Canon 77D

Canon 77D, also sold as the EOS9000D in Japan (19.0 oz./538g with battery and card, about $849) and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield. It comes as a body only, as kit with 18-55mm as shown or as a kit with the superb 18-135mm lens.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally-approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

May 2017 Canon Reviews Canon Lenses Canon Flash All Reviews

Canon 77D and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM. bigger.

Introduction

Good Missing

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

The Canon EOS 77D is a high performance DSLR in an inexpensive ultralight package. There's no real reason to pay more unless you intend to physically abuse it (get the 1DX Mk II), need more than 6 FPS (get the 7D Mk II) or use it full-time for a living and appreciate having a few more direct control knobs and dials — or want the camera-memory recall C1, C2 and C3 modes — of Canon's heavier and more expensive cameras (get the 5DSR).

You can get the same overall size, weight and performance in the Rebel T7i for less money, but the Rebel lacks quite a few convenience features I appreciate in the 77D.

The 77D combines the performance of Canon's fancier cameras with the super light weight of the Digital Rebels. You can't lose!

Good

● 45-point AF system.

● Can shoot-through the flicker of fluorescent, LED and vapor and lighting often found in gyms, restaurants, arenas and auditoriums so you won't get randomly underexposed or off-color shots at fast shutter speeds.

● High quality: Made in Japan and has free 100% USA customer support at (800) OK-CANON.

● "Bulb Timer" lets us set an exact exposure time up to 100 hours, with no need for any remote release (not in Rebel T7i).

● [Q] Quick-Control button to get to most settings just like Canon's pro cameras.

● Swiveling touch LCD make it very fast to set, probably faster than Canon's pro cameras without touch screens!

● Rear dial around the four-way controller (not in Rebel T7i).

● Electronic movie stabilization.

● Automatic lens aberration correction for vignetting, lateral color fringes, distortion and diffraction, presuming the camera has a lens profile installed. All corrections are ON by default, except for distortion, and most recent popular lenses already have their profile installed.

● HDR and time-lapse movies.

● WiFi.

● NFC.

● Bluetooth.

● Selectable one-axis level and viewfinder grids; but the viewfinder level is just a three-position icon for left/OK/right roll; use the rear LCD for more level detail.

● Depth-of-field preview button.

● Locking Mode Dial (not locking in Rebel T7i).

● 3:2, 4:3, 16:9 and square aspect ratios with finder lines (MENU > Camera 5 > Aspect Ratio), but not actual finder masking.

● Top LCD (not in Rebel T7i).

Missing

● No C modes on dial; have to set and reset everything manually as you change shooting conditions — but people who get this camera rarely know how to set all that anyway.

● Has Auto ISO, but no way to adjust the slowest shutter speed; always bases it on focal length.

● Only one card slot.

● No GPS (use the GP-E2 GPS).

● No battery percentage indication, just a three-segment icon.

● No LCD auto brightness control.

● No AF Fine Tuning.

Canon 77D. bigger.

Lens Compatibility

Canon 77D. bigger.

This is an APS-C (1.6x) camera.

It works with all Canon EF Full-Frame lenses made since they were introduced in 1987, and all Canon APS-C EF-S lenses made since they were introduced in 2003.

EF-M lenses for Canon's mirrorless cameras won't fit or attach, much less work.

I tried it with my exotic 1980s 50mm f/1 L and original 300mm f/2.8 L, each of which use a special electronic-only focus system, and they work fantastically well with my 77D.

Specifications

LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion battery.

Image Sensor

24 MP CMOS with dual-pixel Live View AF.

14.9 × 22.3 mm.

3.72 µm square pixels.

3:2 aspect ratio.

1.613× crop factor.

Ultrasonic cleaner.

Still Formats

JPG and/or raw.

sRGB and Adobe RGB.

Still Image Sizes

Large: 6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (24 MP).

Medium: 3,984 x 2,656 (10 MP)

Small 1: 2,976 x 1,984 (6 MP)

Small 2: 2,400 x 1,600 (4 MP).

CR2 raw: 6,000 x 4,000 (24 MP).

Cropped Aspect Ratios

3:2 native.

4:3 cropped.

1:1 (square) cropped.

16:9 cropped.

ISO

ISO 100 ~ 25,600.

ISO 100 is optimum.

Auto ISO

Adjustable high ISO limit in full stops from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600.

There is no way to set the slowest shutter speed; it selects based on focal length.

