T5i vs 70D? (First DSLR)

[swndlr]

So Ive been using my friends DSLR for a while now and the time has come for me to get my own. Im not new to photography since Ive been using my m8s camera frequently for months and Ive grown comfy with everything.
My main concern with these two choices is growing room? Will the 70D have that much better longevity for me to continue to grow as I get better at photography and my needs grow?
In terms of pricing, I can get the T5i body for $550-$600 and the 70D for ~$800

 

[gossamer88]

Canon 70D vs T5i - Our Analysis

The link above may be of some help. The image quality of either one will not be that different. If you're planning on doing video, the 70D dual-pixel cmos sensor is pretty brilliant.

 

[swndlr]

Canon 70D vs T5i - Our Analysis

The link above may be of some help. The image quality of either one will not be that different. If you're planning on doing video, the 70D dual-pixel cmos sensor is pretty brilliant.

I actually dont plan on doing any video
I will check out that link

 

[goodguy]

Both these cameras are old, lots of better cameras out there for about same price.
The sensor on the T5i is ancient in technology terms and the one on the 70D isnt much better , low light performance and dynamic range is just not impressive.
Sensor technology wise the T6S is better.
70D really shines in the video department.
If forced to choose between these two only then for sure the 70D is much better then the T5i for many reasons, too many to count (better sensor, second dial wheel, better AF, slightly better high ISO, better build, fast FPS......etc)

 

[Ido]

What do you like/want to shoot, mainly? You may be better served with a different camera.

 

[jaomul]

70d if you can swing the extra money for it. As said image quality for both will be similar enough (both pretty excellent). The 70d was imo canons most complete on features on its release. I don't really agree about it being old, it was first available end of 2013, a little over a year and a half ago, if you trawl the net it almost gets unanimous praise for ease of use and quality product

 

[TCampbell]

The answer depends on "what" you enjoy shooting. The 70D is the most versatile so if money is no object (but usually money is a factor in these decisions) then the 70D would win on a simple comparison of capabilities.

The 70D is Canon's latest "mid-range" DSLR. It's in a category above the Rebel bodies (entry level bodies), but not quite a high-end or pro category body.

When the 70D was initially released, the Canon 7D was probably the most popular camera for sports & action (excluding the 1D X -- Canon's flagship camera) because it had several features optimized for fast action photography. In continuous shooting mode, it can blast out 8 frames per second. Also, it has a 19 point auto-focus system in which every point is a "cross type" point (cross-type points are more accurate and difficult to trick into missing focus.) Usually Canon doesn't like to release camera bodies that have features which are either better than or equal to ... or even nearly equal to... a higher-end camera body. So some of the features on the 70D were a bit of a surprise...

The 70D can shoot 7 frames per second in "continuous" mode... just 1 frame per second slower than the 7D.
The 70D also has what appears to be the same 19 point auto-focus system as the 7D (the only difference I could find is that it doesn't support true "spot" focus mode in which you can pick an AF point but reduce the coverage area (suppose you're trying to shoot a subject using exceptionally narrow depth of field and you want to focus on the eye, and want to make sure the camera isn't tricked into focusing on something very close... such as the eyebrow... you might want to "reduce" the size of the are being used by the AF point.

This made people wonder if the 7D wasn't finally about to be replaced (Canon would typically only let the 70D have these features if they felt the 7D was not going to be threatened by it)... and sure enough Canon released the 7D II (with significant performance upgrades.)

The Rebel bodies don't get any weather-sealing treatment, but the mid-range bodies do. The caveat with "weather sealing" is that it's not water-proof. The seals won't keep water out if that water is under pressure or force. Getting splashed or rained on isn't a problem... submerging in water is a problem. Also... most lenses are _not_ weather sealed, but some are. Many (probably even most) but not all Canon "L" series lenses are weather-sealed. If you have a weather-sealed camera body but are using lens which is not weather sealed... well there's that saying about the "weakest link" -- you'd still need to stay away from water.

