Canon 77D - First Thoughts

The Canon 77D camera

I bought a new camera body a while ago - a Canon 77D. Since I bought my previous body in June 2010, it was time for an upgrade.

In this article, I'll go through my reasons for upgrading, my camera selection process, general comments about the camera and my experience with low light photography with the 77D.

Why Upgrade?

Night photo with Canon 77D

My Canon T1i was and is a great camera. I've taken close to 60,000 photos with it, and I still use it on occasion for video or as a second camera. In fact, I just used it to shoot a half marathon.

However, it had a few weaknesses that were really bugging me. The biggest one was that it had poor low light performance.

When it's dark, you have only three ways to get a decent exposure for a photo:

1. Open the aperture up (limited by your lens);
2. Slow the shutter speed (need a tripod and a stationary subject); and/or
3. Increase the ISO (increases digital noise).

The problem with the T1i is that above ISO 400, it got very noisy and was pretty much unusable above ISO 800. This meant that I couldn't take star photos, especially not Milky Way photos. Also, sports photography in dim rinks weren't really successful.

My Canon T1i didn't have a flip out LCD screen either. Beyond the obvious selfie potential, I could see that as being useful for composing shots when the camera was on the ground or other positions where I can't look through the viewfinder.

Choosing a Model

Top view of Canon 77D

I had decided to continue with a Canon body. If I was starting fresh, I'd pick a mirrorless camera instead of an SLR, but I have a big investment in good glass (lenses) so I am sticking with Canon.

I didn't want a full-frame SLR, because one of my two good lens isn't compatible and I had already decided that it was unnecessary for my needs. I had been lusting after a Canon 7D Mk II for a while, but after a little research, I found that the Canon 80D was a better camera for a lower price!

A little more investigation showed me that there were three very similar cameras in Canon's lineup:

1. Canon T7i, consumer grade
2. Canon 77D, prosumer grade
3. Canon 80D, semi-professional grade

Here's a table comparing those three camera bodies, along with my old T1i on the left.

	Canon T1i	Canon T7i	Canon 77D	Canon 80D
Megapixels	15	24	24	24
Max ISO	3,200	25,600	25,600	16,000
Focus Points	9	45	45	45
LCD	Fixed 3"	Flip-out 3"	Flip-out 3"	Flip-out 3"
Frames/second	3.4	6	6	7
Video	1920x1080, 20 fps	1920x1080, 60 fps	1920x1080, 60 fps	1920x1080, 60 fps
Other features	-	-	Built-in interval and bulb timers; top LCD panel	Weather sealing; pentaprism viewfinder
Price	Discontinued	$	$$	$$$
Amazon		Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon	Buy on Amazon

You can see there are more similarities than differences between the three "7" cameras. I didn't want the T7i because I wanted a higher-end body to resist weather. The 80D seems like the superior camera but its ISO performance isn't as strong as the T7i or the 77D, because it has an older processor in the camera.

I went to Henry's and asked to look at the 77D and 80D. I held them for a few minutes then bought the 77D.

General Comments

Controls on the Canon 77D

So far I've taken a little over 3,000 photos with the 77D and I am very impressed with it. It operates very much like the T1i, being another Canon product, but it has some definite improvements.

The focusing performance seems better on the 77D, presumably due to the dual-pixel technology that these cameras have. I rarely have a focus miss now, something that I had fairly frequently when using my 70-200mm lens in lower light. I'm also impressed by how well it focuses in lower light, where my T1i would hunt and not focus.

One small thing is that the shutter sound is much quieter on the 77D. My T1i's shutter was super noisy, loud enough that it would sometimes turn heads if I took a photo in a quiet room. The 77D is by no means silent but the shutter isn't very loud.

A few controls have moved - notably, the power switch - but in general, it wasn't a big learning curve for me to move to this camera. I like that there is a separate button to change the ISO. I wish there was a button to change the focus type between "one shot" and "AI Servo".

