Canon EOS 70D vs. Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR: A Hands-On Comparison From an Experienced Pro

Whether you’re upgrading your gear or choosing your first serious camera, the choice between the Canon EOS 70D and the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR is a fascinating one. Despite being released within a year of each other, these two cameras serve dramatically different purposes - the 70D struts its stuff as an advanced DSLR with serious photographic chops, while the F800EXR presents itself as a compact superzoom travel-friendly option.

In this article, I’ll tear down both cameras inside and out with insights from years of hands-on testing, field shoots, and tech bench evaluations. I aim to give you a clear picture of what you’re really getting in real-world use, and who should consider which - without the usual marketing fluff.

Let’s dive in.

Size, Handling, and Ergonomics: Clubs for Thumbs or Pocket-Sized Power?

If you live for heft, control, and the satisfying clack of physical dials, the Canon EOS 70D will likely charm you more. This camera is a mid-size DSLR reminiscent of Canon’s classic design language - big enough to feel substantial but not overwhelmingly bulky. The grip is deep and sculpted for a club-like fit in your hand, inviting hours of shooting without fatigue.

The Fujifilm F800EXR, on the other hand, is a compact point-and-shoot on steroids. Its tiny footprint and light weight make it ideal for street photography, travel, and quick snapshots. However, it’s not built for heavy glove use or serious ergonomics - more for slip-it-in-your-pocket convenience.

Comparing their dimensions and handling side-by-side:

• Canon 70D: 139x104x79 mm, 755 grams (body only)
• Fuji F800EXR: 105x63x36 mm, 232 grams

For photographers juggling backpacks and tripods, the 70D’s bigger size comes with the cost of more weight but greater durability and control. The Fuji slips discreetly into a jacket pocket or purse.

Design and Control Layout: Dials vs. Minimalism

I’m always fascinated by how a camera’s top plate and button layout affect workflow speed. The Canon 70D boasts a thoughtfully arranged suite of physical controls, including dedicated dials for exposure parameters, an illuminated ISO button (a nice touch for low-light riffraff), and a toggling joystick for autofocus point selection. These controls allow quick, tactile changes without toggling menus.

The Fujifilm F800EXR, by contrast, is much simpler - befitting its class. With no external viewfinder, a fixed rear LCD screen, and limited physical controls, much of the interaction happens through layered menus and a more casual user interface.

For those who want full manual control at their fingertips and consider an optical viewfinder essential, the 70D already wins hands down. But casual shooters who prefer simplicity and quick zoom versatility may appreciate how fuss-free the F800EXR is.

Sensor Size and Image Quality: Where the Rubber Meets the Pixel

Here’s where the story really bifurcates. The Canon EOS 70D features a 20.2-megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor (22.5x15 mm), significantly larger than the Fujifilm’s tiny 1/2-inch sensor (6.4x4.8 mm) at 16MP resolution.

The larger sensor on the Canon means several tangible advantages:

• Better low-light performance: thanks to larger pixels gathering more light; the 70D’s ISO sensitivity goes up to ISO 12800 natively, expandable to 25600.
• Superior dynamic range: It can capture more information in shadow and highlight areas, valuable for landscape photography.
• Shallower depth-of-field: allowing gorgeous background blur or “bokeh,” crucial for portrait photographers who want subject separation.
• Higher overall image fidelity: benefitting from a lack of heavy noise reduction and better color depth.

In contrast, the Fuji’s superzoom design demands a small sensor to keep the lens compact at 25-500 mm equivalent focal length (20x zoom). As a result, noise performance suffers, especially above ISO 800, and dynamic range is more limited.

If image quality ranks highest in your decision matrix, the 70D clearly takes the crown. The Fujifilm is tuning more towards convenience and reach, neither designed for pixel-peeper perfection.

LCD Screen and Viewfinder: Flexibility vs. Simplicity

Looking at the displays reveals interesting user experience contrasts. The Canon 70D features a 3-inch fully articulating touchscreen LCD with a 1,040k-dot resolution - a rare (and still highly valued) feature in DSLRs of its era. This vari-angle screen opens up creative shooting angles and helps with video recording or live view focusing.

In-dayfield use, the articulating screen proved invaluable for low-angle macro shots and high-angle crowds, enabling quick composition adjustments without hunching down or waving the camera awkwardly.

The Fuji F800EXR sticks with a fixed 3-inch, 460k-dot TFT LCD screen, adequate for framing but lacks touch interactivity and articulation, limiting compositional flexibility.

Neither the Fuji nor the Canon relies heavily on electronic viewfinders - only the Canon sports an optical pentaprism with 98% coverage and 0.6x magnification; the Fuji has none.

In bright sunlight, the optical viewfinder of the 70D remains invaluable, while Fuji users must rely on the LCD, potentially straining visibility.

Autofocus Systems: Speed and Accuracy for Every Scenario

Autofocus performance often makes or breaks the user experience, especially for sports, wildlife, and street photographers.

