Canon EOS Rebel T7i vs 77D vs T6i vs T6s, what’s the difference?

[Frank30]

Hello everyone,

I just registered on this forum which particularly captivated me. I would like someone to help me answer my question.
I recently wanted to buy a digital SLR camera to take photos during my vacation. I personally like Canon, the latest product in the long chain of entry level Canon DSLRs are the Canon EOS Rebel T7i and EOS 77d. Then the problem is coming, canon EOS Rebel T7i vs 77D vs T6i vs T6s, what’s the difference?

Related Information: https://thedigitalcamera.net/canon-t7i-vs-77d-vs-t6i-vs-t6s-whats-the-difference/

Thanks for the help.

[TCampbell]

Canon introduces a newer Rebel roughly once per year.  The latest is the T7i ... the year before that it was the T6i.

But when Canon introduced the T6i they also introduced something called the T6s.  To understand what that's all about, you can look at the control layout on bodies like the 80D, 7D II, 6D and 5D series bodies, etc.

On most Rebel bodies, there's a single dial and it's located on the front of the camera near the shutter button.  What the dial does depends on the shooting mode.  

In "Program" mode it performs something called "Program Shift" (trades a stop of aperture for a stop of shutter speed so you can get the same total amount of light ... but at different exposure settings.  This makes changes to things like motion blur, depth of field, etc.)

In "Aperture value" (Av) mode, it changes the aperture.

In "Time value" (Tv) mode (aka shutter speed priority) it changes the shutter speed.

But things get tricky when you get to Manual (M) mode.  In THAT mode, it changes the shutter speed just like Tv mode... and to change the aperture you have to press-and-hold an aperture button (typically with your thumb) while simultaneously rotating the dial.  So you dial in the shutter speed you want, then press and hold the aperture button to adjust the aperture you want.  

Meanwhile on the higher end bodies, there's a SECOND control dial on the back of the camera body.  In Manual mode, that second control dial changes the aperture while the front control dial changes the shutter speed (no need to press-and-hold to change aperture).  Also... worth noting is that in Tv, Av, or Program mode, the rear dial controls exposure compensation (something else that requries press-and-hold of a button on a Rebel series body).

Lastly, the higher end bodies have an LCD display on the top of the camera body that display shooting mode information.

The T6s and the 77D are basically the T6i and T7i ... except they've added that top LCD screen and they added a control dial to the back of the camera.  It's not quite as nice as the versions found on the 80D, 7D, 6D, 5D, & 1D series, but it's better than the rest of the Rebel line.

Functionally the T7i and 77D are basically identical (they do the same things, offer the same modes, etc.)  and it's really the body & control layout that is different.

If you were to look at an 80D... it's a slightly nicer body, it has some weather-sealing (it's not water-proof but they do add some gaskets to body seams and o-rings on the dials so that light rain, splashes near pools, etc. wont be a problem.  Water under pressure or force would still get through though -- so this is really only good to seal out dust and light rain).    

The 80D (and above) also support "Auto-Focus Micro-Adjustment" (aka "AFMA").  This is a feature where if a lens is slightly front-focusing or back-focusing ... you can tell the camera to compensate for it.  The 70D, 80D, 7D series, 6D series, 5D series, and 1D series all support this... but the Rebel series does not.

BTW, the T7i & 77D finally have true Dual-Pixel CMOS AF.  The T6i & T6i had an older variant on the technology (called Hybrid CMOS AF III) that wasn't quite as good.  This means the T7i & 77D are much better at focus in live-view mode and also better at tracking focus on subjects while shooting video.  The T6i & T6s can do this... just not as well as the T7i & 77D.

[amfoto1]

I'm not going to tell you which model to buy.

Instead I'll tell you the major features of these cameras that would make a difference to me.

All four cameras are 24MP, APS-C "Rebel"-series models (in spite of the name Canon chose to give the 77D).

Rebel series camera viewfinders use a penta-mirror to reduce weight and cost. (The next model up, the 80D, has a true pentaprism that makes for a little bit bigger and brighter viewfinder).

Rebel series also use a shutter with a top speed of 1/4000 and a flash sync of 1/200. (80D has 1/8000 and 1/250.)

