A good camera
Groundbreaking in its day (1984) for its use of electronics in a camera, the T70 is easy to use and has a good range of features. Lighter to carry, but also lighter on features, than its big brother, the T90, the T70 is a good, solid camera that will work with the huge range of Canon FD manual focus lenses that are available secondhand (despite being discontinued about fifteen years ago, Canon FD lenses are still available in large quantities in good condition on the secondhand market and look like they will be for the foreseeable future).
All electronically controlled (push buttons, large LCD screen, no dials at all), with motorwind and a plastic coated body, and, unlike its older cousin, the F1, unable to work at all without two AA batteries (that it uses very slowly compared to digital cameras) this is perhaps not a camera for the staunch traditionalist, but its ease of use is surprising considering the age of the design, and, having had one for about five years now, I can report that the reliability is good (and, unlike older, mechanical cameras, the T70 does not need to be cleaned, lubricated and adjusted to keep it in good order).
Do not confuse the T70 with its smaller and much less capable sibling, the somewhat pointless T50 (with no manual controls), its abortive cousin, the autofocus T80 (that used non-standard lenses), or the poor build quality T60 (not actually made by Canon at all): the T70 and the larger T90 (favoured by professionals and enthusiasts alike) are the only cameras in the Canon T series worth buying.
The T70 is good for both automated snapshots (albeit with manual focus), and fully or partly manually-controlled artistic shots.
Also consider: Canon T90 (the top-of-the-range model in the T-series), Canon F1/F1n (the T90's predecessor), and Canon AE1 Program (mid-range camera from 1970s, model that the T70 replaced, more traditional design).Read full review
