Design & handling

They may look the part, but how do they handle in practice?

Canon’s 77D provides a grip large enough to curl three fingers around

ACompact yet delivering a very traditional DLR design, Canon’s 77D provides a grip large enough to curl three adult fingers around, whilst our forefinger hovers over the shutter release button located at its topper-most edge; thumb resting on a rear leather effect pad. This makes for a strong, steady hold. While it’s possible to shoot with one hand with eye pressed against the optical viewfinder, it feels more natural for the left hand to rest on the lens barrel – here we were using the bundled 18-55mm image stabilised (‘IS’) zoom – to achieve level horizons.

With a blockier design that makes it appear large, until you set it side by side with the in fact similarly sized Canon – Pentax’s K-70 has done well to achieve its compact proportions whilst offering a weather and dust resistant body. The kit lens on offer – an 18-135mm – provides a broader focal range, but we don’t get the second top plate LCD of the Canon for adjusting functions. We are however provided with the positive of a flip and twist LCD monitor at the back. All the key functions are represented and easily reached.

More streamlined and just plain sexier than both, Nikon’s D5600, paired with a 18-55mm zoom lens for our comparison, doesn’t find room for a top plate LCD unfortunately, but like its rivals it does locate a flexible angle adjustable monitor. Incidentally, the relatively compact dimensions of each of the three DSLRs ensures that we aren’t squishing noses up against the larger screen when shooting with the camera at eye level as badly as on bulkier pro models. While relative size and grip moulding meant we were able to get a firmer grasp on the 77D than the D5600, we did prefer the latter to the less comfortable experience of hand holding the Pentax.