Amazingly, the Canon EOS 90D is five years old this year. It's amazing for two reasons; firstly, because I remember the launch event as if it were yesterday, so I feel old. But secondly, it was such a forward-thinking camera that it still feels pretty current.
The question is, is the Canon EOS 90D still current enough to warrant a recommendation in 2024?
Personally, I'd say yes – with a couple of provisos. Indeed, I still rate it as one of the best cameras for wildlife and one of the best cameras for sports – two categories where APS-C cameras have a real niche, and where DSLRs are still proving pretty popular despite the many advantages of mirrorless.
So what does the Canon EOS 90D offer? At its heart is Canon's breakthrough 32.5MP sensor – the first APS-C sensor to break the 26MP barrier. This comes with a 1.6x crop factor that is a real boon for genres where you need extra reach, as it increases the effective focal length of your lenses (a 300mm optic becomes a 480mm, for example).
This is complemented by a 10fps burst rate that, while conservative by today's standards, is still good enough for shooting fast action like wild animals or sports. It is, however, held back by a slightly limited buffer of about 25 RAWs.
With Dual Pixel Autofocus, the 90D is as formidable as a mirrorless camera – even for shooting video, which isn't something you'd normally choose to do with a DSLR. The fully articulating screen and uncropped 4K actually make it a powerful moviemaking machine.
While it doesn't have an electronic viewfinder, being a DSLR has distinct advantages – most notably the battery life, where mirrorless users will be green with envy at the 1,300-shot performance.
So, if you've been eyeing up the Canon EOS 90D, I say go for it. It may be a little long in the tooth now, but it still stands proudly even next to its modern mirrorless counterparts.
Take a look at the best DSLRs and the best Canon cameras both with and without a mirror mechanism.
