DigitalRev has put the EOS-80D through a series of tests and as usual, made a video with a bit of levity. For more details on the camera, check out the links below from Canon Professional Network
I have just returned from a rather successful wildlife photo trip to India. Witnessed two tiger kills from beginning to end on a Spotted and Sambar Deer plus Elephants and Monkeys mating, in addition to many new bird species for me. Trying to get back to writing my blog and catching up with the latest photography and NAB 2016 news. It will take me a week or two to get back to speed and precious little time to process the photos because by then, my next tour will be here already. I have a very busy Spring and Summer touring season ahead of me. You can see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com
SAN RAMON and PACIFICO YOKOHAMA, Japan - Feb. 25, 2016 - The SD Association (SDA), a global ecosystem of companies setting industry-leading memory card standards, today launched its fastest speed class, Video Speed Class, which also delivers real-time multi-file recording for many applications and supports the highest video resolutions and qualities available today. With Video Speed Class, 4K, 8K, 3D and 360 degree video recordings are now assured and accessible to consumers and professionals alike.
Consumers will easily capture memories at their devices’ best quality by following device manufacturer recommendations and matching the Video Speed Class mark on their device to an SD memory card with the same Video Speed Class mark. The new marks will appear on SDHC and SDXC UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards.
The new Video Speed Class maintains the tradition of ensuring guaranteed minimum performance levels as the familiar Speed Class and UHS Speed Class systems do today. Minimum speeds will range from 6MB to 90 MB per second.
The fastest options, V60 and V90, support 8K resolution, while V6, V10 and V30 capture high-definition and 4K resolution. All speed classes guarantee minimum video recording speeds to ensure smooth video playback, so actual recording performance may be even faster.
“With Video Speed Class, SD device and memory card manufacturers can offer the highest-quality video recording to consumers and professionals that keep pace with the awesome video resolutions not only offered today, but anticipated tomorrow,” said Brian Kumagai, president of the SDA. “New products leveraging the capabilities of Video Speed Class will be based on the high storage capacities offered by SDHC and SDXC memory cards.” Video Speed Class, part of the latest SD 5.0 specification, gives SD manufacturers flexibility in using the latest flash memory technology to support a range of current and expected video applications. SDA anticipates and encourages market transition to the newly introduced Video Speed Class as the choice for future applications. The SDA expects video recording device and card manufacturers will offer the first products supporting Video Speed Class soon.
Video Speed Class marks will be located on supporting devices and memory cards, product manuals or packages so consumers will know what type of card should match their device, assuring their video is recorded at their devices’ highest quality with the best playback.
SD Association Speed Classes March 2016
A new white paper, “Video Speed Class: The new capture protocol of SD 5.0,” outlines how the latest SD specification enables Video Speed Class. Download the white paper here.
Visit the SD Association at CP+2016 in Booth G-O6 Thursday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 28, to discuss the Video Speed Class for the next SD memory cards and video recording devices. SDA members will also demonstrate applications currently in the market, including UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards and devices, wireless SD memory card data transfers, TransferJet technology and more.
My advice is the following. If you are into sports and wildlife photography, buy the EOS-7D Mark II. Keep your current EOS-70D unless you really need a slightly better video and AF system (including AF @ f/8) and 4 more MP for cropping. If you are on a budget and want a very good, APS-C camera for action photography, buy a refurbished and well cared for EOS-7D from Canon or from a trusted source.
If you currently own a Canon Rebel or a EOS-60D and older camera but want a very good DSLR camera for everyday use and have the funds or have sold your EOS-70D, look no further than the EOS-80D. You can see my equipment bag and works on MichaelDanielHo.com
Major Specs Comparison - EOS-80D vs. EOS-70D:
24.2 MP vs. 20.2 MP CMOS Sensor
7 fps for up to 77 JPEG or 20 RAW frames vs. 7 fps for up to 65 JPEG or 16 RAW frames
Full HD video @ 60 fps vs. Full HD video @ 30 fps
New 45-point all cross-type vs. 19-point all cross-type AF system
AF point at f/8 vs. Not Available
One DIGIC 6 Processor vs. One DIGIC 5+ Processor
ISO 100 - 16000, expansion to 25600 vs. ISO 100 - 12800, expansion to 25600
1040K dot LCD (720 x 480 pixels) vs. 1040K dot LCD (720 x 480 pixels)
One SD, SDHC and SDXC slot vs. One SD, SDHC and SDXC slot
Along with the introduction of the Canon EOS-80D camera, Canon engineers are introducing an updated version of the popular EF-S 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS lens. The headline feature of this lens is a completely new type of Ultrasonic motor technology, called Nano USM. We’ll concentrate on the Nano USM in this article, but will give some basic info about the new lens as well.
