Nikon D3500 – At a glance

• 24.2-million-pixel APS-C sensor
• $500 / £395 used (excellent condition) body only
• 11-point AF system
• Nikon DX lens mount
• Wireless functionality
• ISO 100-25,600
• Records up to Full HD (1080p) video at 60fps

The Nikon D3500 is a deservedly famous beginner’s DSLR. Blending portability and usability with the capacity to produce images of excellent quality, it’s really everything a beginning photographer could need, and as such is a fixture among students. With the historic Nikon-F lens mount at your disposal, you’ve got enough lenses to realistically last a shooting lifetime, too. But with mirrorless cameras hogging the limelight and technological developments, Nikon’s best beginner’s DSLR is also likely its last. Is it still worth buying in 2024?

Nikon has officially discontinued the camera, meaning you’ll have a struggle to find one to buy new. However, the D3500 is still widely available on the used market. And there’s a reason it keeps hold of a place in our guide to the best cameras for beginners, and that’s because it still offers real value for money, especially with prices coming down on the second-hand market. Shop around and you’ll find examples being sold for around £350 in good condition.

Nikon D3500. Image: AP

However, there are a lot of reasons you may want to choose a newer mirrorless model instead, and those are only growing in number as more new cameras are released. If you want a rundown of the difference between the two formats, check out our comprehensive guide to DSLRs vs mirrorless. But otherwise, let’s get into our Nikon D5300 review…

Nikon D3500 – Rivals and alternatives

The Nikon D3500 arrived in 2018, replacing the Nikon D3400, an entry-level camera that represented a pretty similar proposition with its 24.2MP APS-C sensor. The D3400 is still available on the second-hand market for around $315 / £250 in excellent used condition, though the D3500 is generally a better buy. It’s lighter, better ergonomically and has healthier battery stamina. If you want to stick in the Nikon camp but want something even more advanced, then in the other direction is the Nikon D5600. Adding in a tilting LCD screen and an input for a microphone, it’s generally a more sophisticated camera, especially for video users.

The competition

But what about from other manufacturers? Well, if you’re interested in what Canon ahs to offer, there is the cheaper but simpler EOS 2000D, which offers about the same resolution as the D3500 but has a more rudimentary autofocus system. Canon also released at the same time an even cheaper beginner’s DSLR in the form of the EOS 4000D, but honestly we wouldn’t bother; it cuts the resolution down to 18MP, and just isn’t worth the money. In the other direction though, you have the slightly more advanced EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 (around £400 for an excellent used example), which can shoot 4K video.

Mirrorless alternatives

If you want to go mirrorless there isn’t really a like-for-like comparison, but there are some solid alternatives. Nikon is keen to get photographers and videographers on board with its Nikon Z system, and beginners may want to consider the APS-C all-rounder Nikon Z50 or the vlogger-focused Nikon Z30. Both will set you back less than $999 / £999 with a lens, and benefit from faster AF systems and better video. However, you don’t get that big tactile DSLR handgrip, long lasting battery life, nor the optical viewfinder.

A more modern alternative to the D3500 is the Nikon Z50 pictured here in the hand Photo: Michael Topham

Other manufacturers only really offer mirrorless alternatives. Something like the Sony A6000 will give you just-as-good image quality at a similar price point. Or, if you’ve got a bit more cash to spend, you could try the Fujifilm X-T30 II, or the slightly cheaper but older Fujifilm X-T30. It uses the same-size sensor as the D3500, and delivers images full of character and punchy colours.

These are some good alternatives to keep in mind as we take the Nikon D3500 out for a spin. So, let’s take a closer look at this capable camera…

Nikon D3500 review – Features

While production of the Nikon D3500 DSLR has officially ceased, it is still available on the second-hand market.

The D3500 is built around a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor and Nikon’s EXPEED 4 image processor – a pairing that has served a number of other Nikon DSLRs extremely well in recent years. While effective resolution is identical to both the D3400 and Nikon D5600, Nikon has said that the D3500 is fitted with an updated sensor. As with many other recent Nikon DSLR releases, the D3500 does without an optical low-pass filter, so as to maximise the sensor’s ability to resolve fine detail.

For those looking to shoot mainly JPEGs, the D3500 comes with the usual range of handy processing tools. This includes Nikon’s proprietary shadow-boosting Active D-Lighting technology, alongside tools for vignette control, distortion control and noise reduction. Furthermore, users can also select from a range of seven Picture Controls that adjust things like contrast, saturation and sharpness to give images a specific look and feel. As ever the options are: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and Flat.

7 Things You Need to Know About the D3500

1. Focal points – Despite its entry-level positioning the D3500 comes with a number of useful features
2. Active D-Lighting – This useful processing tool is designed to lighten shadow areas and preserve highlight detail when faced with high-contrast scenes. The camera allows you to set Active D-Lighting to ‘on’ or ‘off’ settings.
3. Rear display/viewfinder – The D3500 is fitted with a fixed 3-inch, 921k-dot LCD screen that is vivid and sharp, but lacks the touchscreen capabilities of the D5600’s display. The D3500’s pentamirror-type viewfinder provides 95% frame coverage.
4. Built-in flash – The built-in flash isn’t particularly powerful but can be used to illuminate close subjects. It’s also compatible with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System, which allows you to use the pop-up flash to fire compatible flashguns.
5. Quick Menu – Pressing the ‘i’ button on the back of the D3500 brings up a Quick Menu on the rear display that provides direct access to all of the key camera settings. This allows you to see exactly how the camera has been set up and make quick adjustments.
6. Effects filters – Accessed from the Effects setting there are 10 digital effects filters: Night Vision, Super Vivid, Pop, Photo Illustration, Toy Camera, Miniature, Selective Colour, High Key, Silhouette and Low Key.
7. Retouch menu – Like its predecessor, the D3500 provides an extensive Retouch menu, which includes the ability to convert raw files to JPEGs as well as making a range of adjustments to captured images.

Exposure modes

In terms of exposure modes the D3500 offers Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Manual (PASM) modes for more experienced users, alongside a fully automatic Auto mode for point-and-shoot duties and a Forced Flash Off mode. In addition, there are four individual Scene modes: Portrait, Sports, Close-up and Night Portrait, plus an Effects mode that allows you to apply a range of digital filter effects at the point of capture.

The Nikon D3500’s rear screen is where you can use the beginner-friendly guided mode

Last but not least, is Nikon’s beginner-friendly Guide Mode. Accessed directly from the mode dial, Guide Mode essentially disables the in-camera menu and replaces it with a set of options tailored to specific situations. These aim to explain (in the simplest possible terms) how to use the camera’s key settings to the best effect. As before users are given a choice of ‘Easy’ and ‘Advanced’ shooting options, with the latter helping new users to do things like freeze motion, soften backgrounds and capture flowing water using a long exposure. While more experienced DSLR users can simply avoid Guide Mode altogether, first-time DSLR users may well find it immensely helpful.

Video

Video capability extends to 1080p Full HD video at up to 60fps, which compares favourably with the 1080p/30fps maximum setting of the Canon EOS 2000D. Sound is recorded by a built-in monaural microphone that can be adjusted via the in-camera menu, although in keeping with the D3400 there’s no input for an external microphone – for this you’ll want to look at the D5600.

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the D3500 comes with Nikon’s proprietary SnapBridge technology, although as with the D3400 this comes at the expense of Wi-Fi, which is not supported. Instead, SnapBridge employs Bluetooth and connects directly to your phone or tablet via Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Utility (WMU) app.

Once installed, you can choose to automatically transfer 2MB images directly to a connected smartphone or tablet, or you can manually export images at their original size. New for the D3500 is the ability to control the camera remotely via the WMU app too. Note that this does come at the expense of the infrared receiver that was located on the front of the D3400, which has been removed from the D3500. Pairing and set up is a straightforward task, and we found SnapBridge worked flawlessly during our time with the D3500.

Nikon D3500 review – Body and design

This new model sports a slimmed down and, to our minds at least, slightly more stylish look. It’s slightly smaller (and lighter) overall. This is primarily down to the fact that the D3500 is housed within a modified D5600 body, which at the time of its release in 2016 was billed as one of the smallest DSLRs on the market.

The handgrip is actually slightly wider and squarer than it was on the D3400, and combined with the more pronounced thumb-rest on the back, helps improve the camera’s general handling and also makes it feel more balanced when using larger lenses. Nikon has also relocated many of the buttons, moving them from the left-hand side of the camera to the right-hand side and top plate.

The small control wheel found on the back of the D3400 has also been replaced with a prominent wheel on the top plate – as per the D5600. Likewise, the Live View button has been replaced with a small lever to the side of the exposure mode dial. Sadly though, the Fn button has been removed.

Overall, while there was nothing inherently wrong with the design and handling of the D3400, we found that the redesigned body and remapped controls of the D3500 make it a more enjoyable camera to use overall.

In terms of build quality, the D3500 is encased within a polycarbonate shell that’s robust enough to withstand the odd knock, but obviously not up to the same standard as the magnesium alloy casings employed by models higher up the range. Neither is the camera weather-sealed, although to be fair we wouldn’t really expect that given its price and positioning.

Nikon D3500 review – Performance

While the D3500 isn’t as powerful as more expensive Nikon DSLRs it remains a capable little camera in all but the most demanding situations. During timed tests we recorded 100 full-resolution JPEGs at 5fps before the memory buffer filled. In raw capture this dropped to around 12 consecutive images, while in raw+JPEG the figure was just six images. All in all, these figures are respectable and certainly on par with what we’d expect of an entry-level DSLR. By way of comparison, the Canon EOS 2000D records just 40 full-res JPEGs before the frame rate drops, although the figures for raw and raw+JPEG are almost identical as the D3500.

For this image of the sun’s rays shining through the clouds we metered for the highlights and then used Lightroom to boost the shadow detail. Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR AF-P, 1/500sec at f/5.6, ISO 200

Autofocus

Autofocus duties are catered for by the same Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 module employed by the D3400. It provides 11 AF-points arranged in a diamond formation across the viewfinder. Focus lock speeds through the viewfinder are impressively quick, with the AF module locking on the instant you half-press the shutter button.

Switching to Live View the D3500 remains fast and accurate in all but the dimmest light, and is faster than Canon’s EOS 2000D, which is painfully slow by comparison.

Battery life

The D3400 was already a step ahead of the competition with regards to battery life, and the D3500 takes this further. The Nikon EN-EL14a Li-ion battery is now good for 1550 shots on a single charge – as opposed to 1200 on the D3400. By way of comparison, the Canon EOS 2000D is rated for around 500 shots per charge, while the D5600 is capable of 820. The D3500 is therefore, and by some margin, a class-leader in this respect.

Resolution

Shooting in raw, the D3500 resolved 3,200l/ph between ISO 100 and ISO 400. At ISO 800 the figure was 3,000l/ph. It’s only at ISO 3200 that resolution dips below 3,000l/ph. At ISO 6400 the D3500 produced a figure of 2,800l/ph followed by 2,500l/ph at ISO 12,800. The highest ISO 25,600 setting recorded 2,300l/ph.

Nikon D3500 Resolution

Noise

As with resolution we achieved better results with manually processed raw files over in-camera JPEGs. At sensitivities under ISO 800 images are clean and sharp. At ISO 3200, image quality does begin to break down more markedly, with elements of luminance noise evident in JPEGs and processed raw files. You still get useable results at ISO 3200, but it’s harder to disguise the effects of noise at ISO 6400 and above.

Nikon D3500 noise performance

Nikon D3500 Review – Verdict

While the D3500 inherits much from the D3400 that preceded it, there are some differences which combine to make the D3500 a better camera overall. The redesigned body clearly borrows a lot from the upper entry-level D5600 and the enlarged handgrip helps to make the camera feel more comfortable and better balanced when used with larger, heavier lenses. On top of this, the battery life has improved and the images it outputs are very respectable.

This straight-from-camera JPEG atop the hills of Boscastle in Cornwall shows how good the image quality can be when the light is favourable. Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G AF-P DX VR, 1/320sec at f/8, ISO 100

On the second-hand market, the D3500 is keenly priced and represents excellent value for money. If you can live without the slightly larger vari-angle touchscreen and more advanced 39-point autofocus system offered by the D5600, then the D3500 is undoubtedly an excellent choice for the first-time DSLR buyer. In all, it’s a reliable little camera that we have absolutely no hesitation in recommending to beginners.

Review by Audley Jarvis, with contributions from Jon Stapley and Michael Topham. 

Further reading:

• Nikon confirms D3500 and D5600 DSLR production ended 
• The best Nikon lenses for F-mount
• The best Nikon mirrorless cameras to buy right now
• Nikon D7500 review – a solid all-round DSLR for enthusiasts

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The post Nikon D3500 review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon D7500 – At a glance

• 20.9 million-pixel DX CMOS sensor
• $1264 / £999 new body only / $1043 / £ 824 used (like new condition) body only
• 51-point phase detection AF system
• 4K UHD video up to 60 fps
• ISO 100-51,200 (standard)

What is the Nikon D7500?

The Nikon D7500 is a DSLR designed for enthusiast photographers. With a 20.9MP DX-format sensor and 8fps shooting, it was introduced between the Nikon D5600 and the D500 in Nikon’s range, arriving in April 2017.

It started out at around $1,250 / £1,300 for the body only when it was launched, but now costs $1264 / £999. This is a welcome price drop in a climate that has seen most prices increasing but reflects the fact that the D7500 uses relatively old technology and has been around for a little while.

Judged on its own merits it’s still a fine camera, however, even today. At first it suffered in comparison with the 24MP Nikon D7200, which was cheaper and in some ways more appealing, but now the D7200 is discontinued, which leaves the Nikon D7500 as one of the few DSLRs still being sold new.

Rivals for the Nikon D7500 include the Canon EOS 90D, which is more expensive but also more advanced, and various Pentax DSLRs including the Pentax KF.

For those with a bigger budget, the mighty full-frame Nikon D850 is still on sale, too, so while DSLRs might be in decline, there’s still a good deal of choice. Take a look at our guide to the best Nikon DSLRs for more models, and also the best Nikon F-mount lenses to go with them.

Nikon D7500 – Features

With Nikon’s Expeed 5 processor, the D7500 offers a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-51,200, which is expandable up to ISO 1,640,000. As we’ll see, these hugely extended ISOs don’t give great results, but that shouldn’t mask the fact that this sensor delivers excellent high-ISO image quality.

Nikon’s D7500 is a DSLR for enthusiast photographers. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon says the D7500 can shoot at 8fps for 50 raw frames in a burst, which is a significant advance over the D7200’s 27 frames at 6fps. In practice, with a 16GB SanDisk Extreme U3 card rated at 90MB/sec, I measured an even faster rate of 8.2fps, but a slightly smaller buffer of 46 frames using lossless compression. This should still be ample for all but the most trigger-happy of action shooters.

Autofocus

Being a DSLR, the D7500 can track focus at full speed using its 51-point autofocus system, which uses the same phase-detection module as the D7200. Users can also match their specific lenses to their camera, with the Auto AF Fine Tune function to give the best focusing accuracy. In live view, however, it falls back on contrast AF focusing technology – the Nikon D780 is the only Nikon DSLR to feature a sensor with on-chip phase-detection.

Metering

Metering employs a 180K-pixel RGB sensor – which is also used for face detection and subject recognition – while feeding information into the AF system to help the camera understand how a subject is moving around the frame.

Alongside the usual matrix, centre-weighted and spot modes, the D7500 gains Nikon’s highlight-weighted metering. This aims to avoid clipping bright areas of the image to white, allowing the user to make the most of the sensor’s dynamic range when post-processing raw files.

There’s an in-body autofocus motor for AF and AF-D lenses, but the D7500 won’t meter with older manual-focus lenses. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Perhaps surprisingly, the D7500 has just a single SD card slot, unlike either the D7200 or the D500. Another limitation is that older manual-focus lenses can only be used in manual-exposure mode, without any metering. While these omissions will disappoint Nikon fans, fundamentally, they reflect the fact that the D7000-series is no longer top of the firm’s DX lineup.

Built-in flash

Better news is that the built-in pop-up flash can work with Nikon’s radio-controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting system to operate off-camera speedlights wirelessly for creative lighting control. Nikon says the EN-EL15a battery should provide 950 shots per charge, and while this is down from 1,110 compared to the D7200, it will still be ample for most purposes.

In-camera raw processing allows you to tweak images before sharing them, and to this end, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth allow connection to a smartphone driven by Nikon’s SnapBridge app. I’ll look at this in more detail later.

The pop-up flash can control off-camera speedlights wirelessly. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Video specs

For video, both 4K and Full HD recording are available. However, while the latter uses the full width of the sensor, 4K reads from a 3840×2160 pixel region in the centre; this imposes a 1.5x field-of-view crop.

In-camera electronic image stabilisation is available to compensate for shake when shooting hand-held. This has the advantage of being able to correct for rotation around the lens axis, which is important for video but something in-lens stabilisation simply can’t do. It also works with every lens, not just optically stabilised ones. But, sadly, it only functions in Full HD mode, not 4K.

Nikon D7500 – Build and handling

For this price you’d expect Nikon to deliver a solid-feeling, ergonomically sound camera, and with the D7500 that’s exactly what you get. It has a deep grip with a thick rubberised coating that feels extremely secure in your hand, and a weather-sealed body that’s compact without being cramped.

The body measures 135.5x104x72.5mm and weighs 720g – a little heavier than the D7200, but noticeably smaller than the D500.

Top-plate controls include a handily placed ISO button. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The control setup is based on the D7200’s, but in a welcome change, the ISO button is now much more sensibly placed; it sits immediately behind the shutter release, as on the D500. This comes at the expense of the D7200’s metering mode button, which has relocated to the camera’s back – a much more sensible prioritisation of these two functions.

Almost every important shooting function can be changed using easy-to-access external controls. There’s an exposure-mode dial on the left shoulder and a drive-mode dial beneath, both of which lock in position to prevent accidental changes.

Front and rear electronic dials change the main exposure settings, while the D-pad on the back is used to move the focus area.

Key settings such as metering, white balance, autofocus and flash mode have dedicated buttons on the camera body, while two Fn buttons on the front can be customised to suit the user.

A press of the ‘i’ button on the camera’s back brings up a short menu of other settings, mostly to do with image processing. Personally, I’d have liked to see a user-customisable quick menu here, as with most other cameras at this price point. But, to be honest, the D7500 is so well set up overall that this is a minor complaint.

This review originally featured on Trusted Reviews.

Nikon D7500 – Viewfinder and screen

The D7500 has a reasonably large and bright optical viewfinder, with 0.94x magnification and 100% coverage of the lens’s field of view. A sensor above the eyepiece automatically switches off the rear screen when you’re using the viewfinder.

As well as displaying the most important exposure data in a panel beneath the focusing screen, it’s also possible to overlay gridlines to aid composition or show a dual-axis electronic level – although, oddly, you can’t have both at the same time.

Naturally, you don’t get any of the advantages of electronic viewing when it comes to accurately previewing exposure, white balance or depth of field before shooting – which is a considerable disadvantage of DSLRs compared to mirrorless cameras.

The tilting touchscreen can be useful to set the focus point in Live View. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Rear screen

Below the viewfinder is the 3.2in 922k-dot LCD, which is an impressively slim unit that tilts up and down while adding little to the depth of the camera. To be honest, I’d have preferred a fully articulated design as seen on the Nikon D5600 or Canon EOS 90D, since tilt-only screens are useless when shooting in portrait format.

In Live View the screen gives an accurate depiction of how your shots will come out, with exposure, white balance and depth of field all previewed live. This represents a considerable advantage over older Nikon D7000-series DSLRs like the Nikon D7000 which couldn’t adjust the aperture diaphragm while the cameras was being used in Live View.

Touchscreen limitations

Alongside touch focus and touch shutter release in Live View and video modes, the touchscreen can be used to operate menu selections and browse through images in playback, just like on a smartphone. But overall touch operation still feels tacked on as an afterthought, and the D7500 lacks features common elsewhere – such as touch focus point selection when using the viewfinder, or a customisable touch-sensitive control panel you can configure with your most-used functions.

Nikon D7500 – Autofocus

When it comes to autofocus, it’s very much a tale of two systems. For viewfinder shooting, the D7500 uses a 51-point phase-detection system, with the AF array providing decent coverage by SLR standards – about 75% of the frame width, and 50% of its height.

Autofocus is super-fast and decisive, even in low light; indeed, Nikon says it’s sensitive down to -3EV, or effectively moonlight. The D7500 also gains the group-area AF mode previously seen on the D500, which allows multiple AF points to be used for keeping track of a moving subject, and works very effectively.

The D7500 works superbly for eye-level shooting, but is less satisfactory in Live View. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Switch to Live View, however, and it’s a very different story. Nikon is still using a rather basic contrast-detection system, and it’s painfully slow compared to mirrorless cameras or Canon’s Dual Pixel AF system. It’s okay for static subjects, but don’t even think about using it for anything that moves – indeed, Nikon doesn’t even bother offering an AF-C mode.

On a more positive note, though, the AF point can be placed anywhere in the scene, and since focusing uses the image sensor itself, it’s consistently accurate – even with fast primes and off-centre subjects.