The Canon EOS 70D runs a 19-point cross-type autofocus system with dual pixel CMOS autofocus technology in live view mode, meaning fast and accurate phase-detection AF even when using the LCD screen. Its eye-detection face AF helps nail sharp portraits with impressive precision.

Testing in rapid burst and continuous AF tracking scenarios, especially with moving subjects, the 70D performed solidly, keeping focus locked through unpredictable motion.

In contrast, the Fuji F800EXR depends on contrast detection AF with no phase-detection elements and no eye or animal eye AF. It has continuous AF and face detection but with a slower reaction speed that struggles in dynamic scenes.

For sports or wildlife shooters needing fast, reliable autofocus, the 70D is a must-have tool. Fuji’s system is better suited for casual or landscape shots where subjects are stationary.

Portrait Photography: Skin Tones, Eye Detection, and Bokeh

Portraits rely heavily on rendering natural skin tones, achieving excellent subject-background separation, and ensuring precise eyes-in-focus.

The Canon 70D’s APS-C sensor works beautifully for this. Its color science produces warm, realistic skin tones, and the combination of Canon EF/EF-S lenses gives access to fast optics with wide apertures for creamy bokeh. Eye detection AF aids in crisp focus on peepers, especially with the Dual Pixel AF in live view mode.

The Fuji F800EXR’s small sensor and fixed lens (max aperture f/3.5-5.3) limit its ability to isolate subjects effectively. Skin tones tend to be flatter and slightly less nuanced, especially in lower contrast lighting. The lack of dedicated eye AF means you must be careful when focusing manually or rely on face detection.

If portraits are your passion, the 70D is the clear winner.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Weather Resistance

Shooters who crave wide vistas and majestic natural light situations benefit from the 70D’s broad dynamic range and high-resolution sensor - 20MP letting you crop or make large prints without sacrificing detail. The camera’s environmental sealing (not waterproof but weather-resistant) helps when photographing in dusty or mildly wet conditions.

Meanwhile, the Fuji offers no weather sealing, and its smaller sensor provides a more limited dynamic range and lower usable ISO. While the 16MP resolution is decent, the tiny sensor can’t capture the subtle tones or highlight roll-offs as gracefully. Still, its 25-500mm zoom range offers flexibility when scouting for distant details, unusual for a landscape setup.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus Speed, Burst Rates, and Lens Reach

Wildlife and sports shooters demand razor-sharp AF, fast burst rates, and, ideally, long telephoto reach through interchangeable lenses.

The Canon 70D, equipped with a maximum continuous shooting speed of 7fps and a solid AF tracking algorithm, handles many sports and wildlife needs reasonably well, especially when paired with an appropriate telephoto lens. Canon’s EF lens ecosystem contains many options from affordable to professional super-telephoto glass.

The Fujifilm F800EXR boasts a faster continuous shooting rate (11fps), but its autofocus speed and accuracy under fast-moving or unpredictable conditions suffer. Its superzoom lens effectively covers an impressive 25-500mm equivalent focal range, great for casual wildlife photography at a distance but compromised by the small sensor’s image quality at long focal lengths.

Street and Travel Photography: Discreetness, Portability, and Versatility

If you’re a street photographer or avid traveler, you’ll appreciate the Fuji F800EXR’s pocketable form factor. Its stealthy size and light weight mean you can shoot candid moments without drawing attention. Plus, the built-in 20x optical zoom covers most compositions without changing lenses.

The Canon 70D’s larger size and weight make it less inconspicuous and harder to carry all day without a proper bag. However, the ability to swap lenses (for prime street lenses or travel zooms) and the tactile controls provide creative advantages for photographers who want to master their craft.

Battery life favors the Canon, rated at approximately 920 shots per charge, double the Fuji’s 300 shots, meaning fewer mid-shoot interruptions.

Macro and Close-Up Photography: Precision and Stabilization

Close-up shooters should note that the Canon 70D does not have built-in image stabilization but pairs well with optically stabilized lenses and features a touchscreen with focus peaking (on newer firmware) helping precise manual focus.

The Fuji F800EXR offers sensor-shift image stabilization aiding handheld macro shots, and its minimum macro focusing distance reaches 5cm - allowing good close-up work for a compact.

For technically demanding macro work, the Canon system’s lens versatility offers superior potential, but the Fuji’s convenience and stabilization can suffice for casual macro snaps.

Night and Astro Photography: High ISO and Exposure Modes

Low-light and astro photographers love clean high ISO performance and versatile long-exposure options.

Here, the Canon 70D’s APS-C sensor shines, delivering usable images to ISO 3200 and beyond (with some noise reduction), and a minimum shutter speed of 30 seconds facilitates star trails and night landscapes. Its external microphone port is handy when capturing low-light video too.

The Fuji’s limited native ISO to 3200, coupled with a smaller sensor and shorter maximum shutter time of 8 seconds, constrains its astrophotography utility. Noise becomes very noticeable in dark areas.

Video Capabilities: Specs and Usability

The Canon 70D was something of a pioneer in hybrid shooting, introducing Dual Pixel CMOS AF that dramatically improved live view and video autofocus.

