a 20.2MP APS-C sensor. Ther are a number of technical and ergonomic improvements over its predecessor, the 60D. I’m particularly fond of the articulated touchscreen on the back, which is very useful when the camera isn’t being held at eye-level.

I’ve had the chance to use some full-frame DSLRs such as the 5D MkIII and the 6D, and I find that the 70D is far more comfortable to use for extended periods of time. While it doesn’t have the exceptional low-light performance of a full-frame camera, it is more than capable and the smaller form factor is a good trade off for me. Most of the digital shots on this site have been taken with this camera.

I have a small collection of lenses for this body. The one that is my default lens for everyday use is a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8. This wide lens is great for walkaround shots as well as whole-body portrait shooting. Nice and sharp even wide open with minimal distortion, it’s a great lens for the price. I also have a Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 lens that came bundled with the camera. This lens is noticeably softer and slower to focus than the Sigma and so I rarely use it. If I need length, I have a Canon 100-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens. Despite the smaller max aperture, this lens is much better optically than the Tamron. I have the inevitable ‘nifty-fifty’ 50mm f/1.8 and an elderly Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 that attaches via an adapter (obviously this last lens can only be focussed manually). Eventually I shall probably bite the bullet and start to buy more full-frame glass and possibly a faster long lens, but for now this range suits the portrait and landscape shooting that makes up most of my output and I’m finding myself more interested in analogue photography these days anyhow.

Sample Images