Seasoned DSLR users will be used to this kind of behaviour, and may well be happy using the two AF systems in a complementary fashion. But the fact remains that the D7500’s modern mirrorless rivals all focus much quicker when you’re shooting with the rear screen and indeed offer the same AF system and choices in both viewfinder and live view shooting.

Nikon D7500 – Video

With the same sensor and processor as the D500, the D7500 can record 4K video, giving impressively detailed footage. However, since it’s captured from a 3840×2160-pixel area at the centre of the sensor, it imposes a 1.5x field-of-view crop. It does not offer the full-width ‘oversampling’ of modern mirrorless alternatives. This can be an advantage if you’re trying to record distant action – sports or wildlife, perhaps – but it’s more problematic if you want to shoot a wideangle view.

It’s also possible to record Full HD video with no crop, although the quality of the footage isn’t anywhere near as good, and you’d get better results downsampling 4K. That said, it isn’t obviously much worse than other DSLRs, and is fine if you just want to record the occasional video.

On the side you’ll find microphone, headphone, HDMI, micro-USB, and remote release connectors. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Built-in electronic image stabilisation

One key new feature is the addition of built-in electronic image stabilisation for Full HD video, which appears to be a similar system to the one Canon introduced in its EOS cameras. It does a pretty good job of reducing the visibility of camera shake while shooting video hand-held, even when you’re using an unstabilised lens. However, it isn’t as effective as the in-body systems found in some competing cameras.

Nikon has included a flat Picture Control mode designed to allow easy colour grading of your footage in post-production, and a zebra pattern display to help you avoid clipping highlight detail.

Tap the screen to focus

You can use the touchscreen to autofocus on a new subject during recording, but this is slow and shows a distinct contrast-detection ‘wobble’ effect in your footage, which means it isn’t very usable in practice.

Sadly, there’s no peaking display to help with manual focusing either. These deficiencies leave the D7500 rather lacking in comparison to cameras such as the Canon EOS 90D or Sony Alpha 6500, so if you’re specifically looking for a camera that’s good for video, this isn’t the best choice.

Nikon D7500 – SnapBridge Connectivity

As with Nikon’s other recent cameras, the D7500 includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. This is designed to establish an always-on connection to a tablet or smartphone via the free SnapBridge app for Android and iOS, and automatically transfer across a 2MP copy of every single image you take for sharing.

SnapBridge can automatically transfer every picture you take to your phone. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Alternatively, you can choose to send across only your favourite images by marking them in playback using the camera’s ‘i’ button. SnapBridge also provides a basic remote control capability with a Live View feed, but with no ability to change any settings remotely, it feels terribly outdated.

It’s possible to pair the camera with multiple devices, so you can alternate between using a smartphone and tablet. However, since there’s no option to set up a Wi-Fi-only connection, you have to manually switch between them each time using the camera’s Bluetooth menu – which isn’t very intuitive or convenient. I found that the best option is to add the Paired Devices sub-setting to the camera’s custom My Menu.

If you’re happy to work how Nikon thinks you should, SnapBridge functions pretty well, transferring your shots to your smart device with minimum fuss. It’s clever enough to pause transmission when the camera battery becomes low to conserve power for shooting, then resume transferring images after recharging.

However, if you prefer to work the other way round, taking advantage of the larger, higher-resolution screen of your phone or tablet to browse through your images then pull your favourites across individually, the process is annoyingly slow and clunky, with thumbnails taking an age to generate every single time.

Nikon D7500 – Performance

In general use, the D7500 is an impressively accomplished performer, more than capable of handling almost any photographic situation you might present it with. Having shot well over a thousand images with the camera across a wide variety of situations, I rarely found it wanting.

Nikon’s punchy colour rendition did a great job of capturing this sunset. 1/80sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Image quality is very good indeed, with the 20.9MP sensor delivering detailed images at low ISO settings and keeping noise under control up to about ISO 6400; it produced usable files even at settings as high as ISO 51,200.

Nikon’s matrix metering does a decent job generally. If anything, it errs on the side of underexposure to protect highlights, which is far more desirable than irrevocably clipping bright highlights.

The D7500 delivers impressive image quality at high ISO settings. This was shot at ISO 25,600. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Shooting in JPEG

JPEG colour rendition is by default bright and punchy, even at high ISO settings where colours might start to fade on other cameras. If you want to pep things up further, then Vivid and Landscape Picture Controls are available, while the Neutral and Portrait settings give more subtle renditions.

With a little tweaking of settings, the D7500 can give excellent mono images direct from the camera. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon also offers a huge amount of control over the image-processing settings, so it should be possible to tweak colour output to match your taste. However, I did find the auto white balance to be a little erratic, with a clear habit of erring too much towards the cool side on bright, sunny blue-sky days, which makes images look a bit sterile.

The D7500’s auto white balance resulted in an overly-cool JPEG.Image credit: Andy Westlake

In such cases it’s easy enough to switch to a preset, of course. If you’re shooting raw then you can also re-process in-camera with a better white balance setting. Alternatively, most mobile imaging apps will let you quickly warm up the image, too. In most cases, only a slight tweak is needed to give a more attractive result.

Adding a touch of warmth has given a much more attractive result. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon D7500 – Image Quality

Nikon has used the same 20.9MP DX-format sensor as in last year’s D500, and it delivers similarly impressive image quality in the D7500. It’s slightly lower resolution than the 24MP sensors in Nikon’s cheaper DX DSLRs, but this has little practical impact unless you print larger than A3 (16x11in). The resolution of mid-range cameras seems to have hit a plateau since the D7500’s launch, so it’s not been left far behind at all.

In return, its high-ISO performance is very good indeed, despite the fact that the extended settings beyond ISO 51,200 are hugely over-optimistic. As usual, you’ll get the best possible results in terms of fine detail and noise control by carefully processing raw files.

At their best out-of-camera JPEGs can be very attractive. This was shot at IS0 800. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon D7500 – Resolution

In JPEG, the D7500 delivers 3200 lines per picture height (l/ph) in our resolution chart tests. Using carefully processed raw files you’ll achieve rather better results, of around 3600 l/ph. Noise progressively reduces resolution as the sensitivity setting is increased, and by the time we reach ISO 1600, it’s down to around 3200 l/ph in raw.

Move up the scale to ISO 12,800 and the D7500 still registers 3,200 l/ph, but beyond this things deteriorate rapidly. The extended ISOs show very low resolution due to extremely high noise, with any detail on our resolution chart barely discernible by ISO 819,200.

Multiply the numbers on the crops below by 200 for the resolution in l/ph

Nikon D7500 resolution: JPEG, ISO 50

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 50

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 1600

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 12,800

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 51,200

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 204,800

Nikon D7500 resolution: raw, ISO 819,200

Nikon D7500 – Dynamic Range

When it comes to dynamic range, the D7500 scores very well in our Image Engineering tests. At ISO 50, we measure over 13EV dynamic range, indicating massive leeway for recovering additional details from raw files – especially in shadow regions. This drops off progressively as the ISO is raised, but values of 8.2EV at ISO 3200 and 6EV at ISO 51,200 still represent a strong showing. However, the precipitous decline in the extended settings again indicates why these have little practical use.  

Nikon D7500 dynamic range

Nikon D7500 –  ISO and Noise

At low ISOs the D7500’s image quality is superb; fine detail is rendered with impressive sharpness and there’s no visible noise. At ISO 800, noise starts to have an impact on image quality, with low-contrast textures starting to blur and shadows losing detail.

ISO 1600 is still eminently usable, but by the time we hit ISO 6400 fine detail and colour saturation are visibly suffering.

Image quality progressively degrades at higher ISOs, and by ISO 51,200 colour rendition has become very broad-brush – although the image is still recognisable.

The first extended sensitivity of ISO 102,400 is still just about okay, but at higher settings it’s increasingly difficult to see the point as the image disappears under an ocean of noise, acquiring a distinct magenta hue at the top two extended ISOs.

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 50

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 800

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 6400

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 51,200

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 102,400

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 204,800

Nikon D7500: raw, ISO 819,200

Should I buy the Nikon D7500?

With the D7500, Nikon made an extremely capable DSLR that will, I’m sure, satisfy the needs of a lot of serious enthusiast photographers even in today’s mirrorless-dominated market. There are still photographers who prefer the size and handling of DSLRs and the look of their optical viewfinders.

The original conundrum for prospective buyers was whether it was good enough to command a significant premium over its predecessor, the highly-regarded D7200. As Nikon’s former DX flagship, this includes features that have been left out of the D7500 – most notably, dual-card slots and a magnesium-alloy body shell, alongside a slightly higher 24MP resolution.

The D7500 is fine camera, but looks overpriced compared next to the older D7200. Image credit: Andy Westlake

This is compounded by the fact that many of the D7500’s updates turn out to offer relatively minor benefits over its predecessor in practice. For example, it’s great to have a tilting screen, but the camera’s relatively slow Live View autofocus meant I rarely used it. However, the D7200 has since been discontinued and is now available only on the used market, so the D7500 has the field to itself.

Find more great DSLRs from Nikon in our guide to the best Nikon DSLRs ever.

Further Reading:

• Nikon D7500 vs Canon EOS 7D Mark II
• Nikon D7500 DSLR gets firmware update version 1.11
• Nikon D7500 vs Nikon D500
• Canon EOS 90D review

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The post Nikon D7500 Review – a solid all-round DSLR for enthusiasts appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon D5600 review – At a glance

• 24.2-million-pixel APS-C (DX format) sensor
• $800 / £350-450 (dependent on used condition)
• 39-point AF system
• Wireless functionality
• ISO 100-25,600
• Records up to Full HD (1080p) video at 24p

Production of this model ceased in 2022 but samples are available on the used market and worth seeking out as a rugged yet portable APS-C format DSLR. Prices vary widely. Expect a D5600 in ‘like-new’ condition to cost around £440-£450 with a relatively low shutter count of under 20k frames. ‘

Good’ condition examples can be picked up for around £375-£400, although you should expect signs of cosmetic wear such as light scuffing to some areas of the body and buttons. In the USA at present, examples are around $1000, though these include a lens and other paraphernalia.

Key features include a 39-point AF system and a high performing 24.2MP APS-C (Nikon DX format) sensor that produced high-quality shots in low light at ISO 12,800, and even ISO 25,600 was usable in extremely poor light.

Another welcome addition aimed at keen users of social media was the addition of SnapBridge. This was Nikon’s low energy Bluetooth technology which enabled convenient and automatic transfer of images to a paired up phone or tablet making picture sharing really easy. The SnapBridge app can also be used to wirelessly control the camera from a smart device.

The 24.2MP APS-C (Nikon DX format) sensor  produces high-quality shots  even in low light conditions. Image credit: Amy Davies

Nikon D5600 review – Design and Handling

Placed next to the Nikon D5500, you’d need to read the name plates to tell the D5600 apart.

The camera is actually one of Nikon’s smallest and lightest DSLRs – but it’s still a DSLR so is pretty chunky. The handgrip is nicely coated and textured to give it a satisfying feel of quality, while a small indent helps it to feel comfortable in your hand. You should find that your forefinger sits naturally atop the shutter release ready to take your shots.

Although there are more buttons and dials on this camera than you’ll find on the more basic D3300, there’s still not enough to overwhelm the entry-level user.

Image credit: Amy Davies

There’s a large exposure mode dial, which has just a few options on it – helping to keep things nice and simple. There are automatic and scene modes, while sectioned off are the more advanced “P,A,S,M” modes. Around this dial is a switch for flicking Live View shooting on (or off).

A dial is handily placed for your thumb, and has a variety of different uses depending on the mode you’re shooting in. Let’s say you were shooting in aperture priority, it would control aperture. You can also use it in conjunction with other buttons, such as the exposure compensation button which sits just in front of it, to adjust those settings.

On the back of the camera we’ve got a fairly familiar set-up. There’s a navigational pad, with an “OK” button in the centre. There’s a range of other buttons which include the very handy “i” button. Give this a quick tap and you can change a variety of common settings without having to bother with the more extensive main menu.

Nikon users will adjust to shooting with the D5600 in no time thanks to the familiar control layout. Image credit: Amy Davies

Next to the lens on the left hand side of the camera there’s a few extra buttons which are useful, too. There’s a Fn button which can be assigned to a variety of functions, such as ISO or White Balance. There’s also a drive mode button which allows you to move between functions such as single shooting, continuous shooting and timer. You can also select Quiet shooting – which is designed for shooting in quiet locations. In reality, it sounds almost exactly as loud as the standard shutter release.

Nikon D5600 review – SnapBridge

One of the new features of the D5600 is the inclusion of SnapBridge technology. This new thing has been added to a number of key Nikon products of late.
Basically, you set up a Bluetooth connection with your phone, which is constantly maintained (at a low power). This means that every time you take a photo, a low resolution version of the photo is automatically transferred to the phone ready to upload to Instagram et al without the hassle of establishing a Wi-Fi connection and manual transfer.

For more on how SnapBridge works and how to get the most out of it, check out our in-depth guide to using Nikon SnapBridge.

The D5600 features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Image credit: Amy Davies

There are still plenty who are of the firm belief that optical viewfinders are better than electronic viewfinders. As electronic viewfinder technology improves, those lines understandably converge, but, if you are in the camp which dislikes the electronic option, something like the D5600 should appeal.

The viewfinder is optical, of course, and it’s reasonably large, offering a bright view of the scene in front of you. However, bear in mind that it offers only a 95% view of the scene.  That means there’s a very real possibility of something creeping into one of the edges of the frame without you spotting it, or, for your compositions to just be ever-so-slightly off.

You should also consider that any changes you make to settings won’t be visable through an optical viewfinder; one of the most useful features of an electronic version.

The fully articulating LCD touchscreen makes the D5600 incredibly useful for shooting at very low and high angles alike. Image credit: Amy Davies

The screen is a touch-sensitive, articulating device. That means that you can position it into pretty much whatever angle you want, and is super helpful when composing from awkward angles (and using Live View). You can use the touch screen for a number of different functions. When in shooting mode, you can tap an on-screen “i” to be granted access to some commonly used settings – you can then touch around the screen to make changes.

While in playback, you can use it to move through images, as well as zooming in and out of images. When shooting in Live View, you can tap the screen to focus, as well as take an image.

Image credit: Amy Davies

Nikon D5600 review – Performance and AF:

Autofocusing speeds are generally pleasing, locking onto the target quickly and accurately in the majority of situations. When light is low, the focusing light is helpful in helping the lens to find focus – the lens may hunt back and forth trying to find focus if the light is particularly low.

Autofocus may struggle in low light. Image credit: Amy Davies

The camera is reasonably capable of following predictably and steadily moving subjects, but struggles a little more with very fast or erratic subjects – if sports and action are your thing, this probably isn’t the camera for you and you’d be better served by a DSLR like the Nikon D500.

Inside the D5600 is a processor which is a couple of generations old. This is probably the reason that it can sometimes take a 2-3 seconds for an image to displayed on the back of the screen – a little frustrating when you’re trying to quickly check if something has come out well and want to carry on shooting. Flicking through images in playback is pretty quick, as is changing settings.

Nikon D5600 review – Kit Lens

The 18-55mm f/3.5 – 5.6G VR kit lens may be a little slow, but it covers a useful focal range and makes a good starter lens. Image credit: Amy Davies

Most will probably choose to buy the D5600 with the 18-55mm f/3.5 – 5.6G VR kit lens. This is a decent performer as your first lens, and it’s useful to have to get started with. It’s not the fastest focuser in the world, but generally, it always gets there – even in lower light conditions. You may want to consider upgrading to an additional lens or two once you have got your head around how the D5600 works. Our guide to the Best Nikon lenses for F-mount is a good place to start if you’re unsure of what lens to buy next. 

The kit lens collapses down, which makes it easier to store the camera in your bag when not in use. You have to manually extend the lens when you want to use it – you’ll probably want to leave it extended if you’re planning on taking several photos in reasonably quick succession.

Nikon D5600 review – Image Quality

Image credit: Amy Davies

Just like its predecessor, the D5600 is capable of producing some beautiful images – you really get the most from the sensor if you invest in some better glass than the kit lens (just as with most DSLRs).

Colours are nicely saturated, without having too much pop.  They’re also on the warm side, making them appealing without being unrealistic.

Image credit: Amy Davies

The camera’s automatic white balance setting copes very well with artificial lighting, producing pleasingly realistic images. If you want something which is ultra-realistic, you may want to consider switching to a more specific white balance setting, but it’s not generally needed.

Image credit: Amy Davies

All-purpose metering (called Matrix metering on Nikon DSLRs) can struggle if the scene is reasonably high contrast – and that can include backlit scenes. You may find you need to dial in some exposure compensation to ensure a balanced image. Shooting in raw format allows you to bring back any lost details in the shadows in post-processing. Our Metering Masterclass is well worth a read if you’re looking for more guidance on how to get the very best results from your camera in different lighting conditions. 

Image credit: Amy Davies

The overall impression of detail is great – something we’d expect considering that there’s no anti-aliasing filter. Low light performance is also good, with images looking great all the way up to around ISO 12800. The ISO 25600 setting can be useful if you’re desperate and only want to share the images online at small sizes, but is best avoided for achieving the best possible quality. Examining images shot at ISO 6400 at 100%, I saw image smoothing and a painterly effect in some areas of the image. But this should only be problematic to those performing heavy crops or printing huge sizes.

Image credit: Amy Davies

Nikon D5600 review – Video

If you need 4K video recording, then the D5600 isn’t the camera for you. However, it can shoot Full HD in a variety of frame rates up to 60p.

It’s also got a mic socket, so can be used with an external microphone. It’s probably not going to be the camera of choice for serious videographers, but for videographers who like to shoot the odd movie, it should serve you well enough. 

Footage is smooth and high quality – pull focus is a little jerky, but you might fare better with other lenses aside from the kit optic. You can also take manual control of the video, which leaves you with a fair amount of creative options.

Image credit: Amy Davies

Verdict

If you’re looking for your first DSLR and want to step-up a little from the most basic Nikon offering, the D5600 makes a lot of sense. But then again, you could also say exactly the same thing about the D5500 which features the same sensor and other specifications but is available at less cost.

So, what would draw you towards the Nikon D5600? Well, it’s likely to come down to how badly you want SnapBridge. It makes everything easier for sharing photos on social networks, for those interested in that. Yes, it’s more expensive, but may be worth the investment to those who will benefit from the efficiency of SnapBridge.

The D5600 is a good choice if you are creating for social media and want to share your images online without editing, quickly. Image credit: Amy Davies

If, on the other hand, you’re someone who rarely shares their stuff online – especially directly from a camera – there’s really not much incentive to buy this over the D5500. Instead, save yourself some cash – you could even invest the saving in an additional lens or other accessory.

The Nikon D5600 takes some beautiful photos, and you can get a heck of a lot from it if you stick with it and perhaps even invest in additional lenses.

It’s a great first-time DSLR, and is arguably a better investment than the D3400 as you’re more likely to be able to learn with it and keep it for longer than the more entry-level model which you may quickly outgrow.

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The post Nikon D5600 Review – a likeable, well connected DSLR appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon D500 – At a glance

• 20.9 MP DX CMOS sensor
• $1,600 / £989 used body only
• 153-point phase detection AF System
• Nikon F-mount
• ISO 100- 51,200 (standard)
• Records up to 4K UHD 40fps; Full HD 60fps
• Buy now (UK)

What is the

What is the Nikon D500?

The Nikon D500 has a top ISO value of 1,640,000, which is still competitive today.

The Nikon D500 was Nikon’s fastest, most rugged and most powerful APS-C DSLR. It’s almost impossible to find new these days, but plenty of examples exist on the used market, with good examples of moderate use and wear for around £1000 in the UK. (Note: at time of press, availability in the USA is limited). Beware of high shutter counts when shopping for one. Is it still worth buying and spending money on?

Although officially discontinued, the D500 is still surprisingly effective, at least for stills photography. Many photographers prefer the optical viewfinder of a DSLR over the EVF of a mirrorless camera, especially for sports photography. High-speed shooting, and the D500’s continuous shooting and professional-level raw buffer capacity are still reasons to consider it today. The D500 is also backed up by a huge range of Nikon DX and FX lenses. Read our guide to The Best Nikon lenses for F-mount for more.

Back in 2007, Nikon unleashed a pair of DSLRs that revitalised its line-up and re-established the company as being at least on par with its rival Canon. The professional-level Nikon D3 was its first full-frame model, with super-fast shooting and an impressive 51-point AF system.

Meanwhile, the DX-format Nikon D300 was very much a D3-lite, offering many of the flagship’s best features in a smaller body at a fraction of the price. It rapidly won the hearts of a generation of serious enthusiasts and semi-professional photographers, spurring Canon to produce a decent competitor with the EOS 7D.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

The D300 underwent a relatively minor refresh with the D300S in 2009, but after that Nikon seemed to abandon the idea, insisting that its D7000-series of enthusiast-focused DSLRs met the needs of the most enthusiasts. But in 2016 Nikon relented and, just in time for a summer of European Championship football and the Olympic Games, produced a genuine successor in the shape of the D500, alongside the professional Nikon D5, and with an astonishing set of specifications that still impress today.