The 70D does have a newer sensor and it's slightly higher resolution. It very fractionally improves on dynamic range (by about 1/4 stop). If you were to compare this to, say, a Nikon D7100... that camera has very slightly fractionally better dynamic range still (about 1/2 stop better than a T5i or about 1/4 stop better than a 70D). It's not a huge difference (and, in my opinion, not enough to sway my choice given that there are a lot of other area that get my attention first.)

The 70D does have WiFi. I don't think of this as a big deal. Technically you can transfer images from your camera to your computer via WiFi (but considering it's probably faster to just eject the memory card and plug that into the computer... I'd much rather do that.) But one thing you can do via WiFi is remote control of the camera using a smart-phone (assuming you have a smart-phone.)

One thing I do find significant about the 70D is that it has a control layout more like a high-end body. There's a top LCD screen with several instant-access buttons to commonly adjusted features that you need to use menus to access on a Rebel body.

Also significant in the layout difference is the rear-dial. Rebel bodies get a front dial. The latest Rebel T6s gets a tiny top LCD and rear-dial, but the rest do not get a rear dial. I use the rear-dial on my camera extensively.... when shooting in manual mode, the front dial (by the shutter button) controls the shutter speed and the rear dial controls the aperture. In Tv or Av mode, the front dial controls the shutter or aperture setting you want to use and the rear-dial controls exposure compensation. On a Rebel body you have to use menus to make those adjustments, but the high-end bodies let you control those features on-the-fly without taking your eye away from the viewfinder to read menus or look for buttons. It's well-placed so that your index finger controls the front dial and your thumb controls the rear dial.

So overall... yes, the 70D is clearly a "better" camera in pretty much every way (performance, shooting speed, sensor, body layout, features, build quality, etc. etc.) Of course... it does cost more.

 

[Jasii]

Bravo Tim! that was as exhaustive as can be.......
Kudos!
Jasii

 

[swndlr]

The answer depends on "what" you enjoy shooting. The 70D is the most versatile so if money is no object (but usually money is a factor in these decisions) then the 70D would win on a simple comparison of capabilities.

The 70D is Canon's latest "mid-range" DSLR. It's in a category above the Rebel bodies (entry level bodies), but not quite a high-end or pro category body.

When the 70D was initially released, the Canon 7D was probably the most popular camera for sports & action (excluding the 1D X -- Canon's flagship camera) because it had several features optimized for fast action photography. In continuous shooting mode, it can blast out 8 frames per second. Also, it has a 19 point auto-focus system in which every point is a "cross type" point (cross-type points are more accurate and difficult to trick into missing focus.) Usually Canon doesn't like to release camera bodies that have features which are either better than or equal to ... or even nearly equal to... a higher-end camera body. So some of the features on the 70D were a bit of a surprise...

The 70D can shoot 7 frames per second in "continuous" mode... just 1 frame per second slower than the 7D.
The 70D also has what appears to be the same 19 point auto-focus system as the 7D (the only difference I could find is that it doesn't support true "spot" focus mode in which you can pick an AF point but reduce the coverage area (suppose you're trying to shoot a subject using exceptionally narrow depth of field and you want to focus on the eye, and want to make sure the camera isn't tricked into focusing on something very close... such as the eyebrow... you might want to "reduce" the size of the are being used by the AF point.

This made people wonder if the 7D wasn't finally about to be replaced (Canon would typically only let the 70D have these features if they felt the 7D was not going to be threatened by it)... and sure enough Canon released the 7D II (with significant performance upgrades.)

The Rebel bodies don't get any weather-sealing treatment, but the mid-range bodies do. The caveat with "weather sealing" is that it's not water-proof. The seals won't keep water out if that water is under pressure or force. Getting splashed or rained on isn't a problem... submerging in water is a problem. Also... most lenses are _not_ weather sealed, but some are. Many (probably even most) but not all Canon "L" series lenses are weather-sealed. If you have a weather-sealed camera body but are using lens which is not weather sealed... well there's that saying about the "weakest link" -- you'd still need to stay away from water.

