I have been wanting to get a nice Canon APS-C sensor to go with my 100-400mm for Casual Birding. I waited for an improvement in sensor tech, and I think we are there.
There is a lot to like about the 80D. However, for Birding a sharp output is desired. Looking at the footage and comparison of the 80D with other bodies, it seems a bit softer. South of the 5Ds, this is the highest MP sensor that Canon offers , which should be able to provide reach and detail. I am a bit disappointed, it seems they used a heavy handed AA filter on this. Even compared to the 5D3, which already had a heavy AA filter, the 80D seems noticeably softer.
I then proceeded to compare it to the 20mp 70D, and again found it soft. Details are being smudged and might not be able to be recovered via post sharpening.
See the attached comparison to the older 70D (Image resource) on the left, looks quite sharper at base iso compared to the 80D.
There is a lot to like about the 80D. However, for Birding a sharp output is desired. Looking at the footage and comparison of the 80D with other bodies, it seems a bit softer. South of the 5Ds, this is the highest MP sensor that Canon offers , which should be able to provide reach and detail. I am a bit disappointed, it seems they used a heavy handed AA filter on this. Even compared to the 5D3, which already had a heavy AA filter, the 80D seems noticeably softer.
I then proceeded to compare it to the 20mp 70D, and again found it soft. Details are being smudged and might not be able to be recovered via post sharpening.
See the attached comparison to the older 70D (Image resource) on the left, looks quite sharper at base iso compared to the 80D.