Why the Canon EOS 70D is Good for Vlogging

Why the Canon EOS 70D is Good for YouTube Vlogging

Sensor

APS-C

Image Quality1080p30
Weight (No lens)1.66 lb / 755g
Flip Screen Yes
External Mic Port Yes
​Stabilization No
Our Rating 4/5

The Canon EOS 70D is a DSLR that is one of the best vlogging cameras that require excellent video quality. The reason is its great video recording quality combined with having Canon’s video lenses available. It has one of best DSLR autofocus systems. It is also really fast and has many features that make recording vlogs easier. This camera already has an update: the Canon EOS 90D.

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What the Canon EOS 70D Offers to Filming Vlogging Enthusiasts

Its strongest point is its autofocus system – There are many reasons why its autofocus is one of the best. First of all, it’s almost as fast as you can dream for a DSLR. It is also very accurate, even to the point of making action vlogging possible with pure autofocus; there’s no hunting around for the correct focusing target. It’s also one of those few DSLRs that won’t mess up autofocus when changing your distance from the camera a lot.

Its touchscreen also allows you to choose the focusing point with a simple touch on the screen. With this method, the camera is capable of changing the focused subject in around 0.65 seconds. That’s actually pretty fast, so it is a reliable autofocus for fast-moving objects.

Also, bear in mind that you will have available Canon’s STM lenses, which are silent when focusing. By using one of them, you won’t hear the lens’s motor focusing in the middle of your video.

On the other hand, good battery life is another advantage of the 70D for vloggers. It’s able to take around 920 pictures before needing a recharge, which is slightly above the DSLR average (894 shots).

Touchscreen, WiFi, and Video Snapshots are also great additions for vlogging – Its touchscreen is great for saving you time. You will be able to change its settings pretty fast, as you won’t have to navigate through every option to reach the one you need to change.

Its WiFi lets you upload directly to YouTube in .MOV format. It also allows you to stop, pause or resume video with your smartphone.

Finally, Video Snapshots lets you record small 4, 8 or 12-second clips to make the editing process much faster.

You can choose between 1080p30/25/24 and 720p60/50 – Since Canon video cameras are more leaned toward cinematic video, they often opt to exclude the 60fps recording rate in 1080p resolution. 24fps is the common cinema rate, so Canon considers it unnecessary to include 60fps in its cheapest models.

Camcorders, on the contrary, can most of the time record at 60fps rate because they lean toward TV broadcast format.

We can say that this is the Canon EOS 70D’s weakest point. Other DSLRs can record 1080p60, which allows for slow-motion recording. The 70D can only record slow motion at 720p.

Should You Go for the 70D?

Now, all this is great. But there is something you must consider before buying this camera for video blogging.

Its amazing autofocus system is great for action filming. This makes the Canon EOS 70D a trusty one. However, you won’t take the advantages it offers if you’re just going to use its autofocus in its simplest way.

If you want to use it for a lot of filming beyond the simple “talk-to-the-camera” vlog, then the Canon EOS 70D is an excellent choice.

This is especially true if you’re going to record stories and any short film in general. It is not at the level of a 5D Mark III, which is the best DSLR for filming, but it’s amazingly good for video.

What I mean by all this is that you should get this camera if you really plan to use it A LOT. It is a really good addition and your faithful viewers will thank you for it, but it’s not what you need to start a YouTube channel.

If you don’t think you will be filming that much, you can save some bucks with a Canon EOS Rebel T5i or a T6i, which are cheaper and their image quality get really close to the 70D’s (in good lighting conditions), but without the outstanding autofocus and battery life.

Still, the price difference between them and the 70D isn’t that big.

The trick here is to go straight for the 70D if you plan to get a DSLR for filming sooner or later. But remember, DSLRs are only good if you’re recording from home on a tripod. If you’d prefer a camera to take around with you, you should check the Canon G7 X Mark II. No other camera can compare to it when it comes to daily vlogs, not even the 70D, which is better for technical videos that require extra good color quality and sharpness.

The Canon EOS 70D has been considered a good vlogging DSLR throughout the years. It was used a lot by action vloggers like Casey Neistat. This speaks a lot about it. The new version (80D) adds some improvements to image quality, although it still hasn’t reached 4K recording. The price of the 70D has gone down since the update, so it is a good time to buy it.

If you finally decide to go for this camera, make sure to visit this list to choose the right silent lens from Canon.

The Good

  • Made for video (mic jack, flip screen, hot shoe)
  • Really good ​​​​​autofocus
  • Good battery life
  • Lightweight ​DSLR

The ​Bad

  • No in-body stabilization
  • There are many cheaper 4k cameras