• APS-C 337.5mm2
  • 20.2 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 12,800
  • APS-C 366.6mm2
  • 24.3 megapixels
  • ISO 100 - 25,600

Buy From

Differences

Canon 70D advantages over Sony A77 II

  • Lens selection
    Excellent vs Good
    Better lens selection gives you more options
  • Less expensive
    $999 vs $1798
    Save money for lenses or accessories
  • Touchscreen
    Touch vs No touch
    Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
  • On-sensor phase detect
    Yes vs No
    Usually improves live view and video AF performance
  • Longer stills battery life
    More info 920 vs 480 shots
    Capture more photos
  • More telephoto lens reach
    216 mm vs 75 mm
    Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
  • Bigger JPEG buffer
    65 vs 26 shots
    Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)

Sony A77 II advantages over Canon 70D

  • Focus peaking
    Peaker vs Non-peaker
    Your camera will highlight what's in focus
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
    Yes vs No
    Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
  • In-camera panoramas
    Yes vs No
    Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
  • NFC
    Yes vs No
    Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
  • More viewfinder magnification
    0.73x vs 0.59x
    Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
  • More pixels
    24.3 vs 20.2 megapixels
    Higher resolution photos
  • More AF points
    79 vs 19
    More AF points improve autofocus
  • Wider angle kit lens
    24 mm vs 29 mm
    Capture more of the scene with the included lens
  • Faster JPEG shooting
    11.5 fps vs 6.7 fps
    Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
  • Faster RAW shooting
    12.0 fps vs 6.7 fps
    Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
  • Bigger RAW buffer
    28 vs 14 shots
    Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
  • Higher extended ISO
    51200 vs 25600 ISO
    Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

  • Tilt-swivel screen
    Both provide
    Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
  • Eye-level viewfinder
    Both provide
    You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
  • Built-in Wi-Fi
    Both provide
    Share your photos wirelessly
  • Internal flash
    Both provide
    Useful in a pinch for fill flash
  • Top deck display
    Both provide
    Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
  • External Mic Jack
    Both provide
    Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
  • HDMI out
    Both provide
    Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
  • Hot shoe
    Both provide
    Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
  • Bulb shutter
    Both provide
    Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

  • Built-in Bluetooth
    Neither provide
    Always-on wireless connectivity
  • Built-in GPS
    Neither provide
    Geotag your photos
  • Dual card slots
    Neither provide
    Gives you more storage flexibility
  • Headphone jack
    Neither provide
    Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
  • Slow-motion videos
    Neither provide
    Shoot slow-motion videos

User reviews

Buy From

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Canon 70D
Body Only
  • Body Only
  • Kit with 18-135mm Lens
  • Kit with 18-55mm Lens
All 70D Deals

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Sony A77 II
Body Only
  • Body Only
  • Kit with 16-50mm Lens
All A77 II Deals

Review Excerpt

  • Dual Pixel CMOS AF delivers full-time continuous autofocus (with phase detect at every pixel in framing area) for video and Live View still shooting; Full HD (1080p) video recording with pro-level features and quality; Improved resolution and good high ISO performance; Excellent Wi-Fi remote shooting with full exposure controls; 3-inch articulating LCD touchscreen.

  • Image quality only improved slightly over 60D; Dynamic range still lags behind competing models; May not feature enough upgrades to convince people to step up from 60D.

  • Read our Canon 70D Review

  • Excellent image quality, especially lower ISOs; Improved high ISO performance when using RAW; Very good dynamic range; High-resolution images; Very fast single-shot autofocus; 12fps burst mode with C-AF; Good value for its class.

  • Lackluster continuous AF performance; Strong NR processing in high ISO JPEGs; Sluggish buffer clearing; Short battery life compared to most DSLRs; Joystick control easy to press accidentally.

  • Read our Sony A77 II Review

The Competition

Compared to Nikon D7100

Canon 70D
Nikon D7100
  • $999
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Touchscreen
  • $690
  • APS-C
  • Less expensive
  • Fast startup

Compare Canon 70D vs Nikon D7100

Sony A77 II
Nikon D7100
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $690
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compare Sony A77 II vs Nikon D7100

Compared to Pentax K-3

Canon 70D
Pentax K-3
  • $999
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Touchscreen
  • $699
  • APS-C
  • Focus peaking
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization

Compare Canon 70D vs Pentax K-3

Sony A77 II
Pentax K-3
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • In-camera panoramas
  • $699
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • More telephoto lens reach

Compare Sony A77 II vs Pentax K-3

Compared to Canon 7D Mark II

Canon 70D
Canon 7D Mark II
  • $999
  • APS-C
  • Less expensive
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • $1597
  • APS-C
  • Fast startup
  • Higher effective ISO

Compare Canon 70D vs Canon 7D Mark II

Sony A77 II
Canon 7D Mark II
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Focus peaking
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • $1597
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup

Compare Sony A77 II vs Canon 7D Mark II

Compared to Nikon D7200

Canon 70D
Nikon D7200
  • $999
  • APS-C
  • Less expensive
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • $1016
  • APS-C
  • Fast startup
  • NFC

Compare Canon 70D vs Nikon D7200

Sony A77 II
Nikon D7200
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Tilt-swivel screen
  • Focus peaking
  • $1016
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Fast startup

Compare Sony A77 II vs Nikon D7200

Compared to Canon 80D

Canon 70D
Canon 80D
  • $999
  • APS-C
  • $935
  • APS-C
  • Fast startup
  • NFC

Compare Canon 70D vs Canon 80D

Sony A77 II
Canon 80D
  • $1198
  • APS-C
  • Focus peaking
  • In-Camera Image Stabilization
  • $935
  • APS-C
  • Lens selection
  • Less expensive

Compare Sony A77 II vs Canon 80D

Compare Other Cameras?