CANON EOS 2000D
Does this mirrorless entry-level DSLR hold its own despite some tough competition from its rivals?
With competition from many mirrorless rivals, does the EOS 2000D maintain a case for the entry-level DSLR?
Earlier this year, Canon gave its entry-level EOS DSLR line-up a boost with the addition of two new models, and the more senior of the two is the camera on test. So what’s new? Not much, it seems; the EOS 2000D’s spec sheet is essentially identical to the EOS 1300D’s that came before it, save for a 24.1MP APS-C sensor in place of the previous 18MP version.
This works in partnership with a DIGIC 4+ processing engine, which enables Full HD video and 3fps burst shooting, while a built-in flash and a battery that’s rated to 500 frames per charge also feature. Unless you’re shooting videos or using Live View, composition happens through a pentamirror viewfinder with 95% coverage, and there’s not much to fault with it. There’s no cast to speak of and AF points are nice and bright, with plenty of room at its base for key exposure settings.
The 3in LCD beneath it has a respectable 920K dots. It’s fixed in place, which is understandable on such a basic model, and the absence of touch functionality, while a pity, is forgiveable. It’s the fact that it’s recessed a couple of millimetres behind the outer panel that’s a real shame, as this makes it hard to maintain visibility in harsh light.
The nine-point AF system is basic by even entry-level DSLR standards, but in good light it finds focus well and doesn’t take too long to do so. And, although performance slows in darker conditions, the camera still manages to lock onto many low-contrast subjects.
Switch to Live View, however, and the lack of Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF makes itself apparent; regardless of the shooting conditions, it’s simply too slow to be useful for anything but static subjects, and significantly behind current mirrorless models pitched at the same type of user.
The Quick Control screen and top-plate command dial make light work of changing key settings, and you can generally get to
where you need to be at speed. When set to continuous shooting, the camera easily meets its 150 burst depth in JPEG and even exceeds its stated RAW burst depth of 11 frames by three or four frames on average. Switch to RAW+JPEG and you typically get six to seven frames.
Most people will be buying the EOS 2000D with the EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II kit lens, which isn’t as bad a performer as its ‘kit’ designation may imply. Once stopped down to the middle of the aperture range, definition across the frame is more than acceptable.
That said, as the camera lacks the full suite of Canon’s lens aberration correction tools, curvilinear distortion and chromatic aberration remain in JPEGs. The lack of these, together with the absence of any in-camera RAW adjustment, essentially means you need a computer to get the best out of the files.
Exposures are largely fine and dynamic range appears to be perfectly adequate for most scenes, with a healthy range of recoverable details from RAW files. Colours appear faithful on the standard setting, although some low-contrast scenes benefit from a touch of underexposure in order to make their colours more true to life.
Anyone planning on using the camera for video may be disappointed to learn that, at least with the kit lens, footage appears to lack a little bite. Furthermore, while you can set a shutter speed of your choosing, it’s not possible to use autofocus, which makes it more difficult to use casually.
Overall, while the EOS 2000D is a perfectly serviceable model that behaves with a pleasing predictability, it’s also a fairly uninspiring release that lacks any real USP. Against a slew of other sturdier, betterspecced mirrorless rivals – and even some older DSLRs that currently reside in the same price bracket – it ultimately fails to make its case.
“The Quick Control screen and top-plate command dial make light work of changing key settings”