Hands on with the Canon 70D

Canon has added a new enthusiast SLR to its range with the EOS 70D.

Designed for photographers looking to step up from their first camera, the 70D presents some significant improvements from the camera it replaces, the 60D. Along with a new APS-C sensor and integrated Wi-Fi, a new focusing system will help boost performance in Live View and movie shooting.

Called Dual Pixel CMOS AF, the system involves two separate photodiodes being positioned in one individual pixel that work independently to seek focus much more quickly in Live View than traditional systems.

More of the technical information on the 70D can be found in our preview. The 70D will arrive in Australia from early September 2013. In the meantime, the images below will give you an idea of some of the camera's features.

From the outside, the 70D looks pretty similar to the 60D. Even so, it actually has a slightly larger APS-C sensor than its predecessor and is higher resolution, at 20.2 megapixels. It weighs the same, though, at 675 grams, and is just a fraction smaller than the 60D in terms of width and height.

As well as the requisite creative filters (of which there are seven), the 70D also comes with built-in HDR functionality and a multiple exposure feature. Built-in Wi-Fi also features for sending photos and videos between camera and smartphone.

There are plenty of connectivity options on the 70D, including a 3.5mm microphone jack and HDMI out.

The 70D maintains the flip-out, variable angle LCD screen configuration of the 60D. It's a 3-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1.04 million dots, with the same gesture-based control and touch-to-focus system that all other Canon SLRs with touch panels have. It comes with a locking mode dial that requires the centre button to be depressed to allow the wheel to turn.

Along the top panel of the camera sits the requisite hotshoe, mode dial and LED panel that other Canon enthusiast and professional SLRs have.

The 70D's screen can be used to display the information from certain speedlite flashes. Because it's a touchscreen, options can be changed on the fly a lot more easily than on the buttons and dials on units such as the 600EX. (Pardon the smudges.)

No new lenses were announced alongside the 70D, but users will get the choice of a new battery grip.