One of the features of the EOS 80D is the touch-screen, which allows you to adjust a wide variety of settings. Operations that used to be performed using buttons and dials in the past can now be done easily simply by using the same universal touch-screen gestures used on smartphones. With this, you can change settings and capture your images more intuitively. Being able to select images and icons directly onscreen also helps to enhance efficiency. (Reported by: Ryosuke Takahashi)

 

Starting off: 3 benefits of the touch-screen on the EOS 80D

The touch-screen operation on the EOS 80D is almost identical to that employed on smartphones, with the built-in sensor responding to finger gestures such as taps and slides on the screen. Many features on the EOS 80D now support touch-screen operation. They can be largely classified into three categories – settings, playback and shooting. By making full use of the touch-screen, you can perform the different types of operations more speedily and with greater ease.

 

1. Settings menus can be accessed more directly
Where camera settings are concerned, being able to access the various settings menus directly on the Quick Control screen is the greatest convenience that the touch-screen offers. As you no longer need to use the Multi-controller and other controls, the steps have become simpler while erroneous operations can also be avoided at the same time.

 

2. Playback-related operations are more intuitive than before
For playback-related operations, finger gestures and the corresponding effects on screen display are universally predefined, so smartphone users are able to operate most of them without having to refer to the instruction manual. Mastering the method of jump display will also further enhance the experience.

 

3. Easier to establish pinpoint focus, convenient shutter release
With the touch-screen, shooting-related functions such as AF point selection and shutter release are also made more convenient. Being able to select and move AF points by touching and dragging aids focusing precision, and complements the AF area selection modes on the EOS 80D as well as the benefits of Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Not only so, the shutter can be released by touching the screen directly, so it is possible to obtain results closer to what you see on the Live View screen.
 

Click here to see what the EOS 80D developers have to say about the camera's AF performance:
EOS 80D Interview with Developers (Part 1): Major Improvements to AF Performance

 

5 things you can now do with the EOS 80D touch-screen

 

#1: Take photos with the Touch Shutter
 

1. Press the Start/Stop button at the centre of the Live View shooting/Movie shooting switch to start up the Live View function. Next, set the Touch Shutter icon to “Enable”

To use the Touch Shutter, you need to set the Touch Shutter icon to “Enable” from the shooting menu or the standby screen for Live View shooting. This feature is set to “Disable” by default.

 

2. Tap the position in the image where you want to set focus on and release the shutter

You can change the settings to release the shutter at almost the same instant when you establish focus with Touch AF. This feature can be used together with the self-timer, which is convenient when you want to delay the timing for releasing the shutter.

 

HINT: The Touch Shutter works well when you are shooting at a low position. I recommend using it in combination with the vari-angle LCD screen.

 

#2: Change the camera settings by tapping onscreen
 

1. Tap the “Q” icon on the LCD monitor

Press the [INFO] button. On the screen that appears, tap the “Q” icon to enable changing of the settings.

 

2. Tap the item for which you want to change the setting

Look for the item you want to select from the list displayed and tap inside the frame of the icon. Check to ensure that the feature has been selected.

 

3. Half-press the shutter button after changing the setting

Tap the setting you want to select. After a selection has been made, press the shutter button down halfway to confirm the setting.

 

#3: Browse images by swiping left or right
 

1. Press the Playback button to display the image

Pressing the Playback button displays the last image you have captured or played back.

 

2. Swipe the image left or right to browse to the previous or next image

To display the previous image, swipe left. To display the next image, swipe right.

 

Tip: To enable jump display and jump through multiple images, use two fingers to swipe instead of just one. 

 

#4: See all images in index view just by pinching in
 

1. Press the Playback button to display the image

Press the Playback button to display the image. This can be done even when shooting information is displayed on the screen.

 

2. Pinch the image inward to see the index view

Pinch in to display the images in an index view. You can display up to 100 images at a time.

 

3. Swipe up or down to scroll through the images

Swipe the image up or down to display the previous or subsequent images. You can also increase the number of images to display in the index view before scrolling through them by pinching in further.

 

#5: Pinch, swipe and tap to zoom in and out on images during playback
 

1. Press the Playback button to display the image

After pressing the Playback button, browse for the image you want to magnify, and then tap on it to display it in full-screen view.

 

2. To zoom in, pinch out

Pinch out to magnify (zoom in) the image. Pinch in to reduce (zoom out) the image.

 

3. Drag the image to the portion you want to display

When an image is enlarged, drag in the appropriate direction to display the portion of the image you want to view.

 

For more about various features of the EOS 80D, check out the following articles: 
Creative filters - Making Full Use of Creative Filters in Live View Shooting
HDR mode - Using the HDR Mode on the EOS 80D
AF Area Selection modes: AF Area Selection Modes for Speedy Focusing

 

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