Video

Frame Sizes and Rates

1,920 × 1,080 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p or 23.976p.

1,280 × 720 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p or 25p.

640 × 480 at 29.97p or 25p.

Bit rates from 60 MBPS (1,080/59.94p) to 3 MBPS (640/29.97p).

File Formats

.MP4 holding MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video and AAC audio.

Time-lapse movies saved as .MOV holding LL-I at 1,080/29.98p.

Audio

Recorded only along with video.

Stereo microphones built in.

Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.

No headphone jack.

Autofocus

Via optical finder

45 cross-type points.

Phase detection with dedicated AF sensor.

Center sensor is a high-precision sensor optimum with f/2.8 lenses.

No face recognition.

LV -3 ~ +18.

Via Live View

Dual-Pixel AF.

Face tracking.

LV -2 ~ +18.

Finder

95% coverage.

0.82× magnification with 50mm lens.

23.2º apparent angle.

19mm eyepoint.

-3 to +1 diopters.

Fixed screen.

Light Meter

7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor.

63-zone (9 x 7) metering.

Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points).

Center-weighted average metering.

Partial metering (center, approx. 6.0% of viewfinder).

Spot metering (center, approx. 3.5% of viewfinder).

LV 1 ~ 20 range, rated with finder or LV 0 ~ 20 with Live View.

Shutter

1/4,000 to 30 seconds, Bulb.

"Bulb Timer" allows setting any exact exposure time up to 100 hours long!

1/200 flash sync speed.

2s or 10s self-timer.

Frame Rates

To 6 FPS, viewfinder shooting with tracking autofocus.

To 4.5 FPS, Live View shooting.

3 FPS in Continuous Low setting.

Burst Sizes

Unlimited in JPG, so long as your card keeps up.

21 to 27 shots in raw.

19 to 23 shots in JPG+raw.

Remote Releases

Wired

2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.

Wireless: Bluetooth

Canon BR-E1 Wireless Remote. bigger.

This new Canon BR-E1 Wireless Remote has a 16-foot range.

Canon BR-E1. bigger.

Flash

1/200 sync speed.

Built-in Flash

Yes, pops up.

GN 39'/12m at ISO 100.

Covers as wide as a 17mm lens on this camera (28mm equivalent on full-frame).

External Flash

Dedicated hot shoe.

E-TTL II for use with all EX series flash.

No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your slaves or use a hot-shoe adapter for corded sync.

Live View

For video and for stills.

Manual or Dual-Pixel autofocus.

5x and 10x magnifications.

LCD Monitor

Canon 77D and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM. bigger.

Swivels all over.

95% coverage.

3" (77 mm) diagonal.

1,040,000 dots.

3:2 aspect ratio.

Anti-smudge coating, but no anti-reflection coating.

Connectors

Digital connector for USB 2.0 or GP-E2 GPS.

2.5mm remote control jack for RS-60E3.

3.5mm mic jack.

HDMI type C with CEC; use a Canon HTC-100 HDMI cable or whatever fits HDMI-C.

Storage

One SD, SDHC or SDXC card.

UHS-I compatible.

Eye-Fi compatible.

Not compatible with Multimedia cards (MMC).

Quality

Canon 77D. bigger.

Made in Japan.

Power & Battery

Battery

7.2V, 1,040 mAh.

1.30 x 0.55 x 1.94."

33 x 14 x 49.4mm.

1.59 oz./45g.

Rated 600 shots; 550 shots at 32ºF/0ºC for regular shooting

270 shots (230 shots at 32ºF/0ºC) with Live View

1 hour and 55 minutes of movie shooting, or 1:50 at 32ºF/0ºC.

Charger

Folding-plug external LC-E17 charger included in USA.

In other areas you may get the LC-E17E charger with a detachable cord.

2.65 x 1.09 x 3.63."

67.3 x 27.7 x 92.2 mm.

3 oz./85g.

Rated 2 hour charge time.

AC Adapter

Optional AC Adapter AC-E6N and DC Coupler DR-E18.

Size

3.93 × 5.16 × 3.00 inches HWD.

99.9 × 131.0 × 76.2 millimeters HWD.

Weight

18.985 oz. (538.3 g) with battery and card, actual measured.

Rated 19.05 oz. (540g) with battery and card, 17.39 oz. (493g) stripped.

Environment

Operating

0 ~ 40 º C (32 ~ 104 º F).

up to 85% RH.

Announced

15 February 2017.

Promised for

31 March 2017.

Included

Camera.

