A wide-angle lens shot of the New York City skyline. (Photo: Nick Aster, Camera: Canon 70D)

I am as guilty as anyone of using my smart phone as my only camera when I travel. At least I was as guilty as anyone. I used to be a smug member of the school that believed your smart phone could do anything a big, bulky camera could do while taking up one fifth of the space.



I was smug until I ended up on a wonderful trip to Ireland with some terrible pictures. The fact is that no matter how new and shiny your phone, it can never replace a stellar camera. And so I decided to switch it up. I’m a travel editor. I need to take beautiful pictures. But I am no photographer. Enter my brand new Canon 70D DSLR. I like to call this my magic camera. Why is it magic you ask? Well, it pretty much does all of the work for me….when I want it to. The Canon 70D lets you easily toggle between automatic settings to some serious real manual adjustments that can turn an ordinary picture into an extraordinary one.

It is also loaded with all sorts of features that mirror the cool tricks you can pull off on your phone.

I’ve been using the Canon 70D for three months and these are the top five reasons I have fallen in love with it.

1. You can connect it to your phone using wi-fi. Worried about not being able to share your pictures with the world in real time? Don’t worry about it. The new Canon 70D connects to your phone via wi-fi for insta-sharing.

Related: 12 Instagram Travel Photographers You Need to Follow

2. The camera has ready-made creative filters. Ever since Instagram became a thing, the camera has been loaded with the ability to pre-filter your photo in its “live view” mode. The fact that these filters are built right into the camera means that you keep the quality of your photo high while also using a dope filter.

Using the miniature and fisheye effects on the redwoods in the Muir Woods in California. (Photo: Jo Piazza, Camera: Canon 70D)

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3. The video kills it. The Canon has a superior focus in movie mode which keeps your shots smooth and quiet without you having to worry about manually focusing. It also has a pull out touch screen which means you can touch the back of the screen and it will track and focus on the object you are shooting.

Related: The Best Instagram Feature For Every Travel Experience

4. Playing with the shutter speed can create some awesome photos. Ever want to stop time? Adjusting the shutter speed on the DSLR allows you to do just that. Create a motion blur, catch your dog jumping in the air or even a single drop of water falling off of a flower. Your phone can’t do that.

Stopping time as this footballer jumps into the air high above Paris. (Photo: Nick Aster, Camera: Canon 70D)

5. You don’t have to be an ace photographer to take great pics. As I said, the automatic settings truly do take professional quality shots. But if you just want to dip your toes in the water you can shoot in program mode which is almost like shooting in automatic, but shows you all of the info—which is like a Cliff Notes for how to eventually shoot manually.

High resolution zoom on biscuits and gravy at the Farmhouse Inn. (Photo: Jo Piazza, Camera: Canon 70D)

High resolution zoom on flowers in Sonoma Wine Country. (Photo: Jo Piazza, Camera: Canon 70D)

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