Video specs:

• Full HD 1080p up to 30 fps
• Supports 720p at 60 fps
• External mic support (no headphone jack)
• Articulating touchscreen for flexible-angle video framing

The Fuji F800EXR shoots 1080p at up to 30 fps too, but with no external mic or headphone jacks, and more limited AF control during video.

For casual video enthusiasts or vloggers on a budget, the 70D offers more creative tools and professional options.

Build Quality, Weather Resistance, and Battery Life

The Canon EOS 70D sports a rugged polycarbonate body with magnesium alloy chassis and weather sealing against dust and moisture - no big surprises given Canon's pro lineage.

The Fuji is a plastic-bodied compact with no weather sealing for protection.

Battery life is much better on the Canon side (920 shots vs. 300 shots) - a boon for long travel days or critical assignments.

Connectivity and Storage

Both cameras use SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, but the Canon supports more robust wireless connectivity options on board, including Wi-Fi for remote shooting.

Both have USB 2.0 and HDMI outputs for transferring and live monitoring.

Price-to-Performance: Who Wins the Value Game?

Let’s get pragmatic: as of now, the Canon EOS 70D hovers around $750 USD body only, while the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR sells new for roughly $330 USD.

Here’s a quick pros and cons rundown:

Canon EOS 70D

Pros:

• Superior sensor and image quality
• Advanced autofocus system with eye detection
• Robust build and weather sealing
• Flexible articulating touchscreen
• Wide ecology of lenses
• Better battery life
• Strong video feature set

Cons:

• Larger and heavier body
• More expensive investment
• No in-body image stabilization

Fujifilm F800EXR

Pros:

• Ultra-compact, pocketable
• Long telephoto zoom (25-500mm equivalent)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Faster burst shooting
• Very affordable

Cons:

• Small sensor limits image quality, low-light noise
• Slower, less reliable autofocus
• No optical or electronic viewfinder
• Fixed lens limits creative versatility
• Short battery life

Canon 70D front Canon 70D screen back Fujifilm F800EXR front Fujifilm F800EXR screen back

How These Cameras Stack Up Across Photography Genres

Here is a genre-specific analysis rating both cameras based on real-world use and hands-on testing experiences.

• Portraits: Canon 70D dominant for bokeh and skin tones; Fuji modest
• Landscape: Canon leads with resolution and dynamic range; Fuji useful for casual shots
• Wildlife: Canon better AF and lens options; Fuji zoom convenience
• Sports: Canon autofocus and burst rate superior
• Street: Fuji excels in portability; Canon wins on control and image quality
• Macro: Canon lens system better; Fuji offers decent stabilization
• Night/Astro: Canon far superior ISO and exposure options
• Video: Canon’s Dual Pixel AF and mic input tip scales
• Travel: Fuji’s compact size battles Canon’s versatility and battery life
• Professional Work: Canon’s file and workflow support mandatory

Overall Performance Ratings According to Industry Benchmarks

To give more context, I refer to the standardized DxOMark scores (adjusted for real-world use) as a ballpark indicator of image quality related to sensor performance:

• Canon EOS 70D: Overall Score 68, Color Depth 22.5 bits, Dynamic Range 11.6 stops, Low-Light ISO 926
• Fujifilm F800EXR: Overall Score 41, Color Depth 19.5 bits, Dynamic Range 10.9 stops, Low-Light ISO 143

The numbers echo the real-world impression: the 70D produces richer color, more detail, and cleaner high-ISO images.

Final Verdict: Which One Suits You?

So, who should pick which camera? Here’s my takeaway after wrangling both in the field.

Choose the Canon EOS 70D if you:

• Are serious about image quality, especially portraits, landscapes, or professional work
• Require fast, reliable autofocus for sports or wildlife
• Want flexibility to change lenses and upgrade within the Canon ecosystem
• Care about strong video features with usable live view AF
• Can handle carrying a bigger, heavier camera and budget $750+
• Need good battery life for extended shoots

Pick the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR if you:

• Are budget-conscious and want a capable all-in-one compact
• Prioritize portability for travel or street photography
• Like the idea of a single superzoom without lens changes
• Don’t require DSLR-level image quality or low-light prowess
• Want a faster burst rate for casual action
• Are okay with simpler control and limited manual options

Parting Thoughts: No One-Size-Fits-All Tool

If your wallet and ambition allow, I personally highly recommend the Canon EOS 70D - it’s an advanced DSLR that remains relevant years later because its sensor quality, autofocus, and lens ecosystem open doors to serious creativity. It’s a camera that rewards both beginners and pros who want to push boundaries.

The Fujifilm F800EXR, in its compact, no-fuss style, doesn’t compete head-to-head on image quality but shines in portability and range at a sweet price. It’s a great travel companion for street photographers and casual shooters who value zoom flexibility and minimal gear.

Remember: the “best” camera is the one you’ll enjoy using day after day. I hope this detailed comparison helps you find your perfect match.

Happy shooting!

If you want to explore full specs or read more detailed lens recommendations to pair with the Canon 70D, drop me a line or check out my other gear guides.