Canon EOS 90D SLR camera review: breakthrough to 32.5 million effective pixels

The EOS 90D SLR is a new camera released by Canon at the end of August this year, and it is also the first APS-C format digital SLR camera equipped with approximately 32.5 million effective pixels. It is worth mentioning here that due to limitations in sensor size and pixel density, it is not easy for Canon to increase the pixels on the 90D.

As the successor of the 80D, the EOS 90D has been improved in many aspects. As a camera for capturing high-speed moving areas, especially the focus and continuous shooting speed have been greatly improved. The maximum continuous shooting under the mechanical shutter reaches 10fps, and when using live view shooting, it can be further improved to 11fps continuous shooting.

Next, let’s visually compare the parameters of the two Canon APS-C cameras.

From a parameter perspective, the 90D is much better than the 80D, using the latest 32.5 million pixel CMOS and DIGIC 8 processor. In terms of battery life, the 90D is more durable, and of course it also inherits some of the good attributes of the 80D. Overall, the 90D is the best in Canon's APS-C system in terms of performance.

Speaking of APS-C systems, looking at the "half-frame" SLR market, Canon has launched quite a few models in this area, ranging from the professional-grade EOS 7D II to the entry-level. EOS 200D II is also well received in the market, and as a mid-range model that connects the past and the future, it is also the only way for many people to upgrade to a new phone.

Comparable to professional use experience; continuing the classic design style

First of all, let’s look at the appearance of the fuselage. EOS 90D basically maintains the design style of the previous generation and inherits it from the previous generation. Through local optimization, the experience has been significantly improved through the optimization of these details, while maintaining the overall control logic.

The front of EOS 90D is basically the same as that of EOS 80D. Except for the difference on the nameplate of the fuselage, it is not easy to distinguish between 80D and 90D.

The overall layout on the back is basically the same as that of the 80D. The difference is that the 90D has a new body joystick, which makes it easier to select the corresponding focus point in actual shooting.

Other aspects are almost the same. They also use a 3.0-inch rotating touch screen with approximately 1.04 million dots, which is convenient for users to take selfies and low-angle shots, and enriches the photographer's shooting control methods.

The left side of the fuselage is rich in interfaces, including microphone, headphone, USB, HDMI and shutter cable interfaces from top to bottom.

The right side of the fuselage is the SD card slot. Like the previous generation, the fuselage still uses a single SD card slot. Although it is not as stable as the dual card slots, fortunately, the 90D supports the reading and writing of UHS-II high-speed cards. It also makes up for some regrets.

At the bottom of the fuselage is the battery compartment and a metal tripod interface. The new machine continues to use the LP-E6N lithium battery, which can be used with Canon 5D, 6D and 7D series. Under normal circumstances, it can take 1860 pictures, and the battery life has been significantly improved.

EOS 90D is equipped with an optical viewfinder with a field of view of approximately 100%. There is basically no display lag during continuous shooting, and the situation of dynamic subjects can be well grasped, which is ideal for shooting sports and ecological themes. extremely important for photographers.

The flip screen design of the camera can provide photography users with more shooting angles, and the shooting parameters can also be modified through the touch screen, which is very convenient to operate.

ISO sensitivity image quality test

We also tested various levels of camera sensitivity. The test environment was an indoor still life table with fixed ambient light, using Canon EOS 90D and 18-135mm. Shooting with an on-hook lens, the focal length is 50mm, the aperture is fixed at F8.0, the ISO is adjusted step by step, the tripod is fixed to maintain the same camera position, and the shooting mode is 2S timing to prevent the influence of hand shake during shooting and strive for maximum objectivity.

Judging from the test results, the EOS 90D accurately restores picture details and colors between ISO100 and 400; when the ISO rises to 800, the picture of the new machine still remains good; when the ISO is between 1600 and 3200, the picture appears There is slight noise, but it is still within the usable range; when the ISO rises to 6400, the noise in the picture becomes more obvious, but fortunately the details of the picture are well preserved. When the ISO reaches between 12800 and 25600, the picture noise becomes more obvious, and there is also a slight color cast. Generally speaking, ISO6400 is a watershed. Below ISO6400, the picture details and noise are relatively well controlled.

Focus + continuous shooting can capture highly dynamic objects

For a camera, the prerequisite for capturing highly dynamic objects is the ability to focus + continuous shooting. These cameras will be moved to sports themes, just like the previous EOS 80D SLR camera. As the successor, the EOS 90D has been further enhanced, and the continuous shooting speed has been increased from 7 frames/second of the EOS 80D to the current 10 frames/second. , and the continuous shooting speed of 10 frames/second is based on the premise of tracking focus. If the screen real-time view mode is used, the continuous shooting speed can be increased to 11 frames/second.

11 frames/second continuous shooting

Whether it is single AF focusing or continuous servo AF focusing, the EOS 90D can maintain a continuous shooting speed of 10 frames/second, which has reached a quasi-professional level and is completely It can shoot some sports events, and using an EF mount lens needs to be multiplied by 1.6 times, which has obvious advantages in shooting sports and ecology. When it comes to focusing, the EOS 90D inherits the 45-point full cross-type autofocus system under optical viewfinding, which means that the focus points are distributed in a wider range, and all 45 points can perform cross-type focusing, of which 27 focus points all support f /8.0 aperture autofocus, if the user installs a telephoto lens or a magnifying glass, the actual experience of this camera will be even better.

Similarly good video capabilities

The dissemination and sharing of videos is very common nowadays, and even professional cameras are indispensable functions. The EOS 90D can shoot 4K uncropped videos, and can track and focus on the subject when shooting clips. This means that the 90D can still use full-pixel dual-core focus when shooting, and is equipped with five-axis anti-shake, which greatly improves the quality of video materials. Suitable for short video celebrities or self-media players to record.

4K video screenshots

100% enlargement of 4K video screenshots

In addition, the 90D is equipped with a new generation DIGIC 8 image processor. 32MP pixels can indeed achieve better image quality, but it puts higher pressure on the sensor. The new image processor mainly improves the camera's processing speed and algorithm. The image processor plays a big role in achieving such performance. role.

Summary

The improvement in pixels of EOS 90D must be the biggest advantage. With the help of the new generation image processor, it has good performance in noise control, but if you know a little about the camera, it will I found that mirrorless cameras will devour the sales of SLRs to a certain extent. The reason is that the advantages of lightweight are quite obvious. However, since it uses optical viewfinding, the battery life is much different from that of SLRs, and it is not as good as the 1860 shots of a 90D SLR camera. battery life.

In addition, you will find that this time the 90D has added a "joystick" design that was not seen in previous models, and its hardware parameters are almost the same as those of flagship SLRs, especially focusing. , continuous shooting and other performances can also satisfy professional photographers. From the author’s personal perspective, compared to mirrorless cameras of the same level, the EOS 90D is more worth buying.