01 August 2023

The Canon EOS DSLR – still excellent when purchased used…

The Canon EOS DSLR – still excellent when purchased used…
Olive Thrush, Kirstenbosch Garden Cape Town : With Canon EOS 70D * 

A few weeks ago I assisted a new client in purchasing a previously owned / used Canon EOS camera. Original interested camera options provided to me were the Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS 7D Mark II.

After discussing the advantages / disadvantages (for purchasing and practical application purposes) of the Canon EOS DSLR Full Frame body (EOS 6D) and the APS-C bodies (EOS 7D / EOS 7D Mark II) I recommended a Canon EOS 80D paired with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8mm USM II lens and the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Nano USM lens.

Canon EOS 80D Training Sessions Cape Town
During last week’s training sessions I had a serious look at the training practical results from the recommended Canon EOS 80D paired with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Nano USM lens (as purchased by the client).


The client's small flower training images at Kirstenbosch (in poor light) conditions were, without any doubt, as good as any current Canon EOS / EOS R (Full Frame or APS-C) camera in my humble opinion. Most images captured at ISO 1600 and 3200 (EF-S 18-135mm lens) where without any significant digital noise and even cropping 50 – 75% away from certain images should be good enough for online publishing / or other mediums.

Specific Canon EOS 80D Learning Areas:
  • Orientation / Menus / Settings / Lenses  / Autofocus 
  • Exposure / Exposure Settings / Practical Application
  • Image Post-Processing (Depending on Genre)

When considering photography as a hobby it is certainly not about having the best camera in the bag / or neighbourhood.

A combination of a relatively good camera and photography skills will develop any new photographer into a serious enthusiast practitioner without having the latest technology in his / her bag.

* Attached image: Olive thrush with Canon EOS 70D (older model than above-mentioned EOS 80D - 20MP vs. 24MP sensor) and original Canon EOS 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at Kirstenbosch.

Please note: I do not publish images of any photography student during learning sessions and therefore used one of my own images. The body used was the older EOS 70D paired with the much older EF 100-400mm lens at Kirstenbosch Garden during 2022.

More important than the camera / lens used is the practice, time and patience going into 'making a photograph'.

Vernon Chalmers Photography Training Intaka Island | Kirstenbosch Garden | Woodbridge Island