Eyecup.

Body cap.

Strap.

Battery & Charger.

Printed manual in English, Spanish and French.

USA warranty card.

(Possibly a lens and caps with a kit)

No Software CD.

No eyepiece cover.

No hot shoe cover.

No USB cords.

No A/V cords.

No HDMI cable.

Price, USA

May 2017

Canon 77D body: $849, also at B&H.

Canon 77D w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $999, also at B&H.

Canon 77D w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,249, also at B&H.

February 2017

Canon 77D body: $899.

Canon 77D w/18-55mm IS STM as shown here: $1,049.

Canon 77D w/18-135mm IS STM: $1,499.

Canon 77D and 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM. bigger.

Optional Accessories

Canon BR-E1 Wireless Bluetooth Remote.

RS-60E3 wired remote.

GP-E2 GPS.

AC Adapter AC-E6N and DC Coupler DR-E18.

Canon HTC-100 HDMI cable.

Spare LP-E17 rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (one is included).

Spare LC-E17 charger (one is included).

Getting a Legal USA Version

(for USA only)

Canon 77D USA Warranty Card. bigger.

In the USA, be sure you have a folded sheet that is the warranty paper that says USA & CANADA ONLY on one of its pages, and that it lists a serial number that matches the one printed on the bottom of your camera.

If you don't have this paper or the serial number doesn't match exactly, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

If a gray market version saves you $200 it may be worth it, but for $100 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.

Always be sure to check your box while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem, but if you take the risk of getting yours elsewhere, be sure to check everything while you still can return it.

Performance

Overall Autofocus Ergonomics Finder Flash

Frame Rates High ISOs Auto ISO Image Quality

Mechanics Noise & Vibration Movies

Top LCD Rear LCD Data Power & Battery

Overall

The Canon 77D has great professional DSLR image quality in a small, light body.

Canon's sample images.

Autofocus

Autofocus is the usual from Canon: it's fast and sure.

It has 45 sensors that cover much of the image area.

Ergonomics

This is a great-handling camera.

The touch screen and [Q] quick control screen and button make setup fast.

I miss having programmable C1, C2 and C3 positions on the mode dial to make swapping setups instant, but most people who buy this camera wouldn't use these anyway.

Finder

The finder is smaller than larger cameras due to the mirror prism.

It's bright and sharp.

The diopter focus adjustment stays adjusted.

The AF Area indicators are dark LCDs that can obscure the subject, like all cameras even triple the price. You need the $6,000 1DX Mk II for non-obscurring AF-area indicators.

The dark AF Area indicators flash in red in the dark as they become active.

Flash

The built-in flash balances well in brighter light, but like all DSLRs tends to be the dominant source of light when shot indoors.

The finder shows BUSY as the flash recycles.

It can take as long as 3 seconds to recycle, during which time the camera is locked and will not take a picture. 3 seconds doesn't sound like a long time, but it can be if you're trying to capture family action.

Frame Rates

While Canon only rates it to 4.5 FPS with tracking (AI SERVO) autofocus, but I tried my 77D and it runs at 6 FPS — although not all frames are in perfect focus — in AI SERVO as it tracks motion.

High ISOs

I see no difference in performance from other APS-C cameras. The images are never grainy, but get softer at the highest ISOs. This is normal, and has high enough ISOs with quality to shoot just about anything in any light.

Auto ISO

Auto ISO is only partially functional.

While we can set the highest ISO from ISO 400 to ISO 25,600 in full stops, we can't program the slowest shutter speed.

The 77D always uses the lens focal length as the slowest speed, so while this is great for still subjects with most lenses, these speeds are faster than needed with stabilized lenses, and probably slower than needed with moving subjects.

In other words, this is this camera's biggest flaw for me. I depend on Auto ISO to set my camera fast, and I prefer a fixed 1/125 for people photos. The camera's usual self-setting tends to be slower, and lead to blurry available light images of action and motion.

Image Quality

As I've said, it's got a Canon image sensor and has the same color rendition and image quality as Canon's other professional cameras.

The only limit to the quality of your picture is your photographic talent with this camera.

Mechanical Quality

It's mostly plastic, except for the glass and the metal lens mount and tripod socket.

This keeps it ultralight, which lets you carry it longer and farther, and take better pictures that you might be too tired to take if you had a heavier camera by the end of the day.

It is very well made in Japan; this isn't some rubbish offshored to China.