Canon’s new Nano USM technology uses a completely different form factor, but achieves focus results within the lens via the same principles of ultrasonic vibration energy, transmitted here into linear (rather than rotational) movement within the lens. This tiny new Ultrasonic motor achieves the combination of fast, near-instant response during still image shooting, with the smoothness required for good focus during video recording.
The challenge: combine speed for still image AF with smooth response and drive for video recording. And until now, that has indeed been a challenge for Canon’s engineers. The simple fact is this : in most situations, what constitutes good AF performance in a lens differs significantly for still image shooting and for video :
• For still images, users normally want fast, brisk drive speed that can start almost instantly, stop on a proverbial dime, and of course accurately put the sharpest focus where the user wanted it when it does stop
• For video recording, that same fast drive usually results in a very jarring, unnatural viewing experience… video shooting usually requires smooth, consistent drive speed, without sudden starts and stops
This sounds simple, but AF motors originally designed for superior AF performance during still image shooting — like Canon’s highly-regarded ring-type Ultrasonic Motors — tended to have less than ideal smoothness when asked to perform video-oriented AF. Canon engineers developed “STM” (Stepping Motor) AF technology and applied it to drive mechanisms within recent Canon EF and especially EF-S lenses in recent years. STM focus motors indeed provided that smooth and consistent ability to drive the lens during actual video recording. And, their speed during still-image shooting was adequate for many applications.
Still, as user demands for increased video recording performance with each new generation of digital SLR camera have continued, Canon engineers recognized another approach was needed.
A new answer : Nano USM technology
In the new-for-2016 EF-S 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM lens, Canon introduces a new answer to this challenge. Using the same principles of ultrasonic vibration converted into movement, Canon engineers have developed a direct-drive system that’s incredibly compact, easily placed within the body of a lens, and has tremendous AF performance.
Nano USM gets its name from the incredibly compact size of this motor. (The name has nothing directly to do with the type of vibrational energy it generates to drive a lens’s focus elements.) In this initial application, the motor itself is small enough to fit on the first joint of a model’s finger, as we see here :
AF speed during still-image shooting rivals what users have come to expect from high-end lenses with Canon’s powerful ring-type USMs. It’s brisk and nearly instantaneous — an almost perfect match for the new AF system in the EOS 80D. Most users will doubtless agree that it’s a clear step forward from what we’ve come to expect in affordable lens focus, whether we’re referring to the previous Micro USM focus motors used in many such lenses, or the recent STM versions.
But this lens focus system is outstanding in video applications. AF operation during video recording has tremendous smoothness, and is remarkably free from the visually jarring start-stop focus movement sometimes seen with other lens focus motor systems. Another huge factor in video shooting is that the AF operation is nearly silent — very important if a microphone is attached to the camera, and vital if using the camera’s built-in microphone. Nano USM matches the relative silence of previous STM designs when focus occurs during video recording.
So it’s the combination of focus characteristics, blending the conflicting requirements of good, fast AF during stills with smooth, controllable AF during video, that makes Canon’s Nano USM such an interesting and compelling possibility for many Canon EOS photographers.
Smooth video focus requires specific camera bodies
Even with this exciting new focus drive technology, for optimum smoothness during video recording, a camera body using either Canon’s Hybrid AF system, or (even better!) Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF, is going to be needed, along with this new lens.
Cameras with these video focus technologies, as of February 2016, are :
• EOS Rebel T4i (650D)
• EOS Rebel T5i (700D)
• EOS Rebel T6i (750D); EOS Rebel T6s (760D)
• EOS 70D
• EOS 80D
• EOS 7D Mark II
• EOS M; EOS M2; EOS M3; EOS M10 (with Mount Adapter EF–EOS M)
How does Nano USM work?