These include an extended top ISO of 1.6 million, alongside a 153-point AF system and 10fps continuous burst shooting. On paper, it’s the best APS-C DSLR so far, and with the end of DSLR production it’s not likely to be surpassed. To find out more, see our guide to the best Nikon DSLRs and also the best Nikon F-mount lenses.

Of course, the D500 is now competing with mirrorless cameras that can shoot faster bursts, better video and higher resolution stills. Examples include the Fujifilm X-H2S, Canon EOS R7 and OM System OM-1. So with this in mind, just how good does the Nikon D500 look today?

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon D500 review – Features

A quick glance at the D500’s key specs shows that it’s a remarkably well-featured camera. Its 20.9-million-pixel DX-format sensor affords an impressive standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-51,200, and a frankly staggering extended range of ISO 50-1,640,000. It can shoot at 10fps, and keep going for at least 30 frames in raw format and 90 or more in JPEG mode. That’s with an SD card; place an XQD card in the second slot, and it’ll keep shooting at full speed for 200 frames in raw.

Since the D500’s launch, the XQD format has practically disappeared, but a subsequent firmware update has made the camera compatible with the newer and now widely used (and physically identical) CFexpress Type B format. The 20.9-megapixel resolution is a small drop from Nikon’s previous 24-megapixel models, but it’s the same resolution as OM System cameras, most Panasonic Lumix models and even the mighty Canon EOS R6 (Mark 1).

Autofocus uses a 153-point system covering almost the full width of the frame and around half its height, while metering employs a 180,000 pixel RGB sensor that also feeds subject-recognition data to the AF system. Nikon specifies that both systems will work in awfully low light: -3EV for metering, and -4EV for AF. That AF sensitivity, while remarkable for its time and still terrific today, has been improved on by newer mirrorless cameras.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

The D500 is also capable of recording 4K video, but with the catch that it uses a 1.5x crop in the centre of the frame, compromising wideangle shooting. Full HD movies can be captured at up to 60fps, this time with a recording area the full width of the sensor. But while it has some nice movie-friendly features, including microphone and headphone sockets, and a flat picture profile, there’s no focus-peaking display and only rudimentary zebra pattern overexposure warning.

This 1.5x crop in particular limits the Nikon’s appeal for filmmakers. Technically it does shoot 4K, but you would probably choose any one of a dozen modern mirrorless cameras in preference to this one for 4K video.

One thing the D500 lacks is a built-in flash, and users will instead have to rely on hotshoe-mounted external units. For anyone planning to use Nikon’s excellent wireless flash system this will come as a disappointment, but it reinforces the camera’s positioning as an available light action specialist. Presumably, Nikon believes portrait photographers would be better off with a D750.

Nikon D500 review – SnapBridge

A new feature that Nikon is trumpeting is its SnapBridge connection to smartphones or tablets. This is designed to get around the limitations of current Wi-Fi implementations by maintaining a permanent connection between the camera and smart device using Bluetooth, switching to the more power-hungry Wi-Fi only when required for transferring high-resolution images or remotely controlling the camera. Part of the idea here is that the camera can automatically transfer every picture you take to your phone (and then to Nikon’s cloud-sharing service, if you like) without needing the Wi-Fi to be turned on all the time.

This sounds great, but sadly, at the time of our original review, it didn’t work very well. On Android devices, SnapBridge did function pretty much as advertised, but even a brief play revealed that it was well suited to a high-end camera like the D500. Most obviously, the remote-control app offered no manual settings changes at all – a perplexing oversight at a time when every other brand offers extensive manual control of the camera via Wi-Fi.

The connection between the camera and phone is always active, even when the camera’s power switch is set to off. But contrary to the idea of using Bluetooth, this can result in considerable battery drain on the camera even when it is switched off. This can be fixed by switching the camera to its airplane mode, if you can find it in the menu and remember to turn it on. But then the two devices can often fail to re-establish the connection when you need it.

Nikon D500 review – Build and handling

As we’d expect from a professional sports camera, the D500 gives the impression of being built like a tank. The magnesium-alloy body has a bombproof feel to it, and a well-designed grip means that it fits perfectly in your hand. Almost every square inch of the body is covered by buttons and dials, which give direct access to all the key functions – so much so, that there’s rarely any need to access the menus.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Nikon has used broadly the same control layout as that on recent models, such as the D810, but added a few additional tweaks that 
come straight out of the Canon playbook. So at long last there’s a sensibly placed ISO button immediately behind the shutter release, and a joystick for positioning the focus point that sits naturally under the right thumb. Pressing this inwards engages autoexposure lock, and if you prefer using the D-pad to move the focus point, this works, too.

The upshot is that the most important settings can all be changed without taking the camera from your eye while shooting. However, those accessed from the cluster on the left-side top-plate – including drive mode, metering, white balance and exposure mode – still require you to remove your left hand from supporting the lens.

Nikon also offers a decent level of customisation, so you can reassign various buttons to suit your personal shooting. But to be honest, the basic layout is so well worked out that you might not find much need for this.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Unsurprisingly for such a sophisticated camera, the D500’s menus are complex, even for a seasoned user. It’s not so hard to work out what each option does when browsing through them at leisure, but trying to find and change any specific setting in a hurry is a real trial. Because of this, it makes a lot of sense to place your most needed functions in the customisable ‘My Menu’ once you get to know the camera.

It’s worth mentioning one thing that has become apparent with the rise of mirrorless cameras. It’s true that the D500 is bigger and bulkier by comparison, but for sports and wildlife fans using longer lenses, this can actually make it better balanced and easier to handle. Many mirrorless cameras suffer from having a small body married up to big lenses.

Nikon D500 review – Viewfinder and screen

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Without doubt, the D500’s optical viewfinder is one of the best we’ve seen on an APS-C DSLR. With a magnification of 1.0x and 100% coverage of the image area, it’s certainly the largest, and not far off full-frame DSLRs or the electronic viewfinders on high-end mirrorless cameras in terms of size. It doesn’t have all the clever viewfinder information overlays that Canon has included on its EOS 7D Mark II, but you do get to see all the core exposure data along with gridlines and a twin-axis electronic level. Unfortunately, this is usually displayed in black, so it can be difficult to discern while shooting.

The 2.36-million-dot rear screen is superb – it’s impressively detailed, while giving accurate colour rendition. Its ability to tilt 90° upwards or downwards can be handy in some situations for shooting from odd angles, although there is no doubt that the D500 is vastly more competent when using the viewfinder compared to shooting in live view.

Nikon has made the screen touch-sensitive, but kept the touch functionality to a minimum. You can select the focus point by touch in live view and movie modes, release the shutter and browse images in playback. But you can’t use the screen to browse menus or change any settings. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but would certainly have been useful, especially for video use.

Nikon D500 review – Autofocus

The D500 has no problem keeping fast-moving subjects in pin-sharp focus. Image credit: Andy Westlake

At the D500’s heart is its 153-point autofocus system, which is very similar to that used in the flagship D5. Indeed, it’s the camera’s raison d’être, with Nikon aiming to give photographers a significant fraction of the D5’s capabilities in a smaller, cheaper package. The first thing you notice on looking through the viewfinder is the huge spread of those focus points, covering the full width of the frame and a significant fraction of its height. It’s not quite the whole-frame coverage that we’ve become used to from mirrorless cameras, but is significantly greater than what you’ll get from any other DSLR.

Nikon has recognised that navigating so many focus points would be impractical, so it has limited the user-selectable array to 55, with the remainder employed to assist focus tracking on moving subjects. Indeed, these are so densely packed that there’s little chance of your subject drifting into an area that’s not covered.

For slowly moving subjects select dynamic group mode in Autofocus. Image credit: Andy Westlake

If the subject is static, then you can shoot with either a single point or a group of points, which can be helpful with some subjects to avoid focusing on the background. For continuous focus on a moving subject, you have a number of extra options to choose from. Dynamic group mode is most effective when you know roughly where the subject will be in the frame; you can instruct the camera to use 25, 72, or all 153 focus points to maintain focus. Alternatively, in 3D tracking mode the camera uses all 153 points to follow the subject as it moves around the frame, with the 180,000-pixel metering sensor feeding information to help the camera keep track of your main subject.

There’s little doubt that the D500, alongside the D5, represents current state-of-the-art autofocus and subject tracking, keeping your subject sharp with uncanny ease, no matter how it moves around. If this is something you need – for sports, wildlife, or simply taking pictures of erratically moving kids – no other camera is likely to do it as well, let alone better.

Switch the camera to live view, though, and its AF speed falls off a cliff. Its contrast-detection system is tolerable for handheld shooting, but is not a patch on the lightning-fast systems on modern mirrorless cameras. The Nikon D780 was the first and only Nikon DSLR to offer on-sensor phase-detect AF, but it looks unlikely that Nikon will release another. However, the D500’s live view does at least benefit from the inherent accuracy of contrast-detection AF, especially when using fast lenses to shoot off-centre subjects.

Nikon D500 review – Performance

In good light, image quality is superb, while the tilting screen helps with shooting from unusual angles. Image credit: Andy Westlake

When it comes to metering, four patterns are available – matrix, centreweighted, spot and highlight weighted. The default matrix system is very strongly biased towards ‘correct’ exposure of whatever is under the active AF area, regardless of whether this suits the scene as a whole. This approach has it merits, but does have a certain tendency to clip highlights in high-contrast scenes. In such situations I appreciated having the highlight-weighted option which, as its name suggests, aims to maintain highlight detail, allowing you to bring up shadow regions in post-processing.

In this regard, raw files are remarkably malleable at low-ISO sensitivities, and it’s possible to pull vast amounts of detail out of the shadows without it being blighted by excessive noise. JPEG shooters can use Nikon’s Active D-Lighting feature to make similar use of the sensor’s superb dynamic range.

Highlight-weighted metering avoids clipping whites, but here it gives a very dark JPEG file. Image credit: Andy Westlake

However, lots of extra shadow detail can be recovered from the raw file. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Auto white balance (AWB) tends to give extremely neutral results – indeed, too much for my tastes. For example, it’s prone to removing attractive warm casts from sunlit scenes, and I usually prefer to add back a little warmth to my images in post-processing. But while the AWB setting can be changed in the menu to retain warmth under artificial light, there’s no such option for daylight shooting.

Nikon’s colour rendition is generally very appealing, giving rich, saturated colours without going over the top. The output 
can be adjusted from the Picture Control menu using a range of subject-based settings, all of which can be individually fine-tuned. Sports and action shooters are likely to spend a lot of time using JPEGs, so it’s good to see that Nikon offers high-quality results straight from the camera.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Overall image quality is very good, but then again the same is true of much cheaper Nikon APS-C DSLRs. Indeed, at low ISOs there’s no real advantage in this area compared to the D7200 or indeed the D5500. But the D500 keeps going longer as the ISO is raised, and so long as you don’t expect miracles, it’s still capable of giving quite usable files at its top standard setting of ISO 51,200, and maybe even a stop higher. However, I can’t help but think that the extended settings exist more for marketing value than practical use.

Nikon D500 review – Dynamic range, resolution and noise

Nikon used a 20.9-million-pixel DX-format sensor in the D500, and it delivers impressive image quality. It’s lower in resolution than Nikon’s cheaper DX DSLRs, which sport 24-million-pixel sensors, but the difference is less than 10% in terms of linear resolution, and I suspect it will be easy to accept this compromise in return for the D500’s other considerable skills. More to the point, high ISO performance is very good indeed, with the top standard sensitivity of ISO 51,200 giving remarkably respectable results. Unfortunately, though, the extended settings do seem to be hugely over-optimistic; anyone expecting usable ISO 1,638,400 from a DX sensor will need to wait a little longer.

Dynamic range

When it comes to dynamic range, the D500 scores remarkably well in our Applied Imaging tests. At ISO 50 we have a dynamic range of over 13EV, indicating massive leeway for recovering additional details from raw files, especially in shadow regions. This drops only slowly up to ISO 800, but beyond this the curve tails off more rapidly. Even so, values of 8.3EV at ISO 6,400 and 6EV at ISO 51,200 represent a remarkably strong showing for this size of sensor. But the precipitous decline in the extended settings indicates why these have limited practical use.

Nikon D500 DR graph

Resolution

The D500 captures as much from our resolution charts as we could realistically expect from its 20.9MP sensor. At low ISOs in raw it resolves around 3,700l/ph before maze-like aliasing comes into play; the JPEG processing tends to suppress such artefacts at the expense of slightly lower resolution. But what’s more impressive is its high ISO capability, with 3,000l/ph still recorded at ISO 6,400. At the highest standard setting of ISO 51,200, it achieves 2,600l/ph, but past this things go downhill quickly. Even at ISO 204,800, we see around 2,000l/ph, but the higher extended settings are too poor to be worth reproducing here.

RAW ISO 100

RAW ISO 800

RAW ISO 6,400

RAW ISO 51,200

RAW ISO 102,400 (16MP)

RAW ISO 204,800

Noise

Both raw and JPEG images taken from our diorama scene are captured at the full range of ISO settings. The camera is placed in its default setting for JPEG images. Raw images are sharpened and noise reduction applied, to strike the best balance between resolution and noise.

RAW ISO 100

RAW ISO 800

RAW ISO 6,400

RAW ISO 51,200

RAW ISO 204,800

RAW ISO 819,200

At low ISO sensitivities, the D500’s image quality is superb; fine detail is rendered with impressive sharpness thanks to the lack of an optical low-pass filter, and there’s no visible noise. At ISO 800 a little luminance noise becomes visible, and shadow details start to disappear. ISO 1,600 is still eminently usable, but by the time we hit ISO 6,400 fine detail and colour saturation are visibly suffering. By ISO 51,200, colour rendition becomes very broad-brush, but the image is still entirely recognisable and should be perfectly usable with careful processing from raw; this is pretty impressive coming from an APS-C-format sensor. However, at the extended higher sensitivity settings, it’s increasingly difficult to see the point as the image disappears progressively under an ocean of noise.

Nikon D500 – Verdict

The D500 is the most well-accomplished crop sensor and makes a great investment for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Image credit: Andy Westlake

In recent years, photographers looking for a truly high-end APS-C DSLR for sports and action shooting have been more or less limited to Canon’s EOS 7D Mark II and perhaps the later EOS 90D. But with the D500, Nikon returned to this sector in fine style, and its combination of superb autofocus, fast continuous shooting and excellent image quality places it very much at the top of the list.

The D500 is arguably the most accomplished crop-sensor camera yet made. Build and handling are exemplary, aided by some well-judged tweaks to the control layout; I particularly appreciated the repositioned ISO button and the joystick AF point selector. Meanwhile, the viewfinder is excellent, and it’s nice to see a tilting rear screen on a camera of this type, although it’s perhaps less useful here than on a mirrorless camera. The addition of 4K video recording will be the icing on the cake for some users, but make no mistake, the D500 shines brightest when used as a conventional DSLR for shooting fast-moving subjects.

Indeed, in all the time I’ve spent working with the D500, I’ve been hugely impressed by its ability to pull any shot out of the bag, acquiring focus quickly and confidently no matter how erratically moving the subject or how dim the light. Its excellent high ISO capability means it will deliver entirely usable image files in extremely low light, too.

At ISO 3,200 the D500 still delivered highly detailed images with rich, saturated colours. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The stumbling block for the Nikon D500. The original price was more than you would have paid for some excellent full-frame cameras, including Nikon’s own D750, and around $1000 / £1,000 more than the next DX model down – the highly accomplished Nikon D7200. Indeed, many Nikon users eyeing an upgrade might have been better served by buying a couple of nice Nikkor lenses instead, or upgrading to full frame if they’re looking for improved image quality. For this reason, the D500’s practical appeal was originally limited to those who know for sure that they can make use of its astonishing autofocus system and impressive high ISO image quality, and appreciate the extra effective telephoto reach afforded by the DX sensor.

The fact is, the D500 is not so much an expensive APS-C camera as a pro camera with an APS-C sensor. Looked at in those terms, it makes rather more sense, especially with today’s attractive and appealing prices on the secondhand market.

Find more great DSLRs from Nikon in our guide to the best Nikon DSLRs ever.

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The post Nikon D500 review: Is it still a capable APS-C DSLR? appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The EOS 850D / Rebel T8i finds itself in the middle of a shift away from mechanically more complex film-era SLR architecture towards smaller, simpler mirrorless form-factor, and electronic rather than optical viewfinders. Read our article on DSLR vs mirrorless cameras for a more in-depth comparison.

The Canon EOS 850D / T8i is certainly one of the best Canon DSLRs even now. It does, however, use some older sensor and AF technologies that were perhaps adequate when this camera was launched but look dated now. These particularly affect its video capabilities, and hence its appeal to modern hybrid content creators. It can shoot 4K video, but with serious limitations.

In terms of the mirrorless alternatives, it’s up against some very good and more recent models, including the Nikon Z 50 and the Fujifilm X-S10, and also from within the Canon camera range itself, notably the EOS R7, EOS R10 and even the EOS R50. So how does it measure up against this new-fangled competition?

Buy now

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i: At a glance

• £919 body-only; $899 / £919 with 18-55mm IS STM lens
• 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• ISO 100-51,200 (extended)
• Up to 7.5 frames per second
• 4K video recording
• Fully articulated touchscreen

Canon’s cameras are numbered according to their user level and price. Their triple-digit DSLR series – and the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is one of them – has a long and distinguished history. In the US this is the Rebel series. Back in 2003, the original EOS 300D was the first affordable DSLR for non-professional users, a price breakthrough that kick-started the decisive shift by enthusiast photographers from film to digital.

The EOS 850D marks the line’s twelfth generation. At current prices it’s good value in the US, but does look a little expensive in the UK, where more recent mirrorless cameras tend to give more value for money.

NB: The EOS 850D is the EOS Rebel T8i in the US and EOS Kiss X10i in Japan.

Canon’s EOS 850D / Rebel T8i  marks the twelfth generation of its triple-digit DSLR series

The EOS 850D sits between the smaller entry-level EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 and the enthusiast-focused EOS 90D in Canon’s line-up. It follows on from the EOS 800D from 2017, with the main updates being the addition of face-detection autofocus when using the optical viewfinder, faster continuous shooting, and the addition of 4K video recording (albeit with significant limitations). It also effectively replaced the slightly higher-spec EOS 77D, combining aspects of both cameras. Take a look at the best Canon EF lenses to get an idea of just what is available for these cameras.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Features

Like its predecessor, the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is based around a Canon-made 24MP APS-C sensor which offers a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-25,600, that’s expandable to ISO 51,200 via a custom function. It gains a DIGIC 8 processor, which is responsible for various boosts in performance and brought the EOS 850D closer into line with its mirrorless EOS M50 stablemate. However, this has since been refreshed with the EOS M50 Mark II and then effectively superseded with the RF mount EOS R50. Canon’s DSLR development appears to have drawn to a close.

The EOS 850D / Rebel T8i places a 24MP sensor behind the 34-year-old, fully electronic EF lens mount

Nevertheless, this camera employs the 34-year-old EF mount, making it compatible with a vast array of lenses from both Canon and third-party makers such as Tamron and Sigma. It’s typically best paired with lenses specifically designed for APS-C cameras, including Canon’s EF-S range.

This is because the 1.6x crop factor of its APS-C sensor means that full frame Canon EF lenses have their angle of view considerably reduced, and that standard zooms and wide-angle lenses for this camera really need to be designed for the smaller sensor.

Live view

Being a DSLR, the EOS 850D is practically two cameras in one. When shooting using the optical viewfinder, it employs dedicated sensors for metering and autofocus. Press the small button beside the viewfinder to switch it into live view, with a preview shown on the rear screen, and these tasks are taken over by the main image sensor, in exactly the same way as mirrorless cameras work.

Five years ago, this would have brought inferior performance, but advances in sensor and processor technology mean that the EOS 850D now offers higher specs in live view, though not at the same level as the latest mirrorless cameras.

Canon has employed the LP-E17 rechargeable battery used by several of its previous cameras.

With the optical viewfinder, the camera employs 45 autofocus points that cover approximately two-thirds of the image width, and one-third of its height. All of these are of the cross type, meaning that they can focus on both horizontally and vertically-oriented detail. This AF system works together with a 220,000-pixel metering sensor, which is capable of detecting faces within the scene and automatically selecting the most appropriate focus point.

Face detection and subject tracking

Switch into live view and the camera changes to a 143-point autofocus system powered by Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, which provides phase detection at every sensor pixel for rapid, decisive AF. Again you get face detection and subject tracking options, but the big difference is that this now works across practically the entire frame. Because it’s using a vastly higher resolution sensor, the subject detection also has much more detailed data to work with.

The Dual Pixel CMOS AF in this camera, though, is several development steps behind the systems in Canon’s latest mirrorless cameras. Worse, it’s not available for 4K video recording, though does record at full HD resolution.

Files are recorded to a single SD card slot, which doesn’t support the faster UHS-II standard

Continuous shooting is available at 7 frames per second using the viewfinder, increasing fractionally to 7.5fps in live view. This is impressive for a DSLR at this price, but its mirrorless competitors are even faster. Canon’s own EOS M50 Mark II can shoot at 10fps, while the Nikon Z 50 goes one better at 11 fps.

