# Canon EOS 70D Dual Pixel AF Performance



## Canon Rumors Guy (Jul 4, 2013)

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<p><strong>Dual Pixel AF in action

</strong>The Polish website <a href="http://www.optyczne.pl/5979-nowo%C5%9B%C4%87-Canon_EOS_70D_-_pierwsze_wra%C5%BCenia.html" target="_blank">www.optyczne.pl</a> has posted a few videos showing the AF performance of the new Dual Pixel AF technology from Canon. They used both an STM lens, as well as an EF 100 f/2.8L IS macro lens.</p>
<p>The performance definitely looks better than liveview autofocus on any other Canon I have used. I’m especially impressed with the performance of the servo mode.</p>
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4TffRSFSwo</p>
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVAIEdwfj78</p>
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF9pmqEN3bE</p>
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjH4Inox4YA</p>
<p><strong>Canon EOS 70D Body $1199</strong>

<strong><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/986389-REG/canon_8469b002_canon_eos_70d_dslr.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a></strong> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DMS0KAC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DMS0KAC&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA70D.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> |<strong> <a href="http://www.normancamera.com/index/page/product/product_id/28683/product_name/Canon+EOS+70D+DSLR+Camera+%28Body+Only%29" target="_blank">Norman Camera</a> </strong>|  <a href="http://www.cameracanada.com/enet-cart/product.asp?pid=70DBody">Camera Canada $1299</a></p>
<p><strong>Canon EOS 70D w/18-55 IS STM $1349</strong>

<strong><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/986390-REG/canon_8469b009_canon_eos_70d_dslr.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a></strong> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DMS0KAC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DMS0KAC&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA70DK.html?KBID=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <strong><a href="http://www.normancamera.com/index/page/product/product_id/28685/product_name/Canon+EOS+70D+DSLR+Camera+with+18-55mm+STM+f3.5-5.6+Lens" target="_blank">Norman Camera</a></strong> |  <a href="http://www.cameracanada.com/enet-cart/product.asp?pid=70D1855" target="_blank">Camera Canada $1449</a></p>
<p><strong>Canon EOS 70D w/18-135 IS STM $1549</strong>

<strong><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/986391-REG/canon_8469b016_canon_eos_70d_dslr.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a></strong> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DMS0KAC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DMS0KAC&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/ICA70DK1.html?KBID=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <strong><a href="http://www.normancamera.com/index/page/product/product_id/28684/product_name/Canon+EOS+70D+DSLR+Camera+with+18-135mm+STM+f3.5-5.6+Lens" target="_blank">Norman Camera</a></strong> | <a href="http://www.cameracanada.com/enet-cart/product.asp?pid=70D18135" target="_blank">Camera Canada $1649</a></p>
<p>Source: [<a href="http://www.optyczne.pl/5979-nowo%C5%9B%C4%87-Canon_EOS_70D_-_pierwsze_wra%C5%BCenia.html" target="_blank">OP</a>] via [<a href="http://www.canonwatch.com/canon-eos-70d-first-independent-auto-focus-test-videos/" target="_blank">CW</a>]</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
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## siegsAR (Jul 4, 2013)

So a fast focusing lens _is_ the other half of the story?


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## JRS (Jul 4, 2013)

Seems very good!!


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## Dylan777 (Jul 4, 2013)

I like what I see there


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## Don Haines (Jul 4, 2013)

I have claimed for a long time that focus is the most important aspect of image quality.... It does not matter how many megapixels, what the dr is, read noise, or iso performance if the picture is blurry. Thank you canon for raising the af bar higher.


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## ecka (Jul 4, 2013)

Now we wait till they put it into the next EOS M ;D


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## Tom W (Jul 4, 2013)

Looks impressive!


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## Mark D5 TEAM II (Jul 4, 2013)

My observations:

- Ring USM is still faster than STM. STM is just for smoother & quieter focusing, not speed.

- I can't be sure due to the video quality, but it appears there is still some sort of CDAF-style "focus racking" (albeit minor), most apparent in the 1st & 3rd vids. It doesn't "snap" into focus like one would expect from PDAF.

