There have been many reports over the last few months of dwindling Canon 60D stock -- which can often indicate that a replacement is on the horizon. A number of rumors have surfaced recently regarding the possible replacement, the 70D, and where that camera will stand in terms of Canon's lineup. We've spoken about Canon's future product line, and how a 7D Mark II might fit in, and while there is no question the new 70D will have an APS-C sensor, the only other detail we definitely know is that Canon will have a product announcement near the end of March, based on the invite that just went out.
Canon Rumors recently published this picture, which shows an invite to a Canon product announcement in the Czech Republic on March 21st:
Canon Rumors has reported in the past that the 70D may be a significant upgrade from the 60D. The 60D is still one of the best values for shooting video in the Canon realm, as the video quality is basically the same as the T2i/T3i, but it has upgraded features from those cameras (and works great with Magic Lantern). Since it's been mentioned that the Canon 7D Mark II may move up and be the APS-C version of the 1D X, it also stands to reason that the 70D will move up in specs and price to fill the gap.
Like Nikon, Canon has been relatively conservative with their releases, so while I don't think the 70D will be the first affordable DSLR to have a real 1080p and no aliasing/moire, I do expect to see improvements to video. The Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 1D X/1D C are the only models that Canon currently makes that rarely suffer from the distracting rainbow patterns or stair-stepping on horizontal lines. If the 7D Mark II is moving up to be the APS-C 1D X, I expect that camera to improve with its aliasing/moire issues, leaving the 70D as more of a wild card between the T4i and the 7D Mark II.
Canon will probably go one of two ways: they will make the 70D a less "pro" version of the 7D Mark II (which is rumored to have a 24MP sensor), by putting it in a less expensive body with fewer features (like no clean HDMI), or they will make the 70D a significant upgrade from the T4i/60D, but still well below the 7D Mark II. I think a lot of it comes down to how good the 7D Mark II will be. Since that camera will likely come out later than the 70D, there is still quite a bit of speculation as far as how Canon's future lineup will shake out. I think their product line has been too close together as of late, and they've basically been releasing the same camera over and over again with a similar 18MP sensor and the same video qualities (though with somewhat different photography features). As of right now I am leaning towards the 70D being a much improved 60D with possibly a better build and a higher resolution HDMI output that doesn't drop to 480p on record (and not necessarily a junior 7D Mark II), but we should see soon enough.
Either way, if you're in the market for a Canon 60D or T4i, it probably makes sense to wait a couple of weeks and see what the company has up their sleeves later this month.
What do you guys think Canon will do? Do you think the 70D will get a brand new 24MP sensor, or will Canon recycle the 18MP sensor from the T4i into a better housing with some other improved features, or neither?
Link: Canon 70D Rumor and Czech Republic Invite -- Canon Rumors