The 70D does have a newer sensor and it's slightly higher resolution. It very fractionally improves on dynamic range (by about 1/4 stop). If you were to compare this to, say, a Nikon D7100... that camera has very slightly fractionally better dynamic range still (about 1/2 stop better than a T5i or about 1/4 stop better than a 70D). It's not a huge difference (and, in my opinion, not enough to sway my choice given that there are a lot of other area that get my attention first.)

The 70D does have WiFi. I don't think of this as a big deal. Technically you can transfer images from your camera to your computer via WiFi (but considering it's probably faster to just eject the memory card and plug that into the computer... I'd much rather do that.) But one thing you can do via WiFi is remote control of the camera using a smart-phone (assuming you have a smart-phone.)

One thing I do find significant about the 70D is that it has a control layout more like a high-end body. There's a top LCD screen with several instant-access buttons to commonly adjusted features that you need to use menus to access on a Rebel body.

Also significant in the layout difference is the rear-dial. Rebel bodies get a front dial. The latest Rebel T6s gets a tiny top LCD and rear-dial, but the rest do not get a rear dial. I use the rear-dial on my camera extensively.... when shooting in manual mode, the front dial (by the shutter button) controls the shutter speed and the rear dial controls the aperture. In Tv or Av mode, the front dial controls the shutter or aperture setting you want to use and the rear-dial controls exposure compensation. On a Rebel body you have to use menus to make those adjustments, but the high-end bodies let you control those features on-the-fly without taking your eye away from the viewfinder to read menus or look for buttons. It's well-placed so that your index finger controls the front dial and your thumb controls the rear dial.

So overall... yes, the 70D is clearly a "better" camera in pretty much every way (performance, shooting speed, sensor, body layout, features, build quality, etc. etc.) Of course... it does cost more.

Thank you so much!
I feel like I will probably end up going with the 70D, the things that really make it a better deal for me are the weather sealing and some of the features that youd find on a pro grade body on the 70D. Let alone, cost isnt too much a difference (roughly $250 USD) so I think for the extra that Id be paying it is well worth it for the future and my growth in photography

EDIT: May I also ask your opinion the the T6s and how it stacks up with the 70D? It happens to fall near the price of the 70D, so Im now curious.

 

[beagle100]

The answer depends on "what" you enjoy shooting. The 70D is the most versatile so if money is no object (but usually money is a factor in these decisions) then the 70D would win on a simple comparison of capabilities.

The 70D is Canon's latest "mid-range" DSLR. It's in a category above the Rebel bodies (entry level bodies), but not quite a high-end or pro category body.

When the 70D was initially released, the Canon 7D was probably the most popular camera for sports & action (excluding the 1D X -- Canon's flagship camera) because it had several features optimized for fast action photography. In continuous shooting mode, it can blast out 8 frames per second. Also, it has a 19 point auto-focus system in which every point is a "cross type" point (cross-type points are more accurate and difficult to trick into missing focus.) Usually Canon doesn't like to release camera bodies that have features which are either better than or equal to ... or even nearly equal to... a higher-end camera body. So some of the features on the 70D were a bit of a surprise...

The 70D can shoot 7 frames per second in "continuous" mode... just 1 frame per second slower than the 7D.
The 70D also has what appears to be the same 19 point auto-focus system as the 7D (the only difference I could find is that it doesn't support true "spot" focus mode in which you can pick an AF point but reduce the coverage area (suppose you're trying to shoot a subject using exceptionally narrow depth of field and you want to focus on the eye, and want to make sure the camera isn't tricked into focusing on something very close... such as the eyebrow... you might want to "reduce" the size of the are being used by the AF point.