- Not sure how the continuous AF tracking was set up for the 4th vid (or if it was even set up correctly at all), but it clearly showed that that particular L USM lens+body combo couldn't follow the hand as it moved backward & forward from the initial point of focus lock. I hope that's the worst case scenario already (too fast movement), and the firmware is still not yet finalized.

Overall, still pretty fast compared to existing solutions.


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## jocau (Jul 4, 2013)

I don't know why, but I'm not really impressed by the AF speed shown in the videos. It doesn't seem that much faster than the EOS M with firmware 2.0.2 installed. PDAF is still a lot faster than this.


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## horshack (Jul 4, 2013)

jocau said:


> I don't know why, but I'm not really impressed by the AF speed shown in the videos. It doesn't seem that much faster than the EOS M with firmware 2.0.2 installed. PDAF is still a lot faster than this.



I agree. And based on these initial videos it's still noticeably slower than CDAF on MFT cameras like the OM-D.


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## TheBadger (Jul 4, 2013)

So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



No, it really doesn't.


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## jocau (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



High ISO performance.


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## hmmm (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



Totally agree. : The 6D is so passe now that it is good for nothing but deep discount sales.

Here's to hoping... I'll definitely be on the lookout for one of those dump-the-now-worthless-6D-with-old-model-24-105-kit-lens sales!


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## Dylan777 (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



About be able to use 6400ISO - in low light condition.


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## bdunbar79 (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



You should do standup.


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## Sabaki (Jul 4, 2013)

I keep imagining slapping my macro lens on this camera and using my finger to track insects etc on the touch screen for critical sharpness.


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## zim (Jul 4, 2013)

bdunbar79 said:


> TheBadger said:
> 
> 
> > So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!
> ...



I think he just did ;D


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## Act444 (Jul 4, 2013)

TheBadger said:


> So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!



High ISO performance?
Image quality?

I had the 60D (I don't know how the 70D will compare, but...) and the 6D is in a whole 'nother league IQ wise once you get into medium and low-light.


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## Marsu42 (Jul 4, 2013)

As to the lv af performance: the (afaik unanswered question) is: Is this on-sensor phase af as precise as the good ol' contrast af which beats the 60d/7d/... viewfinder phase af hands down? When I use af in lv it's usually for precision, not for speed.



neuroanatomist said:


> TheBadger said:
> 
> 
> > So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!
> ...



 But still I'd like Canon to put a ff sensor in this 70d rather than the 6d being a ff 60d


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## Don Haines (Jul 4, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> As to the lv af performance: the (afaik unanswered question) is: Is this on-sensor phase af as precise as the good ol' contrast af which beats the 60d/7d/... viewfinder phase af hands down? When I use af in lv it's usually for precision, not for speed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You can't compare apples to oranges, And you can't compare new technology to old. Whatever advances made in the 70 D will eventually trickle its way down(up?) to the 6D Mark-two. I believe that the next camera announced by Canon will be the 7D2, And the next year will probably be full frame upgrades. In the short-term the APS-C cameras may look quite competitive against full frame, But once everybody is playing with the same technology we should be back to the same relative differences as we have now


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## drjlo (Jul 5, 2013)

Mark D5 TEAM II said:


> - Not sure how the continuous AF tracking was set up for the 4th vid (or if it was even set up correctly at all), but it clearly showed that that particular L USM lens+body combo couldn't follow the hand as it moved backward & forward from the initial point of focus lock.



It's kind of strange they picked the 100L Macro for AF testing, since as a macro lens, it is not one of the faster AF Canon lenses, and the if the focus limiter was set to "full," it would REALLY be slow. I would have liked to have seen how lenses like 24-70 II or 70-200 II do.


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## neuroanatomist (Jul 5, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> As to the lv af performance: the (afaik unanswered question) is: Is this on-sensor phase af as precise as the good ol' contrast af which beats the 60d/7d/... viewfinder phase af hands down? When I use af in lv it's usually for precision, not for speed.