What does it lack?

While Canon has provided all the core features you’d expect, there’s not a lot in the way of advanced options. There’s an array of scene modes optimised for different subjects, along with a range of image-processing filters. You can adjust images in-camera after shooting, with the option of applying a gamut of presets, or reconverting raw files in-camera. But you won’t find such things as silent shooting, or a built-in intervalometer. Disappointingly, you can’t charge the battery via the micro USB port. These are things we now take for granted, so it’s a sign of this camera’s age.

Remote release and headphone connectors are placed out of the way of the articulated screen, while HDMI and micro USB ports are found behind a separate cover

Video

Turning our attention to video capture, the EOS 850D gains the ability to shoot in 4K at 30fps. But this comes with some serious drawbacks. Firstly, the video is recorded from a central region of the sensor, which imposes a significant 1.6x crop. So to get any sort of wideangle view, you’ll need to acquire an ultra-wide zoom such as Canon’s EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM.

Even worse, Dual Pixel CMOS AF is not activated, leaving the camera reliant on contrast detection alone, which doesn’t work anywhere near as well. On the whole you’re better off sticking to Full HD, which facilitates 60fps shooting without a crop, along with much better phase-detection autofocus. On paper, the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i does offer 4K video, but it can’t match the capabilities of more modern mirrorless alternatives.

The LCD screen can be folded in against the back of the camera for protection when it’s not in use

Connectivity

On a more positive note, Canon has provided excellent smartphone connectivity. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in, with the latter capable of providing an always-on low-energy connection. This enables your phone as a remote shutter release, simply by firing up the Canon Camera Connect app. Alternatively you can get full control over the camera settings via Wi-Fi, along with live view and the ability to select the focus area by tapping on your phone’s screen. It’s also possible to geotag images using your phone’s GPS while you’re out shooting.

For sharing images, you can either transfer every image automatically to your phone, or browse through them and selectively copy your favourites across, even when the camera is turned off and stowed away. It’s all neatly designed and works very well, although Android users may need to tweak the app’s power management settings to prevent the phone from dropping the Bluetooth connection.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Focal points

Canon has built a DSLR that works better in live view than when using the viewfinder

Unlike with previous models, the pop-up flash isn’t motorised, and has to be raised manually

Flash: The built-in flash has to be popped up manually. It has a guide number of 12 at ISO100 and works with lenses as wide as 18mm. The hot shoe will take more powerful external units.

Battery: Battery life is one area where DSLRs still lead mirrorless models, with the LP-E17 promising 810 shots per charge, dropping to 310 in live view. However it can only be charged externally.

Connectors: A 2.5mm port accepts Canon’s RS-60E3 wired remote control, and there’s a 3.5mm stereo mic socket too. Both are placed so as not to block the screen movement. You also get HDMI and Micro USB ports.

Canon’s relatively compact, lightweight and affordable EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 wideangle and 55-250mm f/4-5.6 telephoto zooms perfectly complement the EOS 850D, and are seen here with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

EF-S lenses: Canon offers a small but well-judged range of affordable, lightweight APS-C lenses that are a good match to the EOS 850D, including a 10-18mm wideangle, 55-250mm telephoto, and 24mm f/2.8 pancake prime. See our guide to the best Canon EF lenses

Mode dial: This is notably simplified compared to previous models, with the various subject-optimised scene modes consolidated to a single position.

Screen: This can be set to almost any direction, including for high or low angle shooting, or facing forwards for when you want to include yourself in the picture.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Build and handling

By DSLR standards, the EOS 850D / T8i is pretty small and lightweight. However, compared to APS-C mirrorless alternatives such as the Nikon Z 50, Fujifilm X-S10 or Canon’s own EOS M50 Mark II, it’s decidedly bulky; indeed, it’s similar in dimensions to many full-frame mirrorless models. However, this has the advantage of providing space for a large, comfortable handgrip and plenty of external controls, most of which are clustered around the handgrip for easy access. The bulkier design of DSLR cameras like this one is perhaps one reason why they continue to be popular.

The EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is equipped with a comprehensive selection of buttons and dials

Plastic body shell

Like other DSLRs at this price point, the EOS 850D / T8i is primarily constructed with a plastic body shell. But as usual for Canon, it feels nice and robust in the hand. You can’t expect it take a battering like a pro-level camera can – for a start, it’s not weather-sealed – but you shouldn’t have to coddle it too much, either. The grip has a textured, rubberised coating with a well-defined space on the back for your thumb.

On the back is a small vertical rear dial that’s used to set exposure compensation (or in manual mode, the aperture), along with an AF-ON button for back-button focusing. The other rear controls have been cleaned up compared to its predecessors, with a single Q button above the rear dial instead of the previous cluster of three buttons, which makes it easier to use when holding the camera up to your eye.

The rear control dial is small and fiddly, and doubles up as a d-pad for navigating menus and changing settings

Button configuration

With its rear dial doubling up as a d-pad, compact-camera style, the EOS 850D provides direct external access to almost every major camera setting. There’s a well-placed ISO button behind the front dial, nestling between two other buttons for toggling between AF area grouping modes, and turning the rear LCD on and off. Meanwhile the d-pad gives access to AF, white balance and drive modes, along with image-processing Picture Styles. Unfortunately, that rear dial is decidedly small and fiddly, and as I found on some chilly winter days, particularly difficult to operate when wearing gloves. It feels completely out of keeping with the rest of the camera.

Customisation

Canon has provided a small degree of customisation to tweak how the controls work for preference. For example, it’s possible to disable autofocus activation when you half-press the shutter, leaving it controlled solely via the AF-ON button, which many photographers prefer for shooting moving subjects.  Also, the SET button can be assigned to activate exposure compensation, which can be useful when combining Auto ISO with manual exposure.

The depth-of-field preview button is found on the lens throat. It’s much more useful in live view than when you’re using the viewfinder.

Beginners get a nicely designed guided user interface that does a reasonable job of explaining the various functions. More advanced users can switch to Canon’s standard screens and menus, which are quicker to use once you’ve got the hang of them. The rear screen shows a clear and comprehensive status display of the camera’s settings, while a press of the Q button enables selection of them to make changes. There’s no top-plate status LCD as on the previous Canon EOS 77D, but I can’t say I missed it.

Focus point repositioning

The camera’s biggest operational flaw lies with its slow and clunky method for moving the focus point when shooting with the viewfinder. You first have to press a button on its right shoulder, then use the d-pad or control dials, which requires a lot of thumb movement. This approach worked OK when Canon first introduced multi-point AF in the 1990s with 3 or 5 points, but is much less satisfactory when you have 45 to choose from. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to repurpose the d-pad to move the AF area directly.

The comprehensive rear status display lets you check your settings at a glance, and change them using the touchscreen

When you enter live view, the camera radically changes how it works. Now, the d-pad is used to move the focus area, which is an odd decision giving that it’s quicker and easier to use the touchscreen. The functions assigned to its buttons are still easily accessed via the Q Menu, but this now looks and works completely differently too.

Meanwhile, the AF area selection button engages magnified view. Essentially, this reflects the fact that Canon tacked live view onto its existing DSLR interface back in 2008 and has never quite harmonised the two modes of operation since. Compared to mirrorless cameras that switch between viewfinder and LCD operation seamlessly, it’s a perpetually jarring experience.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Viewfinder and screen

For many photographers, the viewfinder is reason enough to choose a DSLR over a mirrorless model. There is, the argument goes, nothing quite like seeing the world though a large, bright, clear optical viewfinder. This may well be true, but unfortunately the EOS 850D’s pentamirror finder is none of these things. Instead, with just 0.51x magnification and 95% coverage of the image area vertically and horizontally, it’s small, dim and inaccurate. Pentamirrors are a cheaper alternative to traditional pentaprism designs, and visibly inferior.

Unfortunately, the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is let down by its tiny and inaccurate optical viewfinder

Optical viewfinder vs EVF

Compared to even the entry-level EOS M50 Mark II’s electronic viewfinder, it’s like peering down a tunnel and trying to make out a distant vista. If you compose your images precisely while shooting, chances are you’ll find extraneous elements creeping into your files that you wanted to exclude because of the viewfinder’s less-than-100% coverage. You can of course crop these out afterwards to match your original composition as seen in the viewfinder, but it’s a pain and you’ll end up with 21.7MP files.

You do at least get a decent amount of settings information, along with the option to display gridlines and a single-axis electronic level. But with no live histogram or exposure preview, you just have to hope for the best with regards to metering, and apply exposure compensation in difficult lighting based on guesswork and experience. Press the depth-of-field preview button on the lens throat, and the finder goes darker still, so you’ll be hard pressed to visualise what it’s meant to be showing.

The fully articulated LCD can be set to almost any angle, and is equally useful for shooting in both portrait and landscape formats

Composing via the screen

Switch into live view, and the viewing experience is transformed. The rear LCD gives a 100% accurate preview of your composition, while also reflecting the current exposure and colour settings. You can judge exposure compensation based on both the preview image and a live histogram, which can be set to display in RGB as well as brightness. When you press the depth-of-field preview button you can also see what’s actually going on with regards to front-to-back sharpness. It’s a much better means of composing your images.

Another advantage of using live view is that the fully-articulated screen allows you to shoot at high or low angles in both portrait and landscape formats. All of the camera settings can be changed using Canon’s superb touch interface, which is quick and intuitive to use. The touchscreen is superbly responsive, and its sensitivity can be boosted for use with gloves.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Autofocus

Arguably, the EOS 850D’s split personality becomes most acute when it comes to autofocus. Canon has clearly designed the viewfinder and live view systems to look as similar to each other as possible, but in practical use, they behave quite differently.

Crucially, in live view the camera can focus on subjects almost anywhere within the frame, while being able to track them more accurately, too. In other words, it works better when it’s pretending to be mirrorless. In some ways, this Canon DSLR perfectly demonstrates the advantages of mirrorless.

Autofocus works better in live view, especially with off-centre subjects. EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 124mm, 1/50sec at f/5.6, ISO 100

Selecting autofocus

In both viewing modes, Canon has provided a superficially similar set of four focus-area selection options, which are toggled through using a button in front of the mode dial. You can also choose between one-shot AF for static subjects, and servo for those that move. A third AI Focus option auto-switches between these when it detects subject movement, but it’s only available when using the viewfinder. Another oddity is that the viewfinder and live view AF settings are treated independently, so if you change them for one viewing mode, this won’t be reflected when you switch to the other.

Both viewfinder and live view AF are capable of focusing on moving subjects, although you won’t get the same hit-rate as with more expensive cameras. EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM at 55mm, 1/1000sec at f/4, ISO 200

When using the viewfinder, you can select between single point, 9-point zone, 15-point large zone and auto area selection modes. In the zone modes the camera’s 45-point AF is effectively divided up into three blocks of 15, left, centre and right, and your selected AF zone can’t straddle these blocks. This limits further the flexibility with which you can position the focus zone. If you shoot portraits using auto area mode, the camera will choose the focus points that cover your subject’s face, but won’t specifically pick out their eyes in the way more sophisticated systems will.

Autofocus continues to work reliably in low light. EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 22mm, 1/80sec at f/4, ISO 8000

Focusing in live view

Switch to live view, and you now get spot, 1-point, zone, and face detection/tracking modes. In effect the first three provide different sizes of AF area, which you can position freely around the frame, aside from at the extreme edges. The tracking mode also covers the same wide area and is very much better at identifying and sticking to your subject. Unsurprisingly, though, it’s not as ludicrously capable as the AI-based system Canon has included in its much more expensive EOS R6 and EOS R6 Mark II, which are capable of focusing specifically on the eyes of animals and birds.

When shooting off-centre subjects using the viewfinder, you’ll often need to focus and recompose. EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM at 250mm, 1/1000sec at f/5.6, ISO 500

If you stick to using relatively small-aperture zooms, then you shouldn’t have too many autofocus problems in either mode. The camera focuses quickly and decisively, and continues to work well in dim indoor lighting.  However if you use a fast prime such as a 50mm f/1.8, then the AF is liable to be slightly off when you’re using the optical viewfinder, particularly if you choose an off-centre focus point. In contrast, the on-sensor AF that’s used in live view is consistently more accurate.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Performance

As you’d expect from the twelfth generation of its line, the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i is for the most part a refined, reliable camera. It fires up almost instantly when you flick the power switch, and responds instantly to all of the controls. I’d turn off image review after shooting, though, as it inflicts an annoying interruption on live view shooting.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 50mm, 1/80sec at f/8, ISO 400

Both metering and auto white balance are generally reliable, which means that the camera mostly delivers well-exposed images without any troublesome colour casts. Canon’s JPEG colour is as excellent as always, being punchy and saturated but not overblown, while the firm’s Auto Lighting Optimiser (ALO) does a fine job of balancing light and dark areas of the image more naturally.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM at 11mm, 1/200sec at f/8, ISO 100

Protecting highlight detail

When you’re shooting with the viewfinder in bright daylight, the metering can be a little prone to blowing out detail in bright highlights, so it can be wise to apply some pre-emptive exposure compensation. At low ISOs you can easily lift two or three stops of shadow detail in raw processing without noise being a problem, so it pays to bias your exposure to protect highlight detail. However when you switch to live view, the camera performs just that bit better, with barely any exposure missteps at all.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 27mm, 1/60sec at f/11, ISO 160

Continuous shooting is impressive, with the camera meeting its specified speed in my tests. Its buffer is very creditable, too; I was able to shoot 37 frames in raw + JPEG mode before the camera slowed down, which increased to about 60 using the space-saving CRAW format. Switch to recording JPEGs only, and the camera will happily fire off a couple of hundred files in a row at full speed.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 at 135mm, 1/250sec at f/11, ISO 3200

The only caveat is that you have to wait while your images are written to card before you can change secondary settings, so it pays to buy a fast SD card if you expect to shoot a lot of bursts. For sports and action shooting, in practice the camera is likely to be limited more by its ability to maintain focus.

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: ISO and Noise

We’ve seen this sensor and processor combination in previous Canon models, including the mirrorless EOS M50, and it brings no great surprises here. It delivers fine image quality at low ISO settings, with strong, attractive colour and plenty of fine detail. Noise starts to become visible at ISO 800 when examining image files up-close, but it’s only at ISO 3200 that it starts to have any obvious impact on fine detail. But I’d still be perfectly happy using this setting as a matter of course.

Image quality remains very good at sensitivities up to about ISO 3200. EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM at 166mm, 1/800sec at f/5.6, ISO 3200

There’s a visible drop-off in quality at ISO 6400, though, and while ISO 12,800 is perfectly usable for smaller reproduction sizes, it’s probably as high as you’d usually want to go. By ISO 25,600 both colour and detail have deteriorated dramatically, while ISO 51,200 is barely usable.

Below are 100% crops of our standard test scene, taken from raw files processed using  Adobe Camera Raw.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 100, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 800, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 3200, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 6400, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 12,800, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 25,600, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, ISO 51,200, raw + Adobe Camera Raw

Canon EOS 850D / T8i: Verdict

With a dearth of new DSLR models over the past few years, it’s been a long time since I last reviewed one (2017, in fact). So shooting with the Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i has been an interesting experience. On one level, it’s an impressively refined and capable camera, and if you’re a glass-half-full person, you might conclude that you’re getting the best of both worlds. After all, this is a DSLR that boasts many the best features of a mirrorless camera when it’s switched into live view.

The thing is, though, that the EOS 850D / Rebel T8i actually works better in live view in almost every respect. In DSLR mode, it’s let down by its tiny, inaccurate viewfinder; in other words, the one asset that’s supposed to weigh decisively in its favour. So arguably, you’re getting the bulk of a DSLR without its single biggest benefit. You do still get impressive battery life, but it’s really not that hard to buy a spare if you choose a mirrorless camera instead.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM at 18mm, 1/4sec at f/3.5, ISO 800. (hand-held)

Ergonomics

Ergonomically, the design is also something of a let-down for viewfinder shooting. The rear control dial is too small and fiddly, while AF point selection is slow and awkward. Compared to the beautifully-sorted Fujifilm X-S10, for example, the EOS 850D / T8i simply isn’t as pleasant to use for adjusting creative settings on a shot-by-shot basis. Ironically, it gives better access to a range of functions that you’re unlikely to change as often.

Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i, Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5,6 IS STM at 250mm, 1/6sec at f/8, ISO 100

Final thoughts

Ultimately, the EOS 850D / T8i is about as good as you’ll get from a DSLR at this level, but feels outdated compared to its smaller, slicker mirrorless competitors. Canon has really bitten the bullet, though, and built a series of SLR-style APS-C mirrorless models using its RF lens mount with models to appeal to beginners and enthusiasts. These are so capable and so much more technically advanced than the EOS 850D / T8i, that this camera’s only real advantage now is its access to a large line-up of EF-S lenses.

Find more great Canon DSLRs in our guide to the best Canon EOS DSLRs you can buy!

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The post Canon EOS 850D / Rebel T8i review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon D800 – At a glance:

• Launch price £2599, secondhand price approx £450-650
• Nikon F-mount DSLR
• 36.3MP full-frame sensor
• Supports a very wide range of Nikkor lenses from AI onwards
• Excellent image quality, with good out-of-camera JPGs
• Versatile, all-round performer

It was the spring of 2015, and I desperately needed a new DSLR body. The Nikon D300 I’d been using since 2008, with only a 12MP sensor, was beginning to look a bit anaemic and I’d had an invitation to a writer’s workshop in Laramie, Wyoming. While I understand that size isn’t everything, I needed a camera that would be capable of helping to fund the trip – which I wanted to extend into a three week odyssey across the American West, ending up at some old haunts in San Francisco.

The Nikon D800 had been launched in 2012, nearly three years before, and while a new one was still out of my reach, second-hand prices were beginning to become affordable. After a lengthy search, I picked up a low-mileage D800 for around £1100 – and it quickly proved itself to be a great companion.

Downtown San Francisco. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/11 · 1/500s · 35mm · ISO400

After a month of familiarisation, which scarily involved a couple of weddings, I packed my new friend up with a careful selection of Nikkor prime lenses and headed off to the United States. We have been together ever since.

Nikon D800 – Design and Handling:

As a classic example of the Nikon DSLR, the format and layout of the D800 will be immediately familiar to most Nikon users. Despite having been around for over a decade, few things about the design are showing their age, except for minor details. The 36.3MP sensor provides images up to 7360 x 4912 pixels, giving the photographer plenty of space, while the core sensitivity runs from ISO 100 to ISO 6400 – and the image quality is exceptional at the lower end of the range. The autofocus system is based on TTL phase detection and offers 51 focus points.

Nikon D800 fitted with the AF-Nikkor 24mm f/2.8D lens. Image: John Gilbey

Typically for Nikon’s semi-professional range of DSLRs, the build quality is of a very high standard, being based around a magnesium alloy body shell. This gives the D800 a weight of around a kilo when fitted with an EN-EL15 battery, but no lens. This is a good deal more than a consumer level DX DSLR body, but the resulting body is extremely robust and has a reassuring degree of heft. The same battery is used in the D850 and several of the Z series mirrorless cameras, so it should remain available for a good while to come.

In terms of media, there are two memory card slots. One is a UHS-1 compliant SD (Secure Digital) card slot, which accepts both SDHC and SDXC variants. I use this with 64 GB SanDisk cards, the largest recommended by Nikon. The other slot is for Type 1 CompactFlash cards, which is probably of limited value to most folk today.

Nikon D800 back view. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D850 · f/16 · 1/60s · 50mm · ISO400

The viewfinder is big and bright, and has a fixed type-B matte screen that gives 100% coverage of the frame. This is a real boon for detailed work, especially technical and architectural projects where you absolutely need to squeeze the last pixels out of the frame – and a selectable framing grid also helps with this. It would have been nice to have interchangeable screens, but it seems that those days have past. The viewfinder carries the usual range of information displays, which are crisp and clear, and it has a mechanical blind to keep extraneous light from confusing the exposure meter when used on a tripod.

The rear monitor is a standard 3-inch LCD screen with a good viewing angle, and it is fixed, rather than articulated. While there are a few times I would have preferred not to lie face-down in the mud to secure a macro shot of a plant, I generally like screens that don’t move on the basis that if it’s got a hinge, it’s vulnerable to breakage. Also, the monitor is not a touchscreen, which may catch out a few modern folk when they first start to use the D800.

Nikon D800 top view, fitted with the AF 24mm f/2.8D lens. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D850 · f/16 · 1/60s · 50mm · ISO400

Unusually for a DSLR in this class, the D800 includes a small pop-up flash in the viewfinder housing. While not hugely powerful, this is useful to add some highlights and fill-in for snatched shots in poor light. More importantly, it can act as the “master” flash in Commander mode, allowing you to wirelessly trigger a set of compatible Nikon flash units.

The lens mount is metal and is very sturdy, giving a sense of confidence when attaching a kilogram of camera to a long, heavy lens. Behind this and the mirror, the vertical-run focal plane shutter is timed to offer exposures from 30 seconds to 1/8000th – plus B (Brief Time). Flash sync is at 1/250th sec.