This made people wonder if the 7D wasn't finally about to be replaced (Canon would typically only let the 70D have these features if they felt the 7D was not going to be threatened by it)... and sure enough Canon released the 7D II (with significant performance upgrades.)

The Rebel bodies don't get any weather-sealing treatment, but the mid-range bodies do. The caveat with "weather sealing" is that it's not water-proof. The seals won't keep water out if that water is under pressure or force. Getting splashed or rained on isn't a problem... submerging in water is a problem. Also... most lenses are _not_ weather sealed, but some are. Many (probably even most) but not all Canon "L" series lenses are weather-sealed. If you have a weather-sealed camera body but are using lens which is not weather sealed... well there's that saying about the "weakest link" -- you'd still need to stay away from water.

The 70D does have a newer sensor and it's slightly higher resolution. It very fractionally improves on dynamic range (by about 1/4 stop). If you were to compare this to, say, a Nikon D7100... that camera has very slightly fractionally better dynamic range still (about 1/2 stop better than a T5i or about 1/4 stop better than a 70D). It's not a huge difference (and, in my opinion, not enough to sway my choice given that there are a lot of other area that get my attention first.)

The 70D does have WiFi. I don't think of this as a big deal. Technically you can transfer images from your camera to your computer via WiFi (but considering it's probably faster to just eject the memory card and plug that into the computer... I'd much rather do that.) But one thing you can do via WiFi is remote control of the camera using a smart-phone (assuming you have a smart-phone.)

One thing I do find significant about the 70D is that it has a control layout more like a high-end body. There's a top LCD screen with several instant-access buttons to commonly adjusted features that you need to use menus to access on a Rebel body.

Also significant in the layout difference is the rear-dial. Rebel bodies get a front dial. The latest Rebel T6s gets a tiny top LCD and rear-dial, but the rest do not get a rear dial. I use the rear-dial on my camera extensively.... when shooting in manual mode, the front dial (by the shutter button) controls the shutter speed and the rear dial controls the aperture. In Tv or Av mode, the front dial controls the shutter or aperture setting you want to use and the rear-dial controls exposure compensation. On a Rebel body you have to use menus to make those adjustments, but the high-end bodies let you control those features on-the-fly without taking your eye away from the viewfinder to read menus or look for buttons. It's well-placed so that your index finger controls the front dial and your thumb controls the rear dial.

So overall... yes, the 70D is clearly a "better" camera in pretty much every way (performance, shooting speed, sensor, body layout, features, build quality, etc. etc.) Of course... it does cost more.

Thank you so much!
I feel like I will probably end up going with the 70D, the things that really make it a better deal for me are the weather sealing and some of the features that youd find on a pro grade body on the 70D. Let alone, cost isnt too much a difference (roughly $250 USD) so I think for the extra that Id be paying it is well worth it for the future and my growth in photography

EDIT: May I also ask your opinion the the T6s and how it stacks up with the 70D? It happens to fall near the price of the 70D, so Im now curious.

the Canon XXD line (70D) has a larger shot buffer, better AF and more "FPS" for sports and action shooting

 

[JacaRanda]

Bravo Tim! that was as exhaustive as can be.......
Kudos!
Jasii

Nice indeed and without bias.

 

[SinisterSpeed]

Just had to make almost the same decision, as a newbie I wanted to make sure the camera had the abilities far above what I could do. T5i didn't have wi-fi so I was looking at the T6i which does. At costco the two camera kits came with the same lenses and were $300 different in price. Came with 2 batteries, bag, 18-55mm and 70-250mm lenses. For most of the reasons listed above I chose the 70d. Seemed like much more camera for not really that much more $$.

 

[JacaRanda]

I like looking at photos created with a camera to help determine if it's image quality is acceptable or not. Lens selection, processing and conditions of course will all be factors.

This photographer uses the 70d and shoots wildlife. You can check the exif data to get an idea of the 70d performance with different lenses.
Ger Bosma