Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm STM Lens

This is my third Canon. Before this I had the T2i, then the T4i, which is nearly identical to the T5i. Don't get me wrong, those are great cameras too, but the 70D is in an entirely different class.When Canon introduced autofocus in video mode in the T4i / T5i models, I jumped at the chance to upgrade from my T2i. I hated that previous generations couldn't do it, but what I soon discovered was that although they introduced autofocus with those models, they perfected it with the 70D.In side-by-side comparisons, the 70D's revolutionary "Dual Pixel COMS" autofocus system is WAY better at not only grabbing focus, but keeping your subject in focus as you or the subject moves around. If you shoot a lot of video, this is clearly a better choice. The auto-focus feels almost like a camcorder. You can move around and it will do a fair job of keeping your subject in focus, with minimal effort.I should point out that the Dual Pixel CMOS auto-focus system is mainly useful in video mode, unless you like to shoot in "Live Mode", rather than using the eyepiece. Basically, the Dual Pixel auto-focus is only active when the lens is open, so you can't use it when you use the eyepiece.Here a a few of my favorite features:1. Great video auto-focus.2. Amazing light sensitivity. I shot 500 shots at dark party without a flash and they looked great with very little noise. I compared photos with other people who had DSLRs that night and there was no comparison. The 70D shots were clearly better by a wide margin.3. Flip-out touchscreen. Let me say this. I didn't think it would be a useful feature at first, but now I can't imagine using a camera without it. First, flip out screens are a must if you want to get into the shot and see how you are centered. Second, the touch screen not only makes editing, zooming and deleting photos easier, but it also makes it super easy to tell the camera what to focus on. If there are three faces in the shot and one person starts talking, you can just touch their face and it moves the focus to them. How cool is that?4. More buttons. Although this may sound contrary to my last remark about how the touchscreen speeds up certain tasks, there are clearly times where you need a dedicated button. Coming from a T4i, that's something I didn't expect to like. I like having dedicated buttons to change certain settings like the focus point and the combination wheel / arrow navigation is far more flexible than the buttons alone. I can scroll through an entire nights shots using the dial the camera responds so quickly that it's almost like watching a time lapse movie of the entire event.What I didn't like...1. WiFi... I had hoped it could be used as a live preview in video, but that's not supported at all.2. WiFi... Hard to use. I've had a computer since the 70s, so I'm quite comfortable using technology, however I found that there were way too many steps in getting the WiFi features to work.3. Battery indicator. I've had this problem with previous models. The battery indicator is on-sreen and in the viewfinder, but the camera doesn't do anything special to warn you about a low battery. I've been caught off guard a few times because I wasn't paying attention. I think it should beep or flash ahead of time to give you time to change it. I'd hate to be in the middle of something important as the battery suddenly shuts down.

I have had this camera for a little over a month now and am only working with the kit lens and body right out of the box. I am not using any hot shoe flashes, extra lenses, filters etc., which is the best thing about this camera - it is superb right out of the box as a stock set up. And, I do mean superb. I have owned Canons for about the past 20 years and have to say this is the best I have owned yet for the price point.The stock lens: Excellent lens for a kit lens and truly responsive in terms of focus vs. stabilization and lighting. This, of course, also works in conjunction with the sensor and chip. But, this is a nice, solid lens at a good cost.Video: The primary selling point on this is the focus when using video. I have to try pretty hard to trick the camera in order to see any focus problems when recording video. It's easier to trick the camera in low light, but I think this is the best video I have ever shot with a camera. The audio seems to be on par or above with most cameras in this price range. But, a nice shotgun mike would probably make a nice addition for the serious videographer. I've never considered myself a serious videographer, but this camera could change that.Battery Life: Battery life seems very good and I am still working off the same charge from when I pulled the camera out of the box about a month ago. However, to me this has never been an issue since I ALWAYS carry a spare battery. I may consider a battery grip for this camera and have owned a couple of Canon battery grips with previous Canons. As a result, battery life has never been much of a concern for me.Speed: The speed of the camera is excellent and I have worked in situations where I fired a number of bursts with great success.Form Factor: I think this is a nicely sized camera and the controls are very well placed for my hands. Everyone has different hands and mine tend to be a little smaller. But, I do like the size and feel of this Canon. It is significantly larger than the Rebels and I think that is what I like about it since I always felt the Rebel was a bit small.On-camera Flash: The last thing I'll mention is the on-camera flash. It's the best I have used yet. Hands down. I am not a big flash user because I shoot a lot of naturally lit subjects. But, I have used this one with a lot of success and am pleasantly surprised at how well it works.Overall, I can't say anything bad about this camera. I wish I could offer up something constructive. But it appears as though Canon got everything right in this one. Even the interface...though I am sure there will be plenty of nit-pickers out there, the interface is pretty intuitive with minimal use.This is truly the best Canon I have ever owned.