Nikon D800 front view, fitted with the AF 24mm f/2.8D lens. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D850 · f/16 · 1/60s · 50mm · ISO400

In a welcome move, the layout of controls on the D800 is unremarkable, in that everything is where it ought to be and falls easily under the fingers. The now traditional front and rear command dials are positive in operation, even while wearing gloves, while the buttons and latches work only when asked, not accidentally. In this classic Nikon offering the metering mode is selected by a switch, which makes it much easier to remember what is going on than if it was buried in a menu.

Nikon D800 – Flexibility:

The Nikon D800 benefits from being near the top of a very large pyramid of development. The Nikon F mount has been a fixture of SLRs since 1959, and the D800 can accept almost every lens in this fitting, apart from a few early exotic fisheyes (which needed mirror lock-up) and other specials. Manual AI and AIS lenses will meter successfully in aperture priority mode and the focus confirmation indicators will work fine.

Denver old and new. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/8 · 1/250s · 50mm · ISO400

There is also built-in compatibility with Nikkor D-series autofocus lenses, which lack an internal focusing motor. These are driven by a mechanical linkage from a motor built into the camera’s body, and this operates rapidly and precisely. Naturally, modern Nikkor AF-S lenses are fully supported. What this means in practice is that I can still use the excellent quality Nikkor prime lenses that I bought for my Nikon F3 and F5, all of which are beautifully made, and many stand comparison with their modern incarnations.

The same flexibility extends to accessories, as the D800 embraces the Nikon 10-pin terminal on the front panel. This allows remote triggers, a GPS and other useful gizmos to be mounted securely – a boon for those who find wireless devices less than dependable. One accessory you won’t need to connect is an intervalometer for time-lapse work, as there is a very effective one built in.

A robin sings on a branch, surrounded by green leaves. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/9 · 1/320s · 300mm · ISO400

Flash too is well provided for, with the Nikon Creative Lighting System doing a very effective job, especially when balancing complex lighting arrangements and providing natural looking fill in. If you want to go “old school” there is even an ISO standard coaxial (PC) connector available.

Nikon D800 – In the Field:

In my view, the test of any camera is how much you trust it across a range of applications. When it was released in 2012, there was some talk regarding what the intended target was for the D800. With its impressive 36.3MP resolution, was it geared towards wedding and studio work, as it was approaching the scope of a medium format camera? Would landscape photographers embrace it because of the high level of detail and low native ISO sensitivity? Is it too big and heavy to be a travel camera? Would it be fast enough for sports and wildlife use? In short, was it trying to be too many things? Let’s look at some of these use cases in more detail.

A large group photo at a conference. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/5.6 · 1/60s · 50mm · ISO400

For large groups such as weddings and conference photographs, the 36 MP sensor of the D800 is a massive benefit. When used at 100 or 200 ISO, it delivers a remarkable level of detail, even a decade after it was introduced. Very large enlargements – think banner sized – are possible without over-straining the pixels. The “Standard” setting of colour rendering provides a very good baseline which enables you to offer high quality JPG images more-or-less straight from the camera, with a minimum of intervention during the workflow.

Individual portraits are equally impressive, especially if you add a short telephoto lens such as the AF-D 85mm f/1.8. The high resolution gives the impression of working with medium format, but at a fraction of the price and in a very convenient package. One portrait I snatched using window light in a shady London pub ended up being used as the author portrait for an award-winning science book. So it is a real “go anywhere, do anything” companion.

Portrait of science writer Dr Henry Gee. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/1.8 · 1/125s · 50mm · ISO1600

Landscapes shot with the D800 can be rather splendid if, as always, you invest the time in preparation. For fans of saturated colour, the “Vivid” setting in colour management gives a landscape effect not unlike Fuji Velvia, with plenty of punch but no loss of detail, while the wide dynamic range really helps bring a scene to life. This also helps with post-processing if that is the path you wish to travel. For monochrome landscapes, shooting in colour at ISO 100 and then selectively filtering down can give a quality and apparent depth that I have rarely seen outside large format film photography. Just as with large format, the high resolution makes any failure of your technique extremely obvious – so choose your focus point with care, and if you need a tripod don’t hesitate to use one!

Houses and weathered hills ,Colorado. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/4.5 · 1/1600s · 50mm · ISO400

I didn’t expect the D800 to be especially agile when it came to things like capturing birds in flight – but I was pleasantly surprised. I have used it extensively for imaging red kites in the Cambrian Mountains and fast-moving wading birds flying over estuaries without the feeling that I was missing opportunities. The high-speed drive setting is “only” 4 frames a second, but this rises to around 6 when you add the optional MB-D12 battery pack, which has the added benefit of improving the balance of the camera when using a long telephoto lens.

Red Kite in the Cambrian Mountains. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/5.6 · 1/1600s · 300mm · ISO1000

Having a top-quality camera to travel with was an important part of my reasoning when I chose the D800. After using Nikon SLRs since the days of the F3, I am happy to rely on them in pretty much any situation, and if the price for that is a little extra bulk and weight, that is something I am happy to accept. An important goal for my trip to the USA in 2015 was my personal project “Transect” – which I later wrote up as a feature article for “Geographical” magazine. Basically, it is a record of the train journey from Denver to San Francisco through the Rocky Mountains, then across Utah and the deserts of Nevada.

Union Station, Denver, Travel by Train sign. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/10 · 1/400s · 85mm · ISO200

I chose to capture it with the D800 and a single 50mm Nikkor lens, showing the relationship between landscape and human impact across a wide range of environments. The 34-hour journey resulted in around 3000 images, and a host of memories. During this trip, the D800 was faced with a significant set of very challenging light conditions, yet consistently delivered accurately exposed, well focused and visually engaging images – something I would have really struggled to achieve with a more basic camera.

Book Cliffs at sunset, Utah. Image: John Gilbey

NIKON D800 · f/4.5 · 1/400s · 50mm · ISO1000

Nikon D800 – Verdict:

Even eleven years after it was launched, the Nikon D800 has a very respectable specification and gives exception image quality when used effectively. I have found it to be an excellent all-round professional camera which is reliable, flexible and supports the types of photography I do. The images the D800 is capable of capturing speak for themselves – and my (admittedly second-hand) body literally paid for itself on its first trip to America. Equally importantly, those images are still selling eight years later. If you are looking for a DSLR that can give professional images, and you are on a tight budget, the Nikon D800 has plenty of miles left in it.

 Related reading:

• Nikon D850 review: still an all-round sensation
• A change of lens is as good as a rest
• The 12 best Nikon DSLR cameras ever
• Best Nikon mirrorless cameras to buy right now

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The post The Nikon D800 Long-term review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Nikon D780 Review: Introduction

Nikon remains committed to its DSLR system, despite the D780 being the last F-mount camera it released, in early 2020. In the meantime, they have added no fewer than seven Z-mount models. These include the hugely impressive Z9 that has revitalised the brand’s standing among discerning photographers, reviewers and content creators worldwide. Most recently, Nikon introduced the Z8 and it’s receiving rave reviews. Read what AP’s Andy Westlake thought about it in his extensive review here.

Nikon D780: At a glance

• $2,196 / £2,299 new, body only
• $959-1,800 / £869-1,599 used, body only
• 24.5MP full frame CMOS sensor
• Nikon F mount
• ISO 100-12,800 (ISO 50-204,800 extended)
• Hybrid AF system
• 3.2in, 2,360k-dot tilting touchscreen
• 12fps continuous shooting in Live View (7fps via OVF)
• In-camera USB Type-C charging

The Nikon D780 is of similar weight and size to its predecessor, the D750. Image: Michael Topham

Whatever Nikon’s longer term plans for its DSLR family, there is no denying that the D780 has proved itself a and highly featured camera that’s leading value for money, too. In addition, for prospective buyers there’s a massive selection of F-mount lenses available; a huge benefit.

The D780 benefits from a reshuffle of buttons at the rear and on the top plate. Image: Michael Topham

The D780 arrived as the long-awaited successor to the Nikon D750 – one of Nikon’s most popular and best-selling DSLRs. Said to be the company’s most versatile DSLR ever, it profits from lessons Nikon has learned from mirrorless to make for a better all-rounder. The question was; could the D780 attract passionate enthusiasts and professional photographers in a world inhabited by smaller, lighter and less expensive full-frame mirrorless cameras? In our view, the D780 is a class act of great potential.

Nikon D780 Review: Features

Whereas the D750 had a 24.3-million-pixel full frame CMOS sensor, the D780 employs a 24.5-million-pixel full frame CMOS chip that’s understood, but not officially confirmed, to be the same as that used in the Nikon Z 6.

A view of the D780’s 24.5MP full-frame CMOS sensor behind the F mount. The Preview button and Function button (Fn) are also visible. These can be customised from the Custom controls. Image: Michael Topham

The D780 sensor has a low-pass filter to eliminate moiré and backside-illuminated structure. This maximises its light gathering capabilities across an ISO 100-51,200 range (expandable to ISO 50-204,800). It also benefits from no less than 273 on-chip phase detection pixels to enhance its focusing performance in Live View.

Although Hybrid AF systems aren’t new in DSLRs, it’s the first time we’ve seen a Nikon DSLR borrow an AF system for Live View from their mirrorless models. The outcome is all the benefits of a fast, reliable Live View performance, just as with Nikon’s Z 6 and Z 7, with advanced functionality such as Eye-Detection AF – while supporting a 51-point autofocus system when shooting via the optical viewfinder.

The D780 coupled with the Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.8 G. Note the flash compensation button positioned directly above the bracketing (BKT) button. The D780 doesn’t feature a pop up flash. Image: Michael Topham

The 51-point AF system, which has 15 cross-type points, is the same as the D750’s and performs across a range of -3 to +19EV. Activating Live View sees this range extend to -5EV, or -7EV in low-light AF mode. Keeping on the subject of focusing, the 273-point Hybrid AF system covers 90% of the frame horizontally and vertically, whereas the focus points in the viewfinder remain tightly grouped towards the centre and don’t extend to the boundary of the frame.

There are all the DSLR/mirrorless AF-area modes you’d expect, including single-point, 9, 21 or 51-point dynamic-area AF, 3D tracking, group-area AF and auto-area AF when using the viewfinder. As well as the customary AF-S, AF-C, AF-A and AF-F servo modes, Pinpoint AF for precise focusing in Live View is also available.

There’s much more besides the changes to the sensor and focusing. With Nikon’s latest EXPEED 6 image processor on board the D780 can now shoot up to 7fps via the viewfinder, which can be increased to 8fps (14-bit) or 12fps (12-bit) during silent shooting in Live View.

The ISO button has shifted up to the top plate and the metering button is now found above the info button. A dedicated AF-ON button is located next to the repositioned Live View button and stills/video switch. Image: Michael Topham

The shutter speed range improves on the D780 too. It now stretches from 30secs to 1/8000sec with the option to dial in shutter speeds up to 900 seconds (15mins) in manual mode. Exposure metering is left in the capable hands of Nikon’s 180K-pixel RGB sensor, which is inherited from the D850. As we’ve seen before, it’s this metering sensor that’s used for subject-recognition purposes, which feeds information to the AF system for accurate and precise subject tracking.

Also like the D850, the D780 can be used with Nikon’s ES-2 film digitising adapter to turn negatives or slides shot on 35mm rolls of film into 24MP digital files. Other new features include a greater selection of picture control modes, as well as a focus-stacking mode that can be used with focus peaking to create shots with a large depth of field by manually selecting the distance of each focus step.

The lock switch that locks out the four-way controller was accidentally knocked a few times during testing. The ‘i’ button below it loads the quick-to-access ‘i’ menu and can be customised independently for Live View shooting. Image: Michael Topham

In typical Nikon fashion, the D780 presents a useful DX Crop mode. The camera automatically selects this when DX lenses are attached, but it can also be used in combination with FX lenses for those who’d like to gain a bit more reach at the long end. It uses a smaller area of the D780’s sensor, producing images with a 10.3MP resolution and 3936×2624 pixel count. Turning the viewfinder mask display on from the image area options darkens the area outside of the crop boundary to make it easier to visually see what falls within the frame. It can also be used when the image area is set to 1:1 (16.1MP) or 16:9 (20.6MP).

Another advantage the D780 has over the D750 is its ability to record uncropped 4K UHD video that is downsampled from 6K capture. Frame rates for 4K include 30/25/24fps and slow-motion footage can be recorded at up to 120fps at Full HD 1080p resolution.

The USB Type C port is positioned above the Type C HDMI connector. Image: Michael Topham

Videographers will also appreciate the option to record 10-bit footage in N-Log; preserving as wide a dynamic range as possible. With support of hybrid log gamma recording and timecode output via 10-bit HDMI, the D780 is a very serious tool for video. Adding to this is the capacity to shoot 4K UHD time-lapse movies in-camera. I’d recommend turning exposure-smoothing on, which effectively reduces variations between images to create seamless transitions.

At the side of the body, the D780 has three rubber flaps. The 3.5mm microphone and headphone ports are located behind the one at the top, there’s a separate flap in the middle for plugging in a remote release and beneath it you’ll find an HDMI Type C connector and USB Type C port that facilitates in-camera charging with compatible EN-EL15b batteries.

The D780 accepts Nikon’s EN-EL15b battery, which provides a very impressive stamina of 2060 shots on a single charge. It supports in-camera USB charging too. Image: Michael Topham

As for wireless connectivity, the D780’s Bluetooth pairing and Wi-Fi options both work seamlessly with Nikon’s free-to-download SnapBridge app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Nikon D780 Review: Silent shooting

Like the Nikon D850, the D780 presents several different ways of quietening the mechanical shutter. The shutter has a rather satisfying sound to it during day-to-day shooting when using the viewfinder, but it does seem rather loud when there’s not much going on around you.

Here the drive dial is set to the D780’s Quiet Continuous shooting mode. Image: Michael Topham

The Q and Qc modes on the mode dial are the quiet release shooting modes. These dampen the sound of mirror slap slightly. In Qc mode the D780 can shoot continuously at 3fps.

To shoot even more discreetly, Nikon has implemented a zero-vibration electronic shutter that enables users to capture images in total silence when Live View is used. With Silent Live View Photography mode turned on from the photo shooting menu, there’s no noise whatsoever when you press the shutter button.

Silent Live View Photography mode is listed at the bottom of the Photo Shooting Menu. Image: Michael Topham

Set the drive dial to its continuous high (CH) setting with silent live view mode turned on and users can shoot at 12fps without a peep out of the camera – great for wedding and wildlife shooters who want to shoot without disturbing or frightening their subjects. The only caveat to using Silent Live View Photography mode is rolling shutter, which can result in visible distortion of fast-moving objects.

Nikon D780 Review: Build & Handling

Photographers who have used the D750 will be familiar with the feel of the D780 in the hand, whereas those who are maybe looking at it as an upgrade from an entry-level DSLR will immediately sense that it’s significantly larger and heavier. Viewed alongside the Z 6 and Z 7, it looks as if Nikon’s mirrorless cameras have been on a lean diet of fruit and vegetables compared to the D780 that has been putting on the pounds and pumping iron, resulting in a chunkier appearance.

The button inside the AF/MF switch provides direct access to the AF-area and servo modes. Holding it and using the rear dial adjusts the servo mode, while holding it and using the front dial toggles through the AF-area modes. This is the same when using viewfinder or Live View. Image: Michael Topham

Weighing 840g (body only), the D780 is 165g heavier than the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7. Although this may not seem like much on paper, I found the extra weight of the D780 noticeable when I switched between Nikon’s DSLR and mirrorless systems and had to carry them both for long periods of time.

Extensive weather sealing and tough magnesium alloy body are to be expected from a model of the D780’s calibre and price. It’s an extremely strong and well-constructed camera, with a build quality that feels in the same league as the D850. It’ll allow photographers to continue shooting when the going gets tough or when challenging conditions persist.

Drive modes are accessed from a dial below the mode dial on the top left shoulder of the body. A small button, which has to be depressed as you turn it, prevents you knocking it accidentally. Image: Michael Topham

The D780’s size should be compatible with larger hands and fingers – or anyone uncomfortable with their handling of smaller mirrorless models. The advantage of the larger body is that there’s more room for buttons, which allows for natural spacing between them.

Like the D750, buttons and dials are large and there’s a line of five buttons arranged vertically down the side of the screen. However, not all of these are the same. In reply to customer feedback, Nikon has shifted the ISO button from the rear and positioned it between the exposure compensation and movie-rec button on the top plate for more intuitive control in combination with the rear dial. What was the ISO button on the D750 is now the metering mode button, which doubles up as a zoom out button in playback.

It’s great to see the ISO button relocated to the top plate, positioned between the movie-record and exposure compensation buttons. The top plate LCD is larger than you get on Nikon’s Z 6 and Z 7 mirrorless models. Image: Michael Topham

Other button changes see the Live View Button that’s encircled by the stills/video switch shifted up so it’s in easier reach of the thumb. A new AF-ON button for back-button focusing is added alongside and the AE-L/AF-L button takes the place of where the info button was on the D750. The info button has since shifted down below the four-way controller and with no joystick; the four-way controller is used to shift the AF point during viewfinder shooting. It offers diagonal movement as well as left, right, up and down, but I did knock the lock switch by accident occasionally, which did cause me to wonder why I couldn’t move the AF point at times.

The underside of the D780 doesn’t feature any metal contacts. Image: Michael Topham

The D780 no longer has a pop-up flash like the D750. However, radio-controlled advanced wireless lighting is supported and the flash compensation button that’s located above the bracketing button allows -3 to +1EV control in P,A,S,M shooting modes. In most other respects it’s similarly laid out to the D750. Users can glance down at a large rectangular top plate LCD, it has an AF button below the lens release to take quick control of AF modes. The preview button and Fn button on the opposite side of the lens mount are both customisable.

Nikon D780 Review: Viewfinder & screen

There’s not a great deal new to report with regard to the viewfinder. It inherits the same pentaprism optical viewfinder from the D750, which has a magnification of 0.7x and offers 100% frame coverage. It’s possible to turn on a framing grid display to aid composition and I found myself assigning the Fn button to viewfinder virtual horizon, which loads a levelling guide on the horizontal and vertical axis to avoid shooting any wonky horizons.

Users of the D780 will find focus points are grouped tightly and centrally in the optical viewfinder. Image: Michael Topham

Unlike the D850, there isn’t a switch to block out the viewfinder to prevent any light leak issues during long exposures, however the rubber eyepiece can be removed and replaced with the DK-5 eyepiece cover that’s supplied in the box.

While the rear monitor remains the same size (3.2in) and tilts similarly to the D750’s screen, it improves by offering an improved 2.36-million-dot resolution and adds touchscreen functionality. Nikon’s recent touchscreens are known for their excellent response and accuracy. The D780’s is no different and lets you navigate your way through the main menu and select onscreen icons with the lightest of finger touches.

The D780’s screen is an extremely robust, solid unit offering good manoeuvrability for low and high angle shooting in the landscape format. Image: Michael Topham

Double tapping the display in playback mode also loads a 100% view, which is good way of checking focus. One thing the touch screen doesn’t let you do though is move the AF point with your thumb when the viewfinder is raised to your eye.

Nikon D780 Review: Performance

To get a good impression of how the D780 performs as a versatile all-rounder, I packed it as my main camera for a trip away to Iceland for a few days. The harsh conditions and sub zero temperatures it was faced with were up there with some of the most brutal I’ve experienced in my photography career, yet it didn’t flinch once and worked reliably throughout, which is testament to its solid, tank-like build quality.

The sizeable handgrip, large buttons and intuitive layout of controls allows you to work easily in cold conditions when wearing thick gloves. Here the D780 is being used with the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art

With no electronic viewfinder draining power from the battery, I found myself shooting around 1500 images a day and still had a couple of bars of battery power to spare for wirelessly transferring my best shots across to my phone back at the hotel bar.

Nikon’s SnapBridge app has come a long, long way from the criticisms it received in its infancy. The Auto link that uses Bluetooth works brilliantly if you want every image you take to be sent to your mobile device and you’ll be prompted to connect via Wi-Fi if you’d rather select the images you’d like to transfer or fancy entering remote photography mode. Whereas in previous versions of the app the control was very limited, you can now take control of key exposure settings, white balance, P,A,S,M shooting modes and a self timer.

Nikon D780, Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, 1/10sec at f/4, ISO 200. Image: Michael Topham

Getting back to battery life, I didn’t quite reach the 2060 shots per charge that Nikon claims is possible – something I put down to the freezing cold conditions I was working in. However, the ability to shoot all day with no need to recharge on the go, and carry numerous spares, did make for a refreshing change to using a mirrorless camera.

Operating the camera in Live View mode is a completely transformed experience. Autofocus speed and response is much improved. This, combined with touch focusing via the screen, makes it a pleasure to use when you want to work quickly from shooting angles that aren’t best suited to using the viewfinder.

Nikon D780, Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR, 4secs at f/8, ISO 50. Image: Michael Topham

Setting up long exposure landscape shots on a tripod at waist level for example was a breeze. The two AF systems are different, though – you don’t get identical autofocus functionality and performance in Live View as you do when shooting via the viewfinder and vice versa – and this takes some time to get one’s head around.

