The first contact with the Canon 77D initially caused me confusion and I could not clearly classify the direction? Is it a camera for beginners or professionals, a camera for hobby photographers or demanding bloggers and YouTubers – or is it simply a camera for all photo enthusiasts? The experiences and first impressions show, the Canon 77D is a camera for all photo and video fans and settles exactly between the well-known cameras 700D, 750D, 800D and the larger cameras, such as the Canon EOS 80D and offers a perfect connection and a good alternative.

Canon 77D – new technology and 18-135mm lens

For my long-term test, I’m using the Canon 77D with the 18-135mm lens included in the kit, which I already knew from the introductions of the Canon 80D on my blog and was already excited about back then.

Photographers and ambitious hobby camera users always look at a kit lens with astonishment at first, until the first pictures or videos are shown with it and the 18-135mm is for me one of the best lenses that are offered for beginners or as a complete set. If you want a true all-in-one lens, you can’t go wrong with this lens.

The Canon 77D lens feels very good in the hand, covers all the essential requirements with the zoom of 18-135mm has and offers with aperture 3.5-5.6 good light levels for beginners and amateur photographers. Due to the APS-C sensor, I thus have a lens with a zoom of 28mm to 210mm at my disposal.

I can photograph both the landscape on a cruise well, the wedding couple at the celebration, but also quite spontaneously in difficult light moments by the image stabilizer still make clean photos, without shaking. With this all-round lens you get as a beginner and amateur simply fun in photography. (I use it myself from time to time on some videos when I need a second perspective).

While I introduced the entry-level Canon 200D camera a few days ago, the new Canon 77D settles two categories above the 200D and thus offers more interesting features and values, such as:

24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
Dual Pixel autofocus (ideal for live view and video production) – see blog post
Autofocus sensor with 45 measuring fields
Additional LCD display on the camera for quick adjustment
Two dials (one mounted in front of the shutter button, the second on the back below the thumb)
The new Digic 7 processor
6 frames per second
Full HD video recording at up to 60 frames per second (ideal for slow motion)
External microphone input (my recommendations on microphones)
Connectivity via WiFi and Bluetooth with smartphone and computer possible

The biggest difference that is immediately noticeable compared to the Canon EOS 800D is the additional screen, the second control dial on the back and of course the “AF-ON” button.

At first, I didn’t think the “AF-ON” button was very important either, since I have the autofocus function even when I half-press the shutter button. But the serious difference is, when you have found the distance, it remains and does not refocus again.

It is very helpful, for example in food photography, when you have different objects on the plate. You no longer have to set the lens to “manual”, but you select the distance to the plate once and then move the camera a little further away or closer to the food until you have the selected lens in sharp focus.

For this purpose, the second screen is always important for me, especially when I am shooting from difficult positions, the camera is close to the ground or when shooting at night. Which aperture is set, which exposure time – one look at the camera from above and I can quickly adjust the values.

To that end, the second dial is simply a convenience for me, who takes thousands of photos a year and videos. Spontaneously change the exposure and/or shutter speed depending on the program selected, no more switching through programs or menus – I focus on the subject and can quickly adjust the settings again with my thumb and index finger – without much difficulty and without having to re-select the subject. Perfect and simple!

The Canon 77D offers a combination of the well-known 7xx series and many elements of the higher-priced Canon 80D series, and therefore joins the camera series with two numbers below the 80D. Very pleasing to the consumer is the significant price discount compared to the 80D.

The most important factor for me in a current model from Canon is of course again the Dual AF function, which guarantees razor-sharp images in almost all everyday situations and also offers a good opportunity for beginners and amateur photographers to get good photos with cropped objects right at the start. I currently can’t imagine taking my pictures without this function.

Canon 77D – impression and handling

The Canon 77D has 24 megapixels and a maximum resolution of 6000 x 4000 pixels. I am often asked by bloggers if it is enough or if you should rather take a camera with 30 MP or even 50 MP and I can always reassure these bloggers.

For a blogpost you often use 1500 x 1000 pixels for photos, so you can take 16 sections out of the original image and still don’t have to zoom or get a worse image quality. So it is absolutely sufficient and also for posters and prints up to the format 100cm x 67cm the 24 megapixels are absolutely sufficient.

The higher the megapixels become, the higher the required memory is, of course, and also the post-processing costs significantly more time. I currently also shoot with a Canon camera with 20.2 megapixels for my blog and for other projects and the quality is more than good.

The Canon 77D is slightly larger than the Canon 200D I featured a few days ago and weighs about 540 grams with battery, making it just as suitable for beginners, YouTubers and bloggers. With the 18-135mm kit lens used in this field report, the Canon 77D has a weight of 1060 grams and is very balanced and balanced in the hand.