The 77D has a touch screen. To be honest, I have not used this at all. I've locked it out for the moment, as I am afraid I am going to touch it and change settings that I don't mean to change. Maybe I should try enabling it, as I could change the focus type pretty quickly using the touch screen.

This camera has wireless (wifi and Bluetooth). I've used the app on my phone to receive photos from the camera, but I haven't played with it much. I think it will be more useful as a remote trigger for the camera. More to come.

Low Light Performance

Ooooh, stars!

Here's the important part. I bought the 77D primarily to get better low light performance, and it delivers. I'm very impressed by how much better it is in low light, both when shooting at a low ISO and also how well it performs when I shoot at ISO 1600 or higher.

Here's a photo at a ridiculous ISO 25600 - something I would never ever attempt with the T1i. In fact, you couldn't even select it on the T1i.

ISO 25600 photo with Canon 77D

There's some quality issues, but it is still quite usable at such a high ISO. I was also shooting from across the rink!

In case you're wondering what's going on here, this was a little game they were playing in the stands during a curling competition in Portage la Prairie. The person who could get the most tissues out of the box won a prize.

Here's a more reasonable ISO - ISO 1600. My friend Jason Paul Sailer is giving the wave to a train at sunrise.

ISO 1600 photo of a train with Canon 77D

I'm very happy with the quality of this photo.

Another ISO 1600 photo - curler Kaitlyn Lawes' intensity is apparent as she is delivering a shot at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.

Kaitlyn Lawes throwing a curling stone

I am super happy with the low light performance of this camera.

Summary

I love my new camera! The Canon 77D has met my expectations for low light performance and I've been impressed by its focusing capability and picture quality. I have very few complaints.

I was not compensated in any way to write this article. I just want to share my experience with the camera!

Black Friday

Normally I don't pay any attention to Black Friday* but this year was different. Since I'm on the prowl for a new lens, I wanted to see if it would go on sale today.

It had been listed for $969.99 on Henry's, which is about $80 off their normal price. I wasn't excited about that price so I was holding out for better. I had pretty much resigned myself to trying the Boxing Day sales, but maybe, just maybe Black Friday would come through.

Just before midnight I checked the Henry's web site again.

Another $120 off! (With tax it's $960.49, free shipping)

I didn't wait very long before clicking BUY NOW on that one! The confirmation email came quickly and now I just have to wait for it to ship. I should have it before Christmas...

If you look for the lens on Photoprice.ca you'll see links to other retailers who are selling the lens for the same price. I saw that Canon itself was selling for that price, as was Best Buy and a few other places. I want to support Canadian companies so I chose Henry's, also because they have a store in Winnipeg. Sadly it was web-only so I couldn't get it direct from the local store.


By the way, if you live in the US and are interested in Lightroom and/or Photoshop, this is a steal! The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop CC + Lightroom) is on sale for USD $6.99/month... this normally costs $9.99/month so it's 30% off. Snap it up, as this doesn't go on sale often! (that's an affiliate link, where I earn a small commission for anything you buy while you're on Amazon, at no additional cost to you)

* Black Friday is a recent North American tradition of sale prices and ridiculous shopping crowds, which apparently originated in Philadelphia in the 1950s but only became widespread in the late 1980s. I like that it has become more and more an "online" thing.

Choosing a New Lens

Choosing a New Lens

I'm on the hunt for a new lens for my camera. Currently have three lenses for my Canon T1i:

• My baby, a Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS lens
• The kit lens, a Canon 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS lens
• The "nifty fifty", a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens

My Baby

I love the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens. It's expensive but man, is it sharp! I bought it in September 2013* and I use it extensively. I use it probably more than I even should, because it is so much better than the 18-55mm lens.

The Nifty Fifty

I bought the "nifty fifty" (Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens) back in early 2011. It's a sharp, fast lens but I don't tend to use it very much for railfanning. The problem is that it is a prime lens, not a zoom, so it is not very useful for photographing moving objects. If it was a prime 24mm lens (or wider) it would be more useful. I tend to use the 50mm lens in low light situations because of its wide aperture (lets in more light) and sharpness.