For example, the AF modes you have at your disposal when shooting in AF-C mode via the viewfinder differ to those in Live View. You’ll find AF coverage is much more central when using the viewfinder too, whereas in Live View you can shift the AF target much closer to the edge of the frame. The speed of continuous autofocus (AF-C) in Live View is brisk, however tracking isn’t the easiest or quickest to setup in Auto-area AF mode. I felt inclined to use the 3D tracking mode via the viewfinder instead for subjects of predictable behaviour.

Nikon D780, Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G, 1/500sec at f/4.5, ISO 400. Image: Michael Topham

Sports and action photographers will be tempted to enter Live View to access the D780’s maximum 12fps burst mode. But my testing confirmed a higher hit-rate of sharp shots in a burst at 7fps via the viewfinder using one of the dynamic-area AF modes. The other thing to factor in of course is that you’re at risk of introducing rolling shutter artefacts to shots using the electronic shutter – not the case with the mechanical shutter.

Face and Eye detection behaves similarly to Nikon’s Z 6 and Z 7 cameras’ running the latest firmware. Shooting a series of portraits demonstrated the D780 is extremely responsive at recognising faces and eyes in Live View, both in AF-S, AF-C and AF-A modes. You do, however, need to make sure the AF area mode is set to Auto-area AF.

Nikon D780, Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO 100. Image: Michael Topham

Users can specify which eye the camera focuses on and tell it who you’d like it to focus on in a group. Eye detection is disabled when using the viewfinder, but Face Detection continues to work well with the 3D tracking and Auto AF area modes. The next step for Nikon will be to make their impressive Face and Eye tracking available during video recording in Live View – something we’ve seen Sony achieve on the A7R IV.

The D780 will appeal to a broad spectrum of users who shoot a variety of different subjects. As such, it’s important that it can process its data quickly and efficiently. One of the advantages of working with a 24-million-pixel sensor is that the processor isn’t overloaded by gigantic file sizes.

Nikon D780, Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G, 1/400sec at f/10, ISO 200. Image: Michael Topham

Using an SDXC card facilitating 280MB/s read and 250MB/s write speeds revealed that it can happily shoot 100 continuous raw files at 7fps via the viewfinder before the buffer requires breather. The same number of frames were recorded when I switched to shooting Fine JPEG.

With Live View and Silent mode activated I managed to record 54 Raw files at 12fps before the buffer became full. Shooting to a 64GB capacity card in the Raw and Fine JPEG format will give you around 860 shots to play with, whereas shooting in Raw only gets you closer to 1200 frames. Having the option to change the role played by a second card inserted in slot 2 gives the D780 an advantage over Nikon’s mirrorless models such as the Z 6. For a majority of my testing I had it setup to record Raw files to slot 1 and JPEGs to slot 2, but the spare slot can also be used for overflow and backup purposes.

Nikon D780, Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 DG DN Art, 1/5sec at f/16, ISO 100. Image: Michael Topham

For image output, the D780 produces supremely impressive results from its imaging sensor. In colour, detail and dynamic range, these share a likeness with the Nikon Z 6. There’s great scope for pulling back detail in dark shadowed regions, and noise control in Raw files at high ISO is sublime.

The D780 all setup ready to photograph Vestrahorn mountain in Iceland. Image: Michael Topham

Nikon’s Natural light auto white balance mode produces faithful colour that is neither too cool nor too warm and should be the go-to White Balance mode when working in the great outdoors. JPEG reproduction impresses too. I found colour rendition is excellent, sharpening isn’t overly aggressive and users can dial back high ISO noise reduction if they’d like to create a slightly less processed look than the default ‘Normal’ setting applies.

Nikon D780 Review: Image Quality

The D780 plays a similar role to the Nikon Z 6 in the way it’s out to attract serious amateurs, enthusiasts, semi-pros and professionals who don’t require the same high-resolution output as Nikon’s D850 and Z 7 models that both boast a 45.7MP sensor. Our lab tests confirm that the D780’s sensor behaves identically to the chip found in the Nikon Z 6, offering impressive leverage when you’re required to pull back detail thanks to its wide-dynamic range. With virtually untraceable noise in images up to ISO 1600, users will find they can push high into the ISO range when challenged in low light, with ISO 12,800 and ISO 25,600 producing useable results.

Nikon D780: Resolution

The D780’s sensor puts in a comparable performance to the Nikon Z 6, with its 24.5MP sensor resolving a level of detail that we’d expect from a chip that features an optical low-pass filter to reduce the effects of moiré. At ISO 100, the sensor resolves 3200 l/ph, which drops to 3000 l/ph at ISO 800. The sensor manages to resolve 2800l/ph at ISO 6400, with 2700l/ph being recorded at ISO 12,800 and 2600l/ph at ISO 25,600. Pushing higher sees 2400 l/ph being resolved at ISO 51,200. The level of detail recorded at ISO 102400 (2000 l/ph) and ISO 204800 (1800 l/ph) underlines that these extended settings should be steered clear of.

Nikon D780, ISO 50, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 100, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 800, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 1600, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 3200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 6400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 12800, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 25600, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 51200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 102400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 204800, RAW

Nikon D780: Noise

Nikon D780, ISO 50, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 100, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 800, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 1600, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 3200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 6400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 12,800, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 25,600, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 51,200, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 102,400, RAW

Nikon D780, ISO 204,800, RAW

Nikon D780 Review: Verdict

Nikon’s D700-series has been a staple part of the full-frame DSLR market for more than a decade and close rival to Canon’s EOS 5D series since 2008. The D780 arrives a bit late for those who’ve already jumped ship to Nikon’s excellent Z-series, or other full-frame mirrorless system, but this doesn’t take anything away from what is a sensational camera that’s built to a professional standard and is a sheer delight to use. It’ll provide top-level service to photographers who aren’t fully enamoured by the thought of switching to mirrorless, especially those who want to continue using their F-mount lenses without an adapter and still swear by having an optical viewfinder.

The Nikon D780 is the finest DSLR we’ve tested since we reviewed the Nikon D850 in 2017. Image: Michael Topham

Merging two AF systems into one camera to improve the Live View performance has been superbly executed. Saying that, it does take time to familiarise yourself with the pros and cons of both. Sports and action photographers still get reliable AF tracking via the viewfinder, supported by wider AF coverage in Live View and super responsive eye-detection AF. Introducing 4K video, advanced movie functionality, a dedicated focus stacking mode, touchscreen control, in-camera charging, a larger buffer, better connectivity and refined button layout has turned Nikon’s versatile all-rounder into an even better one.

There are still many photographers who continue to favour DSLR’s ahead of mirrorless cameras. Image: Michael Topham

The absence of a pop up flash, joystick and optional battery grip will frustrate a few, but all things considered there’s so much more to like than there is to find fault with. People who demand dual card slot, long battery life and optical finder will find they are well served by the D780 but the mirrorless opportunity is there. For example, the Z6 II costs $1,700 / £1,739 (body only) and has the advantage of being smaller, lighter and offers in-body image stabilisation, which does make the D780 feel a bit on the pricey side.

It’s great to see Nikon continuing to cater for photographers who swear by using DSLRs, especially in a world where all the talk today is about mirrorless systems, which look set to be the future. Nikon’s outlook is all about giving customers’ choice over which route they’d rather take. For those who aren’t ready to convert to mirrorless, the D780 keeps the flag flying high for DSLRs and a mighty fine example it is too.

Find more great DSLRs from Nikon in our guide to the best Nikon DSLRs ever.

Nikon D780: Hands on first look

Nikon D780: At a glance

• $2,000 / £2,199 new, body only
• $1,440-1,800 / £1,099-1,530 used, body only
• 24.5MP full frame CMOS sensor
• $2,800 / £2,409 with Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4 G ED VR lens24.5MP Full Frame CMOS sensor
• Nikon F Mount
• ISO 100-12,800 (ISO 50-204,800 extended)
• Hybrid AF system
• 3.2in, 2,360k-dot tilting touchscreen
• 12fps continuous shooting in Live View (7fps via OVF)
• In-camera USB charging

When Nikon announced the Z 50 at the end of 2019, the manufacturer was keen to stress that their strategy going forward would be to run their DSLR and mirrorless systems in tandem. The reasoning for this is that Nikon firmly believes photographers see advantages of both systems, with DSLRs continuing to be the first choice of those who prefer an optical viewfinder and having longer battery life and mirrorless cameras becoming extremely popular with those who are more conscious of size, weight and portability.

The D780 boasts a wider ISO range than the D850, with ISO 100–51200, extendable up to 204800 and down to ISO 50.

Nikon has backed up what they said by releasing a new DSLR for a new decade that’s designed to have all-round appeal with enthusiasts and professionals. The new camera we’re talking about is the Nikon D780. You could easily be mistaken for thinking this new release could mark the end for the much-loved D750, but Nikon has confirmed the D750 will remain in the lineup and it is still available new in some countries (but not in the UK), with the D780 slotting in-between the D750 and Z 6II in the company’s product lineup. Perhaps most interesting of all is the way Nikon has taken some of its learning’s from mirrorless and applied it into the D780, which is said to be Nikon’s most versatile DSLR ever.

Nikon D780: Features

Although the pixel count is similar to the D750, the D780 introduces a new full frame CMOS sensor with a resolution of 24.5-million-pixels. Like the chip used in the Nikon Z 6, the D780’s sensor features a low-pass filter and benefits from a backside-illuminated structure to maximize its light gathering capabilities.

By effectively implementing the same sensor and on chip phase detection that the Z 6 uses, users get the same 51-point autofocus system with 15 cross-type points as the D750 when focusing via the optical viewfinder and 273-point phase-detection autofocus when it’s used in Live View. This is the first time we’ve seen a Nikon DSLR borrow an AF system for Live View from one of their mirrorless models and suggests the same approach could be repeated with other DSLRs that are due a refresh in the future.

The 0.70x optical viewfinder gives a wide field of view and 100% coverage. The tilting 2359k-dot LCD monitor offers touch functionality.

Users can expect focusing in Live View to perform just as it does on the Z 6, with the added benefit of eye-detection AF and the option to select which eye the camera focuses on. Users get all the respective DSLR/mirrorless AF-area modes one could expect and the detection range of the AF system spans all the way down to -6EV in its low-light mode. The 51-point Phase-Detection AF system is sensitive down to -3 EV.

By uniting Nikon’s latest EXPEED 6 image processor with the sensor, the D780 can shoot at 12fps in silent mode with Live View, however this drops to 7fps when it’s used in SLR mode with the optical viewfinder. The buffer is claimed to allow up to 28 Raw files to recorded continuously (or 100 JPEGs) before its limit is reached.

Comparing the D780’s specs to the D750’s also tells us it offers a wider ISO range. Whereas the D750 shoots between ISO 100-12,800 (expandable to 50-51,200), the D780 has a sensitivity range of ISO 100-51,200, expandable to ISO 50-204,800.

Dual SD card slots feature at the side of the Nikon D780. Button and dial placement at the rear will be very familiar to Nikon D750 users

Shifting our focus to video, the D780 is now capable of in-camera 4K recording at up to 30fps using the full width of the sensor. Those wishing to experiment with slow motion can do so at Full HD at up to 120fps. Videographers will be pleased to receive helpful aids such as a peaking display for accurate manual focus, and zebra patterns to avoid overexposure, while microphone and headphone sockets are also built in and are located at the side of the body next to the mini HDMI, USB Type C and accessory ports.

In-camera charging via USB, dual SD card slots (both UHS-II compatible) and wirelessly connectivity (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) round off the D780’s comprehensive set of features that’ll appeal not only to high-end enthusiasts, but also professionals who don’t require the super high resolutions offered by models like the D850 or Z 7.

Nikon D780: Viewfinder and screen

Very few changes are found at the rear of the D780. The button layout is identical with a line of five buttons arranged down the left of the screen, a four-way controller within easy reach of the thumb and a Live View button encircled by a stills/video switch.

It inherits the same 0.7x optical viewfinder from the D750 that offers 100% coverage and the screen remains the same size (3.2in) and is the tilting type. It’s good to see touchscreen functionality added, which the D750 lacked, and the resolution of the screen has also increased from 1.229k-dots to 2.360k-dots.

A top view of the Nikon D780 showing its fairly small but valuable top plate LCD panel

As for its build quality, the Nikon D780 has a dust and water resistant magnesium alloy body. This makes it just as tough as the D750 and those with eager eyes will notice a facelift to some of the dials and controls on the top plate. In all other respects the Nikon D780 is much of a likeness to the D750 and thanks to its deep handgrip, it feels very well balanced with small, lightweight lenses or larger, heavier telephoto zooms.

Nikon has confirmed that existing D750 users who might own Nikon’s MB-D16 battery grip won’t be able to use it with the Nikon D780 as it’s not compatible. With regard to battery life, we’ve been told Nikon D780 users can expect to shoot approximately 2060 shots on a single charge.

Nikon D780: First impressions

The Nikon D780 is a blend of what we liked about the D750, with innards adopted from the Nikon Z 6 and a few other improvements added for good measure. Having spent some time with the Nikon D780 during a press briefing, we can confirm its focusing in Live View performs exactly as it does on the Z 6, while out of Live View it behaves and focuses just like the D750.

The Nikon D780 features the same 180K-pixel RGB sensor and Advanced Scene Recognition system as the D750. Battery life is claimed to be a healthy 2060 shots

For Nikon users who’ve invested heavily in F-mount lenses, aren’t ready to commit to mirrorless, but need a new, reliable and very capable workhorse, the Nikon D780 should fit the bill nicely. The improvements to focusing in Live View, the addition of touchscreen control and option to charge the battery in-camera address the criticisms we made when we reviewed the D750 back in 2014.

First impressions suggest it has potential to be one of the best all-round DSLRs we’ve ever tested, but we’ll need to wait for our review sample to arrive before we pass final judgement.

New Nikon lenses on the horizon

At the same time as announcing the D780, Nikon released a pair of new zooms. With the latest arrival in the F-mount being the NIKKOR AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR – a pro-spec zoom designed for sports and action photography with high-end DSLRs like the forthcoming Nikon D6.

The lens features 25 elements in 19 groups, with Nikon’s ED glass and SR glass as well as ARNEO and Nano Crystal coatings.

Its arrival ties in with this year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic games where many pros shooting Nikon will call for a fast medium telephoto zoom in demanding low-light situations. It features a complex construction of 25 elements in 19 groups and in addition to Extra-low dispersion (ED) glass, special short wavelength spectrum (SR) glass is used to combat blue fringing that traditional lenses typically have a hard time correcting.

Claimed to offer a prime-like lens performance, it’s fully weather sealed, has built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) that’s effective to four stops, a memory recall button, works with all of Nikon’s 1.4x and 2x tele converters and features an integrated tripod foot.

The second lens – the NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S is more of a mainstream optic and has been included in Nikon’s Z lens roadmap for a while. It strengthens Nikon’s lens portfolio for its Z series cameras and is a lens many have been patiently waiting for.

Although it can’t easily be seen in this view, an OLED lens information panel is included, allowing users to glance at aperture, focus distance, exact focal length and ISO settings from the lens

It has a construction of 21 elements in 18 groups and features Nikon’s special short wavelength spectrum (SR) glass in addition to ARNEO and fluorine coatings. Other key features include a weather sealed construction, 9-blade aperture, control ring, Fn button to which 21 different functions can be assigned, and 1m minimum focus distance at full telephoto (0.5m at 70mm).

The NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S accepts filters and adapters via a 77mm thread and it weighs 1360g without the tripod collar, or 1440g when it’s fitted.

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Nikon D780: Specifications

The post Nikon D780 review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Buy now

Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 at a glance:

• 24.1MP APS-C sensor
• £349 used body only,  $400-500 / £399-459 with 18-55mm lens
• 9-point AF system
• Wireless functionality
• ISO 100-6400 (12,800 expanded)
• Records up to Full HD (1080p) video at 30fps

In an attempt to diversify the firm’s entry-level offering, the trio consisted of the ultra-cheap, stripped-down Canon EOS 4000D or Rebel T100, which had a rather lowball 18MP resolution. On the other end was the 4K-capable Canon EOS 250D or Rebel SL3, an upper-entry-level DSLR whose reputation holds firm today. And sitting in the middle was the Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7.

Well, sort of in the middle. Truthfully, the EOS 2000D is closer in spirit to the Canon EOS 4000D. It’s basically the same proposition in terms of its 9-point AF system, its 100-600 native ISO range and its Full HD 30p video limit. The real internal difference is in the resolution; as opposed to the meagre 18MP on the EOS 4000D, the EOS 2000D sports a rather more generous 24.1MP, giving users a lot more latitude for printing and cropping into images.

The trade-off, of course, is that it’s more expensive. While the used market has flattened it out a bit, you’ll still pay up to $100 / £100 more for an EOS 2000D / Rebel T7. Similarly, you’d also pay more for a Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3, which goes for around $649 / £549, body only.

Everyone loves a middle option, but is the EOS 2000D worth its asking price? Is it one of the best value DSLRs you can buy, or is that cut price too good to be true? We’re digging into the capabilities of this small DSLR to find out in our Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 review…

Canon EOS 2000D with 18-55mm lens

Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 – Alternatives and Rivals

We’ll return to alternatives to the Canon EOS 2000D in the Canon stable in due course. For now, how does the EOS 2000D measure up on the wider market?

An obvious comparison is in the Nikon DSLR line, Canon’s main direct rival. This trio from Canon can be directly compared to the 24MP Nikon D3500, which currently runs up to around £399 / $499 with a lens on the second-hand market. It’s an excellent DSLR that makes for a pleasant learning experience, and beats the EOS 2000D on a number of factors: including its 11-point AF system rather than the EOS 2000D’s 9-point one.

Look into the world of mirrorless and you can find a number of well-priced cameras that make for tempting beginner options. The Sony A6000 is an apt example, generally costing around $500 / £300  second-hand, and delivering a few markedly better features than the cheaper EOS 2000D: including an 11fps burst rate.

Something like the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G7 could also fit the bill; it can currently be picked up new with a 14-42mm lens for $397 / £449, though it’s a lot more video-focused than the EOS 2000D.

Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 – Features

In its key hardware components and headline specifications, the 2000D is almost identical to the Canon EOS 1300D that it succeeded from 2016. The main difference between them is that the 2000D comes with a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor compared to the 1300D’s 18MP chip.

Elsewhere, there is little to separate the 2000D and 1300D. For example, the 2000D comes with the same DIGIC 4+ image processor found inside the 1300D: the upshot of which is that its performance is not significantly enhanced.

Sensitivity also remains unchanged, with the 2000D providing a native range of ISO 100-6400 plus an extended setting equivalent to ISO 12,800. By way of comparison, the older Canon 200D can be extended to the equivalent of ISO 51,200, while the aforementioned Nikon D3500 offers a maximum setting of ISO 25,600.

Video recording abilities also remain at 1080p Full HD capture at 30fps, backed up by 720p HD capture at 60fps and VGA capture at 30fps. This puts the 2000D slightly behind both the Nikon D3500 and Canon 200D, both of which can record Full HD video at up to 60fps.

Canon EOS 2000D with 18-55mm lens

Focal Points

• Picture styles: These JPEG-processing effects can be used to give your images a certain look. There are six to choose from: Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral and Faithful. In addition, you can tweak the sharpness, contrast, saturation and colour tone settings.
• Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity: In addition to built-in Wi-Fi, the 2000D also provides NFC connectivity. The Canon Camera Connect app is free to iOS and Android users and allows you to transfer images as well as control the camera remotely from your smart device.
• Creative filters: The 2000D has five creative filter effects: grainy B&W, soft focus, toy camera, miniature effect and fisheye. They aren’t used at the point of capture, but applied when the camera is in Playback mode.
• Auto Lighting Optimizer: Found inside the main menu, this processing tool is designed to lighten shadow areas when the camera is faced with backlit subjects or high-contrast situations.
• Built-in flash: With a guide number of 9.2m at ISO 100, the 2000D’s pop-up flash can be called upon to illuminate close-by subjects in poor light. There’s a hotshoe on top of the pop-up flash, which allows you to use more-powerful flashguns.
• Creative Auto mode: Located on the exposure-mode dial, Creative Auto provides an easy way of controlling depth-of-field settings through the use of simplified slider controls.

On the back, the 2000D has a 3in 920k-dot LCD display that is vastly superior to the 2.7in/230k-dot display of the 4000D. Unlike the 200D and 250D, however, it is fixed in place and lacks any touch functionality.

Above this sits a pentamirror viewfinder that provides 95% coverage. While it’s bright and clear, it is small compared to those found on higher-end DSLRs, at 0.5x equivalent magnification.

Canon EOS 2000D top panel controls

In addition to the standard quartet of PASM exposure modes, the 2000D provides a fully automatic Scene Intelligent Auto mode for point-and-shoot duties, alongside a Creative Auto mode for simplified depth-of-field control.

The exposure-mode dial is rounded off by a Forced Flash Off mode and six individual Scene positions: Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Food and Night Portrait.