Noise and Vibration

It's moderately quiet. It has a sharp sound, but it's not very loud.

Movies

Video looks great.

Autofocus is as slow as most DSLRs, but if you hold the shutter halfway down it forces the 77D to refocus quickly.

Autofocus is silent with the 18-55mm f/4-5.6 STM or other STM lenses, which is better than most DSLR focus systems.

Top LCD

Canon 77D. bigger.

The top LCD is small, but what little it shows is with large digits, so it's actually very legible as you can see.

It has an amber LED illuminator.

Rear LCD Monitor

The rear LCD is the usual.

The touch screen responds extremely well, like an iPhone.

It's not very big to allow for room for the pivoting mount.

It has no auto brightness control, so you need to fire it up manually for use in daylight.

Data

Cards are titled as "EOS_DIGITAL," standard for Canon.

JPGs are tagged as 72 DPI.

Power & Battery

While I'd prefer a percentage indicator to the three-segment icon, battery life is far better than from any mirrorless camera.

No news or problems here.

Compared

This new Canon 77D is just a little fancier and more expensive than the most expensive Rebel, and just a little less expensive then least expensive fancy Canon DSLR, the 80D.

The real difference is that the 77D weighs as little as the Rebels (the 77D weighs less than the Rebel T6s but more than the Rebel T6, for instance), with about the same performance as the 80D. What the 77D lacks that the 80D has is the C1 and C2 programmable modes on its mode dial and programmable slowest shutter speeds in Auto ISO which are important to me — but the 77D also weighs much less than the 80D.

These are all great cameras. What it comes down to is how much you'd like to spend and how much you want to carry, and how many buttons matter to you. They all take the same fantastic pictures.

See also my comparison to the Rebel T7i, which has the most of the same performance and specifications of this 77D, for less money but lacking several convenience features.

Usage

Canon's 77D Instruction Manual.

Charging

Take the battery out and pop it in the included folding-plug charger.

Steady amber means charging, and steady green means charged.

Instant manual-focus override with STM lenses

With most L lenses you just grab the focus ring for instant manual-focus override, but with STM and other advanced electronic-focus-only lenses like the exotic 50mm f/1 L and original 300mm f/2.8 L, you have to set:

MENU > Camera 1 > Lens electronic MF > Enable after One-Shot AF.

Movies

Set the power switch past ON to the MOVIE icon.

You see your picture on the rear LCD screen, not through the viewfinder.

Tap the camera-icon button with the red dot to the right of the eyepiece to start and stop.

The camera autofocuses, and to make it focus faster on something that just moved, hold the shutter button halfway.

Bulb Timer

It's easy to make timed long exposures of any duration:

Set M (manual exposure) on the top dial.

Spin the front dial to set "buLb" for shutter speed as shown on the top LCD.

To enable the Bulb Timer mode and set the exposure time, press MENU > Camera 5 > Bulb Timer > SET > ENABLE > INFO > (set exposure time) > OK.

Now press the shutter, and the 77D starts the exposure. If you want to end it early, just press the shutter button again.

The time in seconds is count up to 999 seconds on the top LCD. If your exposure is longer than 999 seconds (about 17 minutes), the display shows "- - -" and the exposure continues.

You can press the little button with the light bulb icon to light the top LCD so you can see it in the dark, but it turns off and hitting it again will probably move the camera.

Recommendations

The Canon 77D is a fantastic camera for those of us who appreciate great pictures and ultralight weight.

While it doesn't have some of the buttons I like on heavier cameras, like C1 & C2 on the mode dial or programmable slowest shutter speeds in Auto ISO, it has very little weight making it a joy to carry all day, every day — and having your camera with you always makes better pictures than leaving it at home.

Technically its image quality is as good as all the other Canons.

Lens Suggestions

The kit with the 18-55mm is a great way to get this. The 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is a fast and silent -focussing sharp lens that focusses ultra-close and does everything well. It could be the only lens you'll ever need.

If you want more telephoto range to get closer, get the kit with the superb 18-135mm lens. It's bigger and heavier, but goes longer. It all depends on how much you want to carry.

Either of these lenses is wonderful.

If you need an ultrawide lens, get the superb Canon 10-18mm STM.

If you need longer, you also could just get the 55-250mm or new full-frame instant-focussing 70-300mm IS II.

I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon, or at Crutchfield. It comes as a body only, as kit with 18-55mm as shown or as a kit with the superb 18-135mm lens.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, store demo or used camera. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

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