I recommend that everyone have a "nifty fifty" - they are sharp, fast lenses and very inexpensive.

The Kit Lens

That leads us to the 18-55mm lens. It's an OK lens, but it is definitely not sharp. "Kit" lenses tend to be fair quality lenses but you generally want to upgrade from them (they're called kit lenses because they come in the kit you buy with your camera body).

So... what lens to buy? One big problem is that there are so many choices. Canon has 81 lenses in its current lineup! This doesn't even count the third-party lenses from Sigma, Tamron or Tokina...

Narrowing the Focus

It's important to narrow this field down by deciding precisely what you want. My 18-55mm replacement is intended to be a walk-about lens that I will use for photographing moving trains as well as everyday tourist / pictures-of-kids photography. Here's what I want:

• A similar focal range: 18-55mm, maybe 16mm at the low end but not more than 70mm at the high end. The focal length can't be longer than 18mm or it's not wide enough.
• An aperture of f/2.8 or f/4 at the highest.
• It has to be sharp.
• It has to zoom... not a prime.
• Image stabilization / vibration reduction is very important.

The Contenders

Armed with this list, I went out and did a lot of searching to find what lenses were available. In the end, I found 8 lenses. I built an Excel spreadsheet to list the important attributes of these lenses, then read the online reviews and assigned a "desirability index" to each and sorted them. Here are the results:

All prices are Canadian and are store prices at time of writing.

Analysis

The top two lenses are the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens and the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Lens. Both are very good lenses. I really want the Canon but the Sigma is $300 cheaper!

The Sigma 210101 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens is an excellent lens, by all accounts. I would rate it higher but it has no image stabilization and the focal range is not quite as high as I'd like. That f/1.8 aperture is very tempting, though!

Note that for these third-party lenses like Sigma, it's important to ensure you have the right lens mount. Since I shoot Canon, I've linked to the Canon versions of the lenses. They make lenses for Nikon and Sony as well, so don't buy the wrong lens.

Next Steps

The next step is to go to a camera store and try the Canon and Sigma lenses out. Ideally the store would have both and I could shoot them both and compare the images at home. I know I can't take the lenses with me so that will have to do. I know my heart wants the Canon lens but I have to give the Sigma a good look.

After that it's a question of accumulating enough funds to buy the new lens! Maybe if I sell a few more calendars...

Thanks for reading! Are you in the market for a new lens? Or a new camera?

* The reason why I know that I bought my 70-200mm lens in September 2013 is thanks to Lightroom. It was a simple matter to search by metadata and look for all photos I took with that lens.

The first photo I took with a 70-200mm lens was a pan shot of a passing vehicle to test it out.

Please note that some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning that I earn a small commission when you buy something after following the link, at no additional cost to you.

Passing Gear

This morning I was traveling along Wilkes Avenue and heard that CN 115 was coming, and CN 111 was going to overtake her before Diamond. I stopped around mile 8 and saw the headlights of 115 in the distance on the north track. CN 115 poked along at a jogging pace...

Note the piles of new ties by the tracks. The Herzog machine has been busy distributing the tie bundles for the upcoming work season.

Here we see the problem with shooting westbound trains in the morning.

Beautiful light on the sides, but the nose is totally in darkness.

The going-away shot is much better lit.

The paint is falling off poor CN 2501. Even the SD60 CN 5533 is in better shape.



CN 115 continued trundling on and on, probably frustrating many morning commuters as it blocked crossings all along Wilkes. I didn't count the cars but there were well over a hundred.

Eventually the end of CN 115 came into view, and beyond that I could see the headlights of CN 111 in the distance.


111 covered the distance at a much quicker pace. CN 2274 and 8898 were the sole power on a short CN 111.

I had thought I would have video of train 111, since I just let the Canon S3 continue recording all the way through CN 115. Unfortunately, it stopped recording before 111 was done... because it hit the maximum video size of 1 GB. Who knew there was a limit? I was too busy clicking away with my T1i to notice that the video had stopped. Dang it.