For JPEG image-processing options, the 2000D offers Canon’s shadow-boosting Auto Lighting Optimizer, plus the usual array of Picture Styles that can be used to adjust contrast, saturation and sharpness.

Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 – Body and design

In size, weight and general appearance, the 2000D is all but identical to the 1300D. Encased within a polycarbonate shell, it’s relatively well protected from the kind of occasional bumps most cameras sustain over time, on top of which it also benefits from a metal lens mount.

As we’d expect of an entry-level DSLR at this price point, the 2000D isn’t weather-proofed, so care in wet weather is required.

Aesthetically, the 2000D stays true to Canon’s principle of functional design, with its curved edges and matt-black finish giving it a relatively clean and modern look. As with its predecessor, it feels quite plasticky, though.

Thanks to its textured grip and sculpted thumb rest, the 2000D sits nicely in the hand, and feels well balanced with the 18-55mm IS II kit lens attached.

Canon EOS 2000D rear screen and controls

Compared to the 4000D, the 2000D boasts a relatively generous array of buttons, all of which are well spaced, relatively large and clearly labelled.

The four buttons that comprise the d-pad provide direct access to ISO, Autofocus, White Balance and Drive Mode settings. To the left of these is a useful Quick Menu button (marked ‘Q’), which can be used to call up an intuitive menu that’s tailored to the camera’s current exposure mode.

While it lacks any user-assignable function buttons, you do get an AE-Lock button, which is a nice touch for an entry-level camera. Canon has chosen to remove the graphical user interface found on the 200D altogether, which seems an odd decision given the 2000D’s entry-level positioning.

It does, however, come with a feature guide that offers simplified explanations of what the camera’s various modes and features do as you switch between them.

Canon EOS 2000D / – Rebel T7 Performance

Given that the 2000D increases resolution to 24MP but employs the same DIGIC 4+ processor as the 1300D, it’s no great surprise to discover that the camera isn’t speedy. Continuous shooting, for example, maxes out at 3fps which is slower than the Canon 200D, 250D and Nikon D3500, both of which can shoot at 5fps.

At 3fps we were able to capture around 40 consecutive full-size JPEGs before the buffer filled and the speed dropped, while in raw this fell to around 10 consecutive images.

In raw + JPEG, we were only able to capture around six or seven consecutive frames before the camera began to stutter.

Shooting in dim light at a raised sensitivity setting, the 2000D has done a good job of capturing this antique dodgem ride. 55mm, 1/80sec at f/5.6, ISO 1600. Photo: Audley Jarvis

Autofocus through the viewfinder is taken care of via the same 9-point phase-detect module used by the 1300D (and also the 4000D/200D). While perfectly functional, this now feels rather dated.

Despite relatively limited coverage, focus acquisition is both fast and accurate, especially when shooting static subjects. In live-view mode, it’s a different story altogether, with the 2000D’s contrast-detect system being painfully slow to acquire focus even in good light. In this respect, Canon’s decision not to bestow the 2000D with the Dual Pixel on-sensor phase-detection technology offered by the 200D and 250D strikes us as a missed opportunity.

With the supplied 18-55mm IS II kit lens attached, focusing is also rather noisy, which is something to bear in mind when shooting video, especially given the 2000D’s lack of an external microphone input.

I liked the abstract shapes these trees made on the long entrance to Pencarrow House near Bodmin in Cornwall. 18mm, 1/125sec at f/8, ISO 400. Photo: Audley Jarvis

As we’d expect, the 2000D’s APS-C sensor delivers very good image quality, producing clean and attractive JPEGs, especially at lower sensitivities.

The additional resolution that the 2000D enjoys over the 1300D and 4000D is also useful for those looking to make larger prints or crop more aggressively into images without sacrificing overall image quality.

Metering from the 63-zone metering module is generally reliable, while automatic white balance metering is consistently on point, producing accurate and lifelike colour.

Resolution

Resolution at different ISO speeds

At ISO 100 and shooting in raw, the 2000D’s 24.2MP APS-C sensor is able to resolve 3,200l/ph. Raising the sensitivity to ISO 800 produces a figure of 2,800l/ph.

At higher ISO settings, sharpness falls off more rapidly, with ISO 6400 producing a figure of 2,400l/ph and ISO 12,800 resolving 2,200l/ph.

ISO and Noise performance

Canon EOS 2000D ISO100

Canon EOS 2000D ISO400

Canon EOS 2000D ISO6400

Canon EOS 2000D ISO12800

In-camera JPEG processing gives excellent results between ISO 100 and ISO 200, with no traces of noise even when viewing images at 100%. By ISO 400 and 800, some minor artefacts are visible in shadow areas at 100%.

By ISO 1600, softening is slightly more pronounced, but images remain good overall. At IS0 3200 the softening effects of noise become more noticeable, increasing further by ISO 6400.

Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 – Verdict

There’s no doubt that the Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 is a solid enough entry-level camera, yet there’s little about it that really stirs the senses. While it is an affordable entry point into the Canon EOS DSLR system, it provides only an incremental upgrade over the 1300D. In terms of the competition, the Nikon D3500 is superior to it in many departments.

While the 2000D doesn’t boast the widest dynamic range on the market, it has nonetheless done a pretty good job with this sunset over Trebarwith Strand. 18mm, 1/250sec at f/5, ISO 200. Photo: Audley Jarvis

The main issue, however, isn’t so much competition from rival DSLR manufacturers or indeed from the mirrorless segment but rather from one of Canon’s own other entry-level models.

While the 2000D is a solid enough camera in its own right, the 200D/250D easily provides much better value for money if you can extend your budget, especially when the 250D offers 4K video.

While the 200D might be a 2017 model, the resolution and image quality between it and the 2000D are all but indistinguishable, on top of which you’re getting a much more refined and feature-rich camera.

If your budget simply won’t stretch that far, and you’re determined to buy into the Canon DSLR system, then the Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 remains a solid if unspectacular alternative.

For more options have a look at the Best Canon DSLR cameras, and the best Canon EF mount lenses. 

Related reading:

• Canon EOS 90D review
• Canon EOS 5D Mark III review – full-frame bargain DSLR
• Best cameras under £500 in 2024

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Review by Audley Jarvis, with contributions from Jon Stapley.

Canon EOS 2000D Specifications

The post Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7 Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Buy now

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 at a glance:

• 24.1MP APS-C sensor
• $649 / £549 body only
• $749 / £649 with 18-55mm IS lens
• 9-point AF system
• Wireless functionality
• ISO 100-25,600 (51,200 expanded)
• Records up to 4K video at 60fps

As Canon continues to invest in its EOS R mirrorless system, it looks as though DSLRs are on their way out. The introduction of fairly inexpensive beginner cameras such as the Canon EOS R50 gives a further hint at this direction. If this proves to be true, then they finished on a high with EOS 250D / Rebel SL3.

Look around any photography beginner’s college course and you’ll likely spot a few EOS 250D cameras – or others that look like it. It’s one of the most popular and best cameras for photography students due to its helpful guide modes, its access to the enormous Canon EF lens range, and its ability to make fantastic-looking images without costing the earth.

Back in 2018, the EOS 250D was actually released as part of a trio, along with the EOS 2000D and the EOS 4000D, giving novice users a choice of DSLRs with which to start their photography journey. The EOS 250D was the most advanced of the three and, frankly, has held up the best. [The 2000D and 4000D were somewhat over-simplified. A used DSLR with a similar spec, like the EOS 1300D could be acquired for the same price.]

With 4K video, a well-sized APS-C sensor and tactile DSLR handling, the EOS 250D holds up on paper as a respectable beginner-to-intermediate camera. But does it merit consideration for serious photographers in 2024? We take a deeper look in our Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 review.

Canon EOS 250D with 18-55mm lens

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 – Rivals and alternatives

Currently, in the US, you can get the Canon Rebel SL3 with an 18-55mm lens for around $749, or in the UK pick up the Canon EOS 250D with an 18-55mm – same camera, same lens – for about £649.

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 – Features

The 250D is built around a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and Canon’s DIGIC 8 image processor – the same combination used inside Canon’s M50 mirrorless camera from 2018. By way of comparison, the 200D uses a 24.2MP sensor and the slightly older DIGIC 7 processor.

The main benefit of the 250D’s newer processor is the ability to record 4K video footage at 25fps, while the 200D’s video capabilities only extend as far as 1080p Full HD capture at 60fps.

Canon EOS 250D Top panel with lens

Aside from the introduction of 4K video and some minor cosmetic and operational changes, there isn’t a lot else that separates the 200D from the 250D / Rebel SL3. The only other major difference is in the number of available focus points when using live view mode – more on that shortly…

Sensitivity remains unchanged from the 200D with a native range of ISO 100-25,600 plus an expanded setting that’s equivalent to ISO 51,200.

Shutter speed ranges from 30sec-1/4000sec plus a bulb setting for self-timed long exposures. The 250D comes with the standard PASM quartet exposure modes for more-advanced users, along with a Scene Intelligent Auto mode for basic point-and-shoot duties.

The 250D / Rebel SL3 also offers 14 individual scene-specific modes along with a range of 10 digital filter effects that can be applied either at the point of capture, or to JPEGs afterwards via the image-editing tools found in the Playback menu.

The 250D is well served by a wide range of on-board JPEG processing options including eight Picture Style presets – Auto, Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Fine Detail, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome – plus three custom settings.

For those who want to get their images looking exactly as they want directly from the camera, sliders can be used to further refine the Sharpness, Saturation and Colour Tone settings for each individual Picture Style preset.

The 250D also comes equipped with Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimizer, which is designed to boost shadow detail in darker areas of an image. There are three settings – Low, Standard and High – to choose from, along with the option to turn it off altogether.

Canon’s Highlight Tone Priority tool, which is designed to preserve highlight detail, comes with two strength settings: Enable (D+) and Enhanced (D+2), although it too can be switched off should you wish.

In addition, the 250D also provides Long Exposure NR for exposures of over one second, plus High ISO noise reduction in three strength settings: Low, Standard and High.

Last but not least is a built-in Lens Aberration Correction tool that’s designed to correct vignetting and distortion, and a Digital Lens Optimizer tool that helps to increase image sharpness.

Canon EOS 250D top panel with mode dial, on/off switch and direct access to settings

6 key features you need to know

• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi: Using the Canon Camera Connect app, you can transfer images automatically to a paired smartphone or browse the camera and select specific ones yourself. Images can be transferred at either their original size or a reduced size.
• In-camera image editing: A generous set of in-camera processing tools allow you to edit your images without the need for a computer. You can adjust contrast and saturation, crop, apply Creative Filters to captured JPEGs and convert raw files in-camera.
• Vari-angle touchscreen display: The 3in, 1.04-million-dot touchscreen display is hinged at the side of the camera, which allows it to be pulled out by 180°. It also rotates through 270°, meaning you can easily position it to shoot at extreme angles or take selfies with.
• Built-in pop-up flash: With a guide number of 9.8m at ISO 100, the 250D’s pop-up flash can be called upon to illuminate nearby subjects in poor light. A hotshoe allows you to attach more powerful flashguns, too.
• Creative filters: The 250D provides 10 Creative Filter effects that can be used to jazz up your images. We found the HDR Art Vivid filter to be quite good for capturing sunsets.
• Optical viewfinder: The pentamirror viewfinder provides 95% coverage at 0.87x magnification. It’s bright and clear and displays key shooting settings but is small compared to those on more expensive DSLRs.

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 – Body and design

The EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 is almost identical to its predecessor in size and weight; having shed a few grams.

Given that the 200D was already the smallest DSLR on the market at the time of its launch, Canon would have been hard-pressed to make the 250D any smaller.

Take away the 250D’s optical viewfinder and pop-up flash housing, and you’re left with something that’s comparable in size and weight to many mirrorless cameras.

For those looking for an entry-level DSLR and for whom portability is a priority, the 250D certainly ticks all the right boxes.

Build quality is very much on a par with other DSLRs at the price. The polycarbonate outer shell isn’t as robust as the magnesium-alloy construction found on more expensive Canon DSLRs, but feels solid enough to withstand minor knocks.

However, the 250D lacks any form of weather-sealing, so users need to be vigilant for rain and spills.

Canon EOS 250D rear screen

As with most entry-level DSLRs, physical buttons and controls have been kept to a minimum, with a single control dial located just behind the shutter button on the top-plate.

The button placement is all but identical to the 200D, although the Forced Flash Off and Creative Auto positions have been removed from the exposure-mode dial altogether.

It’s still possible to use Creative Auto on the 250D, but it now resides within the Scene Intelligent Auto mode, with a panel on the right-hand side of the touchscreen providing access to its various guided features. Should you want to force the flash on or off you can still do so, but you’ll need to enter the in-camera menu.

As with the 200D, the 250D is equipped with a 3in, 1.04-million-dot touchscreen display on the back. It’s a high-quality screen that renders captured images in good detail, with an option to zoom in and check image sharpness via a simple pinch-to-zoom gesture.

Touchscreen control also makes the camera more intuitive to operate, especially with the aid of the physical ‘Q’ button on the back of the camera, which brings up a neatly arranged graphical menu providing direct access to the camera’s key settings from a single screen.

As with the 200D, the 250D’s display can be set to either Guided or Standard mode. The former aims to help newcomers to DSLR photography by providing a more intuitive graphical interface that includes descriptions of the various tools, modes and functions and how these can be used to affect the look of captured images.

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 – Performance

The 250D provides nine individual AF points arranged in a diamond shape across the central portion of the viewfinder. The central AF point is of the cross-type variety, the rest being linear.

Frame coverage isn’t the most comprehensive, and the 250D’s viewfinder AF system does feel a bit dated, especially when compared to the Nikon D5600’s more advanced 39-point AF system.

While this won’t be too much of an issue when faced with static subjects, the large gaps between individual AF points mean that the 250D can struggle with moving ones, especially if some distance away or moving erratically. This isn’t the case when the camera is used in live view mode.

A wild horse roams the cliffs above Boscastle harbour in Cornwall. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/250sec at f/8, ISO 100. Photo: Audley Jarvis

As with the 200D, the 250D inherits Canon’s excellent Dual Pixel AF technology, which uses phase-detection pixels on the sensor to improve AF performance in live-view mode. The result is that focus acquisition in live view is speedy and precise.

Better still, Canon has upped the number of these phase-detection pixels from 40 to 3,975 points, which improves accuracy greatly. When faced with moving subjects we found the 250D to perform much more consistently and accurately when set to Tracking AF in live view.

If anything, the 250D’s stellar AF performance in live view only exacerbates how dated the 9-point viewfinder AF system feels.

The 250D’s built-in HDR Art Vivid digital filter takes three consecutive images at different EV values and then blends them together. Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM, 1/640sec at f/9, ISO 200. Photo: Audley Jarvis

The 250D’s maximum continuous shooting speed is a useful 5fps – exactly the same as the Nikon D5600. The camera also provides a Silent shutter option, and while this is slightly quieter than the regular shutter it’s far from silent.

In testing, there was no upper limit to the number of Fine JPEGs we were able to capture at the maximum 5fps; we were able to shoot for well over 10 seconds with no slowdown.

Switching to raw capture, we managed approximately 12 consecutive images before the frame rate dropped, while in JPEG+raw capture this dropped to around eight consecutive images before the buffer filled and the frame rate slowed.

Battery performance has also been much improved over the 200D, with the 250D capable of around 1,000 images per charge, compared to around 650 images on the 200D.

Resolution

Set to ISO 100 in raw, the 250D is able to resolve 3,700l/ph. This drops as the sensitivity is raised, but at ISO 1600 it still achieves 3,000l/ph. Thereafter, resolution drops fall off more rapidly, with ISO 6400 registering 2,600l/ph. The highest native ISO 25,600 setting gives 2,400l/ph, while ISO 51,200 gave just 1,900l/ph.

Canon EOS 250D resolution performance at different ISO speeds

Noise

Canon’s JPEG processing provides excellent results at low ISO, with no visible noise. Images captured at ISO 1600 remain pretty good when viewed at regular sizes, but the softening effects of noise reduction become much more pronounced by ISO 6400. ISO 12,800 can be considered the tipping point above which image quality quickly deteriorates, with the higher ISO settings being ‘emergency use only’.

Canon EOS 250D ISO test results

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 – Verdict

The Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 is a generously featured, easy-to use entry-level DSLR that has plenty going for it. Overall image quality is very good, delivering vibrant colour images and enough fine detail to make large prints.

The 250D is equipped with a range of novice-friendly features including its built-in Guided Mode, and beyond this there’s plenty for more advanced photography.

Boscastle Harbour Light building. This image was underexposed at the time of capture to retain the highlight detail in the sky. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM, 1/160sec at f/7.1, ISO 800. Photo: Audley Jarvis

Our only real gripe is the camera’s 9-point AF system: perfectly functional but feels a bit dated. This is somewhat offset by the 250D’s excellent AF performance when used in live-view mode.

With the older 200D no longer available new, the 250D now becomes the de facto choice for a compact Canon DSLR, especially if you value 4K movie recording, and the 250D’s enhanced live view AF and improved battery performance. Therefore, if you have the budget, we’d recommend choosing the 250D over the 200D.

Find more Canon cameras in our guide to the best Canon DSLRs or have a look for your next lens with our guide to the best Canon EF-mount lenses.

Review by Audley Jarvis, with contributions from Jon Stapley.

Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 Specifications

Canon EOS 250D DSLR with 18-55mm lens

The post Canon EOS 250D / Rebel SL3 Review appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Buy now

Canon EOS 90D at a glance:

• $1199 / £1169 body only, $1599 / £1519 with 18-135mm IS USM lens
• 32.5-million-pixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• DIGIC 8 image processor
• ISO 100-25,600 (expandable to ISO 51,200)
• 10fps continuous shooting
• 220k pixel RGB+IR metering sensor
• Dual Pixel CMOS AF with Eye Detection AF
• Microphone and headphone input
• 1300-shot battery life

Perhaps the biggest rival to the EOS 90D comes from Canon’s own camera range. The newer EOS R7 is like a spiritual successor to the EOS 90D but with newer mirrorless technologies and support for Canon’s RF lens mount, which is clearly the future for the Canon brand. However, what the EOS R7 does not have right now is a range of dedicated APS-C optimized lenses, which the EOS 90D has in abundance – so Canon’s DSLR range still has plenty of life and value left in it.

Back to the Canon EOS 90D. We were intrigued to see Canon release a new APS-C DSLR in 2019 at the same time as it was evolving its mirrorless systems. At the time, it showed Canon’s intent on strengthening its EOS DSLR line up at the same time as developing its EOS M and EOS mirrorless range. But the situation has changed considerably since then.

Nevertheless the Canon EOS DSLR range continues, and our guide to the best Canon DSLRs shows the top choices available today. All have access to a larger number of Canon-made and third-party lenses, and our guide to the best Canon EF lenses picks out some of the best.

Our review sample was supplied with the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS Nano USM lens for testing. Image: Michael Topham

Who’s it for?

The EOS 90D arrived three years after Canon last refreshed its double-digit series of DSLRs. It’s the successor to the popular EOS 80D and is out to appeal to enthusiast photographers who’d like a versatile workhorse for all genres, as well as advanced amateurs who may feel they’ve outgrown their entry-level DSLR and would like to take the next step towards progressing their photography.

Let’s not forget that even now there are many that prefer DSLR handling and viewing systems to mirrorless cameras, so the EOS 90D is likely to find a willing audience, even today. See our guide to DSLR vs mirrorless cameras for a detailed breakdown of the differences.

Canon EOS 90D review: Features

The EOS 90D brought an all-new 32.5-million-pixel CMOS chip, which is also used inside Canon’s latest EOS M series camera the EOS M6 Mark II and the newer RF-mount EOS R7. Whereas the. older EOS 80D offered an ISO range of ISO 100-16,000 (expandable to ISO 25,600), the EOS 90D’s sensor goes one better in the way it shoots between ISO 100-25,600, expandable to ISO 51,200.

The Canon EOS 90D sports a 32.5MP APS-C CMOS sensor behind its EF-S lens mount. Image: Michael Topham

Healthy continuous shooting speed

The sensor works alongside Canon’s DIGIC 8 image processor, which contributes to faster data processing and a healthy increase in continuous shooting speed. Whereas the EOS 70D and EOS 80D let you shoot a continuous burst at up to 7fps, this has now risen to 10fps with autofocus tracking when using the viewfinder and 11fps when using Live View with fixed AF. To put this into context, it can now keep up with the EOS 7D Mark II, albeit with a smaller buffer. Canon claims it can sustain 58 JPEGs or 25 raw files at 10fps before its limit is reached. That 10fps shooting speed is certainly impressive, but the EOS 90D can’t maintain that rate for more than a short burst.

You’ll find a single SD slot at the side that accepts UHS-II cards. Image: Michael Topham

Dual Pixel CMOS AF

Those who remember the EOS 70D will recall it being Canon’s first DSLR to feature Dual Pixel CMOS AF. This revolutionary technology was lauded such a success, no time was wasted introducing it to other models across the EOS line up. In a nutshell, Dual Pixel CMOS AF supports sensor-based, phase detection autofocus. The system works by splitting all the effective pixels across the sensor into two individual photodiodes – one for left and one for right. This means the EOS 90D can perform on-sensor phase detection focusing both in Live View and during video recording, overcoming the sluggish Live View focusing performance associated with Canon DSLRs that predate 2013.