It may be that contrast detect AF on the 7D is not the high bar you'd think it would be...

http://www.reikan.co.uk/focalweb/index.php/2012/12/af-consistency-comparison-nikon-canon-phase-detect-contrast-detect/


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## Zv (Jul 5, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> Marsu42 said:
> 
> 
> > As to the lv af performance: the (afaik unanswered question) is: Is this on-sensor phase af as precise as the good ol' contrast af which beats the 60d/7d/... viewfinder phase af hands down? When I use af in lv it's usually for precision, not for speed.
> ...



Very interesting. Thanks for posting this Neuro, I'll be using LV AF a lot less from now on! Things we took for granted are all coming crashing down! It's like mythbusters! 

Oh and kudos on the "high bar" pun!


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## Zv (Jul 5, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> Marsu42 said:
> 
> 
> > As to the lv af performance: the (afaik unanswered question) is: Is this on-sensor phase af as precise as the good ol' contrast af which beats the 60d/7d/... viewfinder phase af hands down? When I use af in lv it's usually for precision, not for speed.
> ...



The 6D will still have the better IQ and high ISO advantage. Plus if you look at the focal link neuro posted you can see the 6D also has very accurate and reliable phase detect and contrast AF. I still don't see the need for fast AF in LV, if I'm using LV it's because I have time. And in which case I am manually focusing. Maybe macro users will benefit from it? That might explain these videos with the 100L macro lens? The videos aren't blowing me away to be honest.


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## Mark D5 TEAM II (Jul 5, 2013)

This is the way to test the Dual Pixel PDAF continuous AF tracking:

EOS 70D 「デュアルピクセルCMOS AF」

Unfortunately for Canon, the lens & firmware used for this test showed it can't keep up with the head of the train at close distance...


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## Marsu42 (Jul 5, 2013)

Zv said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > Marsu42 said:
> ...



Thanks for the link, though I already knew this article - and it shows when and why I use contrast af in lv on the 60d:

When shooting tripod macro or some static scenes with thin dof I usually focus around a bit to get just where I want. Either I use focus peaking & mf , but otherwise contrast af in lv is more reliable for this because just as neuro's link shows phase af'ing through the vf the around same point repeatedly gives worse results. Btw this is also my personal experience, if phase af'ing the same point you can see the camera struggle and coming up with slightly different focus results all the time.


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## pedro (Jul 5, 2013)

jocau said:


> TheBadger said:
> 
> 
> > So many goodies in this new camera. Makes you wonder why would anyone get a 6d now!
> ...



plus one.


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## pedro (Jul 5, 2013)

You can't compare apples to oranges, And you can't compare new technology to old. Whatever advances made in the 70 D will eventually trickle its way down(up?) to the 6D Mark-two. I believe that the next camera announced by Canon will be the 7D2, And the next year will probably be full frame upgrades. In the short-term the APS-C cameras may look quite competitive against full frame, But once everybody is playing with the same technology we should be back to the same relative differences as we have now
[/quote]

I would not be too sure about FF upgrades by next year. 2015 might be the year for that. But we might see a high MP count sensor body applying the 70D tech (?). Anyway, what imho really matters is a new sensor fabrication process.


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## macreviewzonline (Jul 6, 2013)

Can't wait !


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## hifocused (Jul 15, 2013)

Has anyone seen any videos of the auto focus continuous?
I want to now how well it would do with a constantly moving subject like a bride walking towards you down the aisle.


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## Mark D5 TEAM II (Jul 28, 2013)

hifocused said:


> Has anyone seen any videos of the auto focus continuous?
> I want to now how well it would do with a constantly moving subject like a bride walking towards you down the aisle.



Do the brides you shoot move as fast as a bird flying over a field? This video shows how Dual Pixel PDAF on the 70D easily tracks a BIF over a field (2nd video from the top of the page, around the 0:46 mark): http://cweb.canon.jp/eos/lineup/70d/info/af-tech/index.html


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## GaryJ (Jul 28, 2013)

Sabaki said:


> I keep imagining slapping my macro lens on this camera and using my finger to track insects etc on the touch screen for critical sharpness.


We May Dream


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