This isn’t an engineering document, and Canon’s designers have provided only basic information to date. But in general, the principle is the same as in previous Ultrasonic motor designs — but of course it’s applied differently.
Canon’s existing large, ring-type Ultrasonic motors provide a good starting point. They actually consist of two separate metal rings, held together via spring pressure. One ring has a smooth contact surface, the other has specially designed “teeth” that touch the opposite ring. When specific types of voltage are sent to the stator (ring with teeth), it not only vibrates, but flexes in a controllable, travelling wave fashion. Contact against the smooth ring causes that ring rotate, at controlled speed, in the opposite direction of the traveling wave.
With the new Nano USM lenses, the movement in the form of vibrations are generated by sending current at very precise levels to the motor. But unlike previous USMs, the ceramic voltage elements of this motor expand and contract in response to this current. Connected to a metal slider with elastic characteristics, this movement results in linear — not rotational — movement within the lens. The actual lens elements which move for focus are driven by a rack, with guide bars to control its forward/rearward movement.
Here’s a graphic showing how the movable lens element(s) used to focus the lens are held within a rack assembly, shown in black here, along with its guide bars. The tiny Nano USM sits aside this, its ceramic voltage elements held against a flat, elastic metal slider. Vibrational energy at the tips of the voltage element causes the slider to move forward or backward, in a linear fashion — thus changing the lens’s focus in precise, controllable amounts, and without requiring start-stop steps to achieve smooth movement when that’s needed during video recording.
The EF-S 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM lens
The first application of Canon’s Nano USM technology is in the EF-S 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS USM lens. This lens will be combined with the new EOS 80D camera if it’s purchased in “kit” form in many markets, as well as being a lens that Canon users can step up to independently if they so desire.
Here are a few important facts about this new 18–135mm lens :
• Optical design, including use of one UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) glass element and one Aspherical element, is exactly the same as the previous EF-S 18–135mm STM lens
• Minimum focus is identical (15.3 inches; 0.39m), as is maximum close-up magnification when zoomed to the 135mm position (0.28x)
• Noticeably faster AF: lens drive speeds of the focus elements in the lens from minimum focus distance to infinity are up to 2.5x faster at wide zoom settings, and up to 4.3x faster at tele zoom settings, in tests performed by Canon engineers (vs. previous 18–135mm STM lens)
• Image Stabilization is improved in the new lens: up to 4 stops of shake-correction, allowing hand-holding at shutter speeds up to 4 stops lower than would otherwise be possible without stabilization (the previous STM version provided IS with up to 3.5 stops correction). Like the previous STM lens, this lens provides Dynamic IS at wide angle settings, providing added shake resistance during walking and similar situations while video is recorded.
• The new Nano USM version of this lens is compatible with the optional Canon Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1; this adapter (as of February, 2016) cannot be attached to other Canon EF or EF-M lenses
• As with the STM version, this new USM lens uses electronic manual focus control, meaning the camera must be awake and active for manual focus to happen when the lens’s focus ring is turned.
• An important note about the variable f/3.5–5.6 maximum aperture of this lens: as with all EF and EF-S lenses having variable apertures, the effective aperture changing and altering light transmission during zooming will only occur at apertures wider than f/5.6. Once the lens is stopped to f/5.6 or smaller (f/8, f/11, etc.), the electronic diaphragm is able to adjust as the lens is zoomed, preserving consistent light transmission, even in Manual exposure mode.
• As with all Canon EF-S lenses, this lens is limited to compatible Canon EOS camera bodies with APS-C size image sensors, which can accept EF-S lenses. It is not compatible with full-frame EOS digital SLRs.
• This lens is not compatible with Canon’s EF 1.4x or 2x tele extenders
Nano USM: a compact drive system, for compact lens elements
In its present form, Canon engineers stress that Nano USM technology gives them a very practical answer to the aforementioned challenges of fast still-image AF, while allowing great controllability and smoothness for Live View and especially video recording.