The Start/Stop button that’s used to enter Live View quickly is well positioned above the joystick. Image: Michael Topham

Keeping on the subject of autofocus, the EOS 90D adopts the same AF system from the EOS 80D. Out of the 45 all cross-type AF points on offer, 27 are f/8 compatible, with the centre point being sensitive down to f/2.8. The working range of the autofocus hasn’t changed either and continues to operate across a -3EV-18EV range.

Metering

Whereas the EOS 80D inherited Canon’s Canon’s 7,560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor from the EOS 750D and EOS 760D, the EOS 90D presents a 220,000-pixel RGB+IR exposure sensor. This should see it dissect and analyse scenes even more effectively for consistent and accurate exposure metering. Evaluative metering is linked to all AF points, with partial and spot metering covering approximately 6.5% and 2% of the viewfinder respectively. Exposure compensation is controlled across a range of +/- 5EV in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments.

The top plate of the EOS 90D is virtually identical to that of the EOS 80D. Image: Michael Topham

Canon doesn’t officially quote shutter actuation figures for the EOS 90D, however if the electronically controlled focal-plane shutter is similar to the EOS 80D’s, you can should expect a shutter lifespan of around 100,000 shots. If you’d like to exceed the 1/8000sec maximum shutter speed, such as when you find yourself wanting to shoot with a fast aperture in sunny conditions, you can shoot at up to 1/16000sec by entering Live View and activating the electronic shutter. Coming out of Live View after shooting at 1/16000sec automatically sees the mechanical shutter reset back to 1/8000sec.

The remote port is located behind its own rubber flap. The 90D has an older micro USB port as opposed to the newer USB Type C and doesn’t support in-camera charging. Image: Michael Topham

Wireless control

Those who regularly use long exposures can set the camera to bulb mode and trigger it with a hard-wired remote controller like the Canon TC80N3 with RA-E3 adapter, or use a wireless remote controller like the BR-E1. Alternatively, users may wish to take advantage of Canon’s Camera Connect app for iOS and Android for free and use it to start/stop the exposure whilst referring to a useful in-built timer.

Video

Compared to the Canon EOS 70D and Canon EOS 80D, which have only ever offered the ability to shoot movies at Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, the EOS 90D is the first double-digit EOS DSLR to feature 4K video recording. Most importantly it uses the full width of the sensor with no crop. Videographers can shoot 4K video at 30/25p and Full HD video at up to 120fps. Those who’d like to monitor audio levels will be pleased to read that both headphone and microphone inputs are supported, which are located at the side behind the same rubber flap. This is a decent enough set of specs even today, and pretty unique amongst DSLR designs.

It’s also a lot better than the Canon EOS 850D, which boasts 4K video amongst its specifications, but with a substantial crop factor and without Dual Pixel CMOS AF.

Body panels fit together neatly. Weather seals help prevent dust and moisture creeping inside. Image: Michael Topham

But only a single card slot

Other points of interest include a single card slot at the side that accepts UHS-II SD cards, which seems somewhat mean since many recent rivals have two, and the acceptance of Canon’s high stamina LP-E6N battery. Battery economy has improved too – up from 960 shots on the EOS 80D to 1300 shots based on CIPA testing. This is one respect where the EOS 90D still has a clear advantage over the newer EOS R7. Users who’d like to extend battery life still further can also load two batteries via the BG-E14 battery grip, which is the same that the EOS 70D and EOS 80D use.

Canon EOS 90D review: Connectivity

Wi-Fi connectivity is built into the EOS 90D, offering photographers the freedom to control the camera wirelessly from a smartphone or tablet that’s running Canon’s excellent Camera Connect app. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity to form a permanent connection to a smartphone – a feature seen on previous EOS models like the EOS 800D and EOS 77D. It allows your phone to be used as a remote control at any time, without having to mess around setting up a Wi-Fi connection between devices.

Enabling the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings from the menu reveals connectivity icons on the 90D’s top plate display. Image: Michael Topham

The Bluetooth connection can also instruct the camera to fire up its Wi-Fi for when you want to copy images across to your phone, or use full remote control with live view. The auto transfer option, which automatically downloads images taken with the camera to a smartphone connected via Wi-fi works well and you’re given the option to select a reduced image size (1620×1080 pixels) to prevent large size files filling your smartphone too quickly.

Activate the Auto transfer option and images will be automatically sent to your smartphone when a Wi-Fi connection is established. Note how the reduce image size (2MP) option is also turned on. Image: Michael Topham

Compared to some cameras, the EOS 90D’s connectivity is straightforward and quick to setup. You get an easy connection guide from the home page of the Camera Connect app that walks you through the steps involved.

Canon EOS 90D review: Build & Handling

Canon’s double digit DSLR’s have shared much of a likeness for many years. The 70D wasn’t vastly different to the 60D and the 80D, which introduced a slightly enlarged thumb rest, had much the same look as the 70D. Glance at the 90D from the front and you immediately start questioning if any changes have been made at all. On closer inspection you’ll notice the button to raise the pop-up flash protrudes slightly more and there aren’t as many holes for the in-built microphone.

A closeup view of the 90D’s deep rubberised handgrip. Image: Michael Topham

Turning our attention to the top plate, the rather plasticky top plate dial has been replaced by one that has a better-knurled texture, but in most other respects it’s identical to the 80D. The buttons to take control of AF mode, drive mode, ISO and metering are all laid out the same, with the small button that’s positioned between the top plate dial and shutter button being well placed to quickly cycle through the AF area modes.

The small AF area button on the top plate lets you toggle between AF area modes very quickly. Image: Michael Topham

Custom controls

In total there are nine custom controls, however the AF area button isn’t one you can reassign to a different function. On the left shoulder of the body you’ll find the mode dial with lock button within to prevent it being moved accidentally. The On/Off switch is positioned below the mode dial again like so many of Canon’s DSLRs. Though it’s not as natural to use as an On/Off switch that encircles the shutter button, you do quickly get used to flicking it with your left thumb.

The 90D can be comfortably held in your right hand when it’s paired with lightweight lenses. Image: Michael Topham

The most significant change to the 90D’s body is found at the rear. After many years of not seeing a multi-controller joystick at the rear of a double-digit EOS DSLR it’s great to see one added again. A joystick did feature on the EOS 20D, 30D, 40D and 50D, but was then removed from the EOS 60D, 70D and 80D, forcing those who wanted one to look at more advanced EOS models.

Joystick positioning

The joystick is positioned where the Quick menu button used to be on the 80D, so this has now been relocated a little lower to the right. The playback button that was positioned above the multi control dial has now been moved below it, which in turn sees the lock switch move across to the right a bit. The purpose of the lock switch is to prevent unintentional changes to exposure compensation and exposure settings by moving the multi control dial. It doesn’t physically lock (the wheel will still turn) but it does turns off the function.

The newly added multi-controller joystick clearly on show. Note how the Quick menu button has shifted down and to the right a bit. Image: Michael Topham

Enthusiasts who’d like to intuitively shift the AF point around the frame will really appreciate having the multi-controller joystick on the EOS 90D. Going back to using the 80D and having to tap the directional buttons to get the AF point where you want it to be highlights how much faster and more intuitive focus point positioning is on the 90D. The other benefit of the joystick is that it makes for a great way of quickly navigating the menu. To confirm menu settings, or reposition the AF point back to the centre of the frame, simply push the joystick inwards.

Buttons and controls at the rear of the camera fall nicely to hand, making it quick and easy to setup. Image: Michael Topham

The feel in the hand

The body is constructed from a blend of aluminium alloy and polycarbonate resin with glass fiber. There’s no sign of creaking or squeaking when it’s gripped tightly and though you can tell it’s not as solid as pro-spec EOS models, it feels well put together and robust enough for those it’s designed for. As a camera that’s likely to fall into the hands of countless wildlife, sports and outdoors photographers who might get caught out in wet weather, it was vital for Canon to ensure the body is weather sealed.

Canon doesn’t provide any information about exactly how many weather seals feature in the construction, but most importantly they do a good job. Using the 90D outdoors in persistent drizzle for more than two hours caused no harm and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the touchscreen is just as responsive to use when it’s covered in water droplets as when it’s dry, which can’t be said for all cameras.

The EOS 90D being tested with the EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS Nano USM lens that Canon sells with the camera. Image: Michael Topham

Light for its size

Another thing that’ll appeal is how easy it is for existing Canon users to pick up the 90D and immediately feel at home with it. It won’t feel intimidating for anyone upgrading from an entry-level EOS model and neither does it feel too big a step down from an advanced EOS DSLR like the EOS 7D Mark II. There isn’t a huge difference in weight between the 90D (701g) and 80D (730g), but a saving in weight is better than no saving at all. It’s one of the lightest double-digit EOS DSLRs to be made, second to that of the EOS 30D (700g).

Canon EOS 90D review: Viewfinder and Screen

The optical viewfinder, like the 80D, offers 100% frame coverage with 0.95x magnification and -3 to +1 m-1 dioptre correction. Exposure variables are clearly displayed along the bottom and if you head into the viewfinder display options in the menu you can choose to display an electronic level, grid display as well as a Flicker detection warning. Unlike many electronic viewfinders found on mirrorless cameras though, it doesn’t rotate this information when you shoot in the portrait format.

The standard rubberised eyecup surrounds the EOS 90D’s optical viewfinder. Image: Michael Topham

Benefits of a tilting screen

As for the screen, it’s the same 3in, 1040k-dot vari-angle touchscreen we’ve seen on many Canon DSLRs before. It displays a good, clean feed to assist composition and video recording in Live View. Images are well displayed in playback mode too. Colours are faithful and you get four thumbnail views to quickly search through hundreds of images on the memory card. Having the option of pulling the screen out and tilting it to your preferred angle gives it a distinct advantage over a fixed screen when attempting to shoot from low or high angles. Those with observant eyes will also notice the cut out that helps users pull the screen out when it’s folded back into the camera is now positioned at the top corner rather than at the side.

Here the screen in its pulled out position and is being used to compose an image from knee level. Image: Michael Topham

Touch screen performance

As we’ve become used to on Canon’s most recent DSLRs, the touch screen is very responsive and reacts to the lightest of touches when it’s used to navigate the menus, select different settings or zoom and swipe through images in playback mode. There is the option to increase the sensitivity from standard to sensitive, but it’s hard to decipher a difference between them. If you find the touchscreen more of a hindrance than it is helpful, it can be disabled from the touch control settings.

Canon EOS 90D review: Performance

The 90D’s layout of 45 autofocus points is grouped quite tightly in the viewfinder. The central gathering of AF points are arranged in a 3×5 grid with the top and bottom line sitting a fraction higher than the two groups of 15 AF points either side. You’re required to press the AF selection button first before you’re able to shift the AF point around the frame. If you’d prefer to move the AF point instantly with the joystick you’ll need to enter the CnFn III Operation/Others option in the menu, head to the Custom Controls and change the function of the Multi-controllers from off to direct AF point selection. I’m quite surprised it’s not setup this way as default as I can see many users expecting it to operate this way straight out of the box.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, 1/100sec at f/7.1, ISO 200. Image: Michael Topham

Focusing in live view

In situations where you’d like to focus close to the edge of the frame where there isn’t an AF point you’ll either need to focus and recompose or switch over to shooting in Live View. In the latter you’re provided with much wider 100×88% vertical and horizontal frame coverage with as many as 5481 AF positions to choose from. As well as spot AF, 1-point AF and Zone AF, there’s also tracking AF in Live View, with the option to turn face and eye detection on from a touch of the the Info button.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, 1/2000sec at f/5.6, ISO 6400. Image: Michael Topham

Real-world testing revealed the 90D can identify and track faces effectively, even at long distances. Eye detection becomes active within approximately 2m of a person, with the smaller of two white squares indicating which eye the camera has locked onto. You can tell the camera which eye you’d prefer it to focus on by flicking the joystick left and right, but you will notice that Eye detection becomes less effective when the person you’re photographing turns and isn’t facing the camera straight on.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM, 1/400sec at f/2, ISO 3200. Image: Michael Topham

Tracking sensitivity

I was particularly impressed by the success rate of sharp shots I managed to achieve in low light when shooting indoor go-karts approaching head-on using the viewfinder. Sports and wildlife users will appreciate the advanced autofocus settings on offer too such as the option to refine the responsiveness of the tracking sensitivity, although being able to choose from various AF case sensitivities for different subjects is a feature that remains exclusive to higher-end EOS models.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, 1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 640. Image: Michael Topham

Reliable metering is another of the 90D’s strengths. You can trust the camera to deliver well-exposed images in evaluative metering mode and I rarely found myself having to dial in more than -1EV to prevent highlights being clipped in the brightest areas. For scenes where evaluative metering isn’t the best option, there’s also partial, spot and centre weighted to choose from. If you happen to underexpose an image a little too far for the highlights, the 90D’s wide dynamic range gives you the scope to pull detail back at the editing stage without introducing unbearable levels of noise.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, 1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 100. Image: Michael Topham

Battery stamina

It goes without saying the number of shots that one can get out of the battery pack depends on many different factors, such as the temperature of the environment the camera is used in and how often power-hungry functions like Wi-fi are turned on. Checking the battery info when the battery icon began to blink told me you can get close to the estimated 1300 shots per charge if you use the viewfinder for a majority of your shooting. While this battery life is impressive and surpasses many smaller mirrorless cameras, it’s let down slightly by the fact a newer USB Type-C interface for in-camera charging, like you get on Canon’s EOS R models, isn’t supported.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, 1/125sec at f/1.8, ISO 1600. Image: Michael Topham

Canon also provides a good amount of control over image processing settings. The default Auto picture style determines what it thinks is the best processing and rendering settings for any given scene and there are seven other picture styles to choose from that can be tweaked to your liking. If you’d like your shots to reflect the scene naturally as you see it with your eyes, faithful or neutral are a great place to start. Hit the Quick menu button in playback mode and you’ll be presented by a number of icons on either side of the screen, processing raw files in-camera and ranking multiple images with a one to five star rating being two such examples.

Canon EOS 90D, Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, 1/320sec at f/5.6, ISO 200. Image: Michael Topham

Buffer performance

Loading the 90D with a UHS-II card and testing its speed performance resulted in 25 raw files being captured at 10fps using the viewfinder before its buffer was reached. Switching the file format over to Canon’s C-Raw format saw this number rise to 40 frames. Firing off a burst of large JPEGs resulted in 52 images being recorded to our card before the buffer required a breather. For the sport, action and wildlife photographers Canon is aiming the camera at, this buffer performance is a little underwhelming, though we must remember we’re looking at an enthusiast camera here, not a pro-spec model. Ultimately, users will need to judge when to start shooting a burst carefully to ensure the buffer limit isn’t reached partway through an action sequence.

Canon EOS 90D review: Image quality

At launch, the EOS 90D offered the highest resolution of any APS-C camera on the market, a resolution it shares with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II and EOS R7, with the move from 24.2-million-pixels to 32.5-million-pixels being quite a jump. However, Fujifilm has now stolen its crown, with the 40MP Fujifilm X-T5 and Fujifilm X-H2.

Canon has once again opted to overlay the sensor with an optical low-pass filter to help keep moire and false colour artefacts under control. While this does come at the expense of some finer image detail, users will be enthralled by the quality of the 90D’s images when they’re inspected at high magnification. Sports and wildlife photographers will be especially grateful for the increased pixel count when they need to crop tightly. There’s excellent latitude when you’d like to return detail too. Raw files let you to pull back a lot of information from deep shadowed regions, which is great for times when you’d like to underexpose for high contrast scenes in order to prevent highlight detail blowing out and being lost.

Canon EOS 90D Review: Resolution

A close inspection of our resolution chart tells us the EOS 90D’s new sensor resolves a very creditable 3,700l/ph at its base sensitivity of ISO 100. Detail remains high at low sensitivity settings; with resolution figures of 3,600l/ph and 3,400l/ph recorded at ISO 200 and ISO 400 respectively. Push higher into the ISO range and you’ll start to observe fine detail being affected by noise. We recorded 3,100l/ph at ISO 3200 and 2,900l/ph at ISO 6400. The sensor can resolve 2,600l/ph at ISO 12,800 and 2,400l/ph at ISO 25,600 before expansion, with detail dropping right off at ISO 51,000 (2,100l/ph).

From the crops below, multiply the number below the lines by 200 to calculate the resolution of lines per picture height.

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 100

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 200

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 400

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 800

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 1600

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 3200

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 6400

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 12800

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 25600

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 51200

Canon EOS 90D Review: Noise

A greater number of pixels on the same sensor surface area risks more noise at pixel level, yet the EOS 90D controls noise well up to ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, putting in a respectable performance. For optimum results you’ll want to shoot in Raw and work between ISO 100 and ISO 400 where you’ll be presented with clean images that are noise free.

Luminance noise can be observed at ISO 800 and ISO 1600, but detail isn’t affected too heavily at these settings so you can use them confidently. ISO 3200 is perfectly useable too provided some noise reduction applied during post processing. I’d say this is the upper limit of where I’d want to push to on a regular basis though as fine detail does take more of a hit at ISO 6400 and ISO 8000. Increased noise at ISO 12,800 impinges fine detail and although vibrancy and saturation holds up well at ISO 25,600 and ISO 51,200, both these settings should be avoided.

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 100

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 200

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 400

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 800

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 1600

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 3200

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 6400

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 12800

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 25600

Canon EOS 90D, Raw, ISO 51200

Canon EOS 90D Review: Verdict

The Canon EOS 90D is a versatile and reliable DSLR, capable of producing excellent images in a multitude of different shooting situations. Although launched back in 2019, its specifications, features and performance are still relevant today, especially for Canon fans who prefer the DSLR design to mirrorless. A lot of talk is centred on the sensor, which resolves a level of detail exceeding anything recorded from an Canon APS-C camera previously. The increase in resolution will be of great benefit to sports, action and wildlife photographers who crop into their images, however to get the best out of the sensor and do it justice you’ll really want to pair it with higher quality lenses than the kit zooms Canon sells it with, including the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM.

Canon sells the EOS 90D in three configurations. It can be purchased body only, with the EF-S 18-55mm IS STM or the EF-S 18-135mm IS USM. Image: Michael Topham

Great for casual videography

Uncropped 4K video has been long overdue on Canon’s double-digit DSLRs, so it’s good to see it making an appearance, albeit without a 24p setting or a Log gamma option for colour grading. The EOS 90D will be fine for vlogging and casual use, but it lags behind modern mirrorless rivals for serious filmmaking capabilities.

I’d have liked to see Canon add a USB Type C interface with support for USB charging like its EOS R mirrorless range, but unfortunately it goes without. Its saving grace is its large LP-E6N battery, which with its 1300-shot stamina, won’t have you rushing to find mains power to recharge it.

Vs the Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Being able to shoot a continuous burst at 10fps is great to have, however the older Canon EOS 7D Mark II still has the edge when it comes to buffer performance, plus it offers dual card slots whereas the 90D only has one. The 90D’s optical viewfinder is big and bright, but the AF system is starting to show its age. To benefit from wider AF coverage, better focus accuracy and focus aids such as Face and Eye Detection, you’ll find yourself engaging Live View and using the rear screen more than you thought you might.

A decent sized grip, excellent handling and intuitive layout of controls is what a lot of enthusiast photographers look for and the Canon EOS 90D provides all of these. Image: Michael Topham

Ergonomically, the 90D feels great. The large handgrip lets you wrap your hand around it to get a secure hold when it’s used with large telephoto lenses and its weather resistance gives you confidence to keep shooting when the weather takes a turn for the worse. In addition, the newly added joystick complements the intuitive layout of controls and dials across the body, making it quick to setup and shoot with when there’s no time to waste.

A dead end for the M-series?

Those who are after a camera that’s more compact may be inclined to look at the Canon EOS M6 Mark II, which shares the same sensor/processor combination as the 90D and shoots even faster, though with the arrival of the RF-mount EOS R10 and R7, it looks like Canon’s M-series cameras are headed for an evolutionary dead-end. Photographers who’ve built up a selection of EF lenses, fancy having a more extensive lens lineup available to them, and still prefer using an optical viewfinder as opposed to an EVF, will be be well served by the 90D.

How long will Canon continue making DSLRs for enthusiasts? Only time will tell. Image: Michael Topham

Final thoughts

In today’s world of mirrorless it makes a refreshing change to see a DSLR still competing with them on pretty much equal terms. For advancing amateurs and keen enthusiasts alike, the Canon EOS 90D makes a sound choice. Is it the best APS-C enthusiast DSLR Canon has made? Yes it is, but it might also be one of the last if Canon decides to pull the plug on manufacturing DSLRs and shifts its focus to mirrorless and mirrorless only – and with the R10 and R7 the signs are that this may already have happened.

Find more great Canon DSLRs in our guide to the best Canon EOS DSLRs you can buy!

Related reading:

• If I had $1000/£1000 I’d buy these DSLR’s
• Canon EOS 80D review
• Canon EOS 5D Mark III review – full-frame bargain DSLR

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