When Canon announced the 77D as part of their Valentine’s day gift to photographers, many were left scratching their heads – Where does it fit in the lineup? Is it an amped up Rebel T6s or a toned down 80D? Wait, there was even a camera called the T6s? To answer that second question, it’s a little bit of both.A video from ZY Productions does a great job explaining the differences between the 80D and the 77D. Many aspirational photographers want to step up to the 80D but don’t have the extra cash. So what do you give up for the $200 price difference? Are you getting a Rebel in all but name, or is this really a true double-digit “D” camera in the EOS lineup? Here’s a quick rundown of the key differences from the video (and then some):
The Good
- Price: Body price is $899 vs. $1099 for the 80D.
- DIGIC 7 Processor vs. DIGIC 6 – usually this means improvements in image quality and processing, though the imaging pipeline is similar to the 80D and most average users probably won’t be able to tell the difference. This is probably responsible for the increased native ISO range to 25600 (compared to 16000 on the 80D)
- Max burst shooting capacity is higher than 80D (190 vs 77 raw, unlimited vs. 110 JPG), but some of that is due to the slower burst rate.
- Movie Electronic Image stabilization for video - there’s not much on Canon’s website about how this works but it would seem to be software based. Professionals are probably already using their Glidecams.
- Bluetooth - compatible with the new Canon Wireless Remote Control BR-E1 in case a standard remote or the built-in Wi-Fi isn’t enough.
The Bad
- 95% view through a pentamirror viewfinder vs. a 100% pentaprism on the 80D – This means the 80D will have a brighter, more accurate view through the viewfinder.
- Smaller battery capacity on the 77D vs. the 80D (Same as T6s) rated at 600 vs. 960.
- Slower max shutter speed – 1/4000 vs. 1/8000 – this will limit the ability to use wide apertures in broad daylight, so to get that blurred background with a wide aperture, you’ll need an ND filter or stop down.
- Flash synch speed is 1/200 vs. 1/250 – A small difference, but every bit helps when you’re balancing flash and ambient light.
- 6 frames per second vs. 7 frames per second. You probably won’t notice this.
- Simplified controls compared to 80D, notably the live view/movie buttons and the control wheel out back.
- It’s built like a Rebel, and like all Rebels, doesn’t have a headphone jack for monitoring audio while shooting video.
It’s a bit of an odd duck in the EOS lineup, but perhaps filing it under the double-digit D series between the 70D and 80D makes sense – while it’s a definite step-up from the 70D (the new 24mp sensor is quite a bit better), it’s still aimed at the amateur crowd who won’t need the extra build quality and features that are higher up the line. It's a shame though - if you watch the video above, in many ways this breaks from the conventional xxD lineup. You won't be able to share your batteries with most of your other cameras (Canon uses the LP-E6N in everything from the 70D on up to the 5D Mark IV, except for now the 77D sitting somewhere in the middle confusing things). You'll also be relegated to a pentamirror viewfinder, which after you've seen the light (pun intended) from a pentaprism finder, it's never the same. You can hear more about it in the aforementioned video from ZY Productions to help you figure it out:
