Yesterday Canon announced the latest evolution to their midrange APS-C EOS DSLR line—the 70D. While it won’t be available until September, by all accounts it looks to be an important upgrade with a host of desirable features.
The most significant new feature is the 20.2MP CMOS sensor of an entirely different design incorporating a “dual pixel” autofocus that which portends much faster and potentially more accurate phase detection AF in live view and movie modes. The optical pentaprism viewfinder uses the same 19-point AF sensor as the 7D, and the image processor is DIGIC 5+.
Those familiar with the Canon lineup may wonder if the 70D is intended as a replacement for the extremely popular 7D, but we’ll have to wait and see. Some of the 70D features meet or exceed 7D specs (not surprising since the 7D has been around since mid-2009). Others are just different, like the Vari-Angle LCD. For more thorough coverage of features and design see hands-on previews at DPReview and Imaging-Resource.