And, as shown below, it fits beautifully into the form factor of this compact lens. In this illustration, the Nano USM sits above the highlighted lens group, which is actually driven to focus the lens :
But for now, at least, it’s optimized for lens designs where the elements moved for focus are small and lightweight in size. The inner focus system of the EF-S 18–135mm f/3.5–5.6 IS design lends itself to this, with an optical system where a very lightweight element group is moved. Larger, heavier focusing elements remain better-served by the more powerful ring-type USM design, as seen in many of Canon’s mid-range EF lenses, and of course in many high-end L-series lenses as well.
Nano USM is an exciting new technology, and Canon expects it to be a great match for video content creators as well as still-image shooters using recent APS-C sensor EOS cameras. For now, however, Canon engineers have not tipped their hand as to if, and where, we might see this technology repeated in future products.
In summary, this new extended-range EF-S standard zoom lens (its coverage is approximately equivalent to a 28–200mm lens, on a full-frame camera) looks ready to be a terrific choice for the still and video shooter. And that applies to not only newcomers to digital SLRs, but experienced and seasoned users of cameras up to and including the EOS 7D Mark II as well.
MELVILLE, N.Y., February 17, 2016 – Artists looking to turn their passion into popular online videos or to show the world their unique perspective through social networks now have a new tool available to them that helps them tear down creative barriers and produce dynamic visual content for both still and video. Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to introduce the new Canon EOS 80D Digital SLR camera, featuring a new 45-point AF system, 24.2 megapixel CMOS sensor for crisp images with fine detail. For the budding videographer or online video star, the camera features Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus (DAF) technology coupled with an intuitive touchscreen capability for easy focusing when shooting video.
Canon is also introducing a new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens optimized for high-speed autofocusing when shooting stills and quiet and smooth zoom when shooting video. The lens is also compatible with Canon’s new Power Zoom Adapter for smooth cinematic ‘pulls’ when changing focal length on a subject, and responsive adjustments at the push of a button for stills or video.
EOS-80D Camera Specifications :
New 45-point all cross-type AF system
Intelligent Viewfinder with approximately 100% viewfinder coverage
Newly Developed 24.2 Megapixel (APS-C) CMOS sensor
DIGIC 6 image processor for enhanced image quality
Improved Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth, fast and accurate AF with video and stills
Built-in Wi-Fi 2 and NFC2 capability for easy transfer of images and movies to compatible mobile devices
1080/60p Full HD video to capture brilliant results in MP4 format for easy movie sharing on select social networking sites
Vari-angle Touch Screen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD II monitor enables flexible positioning and clear viewing even outdoors
List price $1,199 in the U.S.
“In today’s world, where everyone is a photographer or videographer, we at Canon are looking to provide the tools and features that help creative-minded people stand out from the pack and get noticed. The right technology cannot make someone creative, but it will help bring a creative vision to life,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “The right combination of camera and lens helps those with a vision stand out and be recognized. We look forward to seeing what this new generation of passionate artists will create with these new tools.”
New AF System and Dual Pixel CMOS AF
The 45-point all cross-type viewfinder AF system in the new Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera, compared to 19-points in the Canon EOS 70D DSLR camera, is now wider both horizontally and vertically for easier compositions with off-center subjects. Low light AF performance has been improved all the way down to EV-3 at the center point to achieve sharp results even in extreme low-light situations. The camera’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Servo AF II autofocusing system utilizes color tracking with a 7,560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor that automatically detects skin tone and colors to enhance tracking sensitivity, even with moving subjects that are rapidly changing pace or direction. Enhancing the ease-of-use of the new AF system is the Canon EOS 80D’s new Intelligent Viewfinder which features approximately 100% viewfinder coverage. The full coverage helps prevent photographers from missing objects that are in the corners of the scene, which can reduce the need to crop images later on.
Dual Pixel CMOS AF employs a new Canon CMOS sensor with which all of the effective pixels are able to perform both still imaging and phase-detection AF simultaneously to achieve dramatically improved AF performance during Live View and video shooting. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology in the Canon EOS 80D camera features enhanced tracking sensitivity and is compatible with the full line of Canon EF Series lenses, including the new Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM standard zoom lens.