The T6i and T6s are the top-of-the-Rebel line from a couple years ago. They are very similar in most respects. Their AF system is 19-point, all cross type. (That's very similar to 70D, which in turn inherited a slightly dumbed down version of the high performance 19-point AF system used in the original 7D.) This is an "f/5.6 limited" AF system that's rated to be able to work down to approx. -1EV. Live View/video in these models uses Hybrid CMOS "contrast detection" AF. 

The T7i and 77D are the current top-of-the-Rebel line today. They also are very similar in many ways. They both now use almost exactly the same 45-point AF system as the 80D. This is rated to work down to -3EV light levels (approx. "moonlight") and is "f/8 capable". What this latter means is that the camera is able to autofocus more lens/teleconverter combinations. For example, it will be able to AF an f/5.6 lens fited with a 1.4X teleconverter or an f/4 lens with a 2X (either case makes for an "effective f/8"). The earlier models would not be able to autofocus those. The newer models are limited in the number of AF points able to do this.... up to 27 points with certain combos, only at the center point with others. These newer models also used Dual Pixel AF (DPAF) in Live View, which is a form of phase detection focusing that's much faster than contrast detection. (DPAF was first introduced on the 70D and has been included in most models introduced since.)

Some of the review websites incorrectly report that the T7i and 77D are not f/8 capable. I confirmed that, in fact, they are with the Canon manuals for the cameras.

Something that's found on the next higher models (D70 and D80), but NOT found on the AF systems of the Rebel series models is Micro Focus Adjustment (MFA). This  provides a means for the user to fine tune the autofocus accuracy of up to 40 specific lenses on the camera. The Rebel series models all lack this. It's only found on the higher models. While most people never find it necessary, in order to fine tune the AF of the Rebel series with specific lenses would require calibration by a professional repair tech.

I use vertical/battery grips on all my cameras. This doubles the battery capacity to allow me to take a lot more shots between battery changes, but just as importantly to me, it also provides a grip and secondary controls that make shooting with the camera in vertical/portrait orientation much more comfortable. A Canon BG-E18 battery grip is available for use with the T6i and T6s.... But for some reason none is available for the T7i or 77D (there's at least one third party grip for those models made by Vello that allows use of dual batteries, but only partially and rather clumsily provides limited secondary vertical control).

The difference between T6i and T6s... and the difference between T7i and 77D... is primarily their display and control layout. The T6i and T7i use "traditional" Rebel style controls. The T6s and the 77D that superseded it, have an additional LCD display on the top right shoulder which shows all the camera settings at a glance (same info can be seen on their rear LCD or the rear LCD panel of the T6i/T7i). The T6s and 77D also have some additional buttons and dials for a little more direct control of major camera settings. In a sense, they adopted controls similar to the next higher model (70D and 80D).

There are other incremental upgrades with the newer cameras, too, of course... Higher usable ISOs, faster processors, a bit faster continuous shooting rate (frame rate), added wireless connectivity, etc. The above are just the things that I'd be most concerned about. You might find other differences more important to you and should check out the link to Camera Decision website and similar (if you Google "compare Canon  T6i to T7i" or any other combination of two cameras, a number of sites will come up). Just be sure to confirm anything you read there, because - as with the f/8 capability noted above - the info might or might not be totally reliable on those sites. There also are extensive reviews of each model various places online.

In my opinion, the lenses used upon a camera make a lot more difference in my image, than the choice of camera does. With a budget limit, I'd opt for a less expensive camera if it allowed me to buy a better quality lens. There are some superb Canon EF and EF-S lenses to choose among!

Hope this helps!

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & ZENFOLIO 

[kvbarkley]

Nice summary, Alan.

[John_SD]

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@Frank30 wrote:

Hello everyone,

I just registered on this forum which particularly captivated me. I would like someone to help me answer my question.
I recently wanted to buy a digital SLR camera to take photos during my vacation. I personally like Canon, the latest product in the long chain of entry level Canon DSLRs are the Canon EOS Rebel T7i and EOS 77d. Then the problem is coming, canon EOS Rebel T7i vs 77D vs T6i vs T6s, what’s the difference?

Thanks for the help.

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Any of those cameras will serve you well, assuming this is your first DSLR. None of them will turn you into a good photographer without ongoing study, regular practice, and critical review of your own photos.

Oh, and the most important first step you can take once you have that camera is to download the FULL user guide and study it. 

Enjoy the hobby!