Canon EOS 90D
Canon’s latest decathlete DSLR has entered the stadium. Is this all-rounder its best APS-C camera ever?
_ An APS-C camera that takes super-high-res photos
After more leaks than a post-iceberg Titanic, we’ve finally been hands-on with the Canon EOS 90D. It’s the official replacement for the EOS 80D, long regarded as the heptathlete of the manufacturer’s DSLR line-up for its versatility and capability across a number of categories.
While it’s still pitched by Canon as a mid‑range DSLR, it’s fair to say that the EOS 90D has upped its game in so many areas that it’s now a firm decathlete – and it’s such a peak performer that it’s even pipping its senior models to the post in key categories, from megapixel count to 4K video capability.
Indeed, its 32.5-megapixel sensor has a higher resolution than any other Canon camera shy of the full-frame EOS 5DS and 5DS R, packing an unprecedented amount of pixels into an APS-C sensor. Furthermore, it offers 4K video recording at 30 frames per second without any crop factor – something else that no other Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera can do. Except, that is, for the similarly just-announced Canon EOS M6 Mark II, the company’s latest APS-C mirrorless camera.
What’s really interesting about these two new models is that, internally, the technology is virtually identical; the differences are almost entirely in terms of how Canon (and, thus, the photographic public) regards the roles of DSLR and mirrorless systems.
In fact, were it not for a couple of physical handicaps, the M6 Mark II
is actually a superior camera to the 90D. Thanks to some strategic design choices, however, the 90D has a few tricks that its mirrorless sibling lacks…
Best of both worlds
There was plenty of speculation leading up to the launch of the 90D, with the prevailing chatter suggesting that it would succeed both the Canon EOS 80D and the 7D Mark II. While the official word from Canon is that it’s a replacement for the 80D, the rumours certainly make sense since the 90D introduces a joystick – a definite amalgamation of features from the two lines.
It retains the 80D’s articulating screen, along with the dedicated microphone and headphone jacks, making the 90D just as geared towards video – ideal for the newly uncropped 4K mode, which records to the entire image sensor.
The body feels familiar in both operation and build quality. It’s not an all-weather camera, and it doesn’t have the feel of a high end body, but neither does it feel like a flimsy entrylevel camera – particularly with the addition of the joystick.
The joystick’s presence does cause a slight juggling of buttons from the 80D, however, which is guaranteed to confuse your muscle memory for a time if you decide to upgrade. The joystick now occupies the spot where the Q button used to be – the Q button replaces the Play button, just above the control dial, while the Play button now sits where the Trashcan button used to live, just to the right of the LCD. (The Trashcan button is now slotted to the right of its former home.)
Once you’ve got over the annoyance of pressing all the wrong buttons, you’ll note that size-wise the 90D is incredibly similar to the 80D, which measures 139 x 105 x 79mm. However, it’s substantially lighter – 29g lighter, to be precise – than the 80D’s 730g fighting weight.
In the hand, it’s much like wielding a lighter 80D – an 80D without a battery, almost. Which is interesting, as Canon has done anything but take the battery away…
While the 80D was Cipa-rated to 960 shots from a full battery, the Canon EOS 90D has improved this to an impressive Cipa-rated 1,300 – from the same battery, the LP-E6N. However, Canon tells us that informal testing yields as many as 1,830 shots per battery charge – something that’s all the more relevant for the target market, since the company is pitching the 90D squarely at outdoor sports and wildlife shooters.
This is where the aforementioned similarity between the innards of the Canon EOS 90D and the Canon EOS M6 Mark II becomes even more fascinating. The 90D – the camera that Canon feels is more appropriate for capturing fast action – maxes out at 10 frames per second (or 11 with fixed autofocus). The M6 Mark II, by contrast, hits 14 frames per second.
It’s a bizarre narrative, whether it’s driven by Canon or merely in reaction to public perception that DSLRs are the superior tool for capturing action.
In action
Regardless, it takes nothing away from the 90D’s ability to capture fast-moving subjects. We put the camera through its paces on a fast-moving indoor go-karting circuit; while we were impeded from optimal shooting thanks to the horrendously low light, we were
nonetheless impressed by the body’s ability to crank out frames faster than even a 5D Mark IV (and with more resolution, to boot).
The lightning-fast focus acquisition and image output is due in large part to the latest Digic 8 processor, a huge step up from the Digic 6 featured in the 80D, which also provides the horsepower for the impressive Eye Detection AF that provides tracking in both stills and video mode. An electronic shutter ups the shooting speed to 1/16,000 sec (beyond the 1/8,000 sec rate of the mechanical shutter) to facilitate wider apertures while shooting action.
The 90D has also learned a neat trick from the Canon EOS RP: focus bracketing. This enables you to shoot a predesignated series of images at incrementally changing focus positions, which can be ‘stacked’ in post production to extend the depth of field – ideal for macro shooting.