I'll spare you the highly-backlit shot of lead engine 2274 and just show the going-away shot.


PS - Apparently there is a CHDK hack that removes the 1 GB video limit, and provides other goodies like RAW files, motion detection and scripting. I haven't tried it and of course I do not warrant it will do anything good or bad for your camera!

EDIT: I added the video of CN 115.

The Mode Wheel

There's a good article on Pixiq about Translating the Mode Wheel. You know, the wheel that determines what mode your camera shoots in. The article basically says that you should never use any of the "specialty" modes (like Sports, No Flash, etc.) and instead use Program (P), Aperture Priority (Av), Shutter Priority (Tv) or Manual (M). A little extreme? Perhaps.. but perhaps not.

I have been burned by using some of the specialty modes. Let's step through the ones available on my T1i, in no particular order.

Creative Auto
When I first bought the camera, I was shooting trains in Creative Auto (CA) mode. It gives you some flexibility in settings but is not full on Program mode. The problem is that in low light it pops the flash up, which is useless for shooting trains. To combat this, I switched to No Flash mode.

No Flash
The problem is that No Flash mode picks the slowest shutter speed it can get away with. I really got burned on this in Calgary shooting CP from an overhead bridge. I showed some video in my post but no stills. I had taken the stills, but they were blurry because the shutter speed was too slow.

Now I shoot in Shutter Priority (Tv) mode - basically the same but *I* get to control the shutter speed. I find 1/125s is good enough for most trains, but if you are close to the train and it is going perpendicular to where you're aiming, it is good to use a 1/160 or 1/200 shutter speed to ensure the train is frozen with no blur.

Portrait
I confess I use Portrait mode a lot when shooting people pictures. I put that down to laziness and I really should use Aperture Priority (Av) mode instead.

Landscape
I have used Landscape mode with good results, but I don't use it much.

Full Auto
I might have shot one or two pictures with this mode when I first bought the camera, but I don't see any point in it. Why get an SLR if you are going to shoot in full auto?

Close-Up
Honestly, I'm not sure that I have ever used this. As the article says, if you have a macro lens, use Program or Aperture Priority. If you don't have a macro lens, this isn't going to help you at all.

Sports
I tried using Sports mode to shoot trains, but the problem with that is it uses a single point of focus (the centre) and that really interferes with good composition. I'd rather keep my 9 points of focus, thanks.

Night Portrait
I've never used it.

Do you use any of the specialty modes in your camera?

A Tale of Two Lenses

When I bought my Canon T1i, it came with the "kit" lens, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens. As kit lenses go, it's not bad but I always figured I could do better.

That's the thing about SLRs - there is always a better lens out there, if you are willing to spend the money. The thing I always wondered was whether the difference would be noticeable.

I did some research recently and decided that I would like to purchase the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. It has good reviews and is known to be a fast lens with good optics.

I went on Kijiji and found one for sale here in Winnipeg for about $30 off retail, and less than 6 months old. Lenses don't depreciate much so this was a pretty good deal. The seller was also selling a battery so I figured I'd get that too... always good to have a spare.

We met at the Forks and I had a look at the lens. It's tiny! I was satisfied with it so we exchanged cash and I went on my way. On the way out, I noticed that VIA 693 was backing into the station at 16:30, "only" about 6 hours late!

I headed over to CN Subway, and on the way shot CN 111 rolling past Canwest Park with CN 8932 and CN 2307 on the head end. This was a grab shot.

As I went down toward Osborne I saw CN 8948 was the DPU unit in CN 111. I also saw an eastbound with CN 2663 and CN 2651 on the north track going by CN 111.

At Subway, there was an eastbound train waiting to head out. I think it was either 302 or 306. As an experiment, I decided to shoot it with both the 18-55mm lens and the 50mm lens. At first glance, the pictures look pretty much the same.


The top one was taken with the 18-55mm zoom lens, and the bottom with the 50mm lens. No editing was done on the images other than to crop the 18-55mm shot a bit and resize the images.