High-Quality Still and Video Image Performance
Featuring a new 24.2 megapixel APS-C Canon CMOS sensor and Canon’s superb DIGIC 6 Image Processor, as well as an improved still image ISO range of 100–16000 (Video ISO range 100–12800, both expandable to 25600), the Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera is capable of producing sharp, detailed images and videos even in low-light conditions. High-speed continuous shooting up to seven frames per second (fps) combined with the 45-point all cross-type AF allows photographers to capture fast moving subjects easily and accurately, while the camera’s Scene Intelligent Auto Mode delivers optimized photos and offers outstanding scene detection for amazing results even when shooting in low light. HDR mode provides creative filter effects, such as natural, art standard, art bold, art vivid and art embossed.
For added convenience, the Canon EOS 80D camera features Anti-Flicker shooting, similar to that found in the EOS 7D Mark II DSLR camera. Anti-Flicker shooting produces consistently high-quality results even when shooting in areas with fluorescent lighting or other flickering light sources by detecting the flicker cycle of the light source and shooting when brightness is near its peak.
When users select the EOS Movie mode, the Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera offers the ability to shoot in 1080p Full HD video up to 60 fps, compared to 30 fps in the Canon EOS 70D, in MP4 format and in either ALL-I or IPB compression modes with optional embedded time code.
For expanded creativity the Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera features HDR movie and Time-Lapse movie modes and Movie creative filters like fantasy, old movie, memory, dramatic monochrome and miniature. Movie Servo AF custom settings allow users to speed up or slow down focusing speeds, enhancing creativity and artistic expression.
For added flexibility, the Canon EOS 80D digital SLR camera also features a built-in headphone jack, a built-in stereo microphone with manual audio level adjustment, and an additional stereo microphone jack.
News Lens, Power Zoom Adapter, and Directional Stereo Microphone Enhance Video Quality
In addition to the new Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera, Canon U.S.A., Inc., is also introducing the Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens, a newly designed lens with a premium exterior design that will serve as the kit lens for the new Canon EOS 80D camera.
This the first Canon lens equipped with Nano USM, a new type of focusing motor that combines the benefits of a ring USM (ultrasonic motor) for high-speed AF during still photo shooting and lead-screw type STM (stepping motor) for smooth and quiet movie AF, and improved AF speeds up to 4.3x (Tele) and 2.5x (Wide) faster than the previous model. The Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens also provides up to four stops of optical image stabilization. A new lens hood, the EW-73D, is included with the new lens.
To further enhance the ease-of-use when shootings movies with a Canon DLSR or Cinema EOS cameras, Canon is introducing the Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1, specifically constructed to be compatible with the design of the new Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens. The Canon Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1 is the world’s first detachable zoom adapter that provides silent and smooth zoom and can adjusted incrementally to 10 different levels of zoom speed3. Additionally, the PZ-E1 can be controlled remotely using the Canon Camera Connect app4.
In addition to the new lens and power zoom adapter, Canon is introducing the first Canon-branded external microphone for the EOS system, the Canon Directional Stereo Microphone DM-E1. This new accessory microphone will help improve sound quality while shooting video, allowing users to rotate the direction of the microphone up and down from 90 to 120 degrees depending on the shooting situation.
The DM-E1’s durable shock mount construction helps to reduce camera operation noise and lens drive sounds and is built to withstand the rigors of a variety of shooting situations. Featuring a frequency response range of 50Hz to 16kHz, the DM-E1 comes with a wind screen to help limit peripheral sound from wind and other outside factors, allowing shooters to utilize the microphone in a broad amount of shooting situations. Featuring a built-in power supply from a single “button-type” lithium cell battery, the DM-E1 also has a power indicator lamp allowing users to easily check its battery level.
Availability
The Canon EOS-80D Digital SLR camera and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens are currently scheduled to be available in March 2016 for an estimated retail price of $1,199.00 for the body only, $1,799.00 with the new EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens and $599.99 respectively.
The Canon Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1 and Directional Stereo Microphone DM-E1 are currently scheduled to be available in June 2016, for estimated retail prices of $149.99 and $249.99 respectively.
