Canon EOS 80D Lab and Field Tests

This test was performed by Betternet, TIPA's camera testing lab. I edited the comments and results from their report and am a member of TIPA's Technical Committee.

The new Canon EOS 80D is an SLR system with an APS-C size sensor. The follower of the 70D, which was introduced in 2013, it offers higher resolution (24MP) than its forerunner (70D: 20 MP) and a lot of up-to-date features. It has an EF-S mount and is able to use all EF/EF-S lens systems.

The camera is very compact. It is nearly the same size as the Canon EOS 750/760D (Canon Rebel T6i/T6s). The design looks very similar to this entry-level camera, but the function elements of the new camera show some differences. The Canon 80D offers an 8-way control field, which is helpful for navigation in image playback mode, when using the magnifier function in live preview mode, or when setting up the desired focus sensor. By using the control field the user can activate the focus area very quickly and intuitively.

The new Canon offers a fast AF system with 45 AF areas, which are all cross type sensors. 27 of these sensors are very fast/light sensitive and allow for work with a wide range of lenses. The focus system is highly configurable: the photographer can choose single AF areas, groups of AF sensors, and more. To configure or set up the AF system the camera has the well-known “AF sensor” button on the back and a second, small focus system button directly beside the shutter release button. Choosing an AF area or configuring groups/AF areas is very easy with these buttons in combination with the setup dials and the cursor control field.

The compact body of the Canon EOS 80D is well balanced and fits comfortably in hand. Many function elements allow for quick setup of all parameters. The camera has a setup dial right behind the shutter release button and a second wheel/rotary knob that encircles the 8 way cursor field, so setting up aperture and shutter speed in M mode is very comfortable. In all, the camera supports easy menu navigation and image parameter setup. A large and illuminated status LCD displays the most important settings.

The new Canon has a large 3-inch screen on the back with high resolution (1,040,000 RGB dots). This LCD can be used as electronic viewfinder. To activate this viewfinder the camera offers an LV switch right beside the ocular of the optical viewfinder. The LCD of the 80D is touch sensitive. The touch screen can also be used for parameter setup by pressing the “Q” button and choosing parameters like ISO speed or the EV compensation. The monitor of the Canon EOS 80D is fully articulated and can be rotated to the left hand side or even to the front of the camera.

As a mid-range SLR system the camera offers a small pop-up flash system, which is very helpful in many situations. The camera supports Canon’s “E-TLL II” system and wireless multi flash systems for Canon Speedlite flashes, which can be mounted on the accessory shoe on top of the camera.

The new Canon also has a Wi-Fi module including NFC, which allows users to establish the wireless connection between the 80D and a smart device. The free app for Apple iOS and Android allows image transfer as well as using the smartphone/tablet as a remote control.

Image Quality Lab Tests

Color: The EOS 80D showed an excellent performance in our color test. The automatic white balance system did a very good job, so the gray pattern for neutral color nuances are located nearly exactly in the center of our GretagMacbeth chart. Red colors are slightly boosted by a higher and brighter yellow rate. Skin tones are reproduced perfectly. The overall saturation is also nearly perfect. The Canon 80D reproduced the test chart with 98.8 percent. Our field test shots give proof of the very good color results of our test charts.

Sharpness: The Canon EOS 80D reproduced the ISO 12233 test chart with 3634 of 4000 lines, which is a very good result. The camera showed some over- and under-shot effects on hard contrast lines: the conclusion is that its DIGIC6 processor uses an intense filtering to enhance sharpness. Fortunately, it isn't intense enough to create real clipping effects, but the boosting of sharpness may be visible in some image elements. In our real life shots, this effect isn't as intense as in the shot of test chart. The camera seems to intensify filtering effects depending on the scene. The test images were taken in default settings, so the “Picture Style” was set to “Auto”, while most other Canon SLRs use “Standard” with a fixed setup for sharpness, contrast and colors.

Noise: The EOS 80D performed in a typical way for Canon SLRs in our noise tests. At lower ISO speed settings luminance noise level is a little higher than in images taken with other APS-C cameras, but the color noise is very low. Color noise artifacts get visible in images taken with ISO 1600 and clearly visible in images taken with highest ISO speed settings of more than ISO 6400. The results of the highest ISO speed settings (12,800/16,000) are still acceptable, but in additional high mode up to ISO 25,600 it becomes more intense.

The dynamic range results are on an average or good level. The camera reproduced the Stouffer 4110 chart with a maximum of 10.9 f-stops with reduced dynamic range in images taken with higher ISO speeds.