What is immediately noticeable is the changed arrangement of some functions compared to the Canon 200D, so the program wheel and the on/off switch, as well as the video function has moved to the left of the optical viewfinder, on the right side is the LCD display with display for battery range, set ISO value, exposure compensation, as well as shutter speed and aperture, matching also the display whether the WiFi mode is active or turned off.

Above the display is the button for selecting the autofocus metering method, for ISO setting and for illuminating the LCD, in front of which is the first dial, as well as the shutter release button.

The WiFi button, which was still on the left side of the optical viewfinder in the Canon EOS 200D, has moved to the second dial and is located between the thumb and the dial and is easy to reach without being annoying, next to it is the Q button for quick settings, as well as the playback button.

The joystick with AF function, white balance, self-timer and color programs is still present, but the outer rim can now be used not only as a rocker (as on the Canon 200D), but also as a second dial, with many more functions.

Below the dial, there is now a trash can and a switch to protect the dial from accidental adjustment.

When you turn on the Canon 77D camera, you immediately notice the new menus on the 3-inch screen with a resolution of 1.04 megapixels. Perfectly solved for beginners, but also amateur photographers. Thus, the Canon 77D has the following programs:

A+ – Automatic scene recognition
P – Program automatic
Tv – Aperture priority
Av – Aperture priority (with blurred background to extreme sharpness)
M – Manual exposure
Creative filter
SCN – Special Scene – choose the perfect settings depending on the situation
Sport – with tracking option and adjusted for fast movements
Close-up – for small objects, food shots, etc.
Landscape – matched colors and great detail sharpness
Portrait – matched exposure for detailed shots
CA – creative automatic (e.g. soft colors, monochrome)
Flash Off – shots without flash

Unlike the Canon EOS 200D with only 9 autofocus points in the optical viewfinder, the Canon 77D has 45 metering points, allowing for much more creative and accurate image composition.

As with the entry-level device, I can only advise the use of the foldable and rotatable screen with the Canon 77D in particular, which also enables precise focusing thanks to the DUAL AF function and thus guarantees fast and, above all, very good image results for beginners and advanced photographers.

It is simply fun to hold the Canon 77D camera in your hands, look for subjects and then focus them via a touch on the touch screen and, if desired, also trigger them directly. I still use the functions separately, I select via the screen, but then press the shutter button through on the right index finger. It has simply become accustomed over the years in photography with me, but absolutely practical for beginners.

I am often asked whether the optical viewfinder is still necessary at all and yet I find it very important, depending on the situation. If I have a limited space (like in a restaurant), I can focus faster and more precisely through the optical viewfinder.

But in other situations, I increasingly choose to focus directly through the Live View display on the Canon 77D’s screen. Not only is it very precise and fast, but it also gives me a direct view of the finished image without having to re-position the camera.

Combined with the 18-135mm kit lens, I get a very good set, for almost any lighting situation. If you want a fast and inexpensive additional lens for landscape shots or in a restaurant, which is also very small, I can recommend the Canon pancake lens 24mm f2.8 as a supplement.

In addition, the battery in the Canon 77D camera is sufficient for about 600 photos, when using live view and permanent focus, the range of the battery can of course decrease. In videos, both in vlogging everyday, as well as talk videos over 60-90 minutes, the included battery lasted without any problems. Still, to be on the safe side, it’s always a good idea to have another fully charged battery in your purse or photo backpack.

Canon 77D – Video recording

The Canon 77D is for me – without prejudging the conclusion – a perfect YouTube camera for beginners and advanced users.

The camera again records in full HD with 60 frames per second and thus again allows the popular and smooth fashion shots of blowing hair, a slow turn or a rocking movement of the skirt.

In the same way, it is possible to capture raindrops in slow motion as they drip onto the roof of a car and thus convey a mood for the scenario, as well as time-lapse shots.

Especially if you shoot travel videos or want to tell about a beautiful view in a vlog, time-lapse shots are perfect. The camera offers the function of setting the desired number of photos and the intervals between the pictures, and conveniently then also directly displays the total recording time, as well as the duration of the video clip.

Even if it is again said that the camera can not record 4K video, I find it as a blogger and YouTuber (since 2010) not at all disturbing, because who films in 4K must also be able to process at least four times the amount of data. A video of one minute duration then quickly already has two or three gigabytes of data volume and is therefore unsuitable for beginners and hobby photographers in most cases.

Why should I as a consumer pay for a function that I can only use in the fewest cases. This camera is an all-round camera that should be suitable for 99% of consumers and not for large media productions. Perhaps in two to three years 4K will be expected, but by then the technology will have evolved to the point where there are other solutions even for simple further processing for amateurs. For this, if you want to upload the videos to YouTube, you need an appropriate data line, which is also not available in all areas.

