Canon 70D Hands on Experiance

D.P. · 9 May 2014 at 15:28

If you want UK stock look here:
http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

If video is you thing then I would still look into one of the Panasonic bodies, GH3, GX7, or a Sony A77 or A6000.
You mentioned a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera in your OP, is there any reason why you are not considering this now if you are interested in video?

Amp34 · 9 May 2014 at 17:44

Is Kerso still around? He used to do import (ish) pricing but full UK Canon warranty.

redline · 9 May 2014 at 17:47

Once again, thank you for the info guys, it really is appreciated.

D.P... I've not ruled anything out, at this point, but I am strongly leaning towards the Canon for several reasons. Fantastic though the Blackmagic appears, it would require a big investment in terms of lenses and other gear to make it practical, on top of the cost of the body. It would also require a huge investment of time to learn how to do digital grading from the ProRes or RAW files properly, and I'm not sure I'm prepared to put myself through the steep learning curve of that just now... I feel it might stifle the creative side, and take up time I do not have.

Watching some of the clips from the 70D esp. those on the Camera Labs review, makes my excited for the creative possibilities it offers, esp. working solo in, sometimes, difficult conditions.

I really think I want an all in one solution, and stills will see the bulk of the cameras usage... for the money this seems to offer the best all round performance, but I am going to look seriously at the other options.. I'm not rushing into anything here.

I've just noticed I spelled 'Experience' wrong in the title

Tysonator · 12 May 2014 at 11:42

Phal said:
I bought my 70d because it seemed like a better option than the 7d to me. I wanted an upgrade and I wasn't willing to give up the crop factor. There's no regrets and I love my 70d but I can't really comment on the video features since I never really use them.

I'm keen to see what the 7d2 will be like. Hopefully it won't be too much better otherwise I'll feel bad about wanting to buy it when I should be saving up for silly long lenses... Or you know... Life!

I am waiting for the 7D MK.II as well....!

redline · 12 May 2014 at 16:41

Tysonator said:
I am waiting for the 7D MK.II as well....!

It will obviously be better, but also more expensive, which likely would rule it out for for me; plus, I want something sooner rather than later... there seems to be no release date as yet.

Having spent a large part of the weekend reading up on, as well as watching countless reviews, and hands-on videos, I can say safety say I'm sick of cameras

But seriously, I have decided on the 70D, as I think its the best tool for the job within my budget.

I just need to decide where to buy it... I found it for £980 via SpencerMann who claim "UK company - UK Stock" I have contacted them just for 100% clarification that the camera will be a recognised by Canon as a UK item, but they have yet to reply.

Has anyone used them?

I've found HDEW have it for £885 and they are a UK company, with decent reviews, so I'm close to pushing the button on this.

CGrieves · 13 May 2014 at 23:50

redline said:
It will obviously be better, but also more expensive, which likely would rule it out for for me; plus, I want something sooner rather than later... there seems to be no release date as yet.

Having spent a large part of the weekend reading up on, as well as watching countless reviews, and hands-on videos, I can say safety say I'm sick of cameras

But seriously, I have decided on the 70D, as I think its the best tool for the job within my budget.

I just need to decide where to buy it... I found it for £980 via SpencerMann who claim "UK company - UK Stock" I have contacted them just for 100% clarification that the camera will be a recognised by Canon as a UK item, but they have yet to reply.

Has anyone used them?

I've found HDEW have it for £885 and they are a UK company, with decent reviews, so I'm close to pushing the button on this.

I've used HDEW for Canon lenses. Nice quick delivery and a huge saving, but the gear is grey import. Three year warranty though, which is a handy compensation.

Good choice on the 70D. D.P. Would rather you buy a bag of frozen peas for video than Canon gear

but they are damn good, and the 70D is one of the best APS-C DSLRs for video at the moment. I nearly pulled the pin on one myself, but went the Fuji route instead.

redline · 14 May 2014 at 11:01

CGrieves said:
I've used HDEW for Canon lenses. Nice quick delivery and a huge saving, but the gear is grey import. Three year warranty though, which is a handy compensation.

Good choice on the 70D. D.P. Would rather you buy a bag of frozen peas for video than Canon gear but they are damn good, and the 70D is one of the best APS-C DSLRs for video at the moment. I nearly pulled the pin on one myself, but went the Fuji route instead.

I ordered one yesterday through Hdew, but at the time I was not aware it would be a grey. Their site and wording on it is geared to making you believe quite the opposite, and is frankly verging on a scam.... however, they do offer a free three year warranty, which seems fine, and they are cheap, without the risk of finding you have to pay extra duty and VAT as is the case with some other dealers.

So, I am going to let the order run and not cancel, which I was thinking of doing... at the end of the day I want the camera, but I'm not happy about the way they cover up the facts about what you buying.

If D.P gives advice based on some stupid tribal allegiance to Nikon then that is rather sad :rolleyes:

I have used almost every brand going over the years, and do not give a flying fig about the name on the top. This is clearly the best camera for my needs and budget, and that is all that matters.

D.P. · 14 May 2014 at 15:32

redline said:
I ordered one yesterday through Hdew, but at the time I was not aware it would be a grey. Their site and wording on it is geared to making you believe quite the opposite, and is frankly verging on a scam.... however, they do offer a free three year warranty, which seems fine, and they are cheap, without the risk of finding you have to pay extra duty and VAT as is the case with some other dealers.

So, I am going to let the order run and not cancel, which I was thinking of doing... at the end of the day I want the camera, but I'm not happy about the way they cover up the facts about what you buying.

If D.P gives advice based on some stupid tribal allegiance to Nikon then that is rather sad I have used almost every brand going over the years, and do not give a flying fig about the name on the top. This is clearly the best camera for my needs and budget, and that is all that matters.

It is a ridiculous accusation - no where in thread thread did I recommend a Nikon camera!
All I have suggested is that DSLRs are not ideal for video and a good video setup will ruin a camera for stills. Sony and Panasonic both make cameras better suited to video and the Black magic cameras are better still.

redline · 14 May 2014 at 19:07

D.P. said:
It is a ridiculous accusation

I said 'if' so no accusation... I was not the one who bought it up, and simply said it would be sad if that was the case...

It had not crossed my mind that there was any agenda, so please don't be upset.

Thanks for your help and advice

I do appreciate it.

I'm not into Nikon v Canon or any other of these stupid fights, which crop up far too often.

I'm also content that what I want to capture in stills, is the same as want I want to film, and therefore do not need wildly different set-ups for either... its what I've been doing for some time with fine results; this Canon will just make life a lot easier, and give more scope in some areas.