Photography News issue 25

Camera test 40

Photography News Issue 25 absolutephoto.com

Canon EOS 760D Of Canon’s two new EOS cameras aimed at users with a bit more experience, the EOS 760D has £149 worth of extra features to enjoy

Specs

Price £649 body only, £947 with EF-S 18- 135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, £767 with EF 50mm f/2.8 STM Sensor 24.2 megapixels, DIGIC 6 processor Sensor format APS-C 22.2x14.9mm, 6000x4000pixels, EOS integrated cleaning system ISO range ISO 100-12,800, expansion to ISO 25,600 Shutter range 30secs to 1/4000sec. Bulb, flash sync at 1/200sec Drivemodes Continuous, 5fps max Metering system 63-segements (9x7). Evaluative, partial, spot and centre-weighted Exposuremodes PASM, scene intelligent auto modes Exposure compensation +/-5EV in 0.3EV or 0.5EV increments. AEB three shots +/- 2EV, 0.3EV, 0.5EV steps Monitor Touch screen vari-angle 3in Clear View II TFT Focusing TTL-CT-SIR with CMOS sensor. AI focus, one shot and AI servo modes. Predictive AF up to 10m Focus points 19 cross-type AF points. AF point selection – 19 point AF, single point AF selection, zone AF Video 1920x1080 pixels Connectivity Hi speed USB, video output, HDMI mini, W0Fim NFC Storagemedia 1xSD/SDHC/SDXC card Other features Canon direct print with Pictbridge, 14 custom functions, 0-5 stars image rating, intelligent orientation sensor Dimensions (wxhxd) 131.9x77.8x100.9mm Weight 565g body only Contact canon.co.uk 7560 pixel RGB+IR sensor, metering area divided into

difference to the smooth handling. Owners of older EOSs moving to the 760D will find their way around the physical layout very quickly although the menus might take a little longer. Total newcomers to Canon EOS cameras won’t struggle too much either because Canon’s design formula is a winning one. Having waxed lyrical about Canon’s ergonomics, one thing I didn’t like was the on/off control. My moan is that on several occasions I found myself going beyond ‘on’ and into movie mode. A lock or firmer click-stop would be an advantage. That it’s on the left-side top-plate is a minus point, too; on the right by the shutter button would make one- handed switching on possible. The camera’s menu structure has 11 ‘tabs’ across the top with a maximum of seven items on show under each tab. It’s a straightforward, really good system that minimises downward scrolling by having every item under each tab visible. Intheplaybackmenusyoucanrate your shots, and this rating follows the image through to Lightroom or Canon DPP. In playback you can also apply seven creative filters to your files. Grainy BW, Fish-eye, Art Bold, and Toy camera effects are some of the options available. From Raw originals you can save shots as JPEGs and if you are shooting JPEGs you can save filtered files as new separate files rather than over- write the original. These creative modes are only available in post. Select SCN on the exposure mode dial and you’ve access to three-frame HDR Backlight Control mode, Night

Portrait, Kids, and Food settings. There are six options in all. The excellent vari-angle monitor with its touch sensitive screen provides a fine, contrasty viewing image. In live view, there is the option of touch-screen AF and real- time exposure simulation, too. The touch function can also be disabled. Many settings can be altered with the touch screen – in manual, there are 16 changeable items including image quality mode, white-balance, focus zone selection and metering mode. Touching the Q icon makes the items active and the screens stays active for around ten seconds. AF is typically Canon: accurate

fast, and responsive, and various focus sensor options are available. In single zone AF, there are 19 zones. The 760D’s exposure system also proved excellent. Shooting into the light, dark scenes, white subjects; all were handled expertly and if there were issues, the tolerance of the Raws was good enough for recovery work in post. For example, shots of a white windmill were marginally underexposed and lightened with a tweak on the exposure slider and a silhouette scene was improved with a tweak of the shadows. Generally, the EOS 760D did a great job in delivering high-quality images with little extra intervention.

Review by Will Cheung

Canon has always done well with DSLRs aimed at keen enthusiasts and its two latest introductions are unlikely to buck that trend. The EOS 760D tested here and its close relation, the EOS 750D, are aimed at more-experienced users and both models share features. Resolution is an impressive 24.2 megapixels, autofocus is swift and accurate thanks to Canon’s Hybrid CMOS AF III sensor, and theDIGIC6 processor offers an ISO of 100 to an equivalent 25,600 in expanded mode. The 750D is cheaper than the 760D, and while it delivers the same image quality there are key features missing including the rear command dial, the top-plate LCD display, servo AF in live view and the viewfinder/ EVF auto changeover eye sensor. But with the 750D body selling for a little over £500 the question to ask is whether the 760D is worth the extra £149 investment that seems a great deal given that you’ll get identical shots from both cameras. The extra money, assuming you have it, isworth spending on the EOS 760D over the 750D. Its handling is very much more ‘Canon’. By that I mean that Canon hit upon a winning formula some while ago with the large rear command dial and the top plate LCD readout playing key roles, and the 750D (and earlier entry-level models) misses out here. The 760D’s thumb-operated command dial on the back with a four-way cluster and the LCD readout for at-a-glance checking of settings make a massive

Above Shot in strong morning sun with the Canon 15-85mm zoom. The original image was marginally underexposed which can happen with a bright white subject – snow presents the same exposure problem. Easily corrected in processing. The exposure was 1/400sec at f/9 and ISO 100.