My YouTube videos as a weekly review or tech reviews of 6-10 minutes duration already have a size of 2.5 to 4 GB in full HD, as a 4K video we would be here at 10-15 GB (for a single video of just 10 minutes in length!). For beginners and hobby photographers and videographers, this function is therefore completely secondary.

Much more important to me as a user, is a reliable autofocus control that tracks faces in videos even when they move, and with which I can easily generate atmospheric shots as a beginner and vlogger.

It doesn’t matter through the DUAL AF function whether the person is walking through the image from left to right, coming from the depth of the image and then passing the camera. Once you have focused on the object, this reliable person is kept and focused throughout and, most importantly, automatically, while the background is blurred if desired.

In the same way, you can change the focus in an image or video. While in the video shown above, the jar with the nuts is focused first, you later see the reaction in the face as sharply displayed (directly at the touch of a button).

For me, this is an absolute purchase criterion as soon as I want to start with videos and a function that has now completely thrilled me for almost two years in my various cameras from Canon and has been a very big help in many productions.

Very convenient for video productions is the Canon 77D’s kit lens, which has a stabilizer that allows for very steady images even when the lens is zoomed. I have the identical lens on my Canon 80D and use it almost exclusively for videos (especially also, for example, during fashion week, trade fairs and events), as it is simply practical. I can shoot at an extreme wide angle for the videos, but also just as easily zoom in on objects and people quickly and maintain sharpness throughout.

With the new Digic7 processor, the autofocus function has become even more reliable and accurate, analyzing the entire image. While cameras with Digic6 processor can still be distracted by other people in the background in rare cases and then focus on them, it almost didn’t happen in the reviews. Once again, another improvement and thus a clear plus point compared to the higher-end (but also older) Canon 80D from 2016.

Canon 77D camera impression – CONCLUSION

The Canon 77D is the successful further development of the popular Canon series of 550D, 600D, 650D, 700D, 750D/760D and now the 800D and is probably not without reason the probably most used camera series among bloggers and especially YouTubers. I once listed about 18 months ago which YouTubers use which camera and there were an incredible number of models from this series.

The Canon 77D is the plus model of the new Canon 800D and makes everyday life a few factors easier with additional features, such as second dial, LCD display and AF-ON button.

The image quality, is again very good with this Canon 77D camera and far above many competitors. Canon excels here with natural, almost somewhat soft colors that many people find very pleasing and flattering to the subjects in the photo.

With the simple and self-explanatory menus and programs, the new Canon 77D is very quick to learn, even in the first impression, and makes it easy for beginners to achieve immediate success and have fun with photography.

Of course, the Canon 77D can again be controlled remotely or with the smartphone with the WiFi and Bluetooth function, just as images can be quickly transferred from the camera to the smartphone and then shared with the world on Instagram, for example.

For videographers, the remote control of the Canon 77D camera is of course just as suitable as the screen that can be flipped out and rotated in the direction of the lens. This way, you always have yourself in view during videos and don’t have to shoot some scenes again because you didn’t quite center some products you were presenting or some beauty tutorials…

To do this, I always use the smartphone connection to link up for long exposures or time-lapse shots. Once the camera is mounted on a tripod, you just conveniently trigger from a distance and there is no risk of shaking by touching the camera or tripod and you can easily view the result afterwards.

For me as a videographer and YouTuber, it is important to be able to connect an external microphone, because with all cameras (regardless of manufacturer and price range), the internal microphones are not sufficient for video productions, especially if there is also to be speech in the videos. Therefore, it is highly recommended to supplement the camera with an external microphone.

What I find a bit of a shame with the Canon 77D in this price range, especially for YouTubers, is the lack of a headphone jack, which would allow even better control of the audio signals. This feature is only available on the Canon 80D. As a beginner, it is therefore advisable to look at the levels on the screen (no red bars!) and in unfamiliar shooting situations, first make a test shot and perhaps check it again on the laptop.

I do this myself even after a long time on YouTube and with a wide variety of cameras for photo productions and video productions. The ten minutes that you might lose by the additional control run are only a trifle compared to a large tutorial that takes several hours of production time and then has to be re-recorded – quite apart from the fact that the looseness of the second shot and the humor is usually lost. Therefore, be sure to check the sound again before the “big recording”.

Canon succeeds with the Canon 77D the successful continuation of the popular 6xx and 7xx series and with the 77D a new and interesting plus product which is a clear recommendation for beginners as well as advanced photographers.

Together with the 18-135mm lens, a well-matched set succeeds, which is suitable for fashion, food and detail shots, but can also be reliably taken on a trip and is very well suited for bloggers and YouTubers and is a clear buy recommendation (especially in the kit).

If you have any further questions about the camera, the application, the individual functions or even for which scenarios the camera is usable, you are welcome to leave a comment below the blog post. I will also try to present this camera, similar to the Canon 200D, as a video review on my YouTube channel.