PHOTO QUALITY. This 24-megapixel SLR camera captured images with very good quality. Pictures were very sharp, which means you can see even tiny details and very subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations without a flash, pictures were sharp. We judged this model excellent for outdoor performance, such as shooting landscapes in the daytime; excellent for indoor performance, such as photographing a well-lit basketball game in a gym. And very good for low-light performance without a flash, such as capturing a birthday party. Photos taken in our low-light performance tests displayed very little image noise; subjects retained correct detail and color.
FLASH. The EOS 80D w/ 18-135mm IS USM with the 18-135mm kit lens captured flash shots that were excellent. In our distance test, we found the camera's flash could illuminate subjects very well, both near and far. The flash also has excellent, very even coverage.
LENS. This camera includes a 7.5x zoom lens, a bit more zoom than a standard 3x.
IMAGE STABILIZATION. This is an important feature; taking hand-held shots at the telephoto end of the zoom range can generally blur or soften images due to the slight movement of your hands. Shooting zoom set at 4x in well-lit scenes, this model did a good job of minimizing the effects of camera shake. Shooting telephoto in well-lit scenes, this model did an excellent job of minimizing the effects of camera shake. In low-light settings, it performed well but sometimes produced blurry photos. Overall, the shake reduction results from our tests were good.
SPEED. In terms of performance, the Canon EOS 80D w/ 18-135mm IS USM powers up instantly. It has a short interval between shots, which can be important when shooting fast-moving or unpredictable subjects.
VIDEO. The Canon EOS 80D w/ 18-135mm IS USM takes very good video. It captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 60p. As for sound, it captures very good audio in stereo.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. Like all SLRs, it also includes a through-the-lens viewfinder, helpful when composing in bright light; this viewfinder has excellent quality. The display also swivels; this can be helpful when shooting self-portraits or hard-to-reach shots.
