Photography News issue 72

PRICE: £1299 CANON.CO.UK Canon EOS 90D Big test

Boasting a brand-new high pixel count, APS-C format sensor and an impressive updated feature set, the Canon EOS 90D is certain to appeal to photographers of all levels seeking a quality DSLR camera

IF YOU KEEP up with what’s happening in the world of cameras, it won't have escaped your notice that full-frame and mirrorless are two terms that are being bandied around a lot at the moment. An awful lot. Needless to say, while mirrorless models have benefits, cameras with reflex mirrors and optical viewfinders are still big sellers and great value too, while formats other than full- frame are available and the APS-C format remains massively popular and capable. As if we needed reminding of that, Canon launched two cameras of that format recently; the mirrorless EOS M6 Mark II and the DSLR tested here, the EOS 90D. This EOS 90D now sits at the top of Canon’s APS-C DSLR range and sells at £1299 with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM standard zoom; and it is this combination that I tested here. To give the EOS 90D’s AF system more of a trial I also used the EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. A look at the specification shows that this camera has plenty of potential. Top of the list is Canon’s newly developed sensor, the first APS-C sensor to boast 32.5 megapixels. Then there’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF with 88% image coverage available for live

view shooting, while for viewfinder shooting there’s a 45-point all cross- type phase detect system and 10fps continuous shooting with AF tracking. Add weather sealing, focus bracketing, silent shooting (via live view) and the ability to give 1300 shots from a full battery, and you have a camera with a broad appeal. By the way, that 1300 shots capacity figure is with the LP-E6N battery, the same cell that fits over a dozen Canon DSLRs but without that sort of life. The EOS 90D is a very efficient camera. Current Canon users and system newbies will find themselves at home very quickly with the EOS 90D thanks to its time and tested control layout. The combined on/off switch and exposure dial dominates the top plate’s left side while on the right there is a large, very informative LCD panel with a whole array of control buttons nearby. Having the ISO button so close by is a significant plus point and means settings can be altered while the camera is up to the eye. It is perhaps odd though that the AF, DRIVE and metering pattern buttons are here too; there’s no readout in the viewfinder regarding these features in the same way as ISO/compensation, so the camera has to be brought down from

WORDS AND IMAGES BY WILL CHEUNG

ABOVE Shot with Canon’s EF 100-400mm lens, the EOS 90D’s new sensor does a great job rendering fine detail

the eye to use those controls. That said, many users will use the EOS 90D’s live view anyway – push the button to the right of the viewfinder eyepiece to activate live view. Speaking of the viewfinder, it has been a while since I tested a DSLR with an optical viewfinder and I found the

EOS 90D’s a very good example, with a contrasty, crisp image so no problems at all checking critical focus and composition. However, while it is true that the EOS 90D’s viewing is good, it’s no advance from most other DSLRs. There’s ample information too outside of the frame with 45 AF cross points on

34 Photography News | Issue 72

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