NEW DOG, OLD TRICKS
It’s been well over a year since we last road-tested a new D-SLR, and longer still as far as a mid-range model is concerned. It’s been wall-to-wall mirrorless cameras over that time (at least 15 models on these pages and we haven’t reviewed every new arrival either), but the dichotomy is that there’s still an awful lot of D-SLRs being sold, and a huge population of existing users. While the D-SLR is now effectively ‘old tech’ in the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) world, it’s very effective old tech and, for many, still does exactly what they want. Why change then?
Having been top dog in D-SLRs for a very long time, Canon understands this consumer sentiment well, even if it is also well aware that the golden era of the reflex ILC is essentially over. It has two mirrorless camera systems that will require plenty of resources over the coming years, so what’s inevitable is that new D-SLR development will slow significantly. But right now there’s no hurry and Canon will go on building D-SLRs (as will Nikon) until demand falls to the point where it’s no longer viable economically.That day will surely come (although it’s certainly not imminent), but in the meantime here’s the EOS 90D… and it’s a very fine example of the D-SLR genre, albeit with some subtle emphasising of what it can do when operating like a mirrorless camera (i.e. with the reflex mirror locked up). Of course, the EOS 90D would have been in development – along with its mirrorless cousin, the EOS M6 Mark II – at the same time as the full-35mm EOS R cameras, when Canon was, to some extent hedging its bets.The future in ILCs looks a bit clearer now, but there’s likely to be a few more D-SLRs still to come as, once again, there’s a transition period (as there was in the switch from film to digital).
Unboxing the EOS 90D was a bit of a trip down memory lane, but it also