However, the devil is in the details. I shot both in shutter priority mode (1/200s) and the EXIF details show a little difference. For the 18-55mm lens, the camera used an exposure of f/5.6 and ISO 200. The 50mm lens earned an exposure of f/4.5 with ISO 100, showing the greater light sensitivity of the 50mm lens.

If you look closely at the images, the difference in detail is quite apparent.


Again, the top one was taken with the 18-55mm zoom lens, and the bottom with the 50mm lens, with no editing. You can see that the 50mm lens was quite a bit sharper when the image is magnified.

This is definitely a better lens than the 18-55mm lens. I don't think I will be using the 50mm exclusively, of course, since it doesn't have any zoom and is therefore less versatile than the zoom lens. However, I think for "whole train" shots the 50mm lens may become my preferred lens. Stay tuned.

The T1i Rocks!

One question my wife asked me when I told her I wanted to purchase a Canon T1i was: we have a perfectly good camera, what will you gain with the new camera?

My answer: THIS.

CP 8800 and 9629 led a train through Indus, Alberta on Sunday evening, after sunset, and I still got the shot.

From past experience, I know that when the sun goes down, the Canon S3 goes back in the bag. It simply cannot shoot a moving subject in low light. Impossible. However, the T1i can do it.

This shot was taken with a shutter speed of 1/400s, aperture of F/4.6, and ISO 1600. The S3 is not capable of ISO "film" speeds greater than 800, and ISO 800 looks terrible on the S3. And this was with the KIT lens!

DISCLAIMER: I did bump up the brightness and reduce the contrast a bit when editing these photos. I was shooting JPEGs, not RAW. They still looked good right off the camera.

Here's the tail end of the train, with CP 8542 giving a shove.


I am very impressed with the T1i's capabilities. Very impressed.

CN in Edmonton, 2010/06/09

I am in Edmonton, Alberta for a short business trip. On the evening of the 9th, I went out with my new Canon T1i to see if I could have better luck with it than last time.

I am staying a hotel a short distance away from CN's Clover Bar yard in eastern Edmonton. I went to the west end of that yard and saw a slug set working the yard. CN 7518 and 7526 bracketed slug CN 508.

Not a bad shot, taken from a distance with the kit lens of the T1i. Sports mode, my friends, sports mode!

Later, I decided to go a little west to Hayter Road. After a bit of a wait, CN 313 rolled into view. They pulled past me, then stopped and pushed back up the hill into Clover Bar Yard to make a pickup.

The train had CN 2561 and IC 1030 for power.

I also saw another slug set working the west end of the yard. Details here.

Not a bad evening of railfanning. I'm very pleased with the shots the T1i gave me this time, especially on a cloudy evening. I don't think my S3 would have even come close to these. More to come.

Focus... Focus!!!

My first outing shooting trains with my Canon T1i was a disappointment, I'm afraid.

My youngest son and I drove up to Wilkes Avenue to catch the departing Hudson Bay (VIA 693) Sunday at noon. As it happens, a CN freight was heading west first. I think it was CN 781 but I'm not sure. I pointed the camera and started shooting...

All very nice until you expand the image and notice that it is blurred.

I was shooting in full auto and the flash popped up when I was shooting. I think it was firing the flash while I was shooting and expecting that to make a difference. The manual says it will attempt to illuminate backlit subjects.

I didn't notice that it was blurred, because it looked fine in the viewfinder. The Hudson Bay came along and I shot it too... also blurred.



Needless to say, I was disappointed when I loaded the images on my computer.

On our way up Wilkes, we saw CN 7238 and slug 200 stopped at the former Winnipeg Intermodal Terminal and shot them. These turned out fine, because the train wasn't moving.

There is a sports mode on the camera and I think I will try that next time. I really hope it brings better results. It's a learning experience!

Canon T1i - First Impressions

My Canon T1i arrived Thursday. We were putting our new lawn in this weekend so I haven't had much of a chance to play with it yet (except to take some photos of our progress) but here are my first impressions.

The camera feels lighter than I expected. I guess I am thinking back to the days of my old Minolta Maxxum 5000i (body selling for $30!). I am impressed by how light it feels.

The next thing I noticed is how large and bright the LCD screen on the back is. It is at least three times the area of my Canon S3. It sure makes chimping much easier. My wife was very disappointed to learn that you don't get a live preview of the shot on the LCD, though. She's used to that from the S3, together with the flip-out LCD. Time will tell if that bothers me. I don't think it will, because I typically shoot looking through the viewfinder anyway.

Taking a picture in full auto mode is about as easy as you might think. The nine focus points are clear in the viewfinder and it is very helpful to know what point(s) the camera wants to use for focus. The shutter release is smooth and it feels like a serious camera. I don't know how to explain it better than that.

The autofocus is noticeably faster than the S3, especially in low light. The T1i doesn't waste time hunting for focus; it seems almost instant. I pointed it at a stippled white ceiling in low light, and the T1i had no trouble focusing on that. The S3 would have hunted for focus and given up in the same situation.

I haven't tried the video at all. For now I'm going to stick to stills. The T1i is capable of "full" 1080p video (1920x1080 pixels) but only at 20 frames per second. I think for train shooting that is going to be insufficient, so I will likely use 720p video (1280x720) at 30fps. The S3 shot at 640x480 so this is still a big improvement.

Those are my first impressions. I have a lot of training to do to get used to the camera and its features and drawbacks. But it's a start.

Decisions, Decisions Round 2

I think I've just about decided which camera to get. As you may recall, I was considering the Canon XSi versus the Nikon D5000. Many of you commented, and I really appreciate the feedback. Some liked the Canon, some the Nikon, and there were a couple of other recommendations: the Fuji S100fs and the Olympus E620.

Since my last post, I've decided that I do want video on the camera, so that rules out the Olympus. The Fuji has video but it is pretty low-resolution. Now I'm comparing the Canon T1i versus the Nikon D5000, a worthy match-up.

Comparison

I think in the end, I like Canon and that's what is going to tip the scales for me. Unless something else comes along shortly, my mind is made up. Now I just have to figure out the best way to finance it! :)

Canon S3 IS Woes

As I hinted back in January, my Canon S3 IS digital camera died. The last photo I took was on January 19.

My camera suffered the infamous E18 error, aka "Lens Failure". It's well-known enough to have its own web site. :)

On many digital cameras, including mine, the lens extends out of the body when it is turned on. On the S3 the lens normally leaps out within a second of turning the camera on. The problem started around Christmas when it hesitated for several seconds before extending the lens. It got progressively worse until January 19, when it refused to come out at all. The camera would grumble away and then make a beep-beep noise, with the message "Lens failure, please restart" appearing on the LCD screen.

I tried replacing the batteries with fully-charged ones - no go. I looked at the E18 Repair Instructions but I wasn't willing to abuse the camera. Finally I called Canon's 1-800-OK-CANON line and talked to a live person. They advised me to send it in, so I did. It's out of warranty, alas.

I sent it via Xpresspost on February 11 and it was received at the Canon depot in Quebec on February 13. I called on the 18th and they said they had looked at it and would charge a flat fee of $149.00 plus tax and shipping. I agreed, and they had it back in my hands a week later.

I would hesitate to buy another Canon, given the number of these E18 messages that seem to plague people. Anyone out there have a similar problem?

Comments on Canon S3 IS

I purchased my Canon S3 IS camera back in September and I've thoroughly enjoyed using it. It's fast and easy to use and the pictures it takes are a few steps above the old 3-megapixel Fuji point-and-shoot I was using. The image stabilization allows me to shoot hand-held in situations I'd never dream of shooting before, and I can tweak the camera to get shots I couldn't do before.

I stumbled across a site with S3 tips: Bagelturf. I can't tell who the blogger actually is but he has a Mac and he has an S3 like I do. Check out his tips on things like focusing on tricky subjects and focus bracketing are especially good.